Charleston, West Virginia What Went Wrong Here?
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- I drove through some of the most poverty stricken and worst areas of Charleston, WV to see how bad it really is. Charleston, West Virginia has been on the decline for many decades and still has not recovered from the loss of coal, gas, and industrial jobs. There are many abandoned homes, buildings, and businesses as a result. Crime is much higher than the national average and jobs are simply hard to come by. The population has been in decline since the 1960's which was at a high of over 85,000, and is now well under 50,000. I find Charleston to be an amazing place despite that. The people are for the most part very nice and friendly, and have amazing hospitality. I feel it has a lot of potential and of course it has some very nice areas like anywhere else, but can Charleston make a full recovery? Hopefully so. For now, let's check out some of the hardest hit parts.
I moved from California to Charleston last June, and despite the run down houses and not being native from the appalachien area, the people of WV sure bring the whole level of kindness to a distinctiveness I’ve never seen anywhere else
Dunkers Thank you for sharing your kind words. P.s. glad to have here.
I hear how wonderful and welcoming the people are. One reason I hope to retire to WV one day. Plus the scenery is beautiful ❤️
Thank you! We are among the best people in the USA.
"-Almost heaven, West Virginia..."
Im so glad you escaped that nightmare.
There is no excuse for trash everywhere, even if you are po folks. I grew up with 7 in a 2 room house and we always kept things clean, including the outside
It's possible that there is no sanitation services in some of those areas. If there is no one there to clean up, how will it ever be?
I'm inclined to agree with Victoria. That's the capital city. Most likely a lack of ambition.
They could at least put all the trash in one big pile or something, instead of stringing it all over the place. Little things like that make all the difference
I agree. No excuse.
There were 6 of us kids. My mama kept our old farm house spotless. Nothing laying around in the yard. No shame in being poor. Dirty is another thing.
What amazes me is allmost all these run down houses have nice cars out front??
As a resident of Charleston, there are a few things to note, many of the comments are spot on, as to why it is the way it is. There is no "one" answer. Many businesses were drove out over the past 50 years do to high taxes, and honestly complaints from the people. Yes, there used to be an unholy amount of pollution in the area, at one time we were known as "chemical valley" but there were plenty of jobs. Now our air is clean, but few jobs. A state job is about the best you can hope for unless your a specialist in a field of some sort. I wish you narrated a bit on your journey. To fully understand the reasons for the despair, you have to understand that it was a long slow process. The people tried their best to make ends meet, some barely can, some simply can't. Low/no income equals depression, and when you're depressed, you simply don't care, about the trash, the run down house, just nothing. There's little to no hope for jobs or even help. And at this point, a little bit of help, wouldn't help.. most of the houses need torn down and rebuilt.. some still have people living in them.. a sad place to live for sure, even more sad to raise kids here, when you know, deep down, there's no real chance of them making it here. Thanks for the video.
Excellent comment
It's very sad. You said it all. Heartbreaking.
You said it all, except for the uncaring landlords: "The tenants are just going to trash the place so why should I care?" This adds to the vicious cycle which continues until there's nothing left but grassy lots and trees struggling to survive.
Truest statement ever written. I remember the days of coal mines running coal and everyone had money and jobs. My hometown of Madison in Boone County made me cry the last I saw it. It's almost a ghost town. Heartbreaking.
Well said. I couldn’t agree more.
This channel is so powerful in the fact it shows poverty is literally everywhere that has employment issues. Black, white, city or rural doesn't matter. Wonderful work 👏
Thanks so much for watching!
Also a Charleston resident here, 100% accurate view of the worst parts of the city. This video only shows about 20% of the whole, though. The rest of Charleston is rather nice. The east end of town near the capital building is beautiful. Downtown around the mall and the civic center is beautiful. That being said, it's painfully obvious that the officials here are blind to the worst, "rose colored glasses" and what-not.
You are also 100% correct about the people here. Most of us would give you the literal shirt off our back if it would help you. It used to be a great city. now it just needs new management, so to speak.
Thanks very much for "getting it" and for reading the description. As there will be videos like this showing the worst parts, in the future I will no doubt be showing the good side of things as well and strive to remain 100% accurate as you have said. Thanks for watching!
I still can't understand why a country as wealthy as America, would rather these houses go to ruine than let a homeless family make one home.
I agree 👍
Great idea, if you found the right people to live there.
I was in Charleston not that long ago. They are definitely working on improving the city. We listened to live music, walked around. The streets were clean, free garage parking on The weekends and ate at a cool restaurant. Sometimes we need to see the glass as half full
There’s the great beauty of the mountains but then there’s the bleakness of the abandoned, rundown and neglected houses and businesses. Sad 🙁
Thank you for bringing these places to life and helping everyone watching to an understand of what is going on with our nation
Thank you so much for watching, I appreciate your comment!
I’m live in England and have just come back from visiting Tennessee and Alabama and these videos make me so sad. The thing that makes me sadder is that this is even worse when you see it in real life. I would love to live in the South and would love to help these people and these houses.
What part of Tennessee? My husband's from there
Interesting to note, new late model cars parked out in front of rundown houses, at this point the cars are probably worth more than the properties are..........
As a retired Canadian paratrooper, I spent quite a bit of my exchange training in West Virginia. I absolutely love the place. The call of history, the hills and vista's. I'm riding down late summer to trace some of my old haunts. I want to spend a couple of weeks on my motorcycle going back to memories and honor some who have passed.
Have you ever considered interviewing the people and see if they would be willing to share some of their stories?
I would definitely consider that. If someone wants to get ahold of me I'll try and arrange something.
@@hoodsnhollers I follow someone else who makes videos like these and when he sees someone on the streets he will pull over and ask for permission to interview them. Most will say yes.
@@hoodsnhollers I can hook you up. I live in charleston. I'll be willing to tell you some things.
I'm sure they would.
@@hoodsnhollers We would be amazed at the stories they could tell. They would be very interesting to listen to their stories. I surely would like to.
This is my wife's home town... would you believe Charleston is the state capital of west Virginia.. now look at it...the coal industry is gone along with manufacturing that once at once was a booming city. My wife is glad I took her away from that place 25 years ago..... Even Daniel Boone did once live there..He kept moving west ward..
Nothing screams priorities in life like living in a run down trailer and a BMW in the driveway. Looks more like Logan county to me. 😂
I grew up in Charleston during the 1980s and 90s, and use to walk all over the West Side. I recognize many of these streets. I haven't been to the WV in over a decade and it's sad to see how run down things have become. I remember the Town Center Mall in thr 1980s. It was magnificent! Now, half the stores are shut. I remember Charleston Dept. Store. It's gone now. All those storefronts along W. Washignton Street were open. With the exception of Young's Dept. Store, they are all shuttered. I attended St. Anthony's Catholic School and Woodrow Wilson Jr. High. They're both gone. In the 80s downtown was bustling. The Diamond Store and County Library, etc. Now, it's effectively a dead city. I remember The Beach Boys performing at the Sternwheel Regatta. Over 100,000 people were in attendance. I know that Charleston is trying to revive itself but is has a long, long way to go. Nearly everyone I know of working age have departed for work elsewhere and now live out of state. It's quite sad. I love WV but I would never settle back there as there is little opportunity for my children.
I was born there. I have not lived there since I was 8 - however, most of my relatives are still there in Charleston, Hurricane, and St. Albans. I will always love West Virginia.
I was in the service with many guys from that area. They enlisted to avoid going underground. I don't blame them.
I often delivered in WV for 30 years. The urban blight has snowballed since 2000.
Thank you.
Charleston WV has always had a serious flooding issue. In both 2016 and August 2022, many areas were under water, including homes and businesses. A lot of those boarded up houses and buildings are flood damaged and are not habitable.
Do the poor people get so far down that they just give up, and don't even see the trash that is everywhere?
Yes. Depression does that. You turn inward to psychological self preservation because the outside world is too much - especially if there is no help/end in sight. It can be paralyzing. You breathe, you eat, you sleep. The world seems hopeless. It’s very sad.
I lived there in the late 70s, and there were some bad neighborhoods. I remember the state as pretty much a one party state back then. Now it looks like Detroit. So sad, some of my best memories were in Charleston.
I love living in Charleston, West Virginia. I grew up here. I moved away in 95' to what I thought was the most progressive, forward thinking, foodie, music and arts filled town, Portland, OR. You could not pay me to live in Portland, OR today. Portland's massive homeless crisis is unreal. It is dangerous to visit Old Town at almost any hour of the day. Traffic is heavy and the city is not a peaceful, easy going place as I remember it in the mid-90's to 2005. Charleston has way too many abandoned houses, horrible absentee landlords, and not enough jobs to serve the population with a livable wage. We need more entrepreneurship and responsible ownership of properties. Live where you will. For me, I'm sticking with the kind people of West Virginia.
Definitely a different perspective of Charleston and radically different from driving thru town on McCorkle Ave. and Kanawaha Blvd. As a kid I remember passing thru Charleston while enroute to Roanoke VA and all I saw was industry, businesses, and the downtown area. I remember the Union Carbide chemical plant quite well and couldn't get over how large it was. Today Union Carbide is a memory and the plant, now run by Dow Chemical, is a shadow of its former self.
Well, the sunset was pretty...good video, hope you're staying safe ❤️
Thanks so much for watching!
Hi Hoods n Hollers, from now on, I'm just going to copy and paste my comments from video to video because I have only one reaction when I see the devastation you document -- utter sadness. Thank you for taking the time to record and share your work.
Lol that’s ok with me. Thank you very much for watching and commenting!
I don't get it. All those nice cars parked in front of boarded up houses that look they wouldn't survive through a thunderstorm.
A portion of this video was shot in Charleston’s West Side. This is a neighborhood that has been left out and neglected by previous administrations. It’s known as redlining. The community is made up of older homes that are in need of repair, rental properties and/or abandoned by owners/heirs. There are neighborhoods, on the West Side, that don’t look like this but unfortunately they are overshadowed by what is seen on this video. There are decent people on the West Side that pick up the trash that has blown or was thrown in front of their homes. This 13 minute video reflects the worst.
It just makes me curious how many people actually read the description. It seems like a lot of people don't. The very first sentence in the description is describing the fact of driving through the worst / most poverty stricken areas of Charleston. So yes you are correct it reflects the worst. Thanks for watching.
Looks pretty bad. Every once and a while, I'll drive down West Washington St from Elk City down to the Smokehouse restaurant. But I never go over to the bad areas highlighted in this video. I'm lucky that I don't live there. Too many housing projects in Charleston for my taste, and I hear that they are getting another one where the Charleston Dept Store is.
@@hoodsnhollers I subscribed to your feeds. Thank you, I have to been to a small part of the neighborhood that you presented. I live over on South Hills across the river.
I went to stonewall grew up on west side
You got part of my neighborhood on the west side. It's not the people that live there it's the homeless that trash the place. I constantly pick up trash there .still I haven't had any problems living there even though its considered the "hood".
Some of the houses that are boarded up, look like it wouldn't cost too much to bring them back to life. I love that yellow/green house 4:19. I imagine what it could be 💚
I have been inside that house many times as I had a friend who lived there. It is large and spacious but was very drafty when I used to go there c.2006
Many years ago, a trip took me through Charleston, WV. I got off the I-77 interstate there to grab a bite at a McDonalds. I asked the girl behind the counter what was the best way to get back on the interstate. She gave me a blank look and said, "What interstate?" You could literally hear the traffic on the interstate inside the McDs. THAT'S what happened to Charleston, WV.
Thanks, I live here, but I never go over to this part of town, with the exception of driving up West Washington St (which was pictured here). I was surprised at how bad the dilapidated housing in this part of town was. I think Charleston is poorly zoned. Too many low-income housing developments abut on single family homes and business areas. I think during the New Deal, many public housing projects were built in Charleston. Seems like as time passes, there are more and more of them everywhere, like there is some type of historical legacy that needs to be perpetuated and fulfilled, and some of them are crime ridden. Charleston has too many city council seats in my opinion (like 17), which I feel is a lot for a population of 50,000. And close to absolutely no public park space, unless you count tiny Cato Park, and the out of the way Coonskin Park. But Kanawha State Forest is nearby (about 30 minutes away). Ditto with public golf, just Little Creek Golf Club in South Charleston. I'd give Huntington a big nod in public parks and nearby golf facilities. And it has a lot more flat land, but with many of the same problems as Charleston. Huntington seems to be cleaner, with not as such industrial pollution as Charleston. And the EPA and DEP-WV needs to keep a check on the alleged ethylene oxide (carcinogen) emission problem over Institute, Dunbar, North and South Charleston, and beyond.
I do know the pollution in Charleston & the surrounding areas used to be allot worse than they are now. In the 80s you could actually see the smog of the old DuPont plant in that area & boy did ever stink! Btw is Corridor G still pumping? And one question I do have cuz I haven't been there in years, I moved at the end of 2006 & last time I went to Charleston was in 2011 but is the Anchor down below the Moose Lodge still open? Bcuz Google said they were closed permanently the other day ago when I checked.
Wv was extraction state for most part all the money generated from coal and lumber,oil/gaswell,windmills. Most goes out of state and there very little left being invested in the state. And to top the opioid crisis crippled what was left. But the people that remain are optimistic and most make do with what they have.
Charleston will continue to decline. No reason for young people to stay, few if any opportunities. The only thing keeping it afloat now is it being the state capital with state jobs and Charleston Area Medical Center with 4 hospitals. Not much else but retail or fast food. This looks very bleak. Go to McDowell, Mingo or Logan for the full rural version of Detroit look.
It’s like a lot of places worldwide. High taxes, loss of industry, mechanised/computerised industry, internet/online shopping, good lord even cows get milked and fed by computers now. Where I live in the UK, so many high street shops have closed, I often wonder what will happen to reverse or improve this at the very least 🤔
wonderful people in Charleston. shame it isn't doing so well
Am I being too naive here? We have a terrible homelessness problem. We have empty homes. Why can’t we put these two together?
I wish you would drive those neighborhoods after dark.That’s when the magic happens.
I do. I have lots of videos i need to edit that are night time, I'll get 'em uploaded soon!
9:45 the madman drove into The Woo 😀
That alone deserves a subscription to your channel.
Thanks so much for watching!
Most of these homes look like something you'd see in Detroit
Id pay anything to live there. No joke. Legit. Id pay. Its peaceful, you can be in your own space in those comfy houses ( not all) my dream
Rent is like 500-600 for a one bedroom here
Come if you want but there really is nothing to do, and its insanely hard to find likeminded people or a job you enjoy.
I promise you just cos we live in a pretty state, doesn’t mean the cities/towns are in any sense a sight you wanna see.
I live in the most densely populated part of England, what I wouldn't give to be surrounded by so many trees. I've seen a few of your videos and it often appears that the beauty of the natural landscape isn't really a focus in the towns aesthetics.
I live there, if you are wondering what the issue is it's because there is a severe lack of recreation and fundamental resources that make a city a good place to be. Everything gets shut down or taxed until it can't operate, and the one place you could go (town center mall) is being suffocated because the people running it nor the city itself listens to a word of what anyone suggests.
Why doesn't the community get together and at least try to clean up the place? Seems like that would be a good recreational start, especially for the younger generation.
Has anyone ever tried that? Not trying to sound mean just wondering.
We didn't stay anywhere in W. Virginia but I've been through the state a few times on road trips heading South and we made a few pit stops within the state. I've also been through W. Virginia at night on the train and the one thing that stands out most to me is how beautiful this state is. There is a lot of poverty for various reasons but the people we met in this region were friendly and welcoming everywhere we stopped and W. Virginia is a state that is overlooked due to negative misconceptions people have formed. Best time of year to visit in my opinion is during the spring just as everything is starting to come back to life...right around that time of year when the flowers are blooming. Perfect state to visit for those who enjoy outdoor activities too.
moved to wv recently, (outside of morgantown) some areas are kind of poor, but i dont care its the most gorgeous state
If I could move Charleston I would. Lived there for a while back in the 70s. I love WVa
I'm 77 in my life I've held 9 jobs except for 1, the other 8 either went out of business or moved out of the country. I have never been fired.
Some of that looks like rt 39 going to Charleston from Summersville. I went through there yesterday and notices the teenagers driving side by sides worth more than the dwellings, not that they were new side by sides. Trash in the river, and no regard or pride in at least picking up a little.
I’d go back to farm but the places I’ve looked are way to expensive. I’m from Huntington but I’ve looked in the more mountainous areas.
It’s my opinion that places like this will not get any better because it cost too much money for raw materials to be shipped in to employers and cost too much money to ship out products. This is one of the reasons why industrial parks are near major highways. I am perfectly willing to be wrong though.
Re open the coal mines is the only way to get back money into the state and create employment
when the steel mills died so did the coal
Is the government still paying $1000 a month to move there?
Our country is slowly dying
It’s all about location. You know that.
TY, greatly appreciated.
Charleston is a poor city that is the capital of a very poor state.
What part of Charleston is this it must be on the outskirts I'm from Parkersburg and I have been 2 Charleston many times has 2 be along the river from the old coal mining communities that's what it looks like we have them in Parkersburg and surrounding areas I know I was raised in one
How did we fail our citizens? Where did it go wrong?
WOAH.....look at all the shuttered businesses...
This stuff is incredible. You show the America we never get to see. I’m in the uk.
I deliver in Kanawha Putnam and Lincoln counties-the 1st fifty two seconds reminds me of witcher creek or the west side hills; cuz even tho ones in city limits and the others 17 miles outside of it-they look the same..subbed to y'alls channel.good stuff but sad
Your videos would be more interesting if you would show some street and road signs so the viewer would know just where you are. I just subscribed.
Its so strange because on the other side of the Kanawha river theres a couple million dollar houses
Lord have Mercy in Jesus name I pray 🙏
Thanks! Love ur Videos
Thank you so much Deborah! HOLA!!
@@hoodsnhollers ❤
5:25 I grew up 2 blocks away from here back in the 1960s and '70s.
Or edens fork
what is any one still doing in charleston
11:49 That is the strangest driveway I've ever seen. I mean, I guess it works, but I wouldn't want to hang around in that shed too much.
Wild and Wonderful....
Iam from Charleston wv yes we are very kind and will help u out if we can
I’ve never seen raised trailer houses like this before, what’s that about?
Thats pretty normal around the area. Flooding is one reason why.
It floods there.
what is still going on there anything good coming or still to come
WV is the best part of USA, sitting on gold. The potential is enormous!
Man that looks scary 😮
I joined the military and left that hell whole 20 years ago. I now live in SoCal and its like living on another planet.
Just like it's name sake I was stationed on the USS Charleston back in the mid 70s. Now it is decommissioned and being scrapped out! Times change!
Probably a lot of them don't live to be old because of the lack of medical care.
I was thinking the same or groceries.
The bigger issue has always been the lack of jobs. Descent, good paying jobs in WVa are far & few between.
My family lives on 6th Street here in Charleston wv my neighborhood don't look like this
I’m taking an Amtrak to Charleston WV from NYC and staying at the Marriott for two days before renting a car and heading to Matewan.
I live on west Washington in Charleston wv
I can’t understand why the major of Charleston allows us to happen. is it there job to make this town more prosperous
Hey, ik that area very well and I would do an interview with some crazy stories.
I got some crazy story's to till too. I lived on the westside
It’s sad.
At 01:31 we needed your paint to point out the toilet 🚽
Ahh....the West Virginia State Flower.......the satellite dish. ,,,🤠
Thanks a lot for your video. Respect from 🇮🇳
Capital?
Blimey and I thought that parts of the UK were deprived!
As Tucker says, get in your car and drive 500 miles, you will see many areas like this, all over the Country 😢
It’s really sad but the Governor needed to step in way before it came such a desolate area and actually help people find jobs to support their families. Sad thing is, it’s generational decline. Once you’ve lived that life, it’s hard to move away cause you know no other way. My parents moved us outta there in 1964.. came to Columbiana County Ohio.. not much better but we have a lot of factory jobs.
It has to be the west side.
Looks like a horror movie set..anyone still live there
some of the empty houses look still so good. Very sad.
Looks like cambells creek rd
You can find a poverty hood in any major city.
09:48 Are all those brick buildings government housing?
Where exactly is 0:01 to 3:00 in Charleston? Looks like a scene right out of Fallout.
Not really Charleston. Closer to Sissonville
Where is this in Charleston?
west side
I like how they all have such terrible conditioned yards and houses but nice cars in the driveway lol they know the importance of a good car in WV, also you always see a Pontiac in WV lol