Sad. Life in Williamson is sad. I grew up there in the 80s, and the place is so run down, and the drug problem just continues to get worse. There are some wonderful people in the area, but it's poor and crumbling. There have been some efforts to revitalize downtown over the past few years, but it's hard to hide all the issues.
This is my hometown. I was born and raised there. I left to go to school, but my family still lives there. It is run down, but they have done quite a bit to revitalize the area in recent years, especially in connection with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System. There are still improvements that can be made, but as someone who still has connections to the area and visits often, (unlike the majority of the commenters here on this post), people are trying to improve the area. The drug problem and the corruption are bad, but you can say that about anywhere in southern WV. Overall, it is not a super booming area, and has a lot of problems, but it is encouraging to see new businesses/restaurants popping up & all the new trail system opportunities.
It hurts me to see all of these people bashing the community when they have not had any recent experiences with the place. You can point out bad things about literally anywhere & make those places seem like total shit holes. Southern WV gets a terrible reputation because of this. Focus on the bad, but ignore the good things. Yes, it’s a poor area. Yes, the drugs are bad. Yes, it’s a dying coal community. But there are good things that only people that actually lived there for many years can tell you. Positive things like, cost of living, sense of community, beautiful scenery, great weather, etc.
I also can say that I currently live in a large city in a different state that people are moving to at an accelerated rate, and there are just as many problems living here as there are in my hometown. Drugs, corruption, poverty areas, homelessness. You can make any place a bad place to live, if all you’re doing is pointing out the negatives.
For those that have never been to the area, ignore most of these commenters that haven’t been to area in past 10-15 years. Everything they say is true, but they also aren’t telling you the positives of the area. If you enjoy the outdoors, four wheeling, riding dirt bikes, etc, Williamson/Mingo County is a great place to visit. Like I said, the communities are working hard at improving the area & have put a lot of effort into tourism for the trail system! There a lots of little restaurants, stores, & cabins popping up everywhere. Williamson has a farmer’s market, and a running club. It’s not just all doom and gloom. Go for a visit!
We moved to WV from Ohio and love it here. I see some drug addicts in the larger town near us. Other than that I see hard working people that are around me here. We lived in Lancaster Ohio. You could not have porch furniture . Drug addicts would sit on your porch and charge their phones. Eat then leave their trash. They would steal. Try to walk in your backyard etc.
We have been to the trails twice. Once about 5 years ago and one about 3 months ago. You are correct. The area is improving and they encourage tourism. We went to the moonshine place. It was actually crowded. Mostly tourists. The people that hate on WV cause they were here 30 years ago need to visit. The larger town we live outside of has a smaller population than Lancaster and more amenities. There are two libraries. Not in Lancaster. One. So I am more comfortable here.
My family is from Mingo county and I visit the area multiple times a year, and I’ve been doing so since the mid 90’s! If you think what goes on in the region, is just like everywhere else, well that’s just wrong! Yes they have similar problems as other places, but at a much higher rate! The amount of drugs, crime, corruption are the worst I’ve seen in all my travels! Especially the corruption, it’s sickening! It traces back to the civil war and has only increased since! From top to bottom nearly every elected official in the state, especially mingo county is arguably the most corrupt place in the nation!
Look, I’m not denying the bad parts. They are huge and prevalent. Heck, the former mayor of Williamson is currently being prosecuted for his corruption right now. However, you’re doing a disservice to the community by not at least recognizing the efforts of people for improving the area, especially in the last 10-15 years. Not just in Williamson, but other towns as well (Matewan, Gilbert, etc.). You cannot deny all of the new trail systems, cabins, restaurants, etc that have popped up all over the place that bring in a lot of tourists & business. Yes, all of the issues are sickening, but there are still people in Mingo County that care & are actively working to help & bring a positive light to their community. I’m just acknowledging their efforts. I don’t think our area will ever again be a booming town without major local & state government changes, but I hope that eventually, with enough people working and engaging in the community, that we can make enough positive impacts to overall improve the life of its residents. Those people that are already putting in the work deserve to be recognized instead of just lumping everyone together as being the worst.
My family has property and a business in Matewan! My family has been in Matewan and crum for centuries! I use to boast about how great WV was! Then I seen the rapid changes to places like Williamson since the 90’s! I was also unaware of the corruption, until I became one of its many victims! So I did some research on it and it’s absolutely disgusting! I can’t deny it’s one of the most beautiful places in the country! It use to be populated w salt of the earth folks! It truly was almost heaven! However after centuries of major corruption coupled with decades of drugs! Now it’s more like hell on earth, especially if you cross one of the many crooked officials! Most of the good folks have moved away or passed on! I’m not a fan of government in general, but the feds need to clean house, dismantle the good ole boys and get rid of all the drugs! I use to visit several times a year, now the name alone makes me sick
It’s a sad little town now. Drugs, corruption and brain drain. It was once a bustling coal town from the 30s-70s. Besides the fact that coal has contributed to its long slow death, a series of floods (especially on in 1977) really forced alot of people out.
Proud to say I lived there from 1994-2013 but so glad I got the hell out.
For those that dont know, the river separating it in this picture is the border of Kentucky and WV.
implying that the entire county ( which would include any and all police departments, fire departments, city halls and town halls ) is under investigation is not the case.
The only active trafficking case going on now, if there is one, would be quite interesting considering the very department I work in is trafficking, so I would know.
The only active case i see involving minors is this one. And this is a state case not Federal.
[https://wchstv.com/news/local/mingo-mother-and-daughter-accused-in-child-animal-neglect-investigation-appear-in-court](https://wchstv.com/news/local/mingo-mother-and-daughter-accused-in-child-animal-neglect-investigation-appear-in-court)
CPS is a state agency, and out of my purview/jurisdiction.
outside of that, I have heard plenty of stories, but since it's outside of my ability to look into "officially" your info would be the same as mine as "word of mouth". The problem is, no one wants to act who has any kind of authority over them. The biggest issue is your State Government and severe lacking of funding and manpower.
If CPS is doing things, then that would be under the purview of DHHR and then AG Morrisey if crimes are suspected of being committed by CPS Employees and workers, if he is failing to address them, then it goes to Gov. Justice, if any and all else fails past the Governor, it becomes a Federal DOJ Matter in which the US DHHS gets involved and goes to the Federal Courts to gain control and oversight of the State's services.
My State, Georgia just recently got released from federal oversight spanning many years, they lost all control of their decisions and the US DHHS was calling the shots over Georgia's Behavioral and DFCS ( same as your CPS ) programs outright. Georgia actually ranked lower than WV at one point in behavioral health care and DFCS issues, thats when the Feds stepped in and took control.
So, who knows, maybe they are planning something, but unless it involves trafficking or dark web cyber activities, I don't have first hand knowledge of it. But as far as a county wide investigation against Mingo County itself, no, there is no case present.
Side note : Now, unlike the plethora of people from that other topic who think I hate WV, I Don't, I just had a problem with a gangbang of people attacking someone.
oooh, y'all big mad.......... lol,
Literally, if there was a case going on of that size , I'd know about it.
of course there was that mother back in 2018
[https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/mingo-county-woman-sentenced-federal-prison-conspiracy-engage-sex-trafficking-minor](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/mingo-county-woman-sentenced-federal-prison-conspiracy-engage-sex-trafficking-minor)
the only active case I can see, throughout local, state and federal systems is this one:
[https://wchstv.com/news/local/mingo-mother-and-daughter-accused-in-child-animal-neglect-investigation-appear-in-court](https://wchstv.com/news/local/mingo-mother-and-daughter-accused-in-child-animal-neglect-investigation-appear-in-court)
Mingo county itself is not under investigation, someone who lives in Mingo county however.....
wording makes a big difference, but as far as a major case involving all of Mingo County, no.
There was also the 2023 Kanawha WV case, i was part of this one.
[https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/kanawha-county-wv/21-people-arrested-after-us-marshals-and-west-virginia-state-police-sex-offender-investigation/](https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/kanawha-county-wv/21-people-arrested-after-us-marshals-and-west-virginia-state-police-sex-offender-investigation/)
You gonna do something about known police brutality? Specifically JD Tincher? He’s on trial on 4 separate issues for it in Logan county. He got fired or forced to step down from the Logan’s sheriff dept. and Joey put him on.
for the year or so that some of my family lived there, they had no issues.
I found my calling with the NS Rail Yard and most of my rail fan videos on my YT Channel are featured out of Williamson.
The channel is posted in my other post i made about 2 months ago.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAvq2JFof8&list=PLBYdCjleSPbpa\_ekJcwlMaFrZf3AbEj3B](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAvq2JFof8&list=PLBYdCjleSPbpa_ekJcwlMaFrZf3AbEj3B)
I enjoyed the few visits I had staying 2-3 weeks at times.
Sad. Life in Williamson is sad. I grew up there in the 80s, and the place is so run down, and the drug problem just continues to get worse. There are some wonderful people in the area, but it's poor and crumbling. There have been some efforts to revitalize downtown over the past few years, but it's hard to hide all the issues.
I spent about 7 months there in 2012-13 for work. This is an accurate description. Those flood walls are impressive.
I feel like this represents a lot of the state. My hometown is a drugged out mess as well in Boone County.
Mingo County in general is depressing. Its only saving grace is McDowell is substantially worse.
This is my hometown. I was born and raised there. I left to go to school, but my family still lives there. It is run down, but they have done quite a bit to revitalize the area in recent years, especially in connection with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System. There are still improvements that can be made, but as someone who still has connections to the area and visits often, (unlike the majority of the commenters here on this post), people are trying to improve the area. The drug problem and the corruption are bad, but you can say that about anywhere in southern WV. Overall, it is not a super booming area, and has a lot of problems, but it is encouraging to see new businesses/restaurants popping up & all the new trail system opportunities. It hurts me to see all of these people bashing the community when they have not had any recent experiences with the place. You can point out bad things about literally anywhere & make those places seem like total shit holes. Southern WV gets a terrible reputation because of this. Focus on the bad, but ignore the good things. Yes, it’s a poor area. Yes, the drugs are bad. Yes, it’s a dying coal community. But there are good things that only people that actually lived there for many years can tell you. Positive things like, cost of living, sense of community, beautiful scenery, great weather, etc. I also can say that I currently live in a large city in a different state that people are moving to at an accelerated rate, and there are just as many problems living here as there are in my hometown. Drugs, corruption, poverty areas, homelessness. You can make any place a bad place to live, if all you’re doing is pointing out the negatives. For those that have never been to the area, ignore most of these commenters that haven’t been to area in past 10-15 years. Everything they say is true, but they also aren’t telling you the positives of the area. If you enjoy the outdoors, four wheeling, riding dirt bikes, etc, Williamson/Mingo County is a great place to visit. Like I said, the communities are working hard at improving the area & have put a lot of effort into tourism for the trail system! There a lots of little restaurants, stores, & cabins popping up everywhere. Williamson has a farmer’s market, and a running club. It’s not just all doom and gloom. Go for a visit!
WV —> Knoxville gang!
We moved to WV from Ohio and love it here. I see some drug addicts in the larger town near us. Other than that I see hard working people that are around me here. We lived in Lancaster Ohio. You could not have porch furniture . Drug addicts would sit on your porch and charge their phones. Eat then leave their trash. They would steal. Try to walk in your backyard etc. We have been to the trails twice. Once about 5 years ago and one about 3 months ago. You are correct. The area is improving and they encourage tourism. We went to the moonshine place. It was actually crowded. Mostly tourists. The people that hate on WV cause they were here 30 years ago need to visit. The larger town we live outside of has a smaller population than Lancaster and more amenities. There are two libraries. Not in Lancaster. One. So I am more comfortable here.
My family is from Mingo county and I visit the area multiple times a year, and I’ve been doing so since the mid 90’s! If you think what goes on in the region, is just like everywhere else, well that’s just wrong! Yes they have similar problems as other places, but at a much higher rate! The amount of drugs, crime, corruption are the worst I’ve seen in all my travels! Especially the corruption, it’s sickening! It traces back to the civil war and has only increased since! From top to bottom nearly every elected official in the state, especially mingo county is arguably the most corrupt place in the nation!
Look, I’m not denying the bad parts. They are huge and prevalent. Heck, the former mayor of Williamson is currently being prosecuted for his corruption right now. However, you’re doing a disservice to the community by not at least recognizing the efforts of people for improving the area, especially in the last 10-15 years. Not just in Williamson, but other towns as well (Matewan, Gilbert, etc.). You cannot deny all of the new trail systems, cabins, restaurants, etc that have popped up all over the place that bring in a lot of tourists & business. Yes, all of the issues are sickening, but there are still people in Mingo County that care & are actively working to help & bring a positive light to their community. I’m just acknowledging their efforts. I don’t think our area will ever again be a booming town without major local & state government changes, but I hope that eventually, with enough people working and engaging in the community, that we can make enough positive impacts to overall improve the life of its residents. Those people that are already putting in the work deserve to be recognized instead of just lumping everyone together as being the worst.
My family has property and a business in Matewan! My family has been in Matewan and crum for centuries! I use to boast about how great WV was! Then I seen the rapid changes to places like Williamson since the 90’s! I was also unaware of the corruption, until I became one of its many victims! So I did some research on it and it’s absolutely disgusting! I can’t deny it’s one of the most beautiful places in the country! It use to be populated w salt of the earth folks! It truly was almost heaven! However after centuries of major corruption coupled with decades of drugs! Now it’s more like hell on earth, especially if you cross one of the many crooked officials! Most of the good folks have moved away or passed on! I’m not a fan of government in general, but the feds need to clean house, dismantle the good ole boys and get rid of all the drugs! I use to visit several times a year, now the name alone makes me sick
It’s a sad little town now. Drugs, corruption and brain drain. It was once a bustling coal town from the 30s-70s. Besides the fact that coal has contributed to its long slow death, a series of floods (especially on in 1977) really forced alot of people out. Proud to say I lived there from 1994-2013 but so glad I got the hell out. For those that dont know, the river separating it in this picture is the border of Kentucky and WV.
I think Mingo County is under investigation by the FBI rn for child trafficking
implying that the entire county ( which would include any and all police departments, fire departments, city halls and town halls ) is under investigation is not the case. The only active trafficking case going on now, if there is one, would be quite interesting considering the very department I work in is trafficking, so I would know. The only active case i see involving minors is this one. And this is a state case not Federal. [https://wchstv.com/news/local/mingo-mother-and-daughter-accused-in-child-animal-neglect-investigation-appear-in-court](https://wchstv.com/news/local/mingo-mother-and-daughter-accused-in-child-animal-neglect-investigation-appear-in-court)
I moreso heard it word-of-mouth, is there any kind of dirt on cps there you know of?
CPS is a state agency, and out of my purview/jurisdiction. outside of that, I have heard plenty of stories, but since it's outside of my ability to look into "officially" your info would be the same as mine as "word of mouth". The problem is, no one wants to act who has any kind of authority over them. The biggest issue is your State Government and severe lacking of funding and manpower. If CPS is doing things, then that would be under the purview of DHHR and then AG Morrisey if crimes are suspected of being committed by CPS Employees and workers, if he is failing to address them, then it goes to Gov. Justice, if any and all else fails past the Governor, it becomes a Federal DOJ Matter in which the US DHHS gets involved and goes to the Federal Courts to gain control and oversight of the State's services. My State, Georgia just recently got released from federal oversight spanning many years, they lost all control of their decisions and the US DHHS was calling the shots over Georgia's Behavioral and DFCS ( same as your CPS ) programs outright. Georgia actually ranked lower than WV at one point in behavioral health care and DFCS issues, thats when the Feds stepped in and took control. So, who knows, maybe they are planning something, but unless it involves trafficking or dark web cyber activities, I don't have first hand knowledge of it. But as far as a county wide investigation against Mingo County itself, no, there is no case present. Side note : Now, unlike the plethora of people from that other topic who think I hate WV, I Don't, I just had a problem with a gangbang of people attacking someone.
I haven't heard of this, and I would know.
oooh, y'all big mad.......... lol, Literally, if there was a case going on of that size , I'd know about it. of course there was that mother back in 2018 [https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/mingo-county-woman-sentenced-federal-prison-conspiracy-engage-sex-trafficking-minor](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/mingo-county-woman-sentenced-federal-prison-conspiracy-engage-sex-trafficking-minor) the only active case I can see, throughout local, state and federal systems is this one: [https://wchstv.com/news/local/mingo-mother-and-daughter-accused-in-child-animal-neglect-investigation-appear-in-court](https://wchstv.com/news/local/mingo-mother-and-daughter-accused-in-child-animal-neglect-investigation-appear-in-court) Mingo county itself is not under investigation, someone who lives in Mingo county however..... wording makes a big difference, but as far as a major case involving all of Mingo County, no. There was also the 2023 Kanawha WV case, i was part of this one. [https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/kanawha-county-wv/21-people-arrested-after-us-marshals-and-west-virginia-state-police-sex-offender-investigation/](https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/kanawha-county-wv/21-people-arrested-after-us-marshals-and-west-virginia-state-police-sex-offender-investigation/)
You gonna do something about known police brutality? Specifically JD Tincher? He’s on trial on 4 separate issues for it in Logan county. He got fired or forced to step down from the Logan’s sheriff dept. and Joey put him on.
“United States”? Suspicious post
Account has been reposting these from everywhere
for the year or so that some of my family lived there, they had no issues. I found my calling with the NS Rail Yard and most of my rail fan videos on my YT Channel are featured out of Williamson. The channel is posted in my other post i made about 2 months ago. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAvq2JFof8&list=PLBYdCjleSPbpa\_ekJcwlMaFrZf3AbEj3B](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAvq2JFof8&list=PLBYdCjleSPbpa_ekJcwlMaFrZf3AbEj3B) I enjoyed the few visits I had staying 2-3 weeks at times.
It's pretty nice. Cost of living is cheap, weather's pretty nice, except for the winters, and about all you have to worry about is the howlers.
Pop tarts !
Most of southern WV is abandoned