A coal truck drives through an railroad tressel near downtown Welch, W.Va.
Nestled within America’s once-thriving coal country, 87-year-old Ed Shepard laments a prosperous era gone by, when shoppers lined the streets and government lent a helping hand. Now, here as in one-fourth of all U.S. counties, West Virginia’s graying residents are slowly dying off.
Continue reading… “1 in 4 U.S. Counties Are Dying”







