Ad eschaton mentions, not having a major city within the state hurts WV current and future economic prospects. Being right in the thick of the East coast-northeast-mid Atlantic-midwest-south transition results in major city options in relative close proximity in all directions. So, there’s an incredible pull from all sides to leave WV. And in turn, very little to draw people in.
Even though there has been a lot of federal investment/relocation to the I-79 corridor in the northern part of the state, it’s still just nowhere near enough to provide enough jobs for college grads, particularly entry-level jobs for college grads. It’s not like the state is nothing it uneducated hillbillies. The are a decent number of universities and colleges (including two HBCUs) in the state, with 3 med schools and a law school. And the University of Charleston even has a branch campus in Beckley. It’s known as UC-Beckley... you academics who follow the college rankings have likely heard of it.
