The state of West Virginia is seeking to improve its "hillbilly" image in the mental maps of many as it begins to spend millions of dollars on marketing, decreasing brain drain, and creating research-related jobs. The plan developed by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin includes a change to the state's slogan to "Come Home to West Virginia" in an effort to follow in the footsteps of North Carolina and their much vaunted Research Triangle. Will it work?
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The representation of West Virginia in the article is quite misleading – at least as it would be false 61 years ago, unless WVA has regressed.
I was a lowly chemical engineering co-op student (from University of Cincinnati) getting valuable experience at International Nickel’s plant in Huntington.
Nickel-copper concentrate had previously been sent from Canada as sulfides. Recognizing that refining these sulfides put H2S into the atmosphere the Huntington plant produced nickel (for stainless steel) and Monel and Inconel from the metallic oxides.
I wish them luck, and hope people can look past the stereotypes. I’ve enjoyed many trips to West Virginia over the years; its rich history and its natural beauty.
Last time I visited the slogan hovering over the bridge between Ohio and WV reads “Open to business”. I was, for lack of any “civilized” words F—— irate. Any person that has ever lived and loved WV is well aware of the economic hardships. It comes with the terrain, so to speak, but while I understood that that this was an image changing attempt, I couldn’t help but to be somewhat saddened. I grew up there. If there was one thing we were proud of it was we had the biggest concentration of big-hearted, god-fearing, love-thy-neighbor, (and a lot of other hyphenated words that maybe shouldn’t be typed) people there is in the world, and the last thing we wanted was outsiders (city folk) twisting up the morals. You ask just about any true dirt-poor, bare-footed, livin by lantern light hillbilly on his deathbed about his regrets and the list is real short. The song “Country Folk Will Survive” comes to mind. The original sloagan across the bridge read “Almost Heaven”. That’s what it was, and little does the rest of the country realize, that’s exactly what it is. Almost heaven. It was an in my face lesson in life. To not be anything that I’m truly not. Because it won’t work. WV is what it is, a great place to grow up and live and love and most of all, stay honest. I honestly hope no outsider ever changes that. To hell with image.
Christina, Thank you. “To hell with images” is what needed to be said. I wish I had said it.
I’m also a moved away but the hills and rivers remain in my soul. You can’t change spots. Now that would have been “the Sign”
“To hell with the image”
A research triangle in WV would be fantastic. Make it medical as manufacturing, mining and such are declining. WV will not advance until the petty in-fighting stops. Much can be gained if small towns could combine and consolidate. Air service is poor because of this kind of backward thinking. Maybe this will force them to take those more forward thinking actins.