Will the real West Virginia please stand up?

Photo courtesy of Travis Kahle.

My daily commute takes me along Interstate 64 from Huntington to Charleston.  During the winter months when the leaves are gone, there are several spots near Milton and Hurricane where I can see gently rolling hills and farmland with quaint barns and nice homes.  After a fresh snowfall, it’s downright picturesque.  Further east, the Kanawha Valley gives way to bustling streets, factories, and the steel and glass towers of downtown Charleston. 

The I-64 corridor through Cabell, Putnam, and Kanawha counties has been dubbed the “Metro Valley” of West Virginia.  While it isn’t as metropolitan as the name suggests, one can find all the modern conveniences of any typical American city.  There are malls, department stores, restaurants of all kinds, universities, and entertainment.  

Huntington and Charleston, like all other cities I’ve visited, have multiple facets.  Pullman Square in downtown Huntington is full of boutiques and cafes, as is Capitol Street in Charleston.  The South Hills area of Charleston has homes that sell for seven figures.  The Stamford Park neighborhood of Huntington is a collective of high-end homes on dozens of cul-de-sacs.  There are also parts of both cities with abandoned homes, high crime, empty storefronts, and vacant factories.  

I’ve never been to a city that didn’t have both good and bad areas.  In fact, I’ve never been to a rural area that didn’t have both nice homes and trailer parks.  Why is it that so many people focus on the “bad side” of West Virginia than the “good side?”  The Mountain State certainly has economic problems.  To ignore them would be foolish.  But, I don’t recall Jay Leno poking fun at the oral health of our neighbors in Pennsylvania or Virginia (he infamously made fun of West Virginians for their lack of teeth on multiple occasions).  

Unfortunately, derogatory Appalachian stereotypes were reinforced again recently with the release of Hillbilly Elegy, the movie based on JD Vance’s memoir of the same name.  Vance’s story is incredible, but he isn’t even from Appalachia!  He grew up between Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio.  Vance’s grandparents were from Jackson, KY, and many of his family’s socioeconomic troubles were attributed to their “hillbilly” heritage.  Sadly, this cast another shadow on Appalachian culture.  

I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about our image in West Virginia. Are we deserving of that image?  It is said that all stereotypes have some basis in truth, no matter how small.  I have come to the conclusion that the real West Virginia does not match the stereotypes. 

Of course, you can find run-down homes, drug problems, and pockets of high crime, but what place doesn’t deal with these issues on some level?  We also have swanky neighborhoods, posh resorts, and high-end car dealerships.  

Perhaps we have been the object of negative stereotypes because we’re different.  We talk a little bit different.  Our culture is a little bit different.  The mountains kept us isolated until the interstate highway system was built in the mid 1900’s. 

There are pockets of the state that remain relatively isolated, but so are parts of California, Texas, and New York.  The real West Virginia is a place of breathtaking natural beauty with quaint towns and small, modern cities.  The real West Virginia is a diverse state with fascinating places and people.