The coronavirus pandemic may convince Americans of the advantages of choosing a more rural life over an urban one, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice told Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Daily on Tuesday.
The Republican governor said West Virginia has “fared amongst the best [of states] in terms of the virus,” even though almost 20% of its residents are from the most vulnerable population of 65 years of age or older and often have underlying health conditions.
He said his state has the advantage of “the most pristine air, the most pristine water” and is within 600 miles of very large population centers. But, at the same time he pointed out that “we’re not piled right on of top of one another,” referring to the West Virginia’s much lower population density than the major urban population centers surrounding it in other states.
Justice acknowledged that “maybe we’ve been behind in the past, but [West Virginia] isn’t behind anymore,” adding that “People have such a misconception of West Virginians.”
The governor insisted that “we’ve got a ton of really smart people here, and not only are they smart people, but they’re innovative in what they do and they’re crafty differently. We’re becoming very self-sufficient in our capabilities to manufacture our needs here.”
He added that “We’re watching the other states and all that is going on there [concerning how they are dealing with the coronavirus], but at the same time, we’re kind of leading the way… We don’t want to necessarily take something from the other states that’s maybe not the best thing for West Virginia.”
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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