Exploring America's Poorest Region Alone (Drew Binsky)

This is a story I've been wanting to tell for a long time - West Virginia. Appalachian accents. Southern hospitality.

I spent 24 hours driving alone through America's poorest region, called McDowell County. It's a place where the minimum household income is less than $29,000 USD, and where ghost towns have been left behind in the aftermath of a booming coal industry.

In many respects, this is the forgotten America—a place where time has seemingly stood still. Yet, the narratives you’ll encounter here are among the most compelling I’ve ever told, anywhere in the world.

I've been telling travel stories since 2017 - more than 1,200 videos - and about 97% of them have been overseas. But now I'm beginning to realize that the most captivating ones are right here, in my own backyard.



Really interesting insight into the area. A lot of the USA is in economic ruins, and has been for decades. Industry was outsourced, and things collapsed. Illegal drugs has not helped either. Things can change. If US manufacturing is restarted then more coal will be needed for the steel plants.

[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, April 7, 2025.]