POMEROY – Nestled along the banks of the Ohio River across from the West Virginia border, the Meigs County seat glints in the winter sun. Antique shop owners offer warm smiles and the brand-new chamber of commerce building overlooks a picturesque view of the river as a coal barge floats by.
But driving through the outskirts of Pomeroy, a village 21 miles south of Athens, Laura Sheets sighs while passing a row of ramshackle buildings.
“So much here has changed since I was growing up,” she said.
It’s a familiar story. As the coal industry – the economic backbone of southeastern Ohio – collapsed over the last 40 years, the need for jobs, housing, health care, transportation and food became apparent.