I think the photographer was had. He had the answer in mind and they helped him prove it. Abandoned cars are not unusual in any rural area, when there is no scrap market. Knowledge is more than education alone. And yes, there are poor white folk, who live off the land.

These are Proud people , Don't judge them tell you have walked a mile in there shoes .

God bless America,god bless these people.With all of our extra money perhaps we could help these people,after we give big oil their write offs.{blacks too,but we're still paying for that Sh**hole New Orleans]

they're all so poor but everyone of them had a smoke hanging from their mouth or fingers

Been there, done that. Early 1940's no electric, a hand pump for water, an outhouse for plumbing, dirt roads and soft coal for heat. Makes me wonder how people today would survive. Think about our life now and what it could be very easily. People in the hill country would survive and we would not. LOL

I live in West Virginia and I have to say that the people I have come to know and respect are true Americans who have always been willing to help thier neighbors out regardless of their financial conditions. I wish in my heart that the government would do something to help these wonderful Americans , it seems like illegal immigrants are better taken care of then these true Americans . The people of Appalachia have always been there for this country whenever there was a need , West Virginia per ca-pita lost more men in Vietnam then any other State , it's truly a shame that we care more about people who enter this country illegally then we do for these wonderful Americans . These are a proud people who just won't ask for a handout . This country is truly blessed to have people such as these folks part of it's heritage . God Bless the people of Appalachia.

One traditional way out of rural poverty is to join the US Military, get technical skills, move to an area that is not so depressed. That's what my parents did, and made sure their children all went through college.

I currently live in WV. I was born here in a rural area, reared in a blue collar household by parents who grew up in what would be considered abject poverty now, educated here and now I work here. The pictures in the article are representative of large parts of our state and I am not ashamed of the people of my state and my heritage. I do not romanticize them or denigrate them. People from every socioeconomic status are represented here, from the very rich to the very poor. I am often disappointed by the outside portrayal of our many varied ways of life. I currently live in the only metropolitan area in WV. I am lucky enough to have all the benefits of a complete infrastructure that includes all public utilities, high speed internet, a full public transportation system and access to three universities within less than 30 minutes commute from my house. (At least 10 other areas of my state have these same or comparable amenities even though they do not have the population to be considered metropolitan areas ).My way of life as a West Virginian is never portrayed. In the late 80's, 60 Minutes came to Charleston, WV to do a story on Blue Cross Blue Shield here in downtown. For some reason, they showed a picture of the outside of the Blue Cross Blue Shield office building and then flashed to a picture of a small, barefoot girl in a dirty dress and her dog walking up a dirt road. I assure you that they had to drive at least 40 minutes to get that footage, if it even came from here. I have no idea what that child had to do with that story, but I guess they felt compelled to show it since the story was about a company that operates in WV. The child was beautiful even if she was dirty, I just wonder why the media emphasize only one way of life here. Their portrayal continues the stereotypes that are associated with Appalachian areas. When I go to NYC or other large cities, some people very sincerely ask me if I have running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, etc. at my house. They express surprise that I wear shoes and speak in grammatically correct sentences. The majority of Appalachian families that I know share an excellent work ethic, a strong sense of family (whatever that may look like for each family because diversity is more appreciated here than people understand), and an admirable interdependence on their communities and the land on which they live. Even though we like to think that we are special and different, we share more in common with other American families and communities than is popularized by the media. There are still large parts of WV without workable infrastructure that badly need a strengthened economy and better work opportunities. We have several areas that are sadly consumed by prescription drug abuse and that problem continues to grow, but we are working on it everyday to try to make things better.

being from "Appalachia" I must say most of you don't know one of the most valuable lessons in life: "Don't judges less ye be judged yourself" ....If you don't live there how do you anything about what it is like??? walk in their shoes and see..........PROUD TO BE FROM 'APPALACHIA"

What's sad about this isn't the people. What's sad is the photographer going in to Owsley County and taking pictures like that. The difference between Appalachians, like myself, and those of you who pity us is we don't require stuff to be happy. Being poor in your terms and being poor in ours are completely different. If you've never been to Appalachia or Eastern Kentucky, it's easy to assume we can just move away, get a job, and leave everything we know behind. But the honest truth is Appalachians are judged on much more than what you all see.

What happens when you hear someone with an accent? It's automatically assumed they're uneducated, back woods, and inbred hicks who run around with no shoes and a baby on their hip. When I hear an accent, I'm reminded of wading in the creek, playing outside, and food from my mamaw's stove, who by the way, had a brick house with electricity and indoor plumbing. Shocker, I know.

So, Mr. Tama, how dare you go into Appalachia or the "poorest" county in the state of Kentucky and take pictures that don't show the true character or spirit of its people. We may not live like you, but that doesn't mean we aren't living. Being an outsider, you have no right to judge the way people live if you don't belong to that group. Trying to better someone's life by telling him it isn't up to par doesn't make that person realize what he can be, but what he doesn't have.

A photo essay like this does nothing for the stereotypes already associated with Appalachia and it's nothing but lies. You found the worst possible examples to put in your blog when the majority of people do not live like this. Everywhere has its problems, so putting Appalachia's problems on display is just another way of saying the problems there are worse than anywhere else, the biggest lie you can tell yourself.

So before you judge anyone from Appalachia, or the rest of the world for that matter, remember the way we live is the way we live. We aren't asking you to come and share a house with us. Let us live our lives while you live yours.

The sad thing is that these photographs popped up in Facebook links among photographs of teens who attended that prom. Needless to say, it was not welcomed. Why? Because while there is poverty in Owsley County, the majority of the people who live here are not impoverished. Thir homes are no different from many of yours. Their children attend the colleges and universities of the region...and believe it or not, most homes are well kept and a high percentage are immaculate no matter the socio-economic level.

There are exceptions...and those excepts are what the "outside" reporters seek out when they come to the region. We locals do not know if their expectations of finding filth, ignorance and the characteristics of hardcore poverty are so great that they simply do not see anything that contradicts their preconceived notions, or if they simply want to deceive the outside world about conditions here. They want to leave you with the notion that their articles represent the people of the region. You keep falling for it, and we keep being victimized by it.

Incidentally, we do not have a homeless shelter in Owsley County. The urban counterparts of some our poorest people are under a bridge somewhere or sleeping in a cardboard box. If you have a donation to give, give it to those who feed him. He is your neighbor. In the event of fire, death and major illness, we take care of our own. We are on the ground here. We know who is jerking our leg and who is not. We know if they earned their poverty through a series of misfortunes, inherited it or sought it through an unwillingness to work. We also know who would be insulted by even the smallest gift.

Being poor is no reason for a trashy home.Cleanliness and neatness is how you live that takes a little effort,soap and water.We used to even make our own soap,cut our own hair and raise a big gardens and hunted wild game almost year round,butchered and cured our own meat.Chickens run free, we repaired and built everything ourselves(no ripoffs by poor workmanship greedy contractors with permits for this and charges for that),home building was a community project done right)we wore hand me down and yard sale clothes,clean with patches,played our own music on home made,used repaired hand me down instruments and was happy paying little taxes.Kids learned how to worked and were respectful. Law enforcement was a community affair,Grandma cured all our aches and pains, no uneffective foreign specialist doctors for this and doctors for that guessing which high dollar prescriptions to use,we walked to church every Sunday,Lord take me back and leave me there.

Recommended viewing: American Hollow on You Tube. All 10 Parts, and The Darlene Chronicle. Will put things into perspective, especially if you live in a smalltown/rural area of the South or Southwest. Recommended reading, "The Coalwood Way" by Homer Hickham ( love that book!), "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls. Two books by authors raised in the same neck of the woods in different decades, showing their way of life. Also, "Coal Miner's Daughter" by Loretta Lynn. Anyhoo, since my people migrated from Arkansas, Texas and Missouri to Oklahoma, from who knows where, and I live in what used to be coal mining country, I can relate, and I know people who are similar to those in these videos. Also, check out a YouTube video called "Appalachian English" ...very interesting. Some of these phrases and words were and in use by my parents and grandparents, and still are among the aged rural people of my region. Love it. An anthropology, sociaology, and psychology class with no tuition. Stop, look, and listen for an education. Priceless! Just observe, don't judge. Like the man sang, "Walk a Mile in My Shoes".

I can remember before I started school in 1961, that my mother's parents lived in rural Hughes County, Oklahoma. They had electricity and a phone, but had a cistern (catching rainwater) for their water supply. That was before their were rural water lines everywhere, which by the way, if you live off the beaten path, (as in the hollows/hollers of the hills and mountains) you cannot hook into without great expense. People who have always lived in cities or other municipalities where city water service was a given (and another bill and deposit), do not understand being dependant on a dug well, (with no electric pump) or other wise, for water. Water is a prescious commodity, more prescious than oil. There are those who would destroy our water supplies for oil and coal. Many West Virginia water supplies have been polluted by strip mining. West Virginia has a wealth of natural resources and labor that have been exploited by outside interests, used, abused, and left. The natives have suffered, and the rest of the nation chooses to look down on them.

Why should they get money from the government? If they stay where there is no work it's their own fault. If they are stupid enough to do meth it's their own fault. If they have kids they can't support it's their own fault.Why don't they understand that they are responsible for taking care of themselves?

hello to all.i think the skills of these people are awesome.they can hunt ,grow there food know how to live on and off grid.the world is changing lots of people have lost there jobs homes an life styles.most struggle with not having there way of life they were use to..this is not affecting these folks like the rest of the usa.so before you throw stones,,,know that the respect you show to your neighbors be it near or far maybe one day someone showing you the same respect in turn....god bless..

Stop blaming the Republicans for "cutting food stamps" and other services. Look it up. Since President Johnson declared war on poverty in 1964, the US Government has spent 12 Trillion dollars on poverty programs. At the time about 14% of the population was at or below the poverty level. Today - after trillions spent - it is about 12%. We are not spending the money correctly.

Some of these comments remind me of a day in my childhood. Visitors came from out-of-state. One of them asked my mother, "Why do you make it so sweet?" Mom asked, "What?" and she responded "Home brew." My mother laughed until she cried. She had never seen home brew much less made any. Sorry, but most of us do not hunt...and the number who grow their own food is less with every season. It is a hobby now. But, we are also guilty too in that when we think of urban areas, we think of high crime, homelessness, etc. We have allowed the media to put images in our minds that represent the exceptions not the majority. The one thing that is correct: In a pinch, we will survive. Someone in the community has hunting skills and most still know how to cultivate a garden. Many of us own our own land...the dirt under our feet..

How do you move if you have NO MONEY? Moving is expensive. Renting a new place is expensive, getting utilities, turned on is expensive. They have enough money probably to keep from starving to death, just enough to get by..and if they move away from the place they know in this economy, where would the end up? In a place where they know no one, cannot find a job, and end up living out of their car. At least where they are they have a small support system of friends, and home such as they are to live in. This area of the country has been in trouble for years and the problem has largely been hidden except for a few charities that partly focus on that region...Feed The Children being one. And a few documentaries that have aired on PBS.....

Actually, most do move. Every year, the majority of the high school graduates leave the area; first to attend college and then to find employment. Only a small percentage can find employment in the area. The poorest of the poor will never leave...all avenues of escape are closed to them. They do not have the money nor do they have the skills to survive in an urban setting. But, we are not talking about a vast number of people. The face of the mountains looks entirely different from the more shocking of these photographs. One thing that is common to all mountain people is the strong bonds they have with family and friends.

Well, when big coal is done removing the mountaintops in West Virginia and poisoning the waterways, it will be a place body wants to live in anyway. And tragically too many of the people there have no choice but to go along with this horror because coal mining is how they survive…for now.

Well, when big coal is done removing the mountaintops in West Virginia and poisoning the waterways, it will be a place nobody wants to live in anyway. And tragically too many of the people there have no choice but to go along with this horror because coal mining is how they survive…for now.