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On this West Virginia Morning, after a new owner took over a Mercer County mobile home park, rents quickly went up while repairs slowed. One resident did some digging and found a reporter in California who had some unexpected answers about who this new owner was. Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams spoke with reporter Julie Reynolds.
Home » 4 Surprising Ways Appalachians are Changing Their Economy
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4 Surprising Ways Appalachians are Changing Their Economy
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Much of Appalachia’s economy has rested on the boom and bust cycles of industries like coal and manufacturing for decades. It’s true that these industries have long put bread on the Appalachian table, but as those industries have faded in recent decades, jobs have grown scarce.
So are there industries that might one day provide more financial stability to the region? This week on Inside Appalachia, we learn more about some unexpected and unique ways Appalachians are thinking outside the box to earn money, like growing industrial hemp, installing solar panels and even growing tea.
We also take a look inside the black walnut industry and meet some people who earn extra cash by helping harvest this plentiful Appalachian food.
And as we head into the season of holiday cooking, we chat with a nutritionist and two chefs about how to cook good food for the holidays, without forking over half your paycheck.
The Struggle to Stay
And we’ll hear the conclusion to Derek Akal’s story, in the final installment of our Struggle to Stay series. Derek has big dreams for his home of Harlan County, Kentucky.
But does Derek find a way to make his dreams a reality in Kentucky? We’ll find out in this episode of Inside Appalachia.
Host Jessica Lilly closes the show with this personal message:
It seems kind of fitting that we end the series with a show about entrepreneurship and jobs. Each of the people we’ve followed in the Struggle to Stay series is looking for a way to make money and to survive. Since this series began, we’ve received a number of messages from listeners who say they struggle in similar ways.
We’ve heard why some people say they want to remain around family, friends and loved ones.
But sometimes making money means leaving. Sometimes, as we’ve heard in this series, people determine that the value of relationships is greater than earning a big income.
How about you? Do you struggle to stay in Appalachia? If you’ve left, have you struggled to return home?
Inside Appalachia is produced by Roxy Todd and Jessica Lilly. Catherine Moore edited our show this week. Our executive producer is Jesse Wright. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Claire Hemme helped with our digital correspondence. You can find us online on Twitter @InAppalachia.
On this West Virginia Morning, after a new owner took over a Mercer County mobile home park, rents quickly went up while repairs slowed. One resident did some digging and found a reporter in California who had some unexpected answers about who this new owner was. Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams spoke with reporter Julie Reynolds.
On this West Virginia Morning, tourists from around the world visit Harpers Ferry each year to immerse themselves in U.S. history. But the number of visitors fell in 2020, as public health restrictions ramped up nationwide. Jack Walker visited the town to learn how things have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
On this West Virginia Morning, it has been a year since allegations of illicit recordings of cadets and other women at the West Virginia State Police barracks launched federal and state investigations into the law enforcement department. We speak with the superintendent of state police for an update.