A map of the counties under the purview of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
I don't like when people make fun of West Virginia. West Virginians and Pittsburghers are practically the same thing, for better or worse. And hell, there are only 1.8 million people there, with the largest city having only 50,000, so it's not like you've got a whole bunch of hillbillies. But, seriously, the state is home to tremendous natural beauty, the sum of the cultures that comprise the Appalachian region is long and proud, and in spite of what happens to Morgantown each time WVU wins something the state doesn't deserve the bum rap it's received.
Anyway, an article titled "W. Virginia town shrugs at poorest health ranking." Seriously awesome headline, though, but that's about where the fun stops. An excerpt:
The area's unemployment rate was about 5 percent in September, actually a bit better than the 6.1 percent national average that month. But often the jobs are not high-paying. Many workers lack health insurance, and corporate wellness programs — common at large national companies — are rare.
Poverty hovers, with the area rate at 19 percent, much higher than the national average. In the hilly coal fields to the South, people still live in houses or trailers with drooping, battered roofs. They stare hard at any stranger in a new car. In Huntington and its outskirts, many people think of exercise and healthy eating as luxuries.
The economy needs to pick up "so people can afford to get healthy," said Ronnie Adkins, 67, a retired policeman, as he sat one recent morning on the smoking porch of the Jolly Pirate Donuts shop on U.S. 60.
Doughnut shops don't help either, of course. But breakfast pastry shops aren't the most common outlets for fatty food. Pizza joints are. They are seemingly on every block in some parts of the city. The online Yellow Pages lists more pizza places (nearly 200) for the Huntington area than the entire state of West Virginia has gyms and health clubs (149).
Hot dog places also abound, with the city hosting an annual hot dog festival every summer. "I've never seen so many places that are hot dog oriented. I guess it's a cultural thing. Appalachian," said Mayor Felinton, who grew up in Maryland and moved to Huntington to attend Marshall University and stayed put.
Fast food has become a staple, with many residents convinced they can't afford to buy healthier foods, said Keri Kennedy, manager of the state health department's Office of Healthy Lifestyles.
Kennedy said she had just seen a commercial that presented "The KFC $10 Challenge." The fried-chicken chain placed a family in a grocery store and challenged them to put together a dinner for $10 or less that was comparable to KFC's seven-piece, $9.99 value meal.
"This is what we're up against," said Kennedy, noting it's an extremely persuasive ad for a low-income family that is accustomed to fried foods. "I don't know what you do to counter that."
The article goes on for a while, painfully. But the mayor quoted in the second paragraph is right that health problems are but a symptom of other, more pressing issues. Parts of West Virginia and western Pennsylvania are staggeringly poor, to the degree that you have to ask how your country can allow this to go on. For many Pennsylvanians, this hits closer to home than one of the other national disgraces, New Orleans.
A home in an unidentified state, from here.
More information about relief efforts on the Christian Appalachian Project---which accepts online donations---and Appalachia Poverty Project websites, and loads of resources about poverty in Appalachia from the PBS Frontline series "Country Boys." A quick Google search turns up more information and youtube videos. Truly depressing.
1 comment:
George Orwell wrote an interesting piece which I read in his "Collected Works" where he describes wealthy London charitable-causes women visiting the East End to teach Cockney housewives, in the 1930s Depression-era, how to buy and cook food for less money.
Orwell's point was that the instructional visits didn't take into account that poor people, as regards food want more 'bang for their buck' (to use a modern phrase). Fried food, potatos etc...
I wonder if the marketing department at KFC hasn't latched onto this with their comparative ten dollar offer. And with the price of vegetables more expensive than back in the 1930s and Orwell's time, maybe the Appalachian housewife has even less incentive to buy healthy food.
Apologies for the long post.
Great blog, Brian, btw.
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