[pj3000]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Wheeling, Morgantown, etc are not really comparable to the rest of WV. They might as well be part of Pennsylvania as they share a more common history with industry and ethnicities as Pittsburgh. WV doesnt start to feel like WV until you get down about 30 miles south of Morgantown and thats about where the accents start to change.

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That is utterly false. The only part of WV that is destroyed by coal mining is the southwestern part of the state and unless you are in a plane, you cant see it from the roads. Most of WV is wilderness or at least hardly populated. I go to WV about twice a month, going down there this weekend to go camping. I would move to Wheeling. Its only an hour from Pittsburgh and the rent is about half of what it costs here.

Exactly, echoes what I said earlier... WV is very much a "transition zone" state, with elements of the east coast/MD/VA/SE PA, rustbelt, midwest, and south. And definitely has some of the most pristine wilderness areas in the eastern US. The wilderness areas in the national and state forests running down the eastern part of the state are some of the more remote areas one can find in the east... there's not even many roads.

Originally Posted by pj3000

I’ve said it numerous times on here, but it bears repeating given the topic. WV is far from monolithic, in terms of terrain, environmental degradation, culture, affluence, etc.

Northern WV is rustbelt... no different than SW PA and SE OH. Central WV is largely rural with pristine wilderness, state parks, and small towns, often with colleges, and a rather liberal, artsy and outdoorsy recreation atmosphere. Southern WV is coal-ravaged hillbilly, ultra conservative decay. Eastern WV is much like outer DC “suburbs” of Maryland and Virginia.