If I were to wish anything for West Virginia, it would be this: to have more, if not all, of your bright young kids go off to college, hit the books, make friends, lots of friends, laugh often, learn much and then, seeing opportunity, come home to help transform the social, political and economic landscapes that are not offering them ground to stand on right now.
I mean, if we cannot create the incentives, lifestyle and appeal to convince them to come home and help build a future, then what chance do we have of luring remote workers to do the heavy lifting? It’s to the point that the kids are not looking back as they cross the river to careers in places more culturally diverse, rich and interesting.
The latest from the U.S. 2020 Census, in a data dump this past week, was a cold and sobering reminder of what has been going on for a while, now. The state – along with every county in this paper’s nine-county market – continues to lose population. This past decade? Down 3.2 percent, the most of any of the three states – Illinois and Mississippi were the other two – that counted fewer people at the end of the decade than at the beginning.
More concerning, the pace is accelerating and exceeding estimates. Between 2010 and 2018, West Virginia’s population fell by an estimated 47,000 people, or a decline of 2.6 percent. By the end of the decade, 59,278 had left – a total larger than any city in the state and larger than 47 of the state’s 55 counties.
Let that sink in just a minute.
Additionally, not all that long ago, the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research projected the state’s population to fall from 1,852,994 in 2010 to 1,806,816 in 2030.
Well, we are well past that watermark, having sunk to 1,793,716 as of the latest reading.
On the horizon? The University of Virginia Demographics Research Group has projected our state’s population to fall all the way to 1,661,849 by 2040 – a loss of 131,867 over two decades – again, an acceleration of current trends if that plays out. And why wouldn’t they? The population here has been in retreat since the 1950 Census. Over the past 70 years, the state has lost about 212,000 souls.
In other words, a bunch of people.
So, while we are crossing our fingers, knocking on wood and offering up thousands of dollars to lure remote workers to our state, we also could be taking account of where we are – and fix what’s broken.
With truckloads of federal dollars headed this way via generous infrastructure legislation, this would be a good time to do just that.
According to a recent story by ABC News, folks who were leaving West Virginia cited such factors as lack of opportunity, low pay, not much to do, an oppressive political climate and poor cellphone and internet service.
Since there is about $100 million headed this way from D.C. to address our crappy internet, thanks to that $1 trillion infrastructure package, here’s the first thing I would address: Stop all of the political pandering to far right social issues. It may win elections in the short run but it is causing long-term damage to the state’s image by allowing certain cretins – remember Del. Eric Porterfield who talked about drowning his own kids if he discovered they were gay? – to give the state a bad look.
Same way with legislation to prohibit transgender girls from participating in athletics at the local school. Might seem like the popular hayrack to jump on, but I suspect that it convinced a whole lot of families to cross West Virginia off their list of places to go.
I would remind you that the younger generations – there are studies on this – are far more liberal than what the balance of this state has been and, well, if they feel like no one is listening to their concerns, they are going to be more likely to go to a room where there is a place at the table for whatever talents, perspective and mad creative skills they have on their résumé.
Just saying.
I would also suggest that legislators pass a retail marijuana law this coming session – and avoid dawdling and navel gazing and get it up and running ASAP.
Listen, Colorado is a state that is adding population – and jobs, jobs, jobs – hand over fist. Why? Well, like West Virginia, it has an attractive and glorious outdoors calling the young. Like West Virginia, it has a fabulous craft brew industry though theirs is far longer in the tooth and, well, a tad bigger than what we have here. According to The Denver Post, Colorado is the third largest producer of craft beer in the country, making more than 1.5 million barrels of suds annually.
Anyway, Colorado is perceived as a young, cool, hip place with craft beer, legal weed and more outdoor adventures than you can shake a stick at. It is a tourism mecca.
So why not us?
Why is it always somewhere else?
West Virginia, drop-dead beautiful, has gold in these mountains. Why do we ignore all of that?
Let’s fix something.
— J. Damon Cain is editor of The Register-Herald.
