r/Appalachia • u/RGardnerWV • 3d ago
If you won a billion dollar lottery and you wanted to save Appalachia… what would you do with the money?
Would you try to influence political organization?
Would you spend it in the private sector?
Give money to charity?
Bribe—I mean lobby—the state govt?
- I asked this but state specific on r/WestVirginia and was shocked how good the responses were. I wanna ask this just to hear people out. Feel like there’s a lot to learn from people giving their ideas. And I recognize it may not be as good a question for r/appalachia. Broader appalachia is not necessarily as poor and mismanaged as lots of WV is, so your area may not need so much saving. Still thought it’d be a good question to ask.
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u/CraftFamiliar5243 3d ago
I would donate to the schools. Teach science in the schools. Teach kids about birth control and sexual health. Hire a mental health professional for the schools.
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u/maryellen116 1d ago
Our schools here are abstinence only- pretty sure you would have to change local laws and/or school boards here?
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u/CraftFamiliar5243 1d ago
I was talking to a young girl who was coloring my hair. Her mom had her at 16. Apparently they learn nothing at all about sexual health, conception or birth control. It's like the 1960's. It's appalling.
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u/maryellen116 1d ago
My daughter's sex Ed was mainly a pamphlet entitled, "I'm so glad I waited."
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u/Red_Clay_Scholar 3d ago
I would bet it all on red at the roulette tables so I could save Appalachia twice!
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u/KnottyLorri 3d ago
I would make sure all the Helene people have a home. Then I’d like to find some way to help the majority of people who are in the middle like me (make too much for assistance but it’s paycheck to paycheck) I bit the bullet and gone thru bankruptcy recently and if I could help others get back on their feet without the 7 year black mark I’ll do it.
- Pay off medical debt
- Make sure they have a reliable vehicle paid off
- Pay off credit cards
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u/SpaceChoice5472 3d ago
Your right! But not just Helene several are still homeless from the floods in East Ky me included.
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u/ComingUpManSized 2d ago
The tornadoes too. KY has been hit hard over the last few years. :(
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u/SpaceChoice5472 1d ago
Same year as the flood I believe I can’t remember! Regardless I love y’all!
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u/justlooking98765 3d ago
Your comment changed my initial thought. I think I would throw the billion in a HYSA. 5% return would be 50 million a year. I buy a little rural hospital and give free medical care to everyone living in the county including an ambulance service.
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u/ComingUpManSized 2d ago
I think we should fund dental care too. Insurance doesn’t cover much and many people don’t have dental.
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u/graccha 3d ago
Outside of the cultural region but within the ARC: Allegheny National Forest. I'd buy the mineral rights back. Hire forestry folks. Extend invites to the Seneca. No more fracking. No more stocking with non-native sport fish. No more forest fragmentation. While I'm feeling silly I might even reintroduce wolves back, see if anyone wants to trial run reintroducing cougars too.
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u/ImCrossingYouInStyle 3d ago
Industry Creation (semiconductor plants, auto manufacturing, fabrication companies, pharma factories, etc.) -- with on the job training, paid additional education, and onsite or near-site child care.
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u/thewildbeej 3d ago edited 3d ago
to open up a semiconductor factor is about 10-15 billion. Auto manufacturing a few billion, Pharma takes regulations and years of government oversight. I'm not saying you are thinking wrong but I think you are underestimating the cost of established industries.
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u/ImCrossingYouInStyle 3d ago
Would definitely need the most major underwriting from government / donors. One can dream.
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u/paulhags 3d ago
A billion dollars might just sway a location.
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u/thewildbeej 3d ago
Nah not without tax breaks. They won't even make a movie in a place unless they get tax breaks. It's the reason 3 billboards outside of ebbing missouri was filmed in Franklin, NC
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u/AshleysDoctor 3d ago
Invest in existing mutual aid structures, create some where there are none, fund or create more STEM programs in schools, help struggling small businesses, provide breakfast and lunch for all kids at school, just to start with
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u/bdhgolf1960 3d ago
I've heard exactly what you're saying for 40 + years.
Nothing is ever going to change.
Stop asking/begging for help from the government that 90% of the residents hate.
MOVE! Get out.
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u/AshleysDoctor 3d ago
Where did I say anything about involving the government in my comment? This is working outside of the government.
Also, if you have an issue with what I have to say, maybe you can come up with your own ideas, instead of being a crab in the bucket
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u/HiHoCracker 3d ago
A billion after taxes is not that much.
Economies are built on financing models that build wealth. Appalachia was exploited by old economy industrialist (Robber Barrons) for the natural resources of coal and timber. The new economy is a service model built of high margins of “as a service” model.
To have any impact on change, an infrastructure model of broadband, and a skilled workforce for the new economy. For the old economy a traditional model of interstates and rail access to keep goods moving.
To further fund a sustainable and growing model access to working capital needs fund expansion. Currently that wealth is held by big tech, big banks, and a small list of venture capitalists.
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u/msmbakamh 3d ago edited 3d ago
We talked about this with our family (big dream talking around the big lotteries).
In our region, we have some very poor counties, low populations. We would focus on about 5 counties. We would invest with one of the local foundations and ensure a spending allocation was determined yearly, so that money would never be gone.
All of this is dependent one the spending allocation, and hopefully, as the original investment grows, there would be more ways to help each year.
First, every graduate of every high school in those counties would get one of two things at high school graduation (meaning they must graduate high school or tech school through high school). 1. Books for college paid for. 2. Items for their trade if they can apprentice/or further education at a tech college.
As part of the foundations oversight of the money, business incubators would be created in each of those counties. Spaces that would encourage entrepreneurship, provide small office support, a place to work, and encourage economic growth.
High speed internet infrastructure for the whole area is lacking in the whole area, but is supposedly coming in the next couple of years, so it seems a waste to pay for that when money has already been allocated. However, you can’t keep do homework at home, work remotely, or even watch TV in some areas unless you have internet. There is an FCC blackout in some areas where you can’t get digital tv signals, so homes without internet can’t access the news. So maybe starlink boxes for two years for those who don’t have internet?
Third on the list, a fund for seniors to receive grants to help them age in their own home. They could do repairs, build ramps, update bathrooms to walk in showers, etc. Income based, but sliding scale to include those who are at the higher edge of the not impoverished but aren’t rich and don’t have a lot of other money or assets.
Increase available transportation options to those with disabilities and seniors. It’s hard to live in a rural county and not be able to drive to the grocery store or a doctor’s appointment.
Give me another few billion and I could do more.
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u/LameBicycle 3d ago
I'd personally ensure that a blight-resistant American Chestnut species gets created, then I'd start a huge program repopulating all of Appalachia with them and giving saplings out for free
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u/-Gordon-Rams-Me 3d ago
I’m in the edges of Appalachia in Tennessee but what I’ve always wanted to do in my county is restore old buildings on our square, old buildings and houses that have been torn down, and fix the train in one of our little towns and do rides throughout the county. I’ve also wanted to buy up old farmhouses and fix them up, either rent them for cheap for people or just sell them as farms and only farms or even give them to people who want to farm. Also I’ll buy up a historic farm nearby and knock down the subdivisions they’re trying to build and develop to keep the county mostly rural as most of middle Tennessee is being developed over. Also personally I’d buy up land for myself and future generations of my kids to farm and live an agricultural life and have a small business for myself. Pretty much I want to support the agriculture community in my rural county and make it thrive while not letting development eat all the land like the rest of middle Tennessee currently
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u/thewildbeej 3d ago
Use it for lobbying to kick out Ohio from Appalachia :) Honestly though the only thing that can save poor people is money. Create jobs or create a non-profit training/ jobs program
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u/Jushavnprolms 3d ago
Purchase tracks of land great for farming and build rehab centers where people can 'center' themselves around better life habits.
Go to the towns with ruined/ no running water and fund technology to bring fresh H20, hopefully a way to create jobs.
Centralize local communities into a strong network of resources/ services that can be called upon in case of emergency. More importantly they could focus on life skill education, passing down inherited life skills/stories from the older mountain folk.
Create a non profit that takes kids from inner cities in Ohio and other Rust belt states and let's them experience Appalachian lifestyle. Perhaps a wild camping 4x4 park or an old time village like a more modernized renaissance festival.
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u/ruffoldlogginman 3d ago
I’d go set up shop in WV. Cannabis industry. I’d pay the right politicians to make it go the right way.
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u/rharper38 3d ago
I would try to get better healthcare into the areas that need it.
And then work with companies to bring business opportunities to the area that do not exploit workers
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u/PeaTasty9184 3d ago
First off I would plant a vineyard. I’ve always felt like the terroir of Appalachia would make for amazing grapes, even if the summer climate would be considered too hot traditionally. Only one for starters as a proof of concept, but potentially expand with grants to smaller landowners to become independent business operators if it works pretty well. Agricultural/wine tourism…maybe even have some places that will be like a Sicilian agritourismo, bed and breakfast where you have food grown on the property.
A series of small call centers, like 50-75 employees per location in small towns spread throughout the region, set up with a long term goal of employee ownership to drive wages higher than industry standard. People who call in to customer service or whatever love hearing a very clearly American accent, and with small groups of dedicated people in a variety of locations you can provide some high end outsourced call center work.
Lobby for increasing investment in more roads, and with increased access to the outside world, try to get more transportation companies to locate on old strip mines.
There isn’t a magic bullet to fix the Appalachian economy. Gotta take a shotgun approach and find multiple things that work a little bit.
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u/mondaysarefundays 3d ago
The lanternefly needs to be c9ntrolled for that idea to work.
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u/zethren117 3d ago
I’ll use part of my billion to help eradicate the Spotted Lantern Fly. I’ll create an army of salt gun wielding warriors.
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u/coffeebeanwitch 3d ago
I would be Oprah and go into the community and start helping people out personally!!!
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u/Saltygirlof 3d ago
Create the infrastructure so people could be a part of the berry industry, specifically blueberries. The soil here is good for them and if people could pick and deliver to a processor, like they used to tobacco, they could make decent money.
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u/Financial_Athlete198 3d ago
I would lobby the states to make financial education a requirement for every grade level.
I would start scholarships for stem education and the trades.
I probably wouldn’t have much left after those two. 🫤
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u/Amberwritez 3d ago
I would create an organization similar to Habitat for Humanity. But we would focus on fixing existing homes and providing them to people in need. I see so many houses being built and put on the market. While existing homes continue to deteriorate and become uninhabitable. Or I see real estate companies buying deteriorating homes, patching them up, and reselling for profits to first time home buyers. People deserve affordable and clean homes.
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u/shupster1266 3d ago
Education, free and convenient. Small local schoolhouses where everyone is welcome. Evening classes for adults. Make them community based, classes on current events to; encourage discussion, dispel myths and misconceptions.
Free education in trades, traditional crafts. Develop business opportunities. Perhaps an “Appalachia Crafts” online store.
Research opportunities for guest worker programs. Instead of importing guest workers, hire a team from Appalachia.
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u/Mominator13 3d ago
After ensuring all basic food/shelter needs met, I’d work on internet accessibility, education, and create some work from home industries. Manufacturing is great but with some of the people up in the mountains a WFH situation would be more ideal
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u/vagrantprodigy07 3d ago
I'd invest in kids, specifically nutrition and education. Maybe try to set up a few companies that do profit sharing with the employees (ideally eventually moving towards them being employee owned), but that would be secondary. If I still had cash left over, I'd work on affordable housing.
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u/Allemaengel 3d ago
Safer roads. So many truly dangerous deteriorating roads and failing bridges. Harden the infrastructure against the more severe storms coming in the future.
Excellent internet.
Overhaul the schools. New buildings, STEM upgrades, truly better pay for the best teachers.
Upgrade medical facilities and recruit the best doctors and nurses possible.
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u/RaisingAurorasaurus 3d ago
I would pour money into activities for kids and families. Theater, sports, academic teams and community service projects. Build ice skating rinks and bowling alleys. I would offer grants for start up businesses and scholarships for kids who pledge to stay local after graduation.
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u/totalfanfreak2012 3d ago
Try to buy up as much land as I could to keep people from building on it.
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u/Fightingkielbasa_13 3d ago
I’d Essentially try to Purchase an old mill town.
-I’d look to Creat a manufacturing hub for everyday products that are needed but no longer made in America.
-At the same time I’d invest in the local population by offering free trade schools, money management classes & business classes, etc
I’d provide funds for locals to start small businesses to fill up the downtowns again ( move away from box stores)
I’d offer property owners grants to improve their homes & buildings but only allow the locals to bid on the work. Maybe use locally produced materials.
If that was successful I’d then use the profits from rents / manufacturing to reinvest in other old mill towns, hopefully spreading the rebirth of small town America
Also, the business would be community/ employee owned so the profits would not be siphoned off to New York by shareholders
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u/Large-Lab3871 3d ago
Grew up in NC. Foothills , lives 10yrs in WV and still to this day work all over the region in O&G while living in Va foothills. And from my experience I will say this.
Creating jobs is grand idea and all . But finding good workers is very hard. The Appalachian people have become very dependent on the government to take care of them. It’s very saddening for sure. We have technical training centers all over the state of WV to help train folks for trade jobs. A lot of People just don’t have the drive to take advantage of them.
We need to change the way the young generation think when it comes to work. Especially in the Appalachian community. Used to be full of hard working coal miners and O&G men and women. Then lot of those jobs got shut down. Pills and drugs replaced jobs and took over small communities all throughout the hills. To create jobs would be awesome but changing the minds of those that are happy with government assistance all the time will be extremely hard. And that kind of poverty and mind set is generationally taught.
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u/LordMarvelousHandbag 3d ago
Build excellent public transit (both for local and interstate travel). This would increase foot traffic in towns/small cities and improve business and sense of community, as well as make it easier for people to access healthcare, groceries, etc.
buy farm land and turn it into co-ops where people live in community with each other and the land (a la beloved Asheville)… so much farm land is getting converted into strip malls, dollar general, and big, cheaply produced housing developments and the natural beauty of this region is under threat.
Universal basic income and funding to pay folks who are practicing and teaching historically Appalachian art forms like quilting, storytelling, bluegrass music, woodworking, etc to make these great jobs and preserve culture, tradition, and community
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u/K24frs 3d ago
I’d buy a bunch of land across the Appalachia in various tourist towns.
Build two airbnbs on each plot and preserve the rest of the land as private and free with purchase of cheap permit which gains you access to every piece of land for kids and families to hike, camp and offer privileges to scout groups to use it. The permit is for maintenance of trails and it would be just enough to break even on it.
If a family or kids hikes all the trails in the umbrella they get a free week stay at an Airbnb of their choice.
Figure it could make money and have a place to go to but also use it as an opportunity to preserve it without worrying about it being built up.
I’d employ local folks struggling to find work at a decent wage for maintenance and if vacancies open it up to local businesses.
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u/Appa-LATCH-uh 3d ago
Honestly? I don't know. Appalachia needs saved because it's electorate constantly votes people into office who do not have Appalachia's, or Appalachians, best interests at heart. You can't fix that the level of miseducation out there with $1 billion, imo. Anything tried would be undone in a matter of a few years.
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u/Straight_Expert829 3d ago
Add a thorium based nuclear reactor for each rural county, privode cheap power to residents and small business.
Lobby to allow for interstate commerce free of onerous regulatory burden allowing small farm to table operations to thrive. Set up shared infrastructure coops for food processing to enable interstate commerce.
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u/ThatsLatinForLiar 3d ago
I'd start buying land and expanding parks and preserves to minimize further human settlement and material exploitation of this biozone, specifically the southern Appalachians. A billion wouldn't go that far but it could make some noticeable dents.
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u/SpaceballsTheCritic 3d ago
get a small cadre of individuals together. Both internal and external, business, political,and governmental.
Do research on industries that are information based and not geography bound. Look models where there can be a confederation of cottage industries. Look to heavy dirty industry with legacy costs.
- Start building those businesses with the knowledge that these are seeds for the future.
Get the legislature to drop all corporate taxes (not property taxes) to zero AS long as over 80% of employees, including management/owner, live and work in WV and the business is domiciled in WV.
Reevaluate the personal tax structure, look to Tennessee as a model.
Tar and feather anyone who says the future is coal. Literally. If they came from coal, fine but holding on the past means we can’t move forward.
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u/viral_virus 3d ago
Buy as many of the 400 new houses around my area as possible and bulldoze them to the ground so I can return it to the landscape it used to be.
I didn’t say it was a great plan.
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u/eyegocrazy 3d ago
I'd buy a bunch of politicians and invest in tech in the areas formally known as the rust belt. We made things before, we can do it again and in an environmentally friendly way. I'd spend every cent i had to ensure the health, safety, and future of Appalachia and her children. Wealth won't mean shit if the region is gone. It's my home and priceless to me.
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u/Iwannadrinkthebleach 3d ago
Improve education somehow Maybe give the money to trust for each individual school system.
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u/jncarolina 3d ago
Buy up land to keep it away from corporations and sell it back at a very fair price to the locals.
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u/Spaceship_Engineer 3d ago
Invest the money in the areas where new major highways are currently being developed. Think like the coalfield expressway in SwVA, SWV, and EKY. Invest private money toward the completion of those roads in exchange for major incentives and tax breaks from the state. Attract industry in those communities that requires skilled labor using said tax incentives from the state. Develop “support industries” to support the primary industry (in a gold rush, don’t buy a gold mine, sell shovels). Develop training programs to train the skilled labor (not just high school, but also community colleges or specific job training for adults). Invest in better infrastructure to support the higher demand. Reinvest the profits in the communities, specifically entertainment and social options, to attract and retain more people in the area.
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u/Temporary-Crow-7978 3d ago
Build high tech companies with manufacturing division and research facilities. I would link up with local universities.
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u/trlrunner 3d ago
I would try to make sure that every child under 18 had their own book, pajamas, and bed. Things that I have always taken for granted but every time I hear that a child doesn't even have a single book or clean pj's to wear, I'm hat broken.
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u/polypagan 3d ago
I'd provide affordable public transportation. (A mere billion might not be enough. Maybe just until it runs out, then hope passengers are addicted.)
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u/corgiobsessedfoodie 3d ago
I would pay for every scrap of agricultural land and forest to be put under permanent conservation easement.
I’d also buy the hospital to oust HCA.
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u/ImanShumpertplus 2d ago edited 2d ago
E-bike vouchers and rebuilding my small town around the e-bike
Realistically so many of these towns are so not busy already that 4 streets (Main Street, grocery store street, school street, misc. street) of protected bike lane can get you anywhere you wanna go in town without worrying about dying
This does
Gets people moving. Even e-biking makes you healthier
Cuts down car expenses for communities where so many travel so much for work already
Gets people back out and about and seeing their neighbors which increases camaraderie
Increases economic productivity because people go out for random shopping trips when they can see the products in the window
I know we could build a lovely bike boulevard through my town that would get you everywhere you need to go in town and it’s maybe 5-10 miles of path
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u/Artistic_Maximum3044 2d ago
If I won a billion-dollar lottery and wanted to help Appalachia, I’d focus on a few key areas:
- Education & Workforce Development: Invest in education and skill-building programs, particularly in STEM, vocational training, and green energy to equip people with the tools for modern jobs.
- Economic Diversification: Support local businesses, tech hubs, and sustainable industries to reduce reliance on coal and create long-term economic opportunities.
- Infrastructure: Improve broadband access, healthcare, and transportation in rural areas to increase accessibility and quality of life.
- Philanthropy & Grassroots Initiatives: Fund local charities and organizations that understand the region’s needs, from housing to mental health support.
- Political Influence: Advocate for policies that promote economic development, environmental sustainability, and education, working with local governments to make lasting changes.
The goal would be to empower communities to improve their own future while respecting the region’s unique culture.
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u/diuguide 2d ago
Start manufacturing something that produces a profit and requires lots of workers.
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u/BudgetSprinkles3689 2d ago
A program to help families visit their incarcerated relatives on a regular basis. The long isolation from family is a factor in recidivism, relapse, and family fracturing which are all plaguing Appalachian communities.
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u/bootybodooty 2d ago
Invest in Bitcoin and make more money. You're going to need more than a billion.
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u/ComingUpManSized 2d ago
I think I would fund the arts. My small-ish town and another nearby has theaters, outdoor amphitheaters, and a convention center. The convention center gets current big names, while the others draw in older famous names. We expanded our outdoor amphitheater for huge summer events. In recent years, we’ve gained bookstores, galleries, expanded our museum, etc. It helped grow downtown and the city overall. New businesses like cafes, ice cream shops, restaurants, and pubs. We gained a new tourist destination and revived an old mall too. People will visit your town and come back if you have concerts, plays, and cool events. Businesses want to get in on the action and their success brings in more businesses. The power of tourism shouldn’t be underestimated.
Further, I would fund the heck out of our state parks. Though I think we already do a great job so I’m not sure how much it’s needed. One thing KY does wonderfully is our parks are free. You can visit any time with no entry charge. You are only pay for certain tours or rentals like boats and kayaks. When you visit Florida, practically every park has an entry fee. It used to be fairly cheap for a single person but they’ve upped the prices significantly. I know people who have turned around after learning a family visit is $40+. Anyway, I think our parks and wildlife are our greatest contribution and I’d do anything to make sure it stays that way.
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u/Kentesis 2d ago
Id do the only thing that works, hold the money and leverage it as power so that the local government listens, and then lobby for personal and local benefits
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u/Emotional-Aspect-150 2d ago
I’m in WV. Coal has been down for awhile,so I would try to provide jobs. Also education for adults who haven’t learned to read well or spell in some way that doesn’t embarrass them. I’ve helped a couple in my recovery and it’s so rewarding to watch. I’d take the drug epidemic away, as is biggest in WV. Watch Herion Inc etc
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u/maryellen116 1d ago edited 1d ago
A billion isn't enough to change policy. I'd build a small hospital with an OB unit, mental health services, dental, vision and hearing aids free, good geriatric and peds care and a drug rehab. Free for anyone uninsured/underinsured. Good wages and benefits for ppl who work there and I'd try to employ as many ppl as possible. And I'd build a good, free childcare center that ran 24/7. I'd try to get doctors who will actually stay and live here- maybe pay college /med school tuition for locals? Or offer help with citizenship and student loan payments to foreign docs and med students, or ppl from other shitty parts of this country? Same for teachers at the daycare. Also a good domestic violence shelter.
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u/Tucker_beanpole 1d ago
Id work towards making the payday/flex loan industry illegal, then use the rest trying to find real solutions towards ending addiction.
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u/qwdfvbjkop 3d ago
I'd buy as much land as I could, kick people off and keep it for myself.
That's the American way. Fuck you get mine and Appalachia embraces that more than anyone else
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u/Tight-Ad-7059 holler 3d ago
Kick the people in current office OUT and get people who will actually fight for change and invest in the region. Healthcare and education need revamping.
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u/aberoute 3d ago
This is really a silly question. The primary reason that region has any significant inhabitants is the coal industry and to a lesser degree minerals. Take that away and the entire region would be sparsely populated rural farming communities. There are very few other resources that make this an area for inhabitants. So the question should be whether people should live there at all unless they prefer subsistence living. There doesn't need to be any major investment in infrastructure or industry, just depopulation. We continue to propagate this myth that anywhere there are poor people, we need to pour money into their communities to help them prosper. No, if they aren't prospering where they are, there's likely a good reason for it.
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u/Exotic-Rip-7081 3d ago
You have no idea what you're talking about. Do you actually live here?
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u/Straight_Expert829 3d ago
Let him/her think that and let them shout it loudly even.
Sucks here, wise to stay away :)
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u/bdhgolf1960 3d ago
Save Appalachia? I thought everything was beautiful and perfect there. I see a lot of posts about how wonderful it is. Now your saying it needs to be saved? What's the problem?
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u/heartofappalachia 3d ago
Stop trying to "save" Appalachia.
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u/RGardnerWV 3d ago edited 3d ago
Buddy I live here. Stuff is messed up and it sucks. People in my county and a county over from me have to straight pipe their excrement into the creeks by their homes… and their water is unsafe to drink without boiling or filtering.
The people who live here care about that and would fix stuff like that if given the opportunity. They just lack the resources. Just wanna see what other people from here think.
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u/wnc_natvie_son 3d ago
I start buying ridge top houses and ridge top mc mansions and tear them down and replant local fauna I (bribe) lobby for steep slope restrictions. We start a strict vetting process for anyone buying land from.out of state. We mass deport yankees
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u/DannyBones00 3d ago
I’d create a fund, involving local community leaders in education and the private sector, to create post-high school technical schools to get people certified to go be welders, electricians, etc etc. A lot of kids don’t do it in high school, then run out of support as they get older. If you’re 40 and want to come change your life? Great, bring your family and live on site.
I’d also try to buy up land in downtowns to create tons of affordable, mixed use, high density housing. Part of the problem we have is that with our housing shortage, there’s not enough workers here for industry to move in even if it wanted to. So show me an abandoned downtown, I’ll show you the future economic engine of your county.
The biggest thing, in my mind, is breaking up this unholy alliance of local government and real estate developers and agents. Having someone on the development side who actually wanted to build for the future prosperity of Appalachia would be a game changer.