Brit Reacting to Why West Virginia is so Poor

[@ericacord1854]

Thank you good sir for taking the time to learn about our state. Im from the southern part of the state and your thoughts and empathy in this and other videos is touching. Be well.

[@edwardbrady1698]

Mountaineers are always Free

[@dangerousdavescott]

Another reason West Virginia has it so rough is severe brain drain. They encourage their kids to go get a college education, but when the kids graduate, unless they're going into teaching, there's little to no places in West Virginia for them to make a top notch living in their chosen field of study. I grew up in Ohio but spent several years at Marshall University in Huntington WV. My best friend at Marshall studied architecture. After getting his undergrad in West Virginia and then going to grad school at Ohio State, he found very little opportunity for architects in the WV. He chose to stay in Columbus where he now makes really good money working for one of the biggest and alway expanding hospital systems in the region. A majority of my Marshall friends have done the same, living and working in places like Chicago, Cincinnati, Seattle, Dallas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Washington DC. The industries don't exist to keep the brightest West Virginians at home and in turn, those bright minds cannot contribute to growing those industries in their home state, which would help to grow the economy. It's a vicious cycle all around.

[@briansmith48]

A lady I used to work with was from West Virginia. She moved to Columbus Ohio to find work. Plus her son moved here to work in the I.T. industry. She eventually moved back to West Virginia because the house prices were too high for her. And the land was too flat for her. 😄 Home sick I bet.

[@scrambler69-xk3kv]

Lav, just so you know despite what you see here, West Virgina is a very beautiful state. Trust me most of the state is well worth visiting. Known as the mountain state, it is so pretty.

[@sarah13579]

I just moved from WV. I grew up there and the people are the kindest and hardest working you'll ever meet. Unfortunately WV is a prime example that for the majority of people all the hard work in the world doesnt equal success without outside support.

[@brosciencegutfeelings7058]

I’m here in the Eastern Panhandle of WV, thankfully we’re booming here. But we’re only 1 1/2 hours from DC & Loudoun county, where the video begins, is our neighbor. So that helps.

[@yugioht42]

West Virginia depended on coal and it didn’t have time to figure out something else to take its place. When the coal industry left, it devastated the economy that was so reliant on mining. Many towns just died because of it including the legendary Coalwood which was where October sky was set and written about. Welch barely hangs on, while only the capital is somewhat thriving. The state government is trying desperately to shift away from mining completely to environmental tourism and seeing what else they have in the state. It’s a real fight to combat the insane levels of drug use, the lack of police, and the general laziness that everyone just has. A lot of people nicknamed this region America’s toilet as it’s the worst place you can be.

[@a00141799]

The inevitable decline in coal usage and production has deiminated the coal industry in the UK also. Even more so than in the United States.

[@latinoburger123]

I’m from MD( WV’s Old Bay loving Neighbor) … WV has its problems like every state & they need to fire whoever did their PR for the past couple of decades but WV is BEAUTIFUL 🤩 just going on a drive you’ll cross the Appalachian Mountains, Potomac river & enter the Shenandoah Valley, all within like 20 minutes

[@SherriLyle80s]

Virginia likes Old Bay too and it also straddles the Chesapeake and borders most of WVA.

[@aislynnemackenzieharvey3610]

I grew up for most of my life with my dad as a coal miner. I remember sometimes worrying if I would come home and the power or water would be shut off in the small trailer I used to live in. Sometimes we had to ask my mamaw and papaw for help with groceries or paying the phone bill. Thankfully, my grandparents let my mom and dad live on their property rent-free in a single-wide trailer big enough to hold me, my brother, and my mom and dad.

[@bunnyakers]

We do have a small population and we love it that way

[@jackdelane]

One video to react to would be "know your ally, britian." it was a video shown to USA ww2 soldiers about who the british are. There are very few british reactions to this, but its a great video to get a take on from acrossed the pond

[@terrycarter1137]

I live here in southwestern Virginia, not really far from West Virginia, and yes these areas are poor, the running joke is we're so poor we can't afford the two o and r to be poor.

[@TheBasher-_-]

WV isn't poor its just vintage American. 😂 Blue Ridge Mountains Shenandoah River and beautiful country roads.

[@Luna77_Cupcake]

I live in Morgantown I can tell you that yes the drug problems are bad and the homeless situation is horrendous but everyone here is kind and try to help out all the time I love my sate but it could use some work. One of the worst moments of realization for me was attending a 16 year olds funeral, he was laced with fentanyl. I was 17 at the time it really hit me that this problem has to be solved.

[@wvawater]

WV has crazy potential with natural gas but outsourcing is huge

[@RockNRuen]

The Fat Electrician videos are in!

[@Northbravo]

Heck yeah my man

[@Paper_Sunset]

Hey I am from WV

[@tricklebug]

why are u poor? lol

[@SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish.]

Are you related to the Whites?

[@michaeltnk1135]

@@SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish.the Whites?

[@ericacord1854]

Im not but i know people who do know them and that are distantly related.

[@SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish.]

@@michaeltnk1135 From the documentary “The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia”.

[@SherriLyle80s]

I have extended family who live in WVA, many if them went to WV University so they are the exception but the video is correct. It's complicated.

[@ViolentKisses87]

West Virgina is the most beautiful state in the US in my Opinion. Mostly because of the poverty and lack of development.

[@Granulus]

WV dose have some of the most amazing views I might be 45 min away and love to camp there in the summers , sadly corporate greed and bone head politicians keep a beautifull state poor.

[@gwgux]

It begs the question, we have all this coal, isn't there something else we can do with it? The other question is, can't something be done with that landscape? Step farming, creative step town/urban planning, etc. It's a beautiful region, surely there must be something that can be done with it. Even if it's digging tunnels/caves to run things. I just cannot accept that there's no way out for the state.

[@johndouglas5712]

Hell . Its the best state with the best people . I'm in Ohio and I dream of moving there . Its heartbreaking . Newell WV lost that Fiesta Ware plant . The drugs are beyond belief . They lost a whole generation . Nobody left but old folks .

[@sslerlin]

Yes there is bad dpots in West Virginia but thete are also beautiful places there, same with any state

[@that1weirdo24oof9]

Im from and live in Logan West Virginia

[@scrambler69-xk3kv]

West Virgina refuses to switch from coal mining. They need to do what Pittsburgh, Pa. did transform themselves to High Tech and Medicine. Research industries as well. But they continue to want to follow in dads shoes and go into the mines.

[@michaelmays9292]

COAL mines pay well

[@frankisfunny2007]

Mmmm, I often wondered why WV it's still poor beyond the country no longer being reliant on coal. I just wonder if they invested some of that money on other fields as leverage in case the coal industry failed, or in a dramatic decline. 🤔

[@frankisfunny2007]

Oh, World According to Briggs did mentioned a bright light for WV kn a recently released video, cheap land. That may bring in new people, new businesses, etc. That mean, infrastructure will get better, wages will get better, etc.

[@jacqueline1099]

We've always had horrible state government

[@mikehunt368]

vote red, can’t eat before bed. lol

[@Meghandav84]

It doesn’t help that almost everything here is corrupt; from the government to most of the businesses left that pay a livable wage. If you don’t know someone on the inside of a business you are unlikely to be hired. It doesn’t matter your work ethic or education either.

[@mikeorclem]

I can tell when people are being judgmental just by looking at them.