Will West Virginia ever have any substantial population gain in the future?

[iceman]

West Virginia's population growth has been stagnant, would there be any chance in the foreseeable future that it would have modest population gain like reaching 3,000,000 perhaps?

[DINGO Joe]

West Virginia's population growth has been stagnant, would there be any chance in the foreseeable future that it would have modest population gain like reaching 3,000,000 perhaps?

No, barring rapid global warming.

They're below 1.8 mil now (and falling) so 3 mil would actually be a 66% increase.  The US as a whole has slowing growth and as the boomers die off, growth will be totally dependent on immigration.  No reason to expect immigrants to flock to WV.

[Tintrlvr]

There would need to be some sort of economic resurgence there that draws people. I really can't see any reason why that might happen within the next 50 years at least. Population stagnation and decline when your economic niche expires is real. A lot of places in New England and out on the Great Plains had higher populations in the 1800s than they do now (though not at the statewide level presently). I expect the same will be true for West Virginia 100+ years in the future.

[Non Swing Voter]

No.  Perhaps the tip of West Virginia that borders NOVA could grow as people get pushed further and further past Loudoun, but that probably wouldn't offset losses in the rest of the state barring some unexpected change.

[Indy Texas]

West Virginia's population growth has been stagnant, would there be any chance in the foreseeable future that it would have modest population gain like reaching 3,000,000 perhaps?

No, barring rapid global warming.

They're below 1.8 mil now (and falling) so 3 mil would actually be a 66% increase.  The US as a whole has slowing growth and as the boomers die off, growth will be totally dependent on immigration.  No reason to expect immigrants to flock to WV.

If the Sunbelt were to become intolerable, people would move to Northern/Midwestern cities that already had the infrastructure for larger populations built out in the 19th and 20th centuries (St. Louis, Detroit, Cincinnati, Buffalo, etc).

They wouldn't go to West Virginia, which was never a bustling economic center or particularly desirable place to live.

[Krago]

They wouldn't go to West Virginia, which was never a bustling economic center or particularly desirable place to live.

I've heard that it's almost Heaven.

[Padfoot]

Here's my "King of West Virginia" fantasy plan that I would implement if I was in charge.  I admittedly know very little about West Virginia beyond the stereotypes and driving through on my way to vacation a few years ago.

1. Accelerate the shutdown of all coal mining activity and offer retraining to all coal workers in mine reclamation and sustainable forestry practices.  The goal being to restore nature to the highest extent possible and replace coal mining with a sustainable, renewable resource based, industry.
2. Declare a large tract of the state Appalachian National Park and begin the process of recreating the pre-Columbian ecosystem including reintroduction of large mammals such as elk, buffalo, wolves, and cougars.  The goal would be to create a "Yellowstone of the East" where people would visit hoping to catch a glimpse of wolves, cougars, bison, and elk.
3. Begin aggressively promoting outdoor & eco-tourism industries including but not limited to sport hunting/fishing; skiing; hiking/mountain biking; rafting; etc.

I'm not sure if any of this would cause a population increase but I feel like it would effectively transition the economy into the 21st century to the point where the population would stabilize.

[It’s so Joever]

Here's my "King of West Virginia" fantasy plan that I would implement if I was in charge.  I admittedly know very little about West Virginia beyond the stereotypes and driving through on my way to vacation a few years ago.

1. Accelerate the shutdown of all coal mining activity and offer retraining to all coal workers in mine reclamation and sustainable forestry practices.  The goal being to restore nature to the highest extent possible and replace coal mining with a sustainable, renewable resource based, industry.
2. Declare a large tract of the state Appalachian National Park and begin the process of recreating the pre-Columbian ecosystem including reintroduction of large mammals such as elk, buffalo, wolves, and cougars.  The goal would be to create a "Yellowstone of the East" where people would visit hoping to catch a glimpse of wolves, cougars, bison, and elk.
3. Begin aggressively promoting outdoor & eco-tourism industries including but not limited to sport hunting/fishing; skiing; hiking/mountain biking; rafting; etc.

I'm not sure if any of this would cause a population increase but I feel like it would effectively transition the economy into the 21st century to the point where the population would stabilize.

You could also start promoting certain former coal towns as “historic, cultural sites” and turn them into charming tourist traps.

[lfromnj]

Fun fact, Mcdowell county had more people than fairfax county in the 1950s

[cinyc]

The future is a very long time, so yes, WV will have a population gain again at some point between now and 2500.

[EastAnglianLefty]

Fun fact, Mcdowell county had more people than fairfax county in the 1950s

The raw figures for that are pretty astonishing. It's almost more remarkable that southern WV's politics didn't change that much when its population effectively halved in 20 years than that they've swung so hard when it's almost bottomed out.

[VPH]

I could see the loss slowing dramatically if suburbanization in the panhandle and nearby accelerates.

[Nyvin]

Hopefully at some point the southern half of WV is turned into a national park, and from there the population in the panhandle and northern third can start growing.

[Crumpets]

Who knows, maybe Charleston will become a huge tech hub and the mountains will be filled with yuppie retirees by 2080.

[EastAnglianLefty]

Hopefully at some point the southern half of WV is turned into a national park, and from there the population in the panhandle and northern third can start growing.

Most of the eastern panhandle is 50 miles from Washington and the northern panhandle is surrounded by the most depopulating parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, so that doesn't seem terribly likely on the face of it.

[MarkD]

I've wondered whether John Denver's hit song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" had anything to do with the population surge that WV experienced in the 1970s. If it did, then maybe some other popular singer these days should come up with another song dedicated to the glories of the state and see if that attracts another crowd of new home buyers.

[Continential]

When the VA Suburbs run out of space and people are forced to buy a home in WV.