We didnt have anything when I was growing up but we would make games and wrap things around the house for gifts. It was fun. We would watch Santa Clause is coming to town and eat a peppermint stick my dad bought us. You do what you can but it doesnt have to be depressing.

This guys looks like simon Cowell from America idol. Manorisms too

"Il sogno americano "

I remember my grandmother told me, they might get a ribbon and an orange at Christmas. They were grateful. Tough times for sure. Government should have helped more for those that truly needed it.

Perfect & yummy looking, I know it goes great with whip cream. I would totally eat it all up too!!! And ice cream can't forget the ice cream 🥧

Looks like the road around where my mom was raised in kentucky

They can afford cigarettes but not birth control. If you're dirt poor and already have a kid, you should stop having more.

I wonder if everything worked out

This where I lived my whole life thank yall for showing folks out lil town

I started 1st grade at Honaker elementary I believe in 1964. I had the same teacher my dad had when he was in school. Years later I went to Honaker high 8th grade. Then moved to GA. I hear Honaker has a traffic light now 😂😂. It was so much like Mayberry in my memories from back in the 60s. Great video. I've been on all those streets and roads you shown. I remember living near Drill, Putnam, and near the foot of Big A Mtn. My mom worked at the old five and dime store when she was a teenager. Her sister, my aunt, of course, worked in Sids grill...I remember Piggly Wiggly too

I grew up in Monroe County...... went to Peterstown High School. Played football for the Pirates. Knew of Chad Johnston, though he was a few years after me.

Because their hypocrites and heathens ?

I was born in Welch in 1946. I was a Mabry. I loved the video but made me homesick. I come back when I can. My father is buried in Roderfield so I come to check on his grave. Thanks so much for the video.

The first will be last and the last will be first. God loves the poor and being poor on this earth only means you will be blessed in heaven. Jesus was poor and he was the son of God! I grew up in Harlan Co Kentucky, my life was much different from this. Kuralt went to the deepest woods of KY and that is fine. However, it leads one to think this is all there is in Kentucky BUT in fact it is just like any other state. You have poor, middle class and wealthy. If they had driven 20 miles in the other direction, they would have seen that but then...where's the story in that. lol I agree it is sad for anyone to be poor but Kentucky is not just poor people living in the 'hollers'. I can honestly say that there was an element of this around me growing up in KY, and no one thought anything of it. There was a very poor girl in our class when I grew up and though I never knew all of their story, people used to try to help them as much as they could. Several of those poor kids passed young with meningitis and this was in the late 70's. I graduated in 1981, so this was at a much later time. Poverty is everywhere sadly. I miss the ol' Kentucky days and the simple life. I have lived in Florida, Tennessee and New York and Ohio but I still, and always will miss home! This is riveting BUT it could have been filmed in anywheresville USA. The coal mine camps were and are depressed and few remain in these areas. Sadly, BIG COAL and greed is what kept MOST of those people down and probably still does. The government was corrupt and MSHA took bribes from the mine operators to keep them running in VERY dangerous situations. Many men lost their lives and it was always covered up. There are stories and documents where coal mine inspectors even testified about the corruption in front of the senate sub committee to expose it. After corrup mine operators caused many men to die when an inspector shut down a dangerous mine with methane gas leaks. Coal ops called the bosses at MSHA and they (being corrupt and on the take) opened them back up. Of course there was an explosion and the men died. They were exposed. Look it up on books.google.com HEARINGS OF THE MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION: Volume 4 March 11 & 12 1987 This is why there are poor depressed people because there will always be people who get wealthy off the backs of others. They will answer to God if they don't answer on this earth. Too bad Kuralt didn't get the REAL STORY.

And this is still going on! These are the people im Americs that need help!

she's cuter than a speckled puppy in a lil red wagon.

I remember going to get commodities that was the best cheese an peanut butter ever

Maybe the story of frosty the snow man was real they're white skin and round eyes blended in with the snow

What a heart touching story ❤

Happy Thanksgiving 2024 The Banker , the BABE and the Baby .amen 🇺🇸

My mom was born Beckley in 1941, her dad RK Kiddy owned Kiddy's Filling Station. They became snowbirds in the late 40's into the 50's due to my mom and her sisters being so sick so they went south to Florida every winter eventually ending up in the Florida Keys where my Mom met my Dad who was from New Jersey and had me😊

My dads hometown. Wayne Wiley.

Beautiful place I live there from 3 months back about 6 years ago and I'm from KY and I would love to go back there

Are you the woman from the video about the NC flood that said, come hell or high water? I know I have saw you somewhere before. ( : Great video, guys!

I'm curious to know if the residents in the communities participating in this special were financially compensated. I hope they were. How could any corporation use them for a special and not compensate them appropriately? Hopefully, their Christmases that year were spectacular.

The smell of the orange being peeled always reminds me of Christmas.

My mother-in-law grew up in this area in the 30s/40s. Her last name was Hall. When her dad became ill from working in the coal mine, they moved to Baltimore for his new job in the shipyard. She said it was like being on another planet.

I grew up in Appalachia but luckily, we weren’t this poor, but we were poor nonetheless. I got an outfit and two toys for Christmas, and I thought I was in Heaven.

This is truly heartbreaking.

how terribly depressing.

Thank you for posting, very interesting. Kind regards from France.

That’s fascinating!

I see a lot about Appalachia. I'm 59 this year and from the Northeast and now I live in the southwest and I've never understood exactly how Appalachian became as depressed as it is economically thank you for showing that. That's such a beautiful part of our country. I've been there many times. Be Blessed All.

My grandparents lived in eastern Tennessee. We got a stocking with fruit and a piece of chocolate. Sometimes a gift

This was scary to me we went through it last Year ..

Hey guys I really enjoy your videos. I know the last time a made a comment was when melody ask about everybody’s Christmas. I realize I got too personal with my family and life sorry about that. Hope the baby is doing good. I look so forward to some new videos.

This is my family featured about halfway through. I.B. and Lucille Johnson are my grandparents and Rita is my mom. She married a state trooper and I grew up in Central KY, about 3 hours away from here. As a kid, I remember visiting family in Eastern Kentucky and it felt like another world. “Uncle Much” (Calvin) lived just up the hill from where my grandparents lived. He was blind and chewed tobacco and told stories on a rocker on his porch. I always heard he could play the harmonica like a freight train and I’m now hearing it for the first time. He lived to be 91. IB, Lucille, Goldie, and Much all lived on the same plot of land and took care of each other as they aged. My grandmother Lucille was always as pretty as she was in this video. She grew a beautiful garden of roses near Goldie. I remember she kept her beautiful long hair until she got cancer and passed in 2003. IB passed in 2018 at age 84. They are all buried on the same hill in a family plot. My mom, Rita, is the eldest of nine; seven are still living and doing very well. She and several of her sibling went on to get college degrees. They still talk on the phone often and her “Eastern Kentucky accent” really comes out when they do <3 This is such a powerful and personal reminder of how fortunate my family is now. I can see how desperately my grandfather wanted more for his children. My parents often had to go without but made sure we never did. The truth is that poverty is still rampant in Eastern Kentucky. Make no mistake, hope remains in this resilient region. They aren’t looking for pity, but for opportunity.

6:55 Did he really say clear-headed 'Ya right 'Maybe the wives but the blokes definitely wouldn't have been any of the sort when it comes to hang overs n intoxication but then again 'can you blame them' like when you live like a dog scratching out a living 'everyday 'somehow many wit use substances addictive or not to qwill hunger n help wit boredom n it was happening down south as the white bosses introduced legal cocaine to the black farm workers in the 30's or even before but it was all the go in the 30s the doco i saw it on said but anyway ' All Good n thanks again my friend i enjoyed !

Stopped here on the way back from the beach this summer. Stayed and ate at the Wilson hotel. It also has a nice rooftop bar. Also ate at the hot dog place across the street. The brewery down the street had a drag show. Had a great time. A pleasant surprise.

26;29 yes i no wat u mean n id say in the States there'd be many ppl who would think like that a good chance but no one thing n that is for the Australians that no about Appalachia n the smoky mountains love you hill billys trust me im not shittn ya lol they all do n for all the ones i dont no 'i guarantee they all love u guys up there n after all you guys come from Scottish n Irish decedents so ya say no more haha #Thankx ..

I only live an hour from where the Cocaine Bear rests. Really no desire to see it but it's there if you'd like to.

I liked watching it so thanks my friend

U got a home and land u arent poor

Just got back from a tour of wv down 52. stayed in Welch at the Count Gilu motel, Will never forget, Stay strong WV!