Two things struck me during my trip to WV to visit family of friends. The first was the amount of renovation that is going on in the downtown area (and other areas as well). A ton of old buildings are being torn down and turned into newer buildings or parking lots. I can only assume that the parking lots will be needed when the new buildings go up.
The next thing was the amount of decay I saw. A good example is the train trestle that I walked across daily when I was a teen. It is overgrown with weeds and in many places the wood has rotted through. A lack of use over the past 20 years has really taken its toll.
The trestle was not the only thing that was falling down. We drove up and down some of the poorer areas an noticed the same thing. Many houses that needed to be torn down were still being used by the poor, the homeless and the afflicted. Even my old neighborhood looked pretty rough around the edges.
One of the most exciting things I saw was the WV Rail Trail Project. Many of the unused train tracks are being converted to hiking/biking/horse trials. Quite a bit has been done and I hope it increases tourism in my home state.
I have been often asked if all things were equal would I move back to WV. I am not sure. I know that my wife would not be happy with that idea but if I found my self in a position to move and WV was a viable option, I would consider it. I would not move back to my home town, but would consider moving 15-30 miles away.
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