Logan, West Virginia | What Happened Here?

Logan is a city located in Logan County, West Virginia. Once a thriving coal mining area is now one of the most poverty stricken cities in the state. After the industrial collapse and coal mining production coming to a halt, Logan has seen economic disaster and has yet to recover. Unemployment is a real problem here, jobs are scarce. The poverty level is over a soaring 31%. The population was at a height of 5,166 people in the 1940's to about 1,338 today in 2023. Many homes and businesses are abandoned, leaving this city in troubled times. With that all said, however, Logan is nestled into some of the most beautiful mountainsides you'll ever see, crime is low, and the cost of living is very reasonable. Let's take a drive and check it out!

[@briankay4229]

It may be desolate now, but I can only imagine how vibrant and alive this town was, in it's more prosperous days. I'm sure that the locals who still live there could tell you some great stories!

[@sknowman1424]

My hometown or should I say what's left of it. I recognized all those places, even saw my old junior high school. I still live in WV, just left Logan nearly 40 years ago. It has been dying since 1970 if not before. The decline really accelerated in the late 90's and early 2000's. I have traveled across much of the state and this is pretty much what you get. There are pockets of wealth and 4 or 5 counties are growing but most continue to decline. The state and it's politicians keep waiting for the next coal boom all the while the only jobs are low paying fast food, Walmart and Dollar General. This is what happens when most of the people who can leave, do leave and what's left is the people who can't afford to leave or don't want to. Thats why there is so many abandoned buildings, nobody wants to buy there and people die or lose their home and it sits there and collapses. The opioid crisis also devastated that area.

[@andytaylor5476]

This looks like it was a very cool and happy place to live at one time. I wish there was something to spur an economic turnaround for these mining towns. Beautiful interesting place.

[@nickhard7615]

In West Virginia, more so than any state, the divide between the rich and the poor is so clear, it is despicable what's happening to these fine people. In no other state is the plight of the poor man more dire and it been happening for generations there.

[@SartorialisticSavage65]

Probably true but that feeling is moving into our cities.

[@r.pres.4121]

Kentucky isn’t a whole lot better. Much of that state is impoverished and underdeveloped.

[@kathyrama4570]

I was born and raised in Logan. Haven't been there since 1989. It looks like hell. I felt like I was smothering when I was there.

[@lilcoochievert6662]

I live about a mile west of logan and im in logan every single day, its really sad to see how much this town has fallen apart just in the last few years.

[@HackHunter1835]

No matter what part of the "304" you're in or have lived in, It will always be called "Gods Country" RIP Logan Wva

[@lindapietrasz8070]

...or West "By God" Virginia...

[@tammybrown4901]

❤

[@joneal8360]

That's the way most of WVA looked when I was there 10 years ago! Poor poor state. It's very sad.

[@malissawooten3423]

The 1st house was one of my best friends growing up, made me sad seeing all this like this , I lived up mountain lake park for years , Logan is always home, it’s just not what it once was 😢😢rip Logan ,many memories I will cherish ❤

[@arthurbrumagem3844]

My wife’s family are from there. Was there last May for a family reunion at the state park. The ditches, rivers, streams and woods are full of trash . Very sad

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

Seeing abandoned properties like these (and they are everywhere) always makes me wonder -- who owns them, and who is paying the taxes on them?

[@Roadtripmik]

Hoods N Hollers goes everywhere!

[@bpOL5]

Still waiting on wheeling!

[@lindapietrasz8070]

06:41 88° out that day (going by a bank temperature sign) and Christmas wreaths on the church. ⛪ 🤣🤣

[@lindapietrasz8070]

Also, according to the bank time and temperature sign, it shows almost 4pm when you filmed this and hardly a person or moving vehicle seen! 😮

[@hoodsnhollers]

Yeah and there's proof right there for when someone says "oh it must be morning thats why no ones out".

[@psu7276]

Despite the difficulties and economic challenges, Logan City is not near as bad as most towns shown on this channel. Of importance was that the majority of streets, especially in the business sector, were clean. Garbage strewn everywhere indicates additional decay.

[@gpcode3827]

Very true, not seeing graffiti or trying to devalue the area, at least there are cars outside of a lot of houses

[@bridgetbryant5796]

My home town! Moved 7 years ago, it’s so depressing going back home!

[@mr.gorbachev1985]

these videos (especially the west virginia and Appalachia ones) are best from november-april when all the trees are dead. It gives off more of the abandoned vibe

[@paulmollise1856]

Been going through that town since early 2000s when the H-M trails opened up, never had a bad experience there and all the people we encountered were always helpful!! We stayed in Man and Terry Fekete always gave us great history and info on the area

[@tansman1]

What affects Logan, I would say "online shopping". There's no incentive or profitability in owning your own hardware or clothing store, so nobody wants to travel downtown anymore, which in turn affects the restaurant's and gas stations. It's a Domino effect.

[@user-cg7kc5pm2b]

My dad grew up here. My grandma used to work at JC Murphy's, this is heartbreaking. ,

[@lisabunnie22960]

I appreciate your videos. Thank you.

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you for watching Lisa!

[@youtubewatcher2014]

Hello… I just subscribed and liked your video! One question why don’t you narrate your driving trip? If you told us what we were seeing and gave us a history your channel would rock! Happy Holidays to you and your family!

[@drummersagainstitk]

Much respect for your work. Logan has the best Americans. Keep the faith. Fight.

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@MrJodyh54]

As an over-the-road trucker, I delivered in Logan and it's not an easy place to get to. It was scenic, but extremely depressing due to the old empty buildings around and drearyness I saw. Nothing there.

[@MattSicignano]

Thanks!

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you so much Matt!

[@lindapietrasz8070]

WTG!!

[@Uniden1100]

I use to come here every year growing up from the 50s to threw the 60s My mom's family lived here.

[@Drowronin]

Your channel has become my moving guide. If you've done a video on it, I probably should avoid moving there.

[@richardblayneamerican8149]

Interesting to see, at the start of the video, a few stores/ restaurants just past the 'Welcome to Logan' banner: '317 -The Steakhouse'; (still open at this writing) like so many attempts to revive depressed downtown areas all over the country, a few brave souls try to bring back what once was, but is probably gone forever.

[@billbergendahl2911]

Logan High School was a basketball powerhouse when Willie Akers was the coach.

[@sharoncarroll218]

I see lots of nice cars

[@acidbubblebath77]

This is not uncommon in Appalachia. WV, KY, and PA have quite a few abandoned mining towns. It is creepy as hell.

[@billwilson6096]

Lots of shiny new cars parked in the front of these abandoned falling down houses.

[@hunglikehorse4339]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@teaganisokey8190]

I mean, to be fair, you have to have a car in the US to survive(get a job, go to the store, etc). You don't have to fix up your house.

[@teaganisokey8190]

Also might be landlords not fixing anything up, not sure

[@smorgasbroad1132]

Yes bill, I didn't see your comment before I posted the same. I'm confused by this.

[@GlennLRiggs]

You need to go to Nellis in Boone County and ask how to get to Brick Town....becareful.....

[@johnmartin7182]

mega content love this channel always great content

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thanks so much John!

[@siphomogale779]

Nature is reclaiming itself

[@manonfire3642]

How does a 'sheriff' justify payment in a ghost town?

[@leggiemeggie5837]

Because there are a lot of people still living in the outskirts of town.. back in the hollers

[@notbonsai671]

?

[@krystalvancebennett6955]

The City of Logan is the County Seat for the County of Logan. Where you saw the Sheriff's vehicles is the courthouse and the large new building just before it is a new State Federal Building that was built not that long ago. Like others have stated, people lose their homes or pass away and the homes fall into disrepair. It takes time and money to appropriate the properties and have them properly torn down and disposed of. It is being done slowly but surely. Many of Logan County's residents are living outside of actual towns, myself included. I can still remember cruising Logan with my cousins in the late 70's/early 80's and all the sidewalks were full of people just walking, talking and shopping. And in my father's day, the 40's/50's it was another world altogether, much busier. All the vacant lots you saw in the video were filled side by side with buildings/businesses. There are people who are coming in and buying properties and trying to revitalize the area with new businesses and jobs. I hope they succeed.

[@bridgetbryant5796]

Thank you for the awesome video!

[@imagineth]

Wow. Seeing this place now compared to all the stories from my mother, aunts and uncles is almost night and day. I used to love hearing about what it was like when it was booming and heavily populated. Such a unique place, from the natural landscape to the people who live there.

[@andiparsley3389]

The mall up on 119 finished up what shops were left in town.

[@jerlewis4291]

I have a few friends that live in WV, Hurricane, Beckley, one in a small town right on the border. They all tell me the same thing, their dads worked in the mines and made good money, but today 4 men on a mountaintop site can produce more coal than 50 underground did in the past. That's why none of their fathers wanted them near a coal mine. The fact is though that until you can bring jobs in that pay as much as mining does, there is always going to be a real problem. You can't expect a man who made 75k in a mine to work at Walmart for $11.00 an hour.

[@maximuswedgie5149]

I can hear our grandparents now… “ told ya this would happen”.

[@laretdenton9768]

‘Country Road take me home West Virginia take me home country road’🎼🎼🎼

[@startrekgirl2692]

Those poor sheriffs are probably really bored.

[@SKF358]

Some very substantial buildings. NO ONE on the street, that's weird. I have to look into this.

[@r.pres.4121]

Logan is like most other mountain towns in West Virginia, it never made itself attractive to new ideas and major new investment. It just remained stubbornly stuck in the past and dependent on coal mining. When natural gas and cleaner renewables started gaining market share, Logan, Welch and other coal mining dependent towns would begin their long painful decline into crushing poverty and oblivion. The folks who could afford to leave, fled and the ones too poor to leave remain stuck and impoverished in these dying, deteriorating coal mining towns.

[@jamestabor7725]

Home sweet home. I left a long time ago and rarely get back and when I do after seeing a few friends I get depressed and ready to leave.

[@markjou9799]

What happened was, people left. Hypothetically if you have a town with 5000 people and years later you only have 1000 people. You will have more homes than people and those abandoned homes don’t get taken care of and rot over time.

[@madgrace7992]

Must have been a great place to live at one time. Sad.

[@silverlaptop2022]

God is still on His throne 🙏

[@dawnatilla2469]

looks like a clean and pleasant place for the most part

[@thegreatpotenza3034]

Im always looking at realestate all over the country on zillow. I moved the map over Logan and there was like a red line of property listings for sale. Usually only see listing that compact in a big vity. Maybe this video will help me to understand why.

[@mr-vet]

Looks similar to the way I remember the Guyandotte area of Huntington, WV where some of my dad’s side of the family live/lived.

[@maryhinson1125]

Wow, just wow

[@krystalvancebennett6955]

@HoodsNHollers You should have gone to Holden, WV while you were in Logan. Holden is where Island Creek Coal Company's "Jewel" of a mining town was back in the day. There is still a good population there but nothing like the 10's/20's/30's/40's/50's. It went downhill from there. When they went out is when Logan started declining.

[@hoodsnhollers]

I was in Holden actually. I unfortunately didn't have time to film it this go around, I'll eventually get to it. Lots more WV cities coming up soon on the channel, thanks for watching!

[@Emsuvio090460]

The country of many people without house and many houses without people.

[@michaelhaniotes5104]

And to think I was born there in 1952 Have not been back since the 60s

[@knowledge4741]

Literally the only people in town were you and the police officers.

[@robinsmith8252]

These old "company" (coal and steel) towns were left to deteriorate when the businesses left. Many never had a chance. Some like the last few are holding on. Barely.

[@lindapietrasz8070]

Oh no! Those stairs! It looks like another state that mailmen are gonna have to avoid! 📬

[@S3eingsk3letons]

I live here, and I can say that I’ve seen most of this just lying around. There’s doom for our town and I know it.

[@whimsicallywhimsywhimsical363]

I was like oh no!! What happened that the people had to leave their homes and what happened to the people. It’s so sad to see this. 😢

[@loriepostlewaite162]

Don’t get me wrong I know it cost money and with a basically abandoned town and a very poor area why leave places that are already falling to ground go ahead and tear them down it’s sad to see this is what the once productive strong towns in WV are coming to this is depressing the state could help make it look better but they just don’t want to I live here I know thanks for sharing ❤ God bless

[@bobert420]

What I know of Logan it was once a busy prosperous town.

[@Elainerulesutube]

🇦🇺🇺🇸So sad 2 see America like this.

[@barbaramccrady1495]

I been through west Virginia on interstate haven't visited many small towns I have been to Virginia I don't know how many miles it is from west va Virginia is a beatiual state lots to do ibreally like va beach its sad when towns run down like this I saw one person

[@mh53j]

There are towns like this in western Virginia as well. Get a few miles off the interstates, you'll find them.

[@thrillcker68]

Nearby mine closure? It seems about half is boarded up the town didn’t completely depend on the mine which is essential to the long term survival of the town.

[@revamartin7965]

at time mark 8 56 i was born in that old gray building.................... growing up logan wasnt like this............. what happened to my home?

[@RiverSprite30]

I'm from here.

[@ronz101]

If you have no tax base your infrastructure will collapse. I live in Baltimore City, MD and what you see could very well be what it looks like here in twenty five years.

[@Kite-te9km]

It seems this country was once very developed. Which country is this? What happened?

[@shadowthreat8715]

Hello! why did they stop coal mining? Is extraction expensive? Coal is always needed! 😢

[@leggiemeggie5837]

There are still coal mines operating here.. Americans think they are saving the planet by not using it, while the rest of the world still buys it and the steel industry depends on it.

[@timhazeltine3256]

Coal for the most part, is no longer profitable to mine. It can't compete with natural gas and other technologies. It's been that way throughout human history...adapt to the present day or diminish and disappear.

[@F84Thunderjet]

Legacy of 125 years coal mining.

[@bookmagicroe9553]

This leaves me with a sense of doom for our country.

[@williebeamish5879]

Doesn't it though.

[@DigBaddy919]

I feel it too my friend

[@nctrnlmjsty8719]

It's been like this in all the poor Midwest. Cities die out.

[@iansharp7422]

Six humans on the street in 11 minutes ! Even the stray dogs have moved on.........

[@tammybrown4901]

❤😢

[@eileenspamer]

beautiful from english granny

[@tonyvalentinesuperior1857]

I need some information about some of these towns

[@thejudgmentalcat]

So much decay...and kudzu 😢

[@hoodsnhollers]

The kudzu i have seen in the last few weeks is absolutely off the charts!

[@lindapietrasz8070]

Very invasive! 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

[@krystalvancebennett6955]

We had tree cutters come through my area a couple years ago. 3 different crews over 8 weeks time doing so called line clearing for the power company. The next summer we had kudzu growing where we had never had it before on my creek. They don't disinfect their equipment or boots. That stuff is a pain. @@lindapietrasz8070

[@sandrahunter5749]

Logan , Madison, and Danville WV are bad . They used to be booming towns , not anymore like ghost towns

[@robp54]

Why these empty houses/buildings are not for sale?

[@sknowman1424]

I grew up there and go back about once a year. There are no sale signs because nobody wants to live there or try to open a business. If anything does sell, it takes a long time. Also the job market is beyond awful.

[@mrturtlesoup8145]

Where are all the people?

[@lindapietrasz8070]

I wonder if there are any existing cities/towns in America that don't have a bar/inn/tavern open, other than dry counties. 🍺🥃🍸🍷

[@antmanelvis0965]

There is not a lot going in Logan WV

[@Tony-mq5yo]

Logan happened there

[@antmanelvis0965]

Bro I live here and it is not that bad when you go to Holden or Mitchell Heights but in the town it is not that bad #LOGAN

[@hoodsnhollers]

Any place you can ride an atv down the street and no one complains, I’m perfectly fine with living there.

[@daviddelgado6090]

Logan's too far from the interstate. Looks like a great place for a college town but it's too remote.

[@user-vm6ck7lt6v]

Big money has or will buy everything and will profit again.

[@alangray9117]

Poor town. Mining must dried up.

[@andiparsley3389]

It's looked like this as long as I can remember. I'm 56. There are nicer parts.

[@HerrKurt]

Detroit City of West Virginia

[@phillipcraddock8248]

good place to film END TIMES MOVIES

[@dayveda3736]

Jesus.

[@SheepDogg-ki1gp]

Banks and Police still have money there

[@jamese.morris2891]

These have since been torn down

[@jamese.morris2891]

Its not as bad these days

[@david4096]

What the Hell happend?

[@frankrusso2093]

What I find fascinating about this video is that there is really no trash on streets just derelict and abandoned homes . Owners of those derelict properties should be required to rehab or remove them. I bet without those eyesores money would return. The state should donate some John Deeres and Caterpillars for the men and I bet they would enjoy the work. Hell, all these cities should partner with Deere and Caterpillar and clean em up.

[@bendalton11]

I live here😂😂😂😂

[@robertsole9970]

Whoa. I can’t say I feel sorry for them. We’ve tried to get them away from coal, but they won’t listen. Coal is dead and dying, it’ll never be 1968 again….

[@steel19812]

First

[@jimmyspears1004]

Jus old outdated homes

[@lindapietrasz8070]

Thanks!

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thanks so much Linda!!

[@lindapietrasz8070]

​@@hoodsnhollers 😊