homestate west Virginia
By Ben Everidge for Thomas
Photo Credit: West Virginia Tourism
west Virginia at the Crossroads: 10 Issues That Define the mountain state’s Future
“West Virginia has given this nation its energy and its sweat. Now it deserves a chance to give its future. The mountains that once trapped its people can still lift them, if the state dares to climb.”
- Ben Everidge
West Virginia stands as one of America’s most rugged and misunderstood states. Proud, wounded, and waiting to be rediscovered. Its mountains built the nation’s energy backbone, yet its communities paid the price in poverty, illness, and exodus. Today, as coal declines and new industries emerge, the Mountain State faces a defining test: can it rise from dependence to renewal, and turn resilience into revival?
1. Economic Diversification Beyond Coal
Coal once powered the world from these hills, but production has fallen dramatically. West Virginia’s challenge now is to build new industries in clean energy, aerospace, tourism, and technology, without abandoning the workers and towns left behind.
2. Population Decline and Workforce Loss
The state’s population has been declining for decades as young people move away in search of better opportunities. Attracting new residents, retaining graduates, and reversing the brain drain will determine whether West Virginia grows or continues to fade.
3. Education and Opportunity Gaps
Chronic underfunding, low teacher pay, and rural isolation have left many schools struggling. Improving access to quality education and modern job training is essential to preparing a workforce for industries that don’t yet exist in many communities.
4. Healthcare Access and Life Expectancy
West Virginia ranks near the bottom nationally in health outcomes, with high rates of obesity, diabetes, and addiction. Expanding rural healthcare infrastructure and addressing mental health are urgent priorities for both public health and productivity.
5. The Opioid Crisis and Addiction Recovery
Few states have been hit harder by opioids than West Virginia. Lawsuits have brought some accountability, but rebuilding communities ravaged by addiction will require a sustained, compassionate strategy focused on jobs, treatment, and long-term healing.
6. Infrastructure and Broadband Development
Mountain terrain and rural isolation have long hindered infrastructure investment. Broadband expansion and new transportation links are critical to connecting communities and unlocking private-sector growth.
7. Energy Transition and Environmental Restoration
As the nation shifts toward clean energy, West Virginia faces both risk and opportunity. Its coal plants are closing, but its natural gas, hydro, and renewable potential could drive a new energy identity, if leadership chooses innovation over nostalgia.
8. Government Trust and Political Independence
Frustration with corruption, bureaucracy, and entrenched partisanship runs deep. Independent voters and reform-minded leaders have a rare opportunity to redefine West Virginia politics around transparency, accountability, and results, rather than party loyalty.
9. Rural Revitalization and Local Empowerment
Many small towns remain trapped in economic decline. Revitalizing main streets, supporting small businesses, and leveraging tourism - from outdoor recreation to heritage sites - could turn decline into discovery.
10. Civic Pride, Perception, and National Image
West Virginia is often portrayed as backward or broken, but that image belies its talent, creativity, and grit. Changing the narrative, from pity to potential, will be as important as any policy reform. The state’s future depends on how it chooses to see itself.
The Thomas Take
West Virginia’s story is not finished. It’s being rewritten. The same mountains that once isolated it can now inspire it, if leadership, vision, and unity replace division and despair. The Mountain State doesn’t need to be rescued; it needs to be believed in and empowered to believe in itself.
To learn more about West Virginia’s issues, read: