Question For Hollowdweller

Mtn_Guy_79

Mtn_Guy_79

Joined
Nov 25, 2005
Messages
52
Being as how you're in the WV area maybe you can shed a little light on it for me. I am looking at a possible job in the area arround McDowell And Welch. Ever get to that area? I'm specifically wondering about the wilderness aspects of it. As well as places of intrest to a woods bum.

Thanks for any help
 
I don' t know. There's pretty much woods all over WV. Most rural state? Or is Vermont #1?

Most of the actual wilderness I go to is in the eastern part of the state. A good %age of land in McDowell is all owned by coal companies.

McDowell County is one of the most economically depressed counties in the state. In fact many of the food stamp and welfare programs started by the federal gov't were piloted there. Of course in Jolo in McDowell you have the snake handling church too:eek::D


The interesting thing is McDowell used to be a wealthy area when coal was first being mined down there. The song John Hardy was written about an outlaw in Keystone.

However as mechanization took over most of the coal mining areas of the state are the most economically depressed, with an incredible amount of population on welfare or SSI , and with the worst roads and crumbling infrastructure, terrible schools and uneducated population. Still if you know where to look most places in WV have some nice woods so as long as you have a job you should be OK.
 
Here's a bit of info from the census:

The per capita income for the county was $10,174, which is the lowest in the state and the 28th lowest in the country. About 33.80% of families and 37.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.50% of those under age 18 and 21.60% of those age 65 or over.
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Info about attractions in the area:

http://atv.mcdowellwv.com/index.html

Interesting article about the county:

http://www.emmanuelhampton.org/mcdowell.html
 
Some more recent stats:

McDOWELL POVERTY

McDowell County, West Virginia ranks within the worst ten in the United States for:
Childhood Poverty - 56.4% (Children's Defense Fund)
Overall Poverty Rate - 33% (Census Bureau)
Disability Rate - over 40% (Census Bureau)
Mortality Rate - 8th worst in US (Census Bureau
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I can vouch for the disability rate. Theres a whole areas where the average IQ is probably 60. I know too cause I've had them tested:rolleyes:
 
Mtn Guy,

I wish you all the best in getting to WV.

I have a job interview sometime the week of the 14th of this month in Virginia, just south of Berkeley Co. WV. So close, I could live in WV and commute to VA (which is what I'll probably do).

I hate to drag out an old cliché' but WV is "almost Heaven". I've been to just about every state east of the Mississippi and several west of it and have yet to find a more beautiful place to be.

My wife even told me that if I don't get this transfer/job, that we're packing up and moving to WV. Even if we both have to flip burgers for a living to make ends meet :p.

When we both get there, we'll have to get together with HD for an outing.

Chris
 
The reason I'm Asking is because I was approached about a job at a local mission (they do home repair, and other social work Mcdowell and the surrounding area) that need a counselor/pastor. I will proably be visiting the area in the next couple weeks and wanted to get a heads up as to what to expect. I appreciate all your help.
 
Mtn_Guy_79 said:
The reason I'm Asking is because I was approached about a job at a local mission (they do home repair, and other social work Mcdowell and the surrounding area) that need a counselor/pastor. I will proably be visiting the area in the next couple weeks and wanted to get a heads up as to what to expect. I appreciate all your help.
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That's great. Good on you for helping out in that area. It is interesting that for all the "black gold" that flows from the area still that it doesn't really benefit the quality of life down there much.

Actually some friends of my parents, I can't recall their names right off work down there in some sort of ministerial economic development project. Episcopal I think.
 
I fell in love with WV while I was in school in SE Ohio. :thumbup:

Then I fell in love with a girl who just happened to live here. (Met her on BF, btw) ;)

We never thought twice about making and spending our life and our living here. :)
 
Seriously we need to have a WV BF hiking trip or something. There's a lot of folks close or live here:thumbup:
 
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