As her neighbor’s kittens ducked between the floorboards, the mother of three cracked a soft smile. “What’s the best part about raising kids in Nelsonville?” she said. “It’s the small town feel. You know everybody and I like that my kids can walk to their friends’ houses.” The residents of this former coal mining boom town and one time manufacturing hub don’t subscribe to the narrative that Nelsonville is a relic of the past, doomed to the inevitable decline of rural America, curated by many. The pandemic has exposed pre-existing realities plaguing Appalachia — the lack of broadband, infrastructure and health care or the increase of food and news deserts, addiction and homelessness — in a harsh, new light. But it’s not the whole story.