Education, Entertainment & Economy

Catalysts for Growth in Cabell County

By Olivia Miller

Where town and country intersect with bustling city streets and quiet winding backroads, you will find historic Cabell County. Bound by the mighty Ohio River and anchored by Huntington, the second largest city in the Mountain State, Cabell County is rich in history with ties to the Civil War and early Appalachian life.

The rapidly growing area is home to one of West Virginia’s first public institutions of higher education, Marshall University. The tight-knit community woven with the university atmosphere offers all the amenities of an energetic city alongside working farmers who offer their produce at local markets, restaurants and schools. Cabell County’s rich culture encompasses thriving local eateries, music and art venues, recreation and progressive businesses propelled by driven changemakers who are passionate about creating a better quality of life for their neighbors and West Virginians at large.

Education

Cabell County residents have made opportunities for students to succeed in public schools a top priority in the area. In 2020, the largest school construction bond in state history passed in Cabell County. The $87.5 million school bond will employ hundreds of local workers and siphon additional funds directly into the community. The funds will also improve public school buildings across the county.

The progressive school district is the first in the state to have a cooperative of farms providing locally grown beef, pork and produce for student meals. All students, regardless of socioeconomic status, receive free breakfast and lunch, and each school is staffed with a social worker and nurse to ensure the well-being of all.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cabell County Board of Education adopted the Student Technology Empowerment Plan. The plan heavily updated the district’s wired and wireless network infrastructure and secured new Apple devices for every student for the first time in its history. The county also launched the Cabell Virtual Learning Academy, a nontraditional public school program that offers families a comprehensive option for providing quality education at home.

“As we complete our 2020 bond projects, I think the district will continue to evolve in preparing students for their future as we expand career and technical offerings, provide engaging curriculum in our traditional schools and online; ensuring the social and emotional needs are met through value added staffing like counselors, social workers and nurses,” says Cabell County Schools Superintendent Dr. Ryan Saxe.

Meanwhile, Marshall University has continued to flourish and grow as a leader in research and innovation, marketing its educational offerings to students across the U.S. and around the world. With affordable tuition, new marketable degrees and a thriving campus, Marshall is poised to attract more students. The university has been rolling out several new programs and initiatives to attract students to Cabell County, including a new physician’s assistant program, aviation programs and a new Doctor of Business Administration program.

Entertainment

Over the last 15 years, Huntington has experienced significant growth and renewed life in its downtown area beginning with the creation of Pullman Square, a popular shopping, dining and entertainment complex in the heart of the city. Walking through the city streets, visitors and natives can find a wide variety of international flavors represented—South American, Indian, Italian, Vietnamese, German, Chinese, Cuban and Thai cuisine are all a part of the cultural makeup.

“The Huntington Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) serves as an engine for economic development for Huntington, Cabell County and Wayne County as well,” says Tyson Compton, President of the Huntington Area CVB. “Our main focus is to work outside of Cabell County to promote what the area has to offer and secure individual travelers, meetings, bus groups and sporting events in the county and takes visitors on a tour of the town.”

Live music has long been popular in the city and continues to grow. The live music venue, The Loud, brings national touring acts in many genres while Marshall’s renowned Artists Series—one of the longest running college performing arts programs in the country—brings national touring Broadway performances, musicians, comedian’s films and lecturers to one of West Virginia’s most distinctive landmarks, the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.

Live performances can be heard every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night during the summer months, and the city hosts several music festivals, including the Huntington Music & Arts Festival, Diamond Teeth Mary Blues & Arts Festival and FunktaFest.

Beyond the music and dining scene lies an opportunity for visitors to sneak a peek into what life was like on the early Appalachian frontier. Heritage Farm, an official Smithsonian affiliate, is home to seven museums. In summer 2021, Heritage Farm opened a series of adventure experiences, including Talithakoum, a four-story aerial challenge course; a dual zip line; a TreeRock Challenge; and rock-climbing walls for all ages to enjoy.

Economy

With the downturn of coal and other prominent industries in the area, Marshall University has emerged as an engine for diversification and innovation with an extensive ecosystem to support entrepreneurs and existing businesses of all sizes. The economic impact the university has on Cabell County is more than half a billion dollars per year, with some estimates reporting even higher.

Community leaders in the county recognize education as a method to combat the loss of population across the state. The area’s biggest challenge mirrors the state as a whole—a loss in population, as evidenced by the last census, and it impacts every aspect of the economy.

“The value of having a high-research institution of higher learning in Cabell County cannot be underestimated,” says Sara Payne Scarbo, associate vice president for external engagement for the Marshall University Research Corporation. “Education and the availability and accessibility of educational opportunities are fundamental to the growth and development of both our population and our communities. While the majority of our students stay in West Virginia, we are working diligently on ways to increase this.”

The Robert C. Byrd Institute, West Virginia’s manufacturing technology center at Marshall University, offers manufacturing technology that is among the best in the world, encouraging job creation, economic development, innovation and entrepreneurship by supporting manufacturing companies of all sizes.

Marshall’s new aviation division has also brought a new dimension to the southern part of the state with its four-year commercial pilot bachelor’s degree program at Yeager Airport and its two-year aviation maintenance program in cooperation with Mountwest Community and Technical College at Huntington Tri-State Airport.

Cabell County residents also have access to a world-class health care system driven by education, research and technology that is helping bolster the regional economy. Mountain Health Network, a West Virginia-based not-for-profit health delivery system, oversees the operation of Cabell Huntington Hospital—a teaching hospital for students of Marshall University’s schools of medicine, pharmacy and nursing—and St. Mary’s Medical Center.

“Mountain Health Network employs nearly 6,000 people and supports another 12,000 jobs in the local economy,” says Kevin Yingling, R.Ph., M.D., FACP, CEO of Mountain Health Network. “The organization’s nearly $1 billion in spending supports roughly $2.3 billion of business activity in the region. We are an important part of the vibrant economy in our region. We will be strong partners in economic development and fostering the growth of the next generation of health care providers and drivers of telecommuting jobs in our institutions and for our community. Mountain Health Network continues to invest in our patients by providing new technologies, procedures and treatments to improve their health and well-being.”