Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER FOUR

Building on Community Strengths

Mingo County used what they had to make what they wanted—more jobs. Located in the southwestern corner of West Virginia, Mingo County is home to the Williamson Coal Field and its seventeen remaining coal camps. Mingo County, like many places where coal was mined and plentiful, has seen a decline in the jobs associated with the industry. At one time considered one of the top mining areas in the southeastern United States, 30 percent of the workforce still works in the mines. Thinner and less accessible seams and more affordable gasoline has lessened demand for the black gold. That change was partly mitigated at the turn of the twenty-first century as one of West Virginia's most plentiful and available ...