Close, by not quite, that honor belongs to Mississippi, but West Virginia is close. There are a lot of factors in a state's economic success, but the biggest one is urbanization, or lack thereof. read more
West Virginia isn’t really that poor it’s just a terrible stereotype that isn’t completely true. There’s the poor population for every state, but people should stop stereotyping all of us. I currently live in a nice suburb out of Morgantown, and it’s very nice here. read more
When the New York Times wanted to do a 50th anniversary story on the War on Poverty, they came to McDowell County, West Virginia. "Poorest Counties Still Losing the War on Want" reads one of their headlines. On this week's Front Porch podcast, we debate how West Virginia can avoid being the poster child for poverty 50 years from now. read more