My mom still owns a house in Middlesboro, which I'm currently administering as rental property. It's not really all gloom and doom.
Solutions to help Eastern Kentucky
- Thread starter BigSexyCat
- Start date
More like 30 and it works in every other state.
People won't move from there because poverty isn't as harsh as when many kentuckians left to go north for industrial jobs.
I'll take it a step forward. If you don't consolidate counties you guys are dead. Besides being a complete waste, it enables the corruption you have there. The people of Eastern KY should demand consolidation. It would enable you to pool resources, cut costs and provide better services for your people.
"Asking" eastern Kentucky to eliminate 90% of their government jobs might be the most ridiculous suggestion ITT.
And I think the frequency with which this thread's topic arises is a great example of that. Why the touch is anybody else responsible for reviving a huge region that has almost no redeeming qualities compared to most other regions in the US? If you don't like the job prospects in your area, then move. Lots of us have done it. Why shouldn't you have to do it?
Detroit was the 3rd largest city in our country at one point and had the most vibrant and essential manufacturing base on the planet. Why should we be responsible for propping it up after its time has passed? If those auto jobs move to Kentucky or Alabama, then either move or deal with the consequences. If your energy sector jobs move to Oklahoma instead of Hazard, then either move or deal with the consequences.
The only way to make it prosper is to bring in money from outside sources (i.e., money from non residents), so you have to have something unique. Many of not all of these have already been listed: gambling, marijuana, something around moonshine, a theme park, etc. If the creation museum were in E Ky instead of NKY, that would help. Some sort of economic package would help like what Toyota did for Georgetown. A couple of billionaires to donate free internet and improve education would help too
We did have 2 football state champs from Pike County this year. And a runner up from Johnson county. Take that!
Super inflate your economy. Then everyone will be millionaires. People will want to move there because everybody there is a millionaire.
That is probably the saddest point in all of it.
Solving the eastern KY problem is something I don't think can ever be fixed, certainly not in my lifetime. It's just as much about changing someone's character/way of thinking than giving someone a better economic opportunity. As you said, education is the starting point. It would almost take a revolutionary change in focus on education and how children are being raised for any real impact to take place. Education now in eastern KY, outside a precious few individuals who genuinely care, is just an afterthought. There's this lazy malaise over the whole education process that you can't ignore when you're in it. And those people who get through it and come out on the other side certainly don't ever want to go back, and who could blame them?
It would all have to be government driven and it would have to be coupled with some long term economic program to do anything to create legitimate jobs that would incentivize talent in eastern KY sticking around. And that would have to be tied in with getting away from the pentecostal religious **** that makes anyone 18-35 want to run as far away in any direction to find any source of real entertainment.
The culture of the people is what hurts the most.
Has to be tourism. Nothing else will work. Even this wont work unless handouts are cutoff. Another helpful step would be getting rid of the colossal waste of time that is SOAR.
Middlesboro is a far cry from Hindman in terms of outlook, geography, and opportunity.
I agree, but I dont know the legalities/political steps of making that work. Im sure it would be damn near impossible.
One alternative is to have regional coops. That lets counties combine resources without formally combining.
Middlesboro is a far cry from Hindman in terms of outlook, geography, and opportunity.
I agree, but I dont know the legalities/political steps of making that work. Im sure it would be damn near impossible.
One alternative is to have regional coops. That lets counties combine resources without formally combining.
IMO, eastern Ky will never be a prosperous place. It's been settled for 250 years and it hasn't happened yet. Coal was a big natural resource, but even in its hey day, much of the area was poor and isolated. The mountain people that I have met prefer to be left alone.
There is a lack of infrastructure for a reason: mountains. There is an added cost to mitigating them.
Please keep the calls for an instant tech hub to emerge coming. It is hilarious.
Please keep the calls for an instant tech hub to emerge coming. It is hilarious.
I understand your concern, but think of where else the money could be spent. 40 less school superintendents probably equals 80 more teachers. 45 less county clerks = 45 more drug counsellors. You could keep it spend neutral and increase the livelihoods of Eastern KY residents.
Dude, seriously. EKy doesn't have any near the talent pool that Silicon Valley, the Silicon Coast, or the Silicon Prairie have. When Patton was governor, his goal was to turn the Golden Triangle into Silicon Valley East. This techie is still waiting. EKy has to have something to offer people. Those in tech insist on great, not good, great tech infrastructure. In addition, you have to very good physical infrastructure. Never mind the talent pool needed. It's not going to happen. I really do hope something can be found to help the people of EKy and trust me, I've mentored more than one kid from that area who wanted to go into CompSci or Engineering and have helped find them internships, so there are people there perfectly capable of succeeding, but the population density isn't there to support and true tech area. KC and Austin are part of the Silicon Prairie and look how big their populations are.
You sorta get it, & kinda don't. Yes, combined counties would reduce the number of government workers. The tax money saved could be used for other development. The idea is to bring in people and money from outside or sell something to people outside your area.
By your logic, the remedy would be to create more counties. More counties means more sheriffs, dog catchers, etc.... Maybe that is the solution. Except you need a tax base.
I want every educated and/or hard-working Eastern KY resident to move somewhere more prosperous and build their wealth and talent. It's a waste for smart and hard working folks to spend their adult life in a place that doesn't make use of their capabilities. I recognize the value of "home", but isn't part of that God's lottery of who your parents are?
Really really low business taxes.
That, or a four lane highway running to Lexington. Either one should do it.
That, or a four lane highway running to Lexington. Either one should do it.
I agree that cell service is a challenge with the mountainous terrain, but it's not as if no one has Internet access. Foothills offers some really high speeds and Mountain Rural customers can get 50Mbps down for $80/month (both of which I wish I had access to). Sure, as with many other parts of the state, options may be limited if you're far enough away from a particular provider, but it isn't true to suggest that high-speed Internet doesn't exist. More likely, the problem would be that citizens can't pay for it, won't pay for it or don't have the spinning wheel to spin broadband into gold.
As others have pointed out, sometimes you have to move to where the jobs are if you want to better yourself. I live a few miles from where I grew up and I don't blame anyone who wants to live near the land where they were raised. That said, it should be painfully obvious for the locals that this decision to stay (when the jobs have left) leads to what some have detailed in this thread.
As others have pointed out, sometimes you have to move to where the jobs are if you want to better yourself. I live a few miles from where I grew up and I don't blame anyone who wants to live near the land where they were raised. That said, it should be painfully obvious for the locals that this decision to stay (when the jobs have left) leads to what some have detailed in this thread.
Government's job isn't to create jobs inside governments. Fewer government "make work" workers frees money up for productive uses.
We should just make a county out of every neighborhood/holler in eastern Kentucky. That way, we could have 25,000 sheriffs, 25,000 county clerks, 25,000 of everything! Just think of all the jobs this will create!
I can't imagine Leslie & Clay Counties seeing eye to eye on anything, but I believe you're onto something with your second post.
Couple years back, Mountain Parkway between Campton and Jackson was going four lanes, and I'll assume they've made it to Hazard by now. Round trip from Lex to Hazard in under four hours is not that bad.
The Daniel Boone, I can't speak on. It's over dozen years since I've been to Leslie Co, but I do remember the toll booths had finally closed. [thumb2]
There are four lanes running from 64 to Jackson. Hazard is a nice two lane mostly. Whitesburg is a nice two lane. The mountain parkway goes to Paintsville mostly as two lanes. The road from there into Pikeville is two lanes all the way.
Should be getting some economic growth out of Eastern KY any day now!
Should be getting some economic growth out of Eastern KY any day now!
Which is a good example of the wrong point of view. For decades, people have looked at the mountains as an obstacle to development; and they are. Instead, those same mountains need to be seen as magnets. There is a pretty significant amount of talent in EKY (proportionate to the population), especially in music, arts, and distilling; and less so in cooking, farming, etc. Focus on what the area does well, rather than trying to run away from it. Thatll bring in tourism.
Asheville should be the model. Not silicon valley. Every dollar spent towards trying to make EKY a tech hub is wasted. Its just not doable for numerous reasons listed already in this thread.
Agree. No way these worthless, duplicative positions would ever agree to eliminate anything. But by forming coops they can get the same advantages by attempting to attract whatever business they can, offering tax incentives, resources, etc.
Asheville was a huge (3rd largest in NC, apparently) successful city that shrunk. The remnants of the old city are charming enough to bring tourists and the old infrastructure is already there for business to re-inhabit it.
It would also help to go back in time and have a Robber Baron build a huge estate somewhere in EKY to drive tourism.
It would also help to go back in time and have a Robber Baron build a huge estate somewhere in EKY to drive tourism.
Of course EKY will never be Asheville. But that isnt the point. The point is to focus on what Asheville is doing in hopes of also having success.
Whens the last time youve been to Asheville? The Biltmore is a still a big draw, but the city has more breweries per capita than any other city (according to its website), and is in the midst of a culinary explosion where the main focus is on local fresh ingredients.
No reason why EKY cant have similar, but smaller, success from food, moonshine, etc.
Sure there is: an overwhelmingly uneducated, disabled, addicted, corrupt and indolent population. You think people are just going to get our of their Rascals and start farming produce? Who will hold the oxygen tank?
Noone says it will/could happen overnight. But its a much better solution than hoping for coal to come back, or that EKY can become a tech center.
They are currently 4 laning from salyersville to Campton. Like literally as we speak. After that, I assume they will 4 lane from salyersville to prestonsburg.
The 4 lane going to Jackson only goes between like Bethany to Jackson (basically the last 5 miles between Campton and jackson). I've heard they are going to bypass the bypass in Jackson (if you've been on that road, it appears that a bridge will cross old 15 as you come into jackson, they've basically just built the on ramps).
The road from Ashland to pikeville and then onto Jenkins is all 4 lane, not 2 lane. Highway 23. Nice road.
I assume sometime in the next 20 years it will be 4 lane the whole way from Lexington to hazard and Lexington to prestonsburg. I've also heard plans of highway between salyersville and langley, langley and pikeville, etc. Doubt it will change much.
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