Opinion of West Virginia

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The best state in this country. My grandparents and many of my aunts and uncles hail from the state. My grandma in fact was raised in a house that was literally right across the street from the geographical center of the state (a marker sits on the spot.) The history of Harpers Ferry, the rolling hills, the white water rafting, the New River Gorge, these are beautiful spots.

The coal is a problem, and most of my relatives who have since left the state have admitted that. The 50,000 mines that fueled the economy when my grandma grew up there in the late forties and fifties are now down to 5,000 yet the damage still is the same. The state really needs to move on. I have a step-relative who died at the age of 20 from cancer that was most likely caused by water pollution. The coal slurries are hidden behind barbed wire, with armed guards surrounding them. My Aunt and Uncle tried to see one, and were chased off.

Another thing to keep in mind is how far the state has come. My Uncle once found A. James Manchin (the state treasurer and secretary of state famous for buying up the junker cars) drunk in a field. Now West Virginia has two respectable Senators (albeit moderate heroes and attention whores) and generally decent politics. My Aunt and Uncle used to count the tires and refrigerators off the side of the road when they drove out of Morgantown to Charlotte.

It’s vastly improved, though my Middle School fantasy of moving there is gone. Maybe if I, by a miracle, make enough money I’ll buy a small piece of property in Flatwoods.

[ElectionsGuy]

Freedom State, but like Hawaii, I wouldn't want to live there. Its certainly beautiful and a great place to visit on a vacation.

[Horus]

One of the worst states in the Union, if not the worst.

[LeBron]

High obesity, gun nuts, a faulty Governor, and Obama haters everywhere. Enough said

[MATTROSE94]

One of the worst states in the entire country, though not quite as bad as Oklahoma.

[Storebought]

Take away Indiana and there's quite a telling pattern here.

For me, it's not the selection of states that are voted horrible, but the approval of states like Nebraska and Idaho, that reflect negatively on the Atlas Forum.

As for West Virginia, it is a post-industrial toxic waste site with a calamitous population, but it's still better than Idaho.

[Goldwater]

As for West Virginia, it is a post-industrial toxic waste site with a calamitous population, but it's still better than Idaho.

In what ways?

[Storebought]

As for West Virginia, it is a post-industrial toxic waste site with a calamitous population, but it's still better than Idaho.

In what ways?

Idaho is almost as poor a state as WV, and would be just as much an industrial brownfield as WV if large swathes of it weren't under the direct management of the US government. I don't see that what makes ID intrinsically better.

[DINGO Joe]

West Virginia leads the nation in both ATV deaths and Drug overdose deaths.

http://wvmetronews.com/2013/10/08/west-virginia-ranks-first-in-drug-overdose-deaths/

http://www.wboy.com/story/24409301/west-virginia-ranks-highest-in-atv

[Deus Naturae]

I was going to vote FS, but Senator Rockefeller's recent remarks changed my mind. HS

Are you mad at Rockefeller for saying that or did he say something you didn't already know?