There’s a murmur of dissatisfaction running along our hills and through our hollows in West Virginia, and you don’t have to lean in far to catch it. There’s also a hint of hope in the air. As the political parties conduct their local and national campaigns, voters are preparing to answer the call of their…
As some of the most controversial political campaigns in history continue, many Americans are registering to vote, switching party affiliations and considering third party candidates for the November general elections. These infographics illustrate past and present trends in West Virginia politics.
Broadband access and connectivity are major concerns for individuals and small businesses alike in West Virginia. Although this topic has gained a lot of traction within the state Legislature over the last few years, a plan for progress has yet to be finalized. While the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2016 Broadband Progress Report states that the number of West Virginians with access to the minimum connection speed of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) and download speed of 3 Mbps increased from 44 percent to 70 percent between 2013-2014, there is still much progress to be made. These infographics offer a glimpse into the obstacles and improvements being made to connectivity in the Mountain State.
In an innovation economy, several factors come together to drive economic growth: knowledge, technology, entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration. TechConnect West Virginia, acting as a catalyst for driving innovation, cultivating entrepreneurship and creating greater prosperity and economic diversity across the state, has identified a strong foundation for success in the Mountain State. Beginning in the north in Morgantown, this foundation runs south along I-79 to Charleston and west along I-64 to Huntington as evidenced on the accompanying map.
Many of us remember getting in trouble as children and being disciplined. Our parents would warn that the punishment was going to hurt but that it was for our own good. Today, West Virginia is in trouble. With changes in the economy and the ebb and flow of various industries as a result of those changes, some states are riding out the storm while West Virginia continues to sink without any visible signs of rescue. It’s time for us to have a serious conversation. It’s a conversation that’s probably going to hurt, but it’s for our own good.
The West Virginia hills were once home to an abundance of mills, factories, chemical manufacturing plants and mines that employed thousands of hardworking Mountaineers. Today, the state’s economy is struggling to deal with the loss of businesses and population, the decline of the coal industry and the fight to maintain millennials, but West Virginia’s leaders aren’t giving up. As innovators continue to look for ways to revitalize the Mountain State, obtaining regional petrochemical cracking plants—or crackers—and creating an adequate resource to put West Virginia’s oil and natural gas industry back on the map are promising priorities.