• All-terrain vehicle riders leave to ride off-highway vehicle trails surrounding Gilbert, West Virginia. The arrival of out-of-town tourists has helped an economy suffering from a loss of coal mining related jobs. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    All-terrain vehicle riders leave to ride off-highway vehicle trails surrounding Gilbert, West Virginia. The arrival of out-of-town tourists has helped an economy suffering from a loss of coal mining related jobs. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • A motorcycle rides past a roadside hotdog stand with a sign that reads “Hillbilly Hotdogs” in Lesage, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    A motorcycle rides past a roadside hotdog stand with a sign that reads “Hillbilly Hotdogs” in Lesage, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • A view of the Tug river running through downtown Iaeger, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    A view of the Tug river running through downtown Iaeger, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • The John Amos coal-fired power plant is seen behind a home in Poca, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    The John Amos coal-fired power plant is seen behind a home in Poca, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • A coal miner wears a T-shirt prior to the start of his afternoon shift at a coal mine near Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    A coal miner wears a T-shirt prior to the start of his afternoon shift at a coal mine near Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • A cat walks past a pickup truck covered in vegetation on a street in Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    A cat walks past a pickup truck covered in vegetation on a street in Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • Coal trains sit idle in front of a home in Iaeger, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    Coal trains sit idle in front of a home in Iaeger, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • A car is parked outside of the “Hard Times Tavern” in Fort Gay, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    A car is parked outside of the “Hard Times Tavern” in Fort Gay, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • A man rides a bicycle past vacant store fronts in Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    A man rides a bicycle past vacant store fronts in Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • A replica of the Statue of Liberty is shown in downtown Matewan, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    A replica of the Statue of Liberty is shown in downtown Matewan, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • Coal is stacked at the base of coal loaders along the Ohio River in Ceredo, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    Coal is stacked at the base of coal loaders along the Ohio River in Ceredo, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • Coal miners Rodney Blankenship, left, Roger Vanatter, centre, and an unidentified colleague prepare for the start of their afternoon shift in the locker room of a coal mine near Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    Coal miners Rodney Blankenship, left, Roger Vanatter, centre, and an unidentified colleague prepare for the start of their afternoon shift in the locker room of a coal mine near Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • Coal mining boots are shown above miners’ lockers before the start of an afternoon shift at a coal mine near Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    Coal mining boots are shown above miners’ lockers before the start of an afternoon shift at a coal mine near Gilbert, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
  • A sign with half the letters falling off is seen near a church and coal truck in Justice, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters
    A sign with half the letters falling off is seen near a church and coal truck in Justice, West Virginia. Robert Galbraith / Reuters

Business

Suffering of West Virginia’s King Coal Highway - in pictures

Liz Claus

October 15, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

With coal production slowing due to stricter environmental controls, the availability of natural gas and a shift to surface mining, the US state’s coal country has been hit hard with job losses and business closures.

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