I know the title is Wayne, WV.  But I’m not going to talk about Wayne.

Why?  Well first, I don’t want to.  Second, I’m not actually sure when we entered or left Wayne.  Third, don’t ask so many questions.

More important than Wayne itself is the area that surrounds it.

Southeastern Ohio is a beautiful and heart-breaking place.

Situated on the outskirts of Appalachia, the countryside is beautiful.  The foliage and winding roads look like something out of a car commercial.

Situated on the outskirts of Appalachia, Southeastern Ohio is heart-breaking.

For those that think poverty only exists in third world countries, start in Athens, OH and take a drive down to Wayne, WV.

I don’t think anyone’s starving or freezing to death, but the best word for the area is squalor.

Homes, burned out years ago, charred and black, litter the sides of the roadway.  Abandoned, but never demolished, or worse --- still inhabited.

Siding on one’s home is a luxury.  More than half of a porch still standing must mean you’re some kind of big-shot.

Maybe they just don’t rebuild their homes because they have so many beautiful hills to roam.

Maybe they don’t rebuild their homes because everything they have is spent before they get it simply trying to keep food in the bellies, clothes on the back and the cold out.

It’s possible that the whole region made poor life choices.  In some situations, that’s probably the case.

But it seems improbable that an entire region could be cursed with irresponsibility.

In reality, these people should move.  There are jobs waiting for them in other parts of the state.

But when you have nothing, family is all you’ve got.

It’s hard to leave family behind.