There’s plenty to love about West Virginia, or so I hear. There’s the lush landscape, the low cost of living, and the friendliness of the people (if they do say so themselves).
Personally, I’ve never set foot in the state. And my most in-depth exposure, up until recently, came from a documentary called The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, which chronicles the lives of a chaotic clan of outlaws who live deep in Appalachia. The film manages to bring to life pretty much every single existing stereotype of rural people from that particular part of the country: The characters are poor, drug addicted, and not exactly law-abiding. (They also partake in “mountain dancing,” basically a frenzied version of tap dancing.) Bottom line: The documentary, while incredibly compelling, doesn’t show any of the more appealing aspects of the state.
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