|
McDowell County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,113.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/54/54047.html )〕 Its county seat is Welch.〔(【引用サイトリンク】accessdate=2011-06-07 )〕 McDowell county is the southernmost county in the state. It was created in 1858 by the Virginia General Assembly and named for Virginia Governor James McDowell. It became a part of West Virginia in 1863, when several counties seceded from the state of Virginia during the American Civil War. McDowell County was also home of the famous Rocket Boys, who were from Coalwood. ==History== McDowell County was formed by an act of the Virginia Legislature on February 20, 1858, from what was originally included in Tazewell County, Virginia.〔 Five years later, the Legislature decided to allow county residents to determine where the county seat should be. They chose Perryville (now called English), which was then the most populated town.〔"The "Restored Government" commissioners, in October, 1866, located the county seat on a farm near the mouth of Mill Creek, where it remained until it moved to Perryville in 1874." The debate over the location of the county seat continued until 1892. The town of Welch became the county seat.〔 The county is popularly referred to as the "Free State of McDowell," a name originally coined by a local newspaper editor to refer to the unusual politics and demographics of the area. McDowell County was nationally known for its prominence in the coal mining industry, setting production records and was a major player in the state's economy. Before the industry's decline beginning in the 1950s, McDowell's population reached nearly 100,000 residents, third highest in the state at that time. It then reduced at a rapid pace in the following decades, setting the highest percentage in the state for population loss with each new census. Younger residents moved out of the county to seek better futures, leaving behind an older and increasingly impoverished population. Increasing rates of poverty in McDowell County led U.S. President John F. Kennedy to remark in a speech in May 1963: I don't think any American can be satisfied to find in McDowell County, in West Virginia, 20 or 25 percent of the people of that county out of work, not for 6 weeks or 12 weeks, but for a year, 2, 3, or 4 years. While some hope for the McDowell mining economy had flourished during the energy crisis of the 1970s, in the next decade the county went from swift decline to collapse. Wildcat strikes in the Appalachian coal fields hindered producers' ability to deliver to buyers. Non-unionized coal production in the western States provided tough competition. The county's coal industry suffered yet again when a major source of demand, the United States steel industry, began its own decline due to competition with foreign steel makers, who employed newer and more efficient steel plants to produce high grade steel at lower prices. In the 1980s the central Appalachian region lost more than 70,000 coal mining jobs. Between 1981 and 1992, according to the U.S. Department of Energy and the United Mine Workers union, coal mining employment in the state of West Virginia decreased by more than 53%. No county in the Appalachian region was more severely distressed by these losses than McDowell County. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 1980, the rate of poverty in McDowell County was 23.5%. By 1990, the poverty rate in McDowell County had climbed to 37.7%, the highest rate of poverty for any county in West Virginia. 50.3% of all children in McDowell County were living in families below the poverty level, up from 31.2% in 1980. The major losses in McDowell County during this period were the result of the closing of all mines and facilities operated by the United States Steel Corporation, terminating more than 1,200 jobs. The economic impact of U.S. Steel's departure was particularly dramatic: personal income in the county decreased by 66% in one year. Housing values in even the most prosperous parts of the county plunged to devastatingly low values. Individuals and families who wanted to relocate outside the county were left with little or no equity in their property. Many walked away from their mortgages and simply abandoned their homes to the lenders. Marijuana crops, drug traffic, fraud, arson, and in one spectacular case at the Bank of Keystone—major white collar crime and embezzlement became factors in the unofficial economy of McDowell. County officials also reported significant increases in the rates of domestic abuse, suicide, and OxyContin abuse. By 2001 suffering major losses of tax revenue, McDowell County public schools had fallen into physical decay and high rates of academic failure. Enrollments declined, more than half of the children lived in poverty. The West Virginia Department of Education intervened in December, 2001, by taking over the county system, instituting emergency funding and reorganization. The state effectively repaired or closed several school buildings, and launched construction of crucial new facilities. The consolidation of former schools into new locations, however, created new problems of busing students longer distances over narrow, winding mountain roads. New programs of teacher training aided local educators in addressing issues of multi-generational poverty in McDowell County families. Often the school system had to work at educating and stimulating hope in two or more generations at a time. With the help of the state, the county school system has now returned to self-governance. In 2001 and 2002, horrific floods leveled many of the small towns within this county. Over of rain fell during a period of 12 hours in many areas. Many towns were completely demolished by the violent flow of water which was channeled by the mountains and surrounding hills. Over forty people died, or were declared dead after being listed as missing for over a year. In response to these economic and natural disasters, the churches of the region organized missions to support individuals and families in need. The largest nondenominational agency in the area, (The Community Crossing ), Inc (formerly known as McDowell Mission), each year hosts and organizes numerous mission work teams from many parts of the United States. Another Christian relief and development agency, (Mustard Seeds and Mountains ), hosts work teams in the eastern quadrant of McDowell County in order to help local families with home repair. Various citizens groups and public officials have worked diligently at proposals for the rebuilding of the McDowell County economy. In recent years the county has developed profitable landfills, has lobbied for the construction of two major prisons, and has courted tourism related to popular new off-road vehicle trails through the mountains. North of the City of Welch a massive mountain-top removal site is being developed as an industrial park. That site is also the designed location for the intersection of two proposed regional highways: The Coalfields Expressway, and the King Coal Highway. The Norfolk Southern railroad corporation is bringing new construction to McDowell County enlarging the tunnels and upgrading the capacity of its main rail line between Norfolk, Virginia and the Midwest. To date, however, the largest private employer in the county is the Walmart at Big Four. McDowell County is considered as one of the core counties in Appalachia on which the national War on Poverty focused, a national effort started during President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration. The town of Coalwood was the hometown of Homer Hickam, a NASA engineer whose life, starting from his teenage years, was documented in ''Rocket Boys'', which was later made into the film ''October Sky''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「McDowell County, West Virginia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|