Fans of the old Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon will remember when they told you to tune in next week. They would always end “Don’t miss tomorrow’s exciting episode…[Bullwinkle's Ride or Goodbye, Dollink].” Always two titles. The alternative title for this post would be “Growing Young Professional Class in WV…Now How do We Let Folks Know about It?”
First a little background – Jeff James of Mythology and I have been discussing for sometime about how we could attack negative stereotypes about West Virginia on a national and global basis. Actually part of it would just be creating a stereotype for West Virginia period. While we West Virginians worry that everyone thinks we’re just a bunch of dumb hillbillies (and some do certainly), the reality is that more people don’t recognize that we exist. We Mountaineers that have traveled will all be able to regale you with the same anecdote:
New Person: Where are you from?
West Virginian: West Virginia.
NP: I had a buddy from college that was from Norfolk.
WV: That’s Virginia. I’m from West Virginia.
NP: Western Virginia?
WV: No West Virginia. There was this thing called the Civil War – I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. We became our own state during that whole process. It’s kind of neat. We have our own capital (Charleston), state bird (cardinal), and everything.
NP: Oh.
While we were discussing what our next steps should be, a mutual friend came up with a pretty neat idea that he put into action. As part of West Virginia day, which celebrates our statehood, Jason Keeling of ABetterWestVirginia.com, decided to reach out to bloggers in the Mountain State. He has long written highlighted West Virginia’s good aspects and started discussions about what we can do to improve the state. Now he’s enlisting fellow bloggers to create and propagate new stereotypes for West Virginia. It’s all going on today, so I highly encourage you to check it out.
Now for my part.
Where the Young People Are
Let me start with my personal story because I think it is completely and utterly typical. I was born and raised in Wheeling, WV and went to college at Vanderbilt University. At that point, I had a choice to make – come back to West Virginia or go somewhere else. Actually, I made up my mind several years before, probably in high school. I heard there were no jobs so I never planned on living here after college, although I think I always hoped I could move back. So off I went to Los Angeles.
When my wife became pregnant for the second time in a very short span, we decided to get out of LA. We spent a good bit of time researching and visited several cities across the United States, including Denver, CO, Nashville, TN, and Raleigh, NC. We liked all of them, but decided to move to West Virginia with family considerations being the biggest driver (my folks still live here as do my brother, cousin, aunt, and uncle, with another aunt and uncle right across the border).
OVConnect: Young Professionals in the Upper Ohio Valley
When I moved back, it was important for my wife to meet people as she’s from California and had no previous ties to the area. The next year – now 2007 – a few of us got together and thought it would be nice if there were a young professionals group in the area. After a couple preliminary meetings we held an informal launch / get together with a minimum of publicity and a little bit of word-of-mouth.
70 people showed up to that first gathering. That number may not sound like a lot if you live in a larger metropolitan area, but if you’ve lived in a town / state that’s been in decline for 75 years and heard nothing but how all the young people have left because we have no jobs here (I’ll start debunking that myth next week after a major announcement on Tuesday), you’d be blown away. Many of us just kept walking around with that deer in headlights look muttering, “I never knew there were so many other young people like me in town,” to ourselves.
Let me tell you some stories about people I’ve met or became reacquainted with through our young professionals group; last names withheld since I haven’t spoken about them regarding this post. Keep in mind that OVConnect has been putting on events for less than a year. Just off the top of my head:
Bob. A young business person from Wheeling who was excited to finally have a way to meet people his age with similar interests. He’s never left the area.
John and Nina. A young married couple with no connection to the area. Nina moved here for a job as an architect and John found work as a computer programmer in Wheeling. And even though they had no prior connection to here, I don’t know anyone that raves about Wheeling, WV more. Sometimes it takes someone with a history of living other places to recognize the good things that long-time residents may overlook.
Sandy. A young attorney in town that moved here from Pittsburgh with her husband for work.
Jason and Sarah. Jason’s from Wheeling; Sarah is from New York. They moved here from California with their young child. He took a job with a college in Ohio County and she’s able to telecommute for a job with the employer she had in the Bay Area.
Matt and Sarah. Matt’s from St. Clairsville, OH and Sarah’s from Oregon. They moved to the Ohio Valley from Chicago. He’s working in a family business and she teaches at a high school.
I could literally spend the next several hours telling more stories like these. Of all the people above, the only person I knew previously was Jason. And with the exception of Bob, everyone else moved back here or moved here without a prior connection.
I eagerly await the next census to see the numbers for our area. From all the anecdotal evidence, it seems like we’re heading in the right direction. Now we’ll see what the numbers say.
Generation West Virginia: Young Professionals in the Mountain State
West Virginia’s a pretty tight-knit state of 1.8 million people. Around the time we were organizing, someone said we ought to get in touch with the folks at Generation West Virginia. This group, which officially launched a couple months ago in Morgantown, but has been functioning for over a year, serves as an umbrella organization for individual young professional groups in West Virginia.
What struck me in my first conversation with Paul Daugherty, the President of Generation WV, was that several other groups all formed the same way within a 2-year time frame all independently of one another. Folks just said, I’d like to meet and network with other people my age with similar interests. I know they have to be out there – now how do I find them?
Generation West Virginia is comprised of the following groups:
Young Professionals of the Eastern Panhandle (Martinsburg)
One of the best things about being associated with Generation West Virginia and its member groups is that we all seem to come from an abundance mentality as opposed to the scarcity mentality that seems prevalent among many other generations of West Virginia.
It is my sincerest hope that we all begin to realize that if we create more opportunities, the pie will get bigger and everyone’s slice, though perhaps a smaller percentage of the pie than before, will actually contain more delicious banana cream goodness.
PS – If you’re reading this from a different part of West Virginia and you’re interested in forming your own group, get in touch with Generation West Virginia for some tips on how you can make that happen.
Summary
In closing this Tolstoy-esque post, there are two important thoughts I would like to leave you with:
1. West Virginia is again becoming a place where young people are choosing to live. Sometimes that means moving back, other times it’s a relocation, and sometimes it just means staying put. Job opportunities are increasing (again, check back next week) while the quality of life remains as great as it always has been. Plus, telecommuting’s a more realistic option than ever before.
We as a statewide community need to recognize that we do have a young professional class here that’s growing and ease back on the negativity that comes partially from a 75-year decline. And please – when you meet someone that says they moved here, do NOT ask “Why would you do that?” Otherwise I’ll send my buddy John after you to lecture you for three hours about why so many of us choose to do that.
2. Changing perceptions can only come at the grass roots level and best happen when you can replace old stereotypes with new ones. This little experiment beginning with ABetterWestVirginia.com can be continued by all of us, with just a little knowledge about how social media and search engines work. You don’t need to write a blog to participate; just have a little passion and devote some time in an educated, focused manner.
Also, I recognize that we have readers from several different parts of the country. Everything we’re talking about here in terms of changing stereotypes and managing reputations applies to you, too. I’ve rarely been to any place that didn’t have some sort of chip on their shoulder about why they’re a great place to live, yet doing so while carrying and pushing more negative stereotypes about their town than anyone from the outside ever would.
Big note to Pittsburgh readers – you’re among the worst in this category. You have a great town, so relax. I’ve lived and visited a lot of places, and very rarely have I ever heard anything negative about the Burgh. Yet when I talk to Pittsburghers or read your writers, it’s often defensiveness and negativity full speed ahead. Dejean, you get a free pass on the negativity, but not the defensiveness.
3. Bonus important thought. Wheeling and the Northern Panhandle are part of West Virginia. I just had another West Virginian remind me yesterday (I won’t embarrass you, but you know who you are) that he doesn’t think of it as part of the state. Similarly, my father-in-law was doing a job in Iraq a couple years back. When the project manager said she was from West Virginia, he said his son-in-law was from Wheeling. She said, “That’s not West Virginia.”
25 Comments
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@Todd – Thanks for checking in and supporting me in my efforts to get Pittsburghers to chill out. No worries on the name; sometimes I wish I were Keeling (especially today).
Glad you decided to come back. I have a hard time dealing with the ‘Western Virginia’ nonsense too.
Many of the folks I went to school with left WV years ago. I did for about 6 years and I can honestly say ~ I’m here for the duration so this new movement by WV bloggers is such a welcomed sight!
@Rebecca – The feeling is mutual. We need all the quality folks that we can to come back. Seems like a three-pronged attack to me. 1. Do a better job of retention, 2. Market to our wayward sons and daughters, 3. Start attracting folks who don’t call WV home. While we can and should do all 3 (and are to some extent already), I believe we ought to put most of our effort to the lower hanging fruit in #1 and #2.
Justin,
Love your blog entry today. I didn’t know you have two small children. We should get our families together. Your story is my story. Went away moved back. Have had that same conversation with people when I lived in Florida or vacationed anywhere about how West Virginia is it’s own state. And yes, many more young people are moving back. I think you’ve proved that a new stereotype is West Virginians are young professionals!
@Rachelle – Isn’t it funny / wonderful / interesting how many people share the same story? It’s such a great state to raise a family; we’re so happy with our decision to move back. We’re all in for getting together. You have a standing invitation whenever you’re in the Northern Panhandle. While I get down to Charleston somewhat regularly, it’s usually without the fam. I’ll let you know the next time we all make it down and big thanks for the great idea / offer.
Thanks for stopping by Justin. I completely agree with your response comment above. Hope you don’t mind that I gave you some link luv on my recent post
Super post Justin. Thanks for adding your ideas to the reinvent the stereotype effort. As a New Martinsville native Bethany alum, glad we added a perspective from the northern panhandle.
Can’t agree more about the family reasons for being in WV. Yesterday I had the opportunity to see the Squonk Opera (a Pittsburgh based troupe) do a specially designed production on Charleston. One of the highlight comments in the piece talked about Charleston as a city with everything you need – yet a city not overrun by urban sprawl. I view much of West Virginia in this context.
Growing up in the area and spending a lot of time in Wheeling during my high school and college days largely as a result of my sister who use to work for Oglebay institute I thought I would add a couple positive stereotype highlights:
Towngate Theater and Hal O’Leary: hands down the best theater scene in West Virginia.Oglebay Park: The country’s largest city park (I think). So much to offer.Market area: best fish sandwiches at Colemans, Saseens, Lebanese Bakery, Paradox Bookstore, etc.Bethany College and Alexander Campbell: Campbell was one amazing person and an original creative WV thinker; the new president is also doing an amazing job; beautiful architecture with Old Main fashioned after the University of Glasgow, etc.Keep the Wheeling feeling mojo going.
@Bob – Likewise! I like how you added some of your past posts on WV Day so we could see how you’ve been fighting the good fight for some time now. And I couldn’t agree more about all the things our area has to offer; we just need to do a better job of highlighting the good. I could follow up on each place you mentioned with personal stories and build on it with more organizations like the Wheeling Symphony and OI where your sister used to work. Thanks for taking the time to list them out!
@Rebecca – We do seo, so you know we’re all about the link luv! And thank you for putting the Civil War map on your site! My family was discussing Americans’ knowledge of geography on Friday just in awe (not in the good way).
I thought it was bad nobody knows where Singapore is but West Virginia? I’ve known about West Virginia since I was a youngster and my dad was a ham radio operator. I remember asking my dad what WWV was and he said, "you’re listening to WWV, Wheeling, West Virginia". Then one day my dad said we would go visit and I thought how boring is that going to be. But there was all that civil war stuff and the windy roads through the mountains. I loved it and still do to this day. I root for the Mountaineers whenever I get a chance, they’re great at kicking the big boys’ a** in football. Good job on the post, keep up the good work Justin.
@Bill - No apologies, please! Thank you very much for the addition – it’s a neat service you’re putting together. If we can help you with anything, please let me know.
@ David – Singapore, KS, right? Thank you for sharing an outsider’s perspective. We have our problems like every other state (or country), but it’s still just as beautiful today and has a lot to offer. You have a standing invitation for dinner on me the next time you find yourself state-side and around these parts.
Excellent post, Jason. My sister lives in Teays Valley and there are loads of families there who relocated to West Virginia because it’s a great place to raise a family, the cost of living is low, it’s close to two of the states biggest cities, and the people are neighborly.
On confronting stereotypes, are you guys familiar with any of Dwight Billings’s work? I think University of Kentucky press has published his books. There’s a good contingent at UK who produce literature on the subject, and Kentucky’s stereotypes are our stereotypes as well.
As far as the hillbilly goes, we could do a hell of a lot worse for a starting point in stereotyping. People, for the most part, are fascinated by the hillbilly character and have been for many decades (really, the boom for the image came with silent movies; see, Williamson’s "Hillbillyland: What the movies did the the mountains and what the mountains did to the movies"). There is a reason that Pikeville’s "Hillbilly Days" festival is the second largest draw in Kentucky (second only to the Kentucky Derby): People get to celebrate the character; people get to meet real people from the region and see that they are indeed not the character; people know their money is going toward a good cause (Shriner’s children’s hospital projects).
After much research and study, I really believe that the more lucrative and more comfortable (for locals and outsiders) would be a happy medium where we celebrate our heritage while celebrating our future (which surely is different from, though influence by, our heritage).
"There is always a lag between the end of an age and the realization that the age has ended." –Walker Percy
@Buzzardbilly – Thanks for the note. There are a lot of great places to live in this state; I’m glad Teays Valley is doing well! I get what you’re saying about the hillbilly stereotype. I still hold our biggest problem nationally and internationally isn’t that we’re looked upon as a bunch of inbred ignorant hill people that burn couches after WVU victories (can we please stop that?!? – it did not help my cause in Los Angeles). The biggest problem is lack of an identity. Parts of the hillbilly stereotype could be used in our favor as long as we’re creating – and DOING – other impressive positive things whose traits can be weaved in.
Justin, Just wanted you to know that the magic of e-mail alerts led me to seeing your comment on my Letterman post. Thanks for there and thanks for here.
My thanks to Bob Coffield for his plug for Wheeling and now a plug for my son Sean who moved back to West Virgina (Harper’s Ferry) and is now actively working toward a better understanding of West Virginia as an entrepeneur and playwright.
Comment by Hal O'Leary on March 27, 2009
@Hal – Thank you for stopping by and sharing the good news about Sean. I hope he can add to Harper’s Ferry what you’ve contributed to Wheeling. We need more great, talented folks and it’s good to hear of another person moving back! It feels like the tide is turning.
Justin, thanks for sharing that Hal O’Leary had left a comment on the post. You should definitely plan to meet Hal sometime or better yet catch the next show at Towngate and introduce yourself. For more info on Sean O’Leary who is being creative in the Eastern Panhandle check out his blog, As It Is Heard. http://asitisheard.blogspot.com/Also, check out his award winning plays here:http://www.olearyonstage.com
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Pingback by United, We Blog for a Better West Virginia | a Better West Virginia Blog - Culture | Arts | Economy | Government on June 20, 2008
Justin, you ARE the new WV stereotype. Smart. Sassy. And damn good looking.
Comment by jeff on June 20, 2008
@Jeff – Tough to argue that well-reasoned, articulate, and accurate assessment. Methinks you have your Google Alerts or Techrigy account set up.
Comment by Justin Seibert on June 20, 2008
Great post Jason! Glad you can show those Burghers a thing or two.
Comment by Todd Beane on June 20, 2008
Sorry, I meant to say nice post Justin…. All this Keeling stuff has got Jason stuck in my brain.
Comment by Todd Beane on June 20, 2008
@Todd – Thanks for checking in and supporting me in my efforts to get Pittsburghers to chill out. No worries on the name; sometimes I wish I were Keeling (especially today).
Comment by Justin Seibert on June 20, 2008
Glad you decided to come back. I have a hard time dealing with the ‘Western Virginia’ nonsense too.
Many of the folks I went to school with left WV years ago. I did for about 6 years and I can honestly say ~ I’m here for the duration so this new movement by WV bloggers is such a welcomed sight!
Keep up the good work
Comment by Rebecca on June 20, 2008
@Rebecca – The feeling is mutual. We need all the quality folks that we can to come back. Seems like a three-pronged attack to me. 1. Do a better job of retention, 2. Market to our wayward sons and daughters, 3. Start attracting folks who don’t call WV home. While we can and should do all 3 (and are to some extent already), I believe we ought to put most of our effort to the lower hanging fruit in #1 and #2.
Comment by Justin Seibert on June 20, 2008
Justin,
Love your blog entry today. I didn’t know you have two small children. We should get our families together. Your story is my story. Went away moved back. Have had that same conversation with people when I lived in Florida or vacationed anywhere about how West Virginia is it’s own state. And yes, many more young people are moving back. I think you’ve proved that a new stereotype is West Virginians are young professionals!
Comment by Rachelle Beckner on June 20, 2008
@Rachelle – Isn’t it funny / wonderful / interesting how many people share the same story? It’s such a great state to raise a family; we’re so happy with our decision to move back. We’re all in for getting together. You have a standing invitation whenever you’re in the Northern Panhandle. While I get down to Charleston somewhat regularly, it’s usually without the fam. I’ll let you know the next time we all make it down and big thanks for the great idea / offer.
Comment by Justin Seibert on June 20, 2008
Thanks for stopping by Justin. I completely agree with your response comment above. Hope you don’t mind that I gave you some link luv on my recent post
Comment by Rebecca on June 21, 2008
Online Marketing and Reputation Management – West Virginia style: http://tinyurl.com/6zlhxe
Trackback by bobcoffield on June 21, 2008
Super post Justin. Thanks for adding your ideas to the reinvent the stereotype effort. As a New Martinsville native Bethany alum, glad we added a perspective from the northern panhandle.
Can’t agree more about the family reasons for being in WV. Yesterday I had the opportunity to see the Squonk Opera (a Pittsburgh based troupe) do a specially designed production on Charleston. One of the highlight comments in the piece talked about Charleston as a city with everything you need – yet a city not overrun by urban sprawl. I view much of West Virginia in this context.
Growing up in the area and spending a lot of time in Wheeling during my high school and college days largely as a result of my sister who use to work for Oglebay institute I thought I would add a couple positive stereotype highlights:
Towngate Theater and Hal O’Leary: hands down the best theater scene in West Virginia.Oglebay Park: The country’s largest city park (I think). So much to offer.Market area: best fish sandwiches at Colemans, Saseens, Lebanese Bakery, Paradox Bookstore, etc.Bethany College and Alexander Campbell: Campbell was one amazing person and an original creative WV thinker; the new president is also doing an amazing job; beautiful architecture with Old Main fashioned after the University of Glasgow, etc.Keep the Wheeling feeling mojo going.
Comment by Bob Coffield on June 22, 2008
You go, Justin!
Comment by frscholar on June 22, 2008
@Bob – Likewise! I like how you added some of your past posts on WV Day so we could see how you’ve been fighting the good fight for some time now. And I couldn’t agree more about all the things our area has to offer; we just need to do a better job of highlighting the good. I could follow up on each place you mentioned with personal stories and build on it with more organizations like the Wheeling Symphony and OI where your sister used to work. Thanks for taking the time to list them out!
@Rebecca – We do seo, so you know we’re all about the link luv! And thank you for putting the Civil War map on your site! My family was discussing Americans’ knowledge of geography on Friday just in awe (not in the good way).
Comment by Justin Seibert on June 22, 2008
We’ve added you to 304blogs.com. Sorry it took so long.
Comment by Bill Gardner on June 23, 2008
I thought it was bad nobody knows where Singapore is but West Virginia? I’ve known about West Virginia since I was a youngster and my dad was a ham radio operator. I remember asking my dad what WWV was and he said, "you’re listening to WWV, Wheeling, West Virginia". Then one day my dad said we would go visit and I thought how boring is that going to be. But there was all that civil war stuff and the windy roads through the mountains. I loved it and still do to this day. I root for the Mountaineers whenever I get a chance, they’re great at kicking the big boys’ a** in football. Good job on the post, keep up the good work Justin.
Comment by David Temple on June 24, 2008
@Bill - No apologies, please! Thank you very much for the addition – it’s a neat service you’re putting together. If we can help you with anything, please let me know.
@ David – Singapore, KS, right? Thank you for sharing an outsider’s perspective. We have our problems like every other state (or country), but it’s still just as beautiful today and has a lot to offer. You have a standing invitation for dinner on me the next time you find yourself state-side and around these parts.
Comment by Justin Seibert on June 24, 2008
Excellent post, Jason. My sister lives in Teays Valley and there are loads of families there who relocated to West Virginia because it’s a great place to raise a family, the cost of living is low, it’s close to two of the states biggest cities, and the people are neighborly.
On confronting stereotypes, are you guys familiar with any of Dwight Billings’s work? I think University of Kentucky press has published his books. There’s a good contingent at UK who produce literature on the subject, and Kentucky’s stereotypes are our stereotypes as well.
As far as the hillbilly goes, we could do a hell of a lot worse for a starting point in stereotyping. People, for the most part, are fascinated by the hillbilly character and have been for many decades (really, the boom for the image came with silent movies; see, Williamson’s "Hillbillyland: What the movies did the the mountains and what the mountains did to the movies"). There is a reason that Pikeville’s "Hillbilly Days" festival is the second largest draw in Kentucky (second only to the Kentucky Derby): People get to celebrate the character; people get to meet real people from the region and see that they are indeed not the character; people know their money is going toward a good cause (Shriner’s children’s hospital projects).
After much research and study, I really believe that the more lucrative and more comfortable (for locals and outsiders) would be a happy medium where we celebrate our heritage while celebrating our future (which surely is different from, though influence by, our heritage).
"There is always a lag between the end of an age and the realization that the age has ended." –Walker Percy
Comment by Buzzardbilly on June 24, 2008
@Buzzardbilly – Thanks for the note. There are a lot of great places to live in this state; I’m glad Teays Valley is doing well! I get what you’re saying about the hillbilly stereotype. I still hold our biggest problem nationally and internationally isn’t that we’re looked upon as a bunch of inbred ignorant hill people that burn couches after WVU victories (can we please stop that?!? – it did not help my cause in Los Angeles). The biggest problem is lack of an identity. Parts of the hillbilly stereotype could be used in our favor as long as we’re creating – and DOING – other impressive positive things whose traits can be weaved in.
Comment by Justin Seibert on June 27, 2008
Justin, Just wanted you to know that the magic of e-mail alerts led me to seeing your comment on my Letterman post. Thanks for there and thanks for here.
Comment by Buzzardbilly on June 27, 2008
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My thanks to Bob Coffield for his plug for Wheeling and now a plug for my son Sean who moved back to West Virgina (Harper’s Ferry) and is now actively working toward a better understanding of West Virginia as an entrepeneur and playwright.
Comment by Hal O'Leary on March 27, 2009
@Hal – Thank you for stopping by and sharing the good news about Sean. I hope he can add to Harper’s Ferry what you’ve contributed to Wheeling. We need more great, talented folks and it’s good to hear of another person moving back! It feels like the tide is turning.
Comment by Justin Seibert on March 29, 2009
Justin, thanks for sharing that Hal O’Leary had left a comment on the post. You should definitely plan to meet Hal sometime or better yet catch the next show at Towngate and introduce yourself. For more info on Sean O’Leary who is being creative in the Eastern Panhandle check out his blog, As It Is Heard. http://asitisheard.blogspot.com/Also, check out his award winning plays here:http://www.olearyonstage.com
Comment by Bob Coffield on March 30, 2009