In a 5.31 minute video, the residents of Hinton are looking to their greatest asset – their people – to build community. Once a booming railroad town, community members now rely on ingenuity, pride and connection to the place they call home, and their resilient spirit to keep the town moving forward. During a time of innovation and reinvention, Hinton is redefining how to build their economy for the future. Support for their small businesses, the development of recreational tourism opportunities, and putting historic properties back into productive reuse are just three tactics in the dynamic strategy this community is putting forward. Their challenges are shared by many West Virginia communities, and their successes are a model to uphold.
The West Virginia Community Development Hub’s Redefined: Real Stories from West Virginia project pairs inspiring stories of West Virginians leading change in their communities with actionable tools for residents to start making a difference today. Distribution efforts, which primarily include outreach to audiences using social and traditional media outlets, started in July 2021 and have reached more than 400,000 people living in Central Appalachia.
Hinton’s stories and others are available to view at redefinedwv.org.
The West Virginia Community Development Hub mobilizes residents from all over the state to spark transformational change and progress in their communities. Hallmarks of the organization’s work are to spur on fresh momentum where little exists; to unite the forces of groups that have not considered – or even resisted – collaboration in the past; and to champion new, and sometimes unexpected, leaders. Over the past year, more than 300,000 West Virginians were positively impacted by Hub-related projects. More information about The Hub’s work is available at wvhub.org.
