It’s a small world. That’s not saying much when you come from a small town in a place where you can say they’re around 5,000 people it’s not New York City, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles. The streets roll up around 9:00 p.m. & the only place is open are a couple of gas stations and post pandemic Walmart’s not even 24/7 anymore. Where to even begin. I guess that’s my starting point, maybe?

Honestly, it’s a humbling perspective to come from a small community in a small town. The big cities in suburbs you have people on top of people you might as well stack them on each other. Here yeah we’re not without our problems but we’re not on top of each other on every street. If you really want to know what binds America it’s small communities but these are disappearing in a now digital age. Connectivity is what we tend to identify with nowadays. You can talk with someone across the world instantly and feel like they’re your neighbor. Though we don’t know our next door neighbor anymore. This is somewhat problematic but it is also a sign of the times.

From Nitro to the world this is a working title I’ll probably change it maybe not not sure but what I am sure about is that I want a deep dive just like many people are into the small communities and towns around where I live and have grown up.

Since I still live in Nitro, probably do not have the words to start this project but as a custodian of media. So, I’m going credit & borrow from acquaintances and friends.  Starting with this piece written by Alex Kail a former Nitro resident.

Author: Alex Kail

I grew up here. 39th Street East in Nitro, WV. A population of around 7000, a median income of $35,000, and originally a town where explosives were manufactured for World War I.

 

By looking at this picture, most of you probably have some preconceived notion’s about what it may have been like for me and my family. You may see some not so well kept up houses, some a bit run down, some a bit out of date. It may look depressing to you. It may look like a place you could never see yourself visiting, much less living.

 

But, let me assure you that it was here where I had friends, where, just across that little foot bridge and over that hill, I would attend elementary school, where teachers like Mrs. Pendleton, Mrs. Waldorf, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Schultz would teach Kindergarten, 4th grade, music, and gym class, respectively.

 

It would be where I’d learn to ride a bike, get in a fist fight with Eric Gillispie (RIP), only to make up later and play in the creek behind our house. (He kicked my butt BTW)

 

It would be the scene of so many kids scurrying around on Trick-or-Treat night filling their pillowcases up with as much candy as possible.

 

Sometimes we’d get so much rain that the creek would get freakishly high and creep up to peoples homes.

 

My dad worked incredibly hard at a chemical plant to provide for his little family. My grandparents called Nitro their home, as would I until 2001, when I would move to Columbus, OH, to be able to provide for my family in a career in IT.

 

I’d love to know how many times I’d take off on my bike down this road and to one of my friends houses, or to Ridenour Lake, or to band practice all the way in Poca, or to who knows where.

 

I got to take it all in this weekend while visiting my parents and brother for Christmas. While I can certainly see how different it is today versus when I was just a kid in the 80’s, I also very much see my childhood there, and it was good. No…it was great!!

 

There was NEVER a time when I felt like I lived in a small WWI town that operated a Monsanto plant just a half mile down the road that polluted the air, where people struggled to live a decent life and work a decent paying jobs, where years later it would look deserted, where opioids and meth would seemingly be what West Virginia is known for today.

 

Even though I no longer live here, there is still never a time when I don’t consider this my home. My family is still here, my memories of my most formidable years are here, and ultimately my heart is here.

 

There is no celebrity on the planet that can tell me how illiterate I may be, how uneducated I may be, or how strung out I may be. Do I have a college education? Yes, but the only thing it got me was my foot in the door. My perseverance, willingness to work hard, and to never give up got me here, something West Virginians are also known for!

 

We hear a lot about privilege these days, and for me I can say that I am and was privileged…privileged to have a amazing childhood, a loving family, and friends that made living in Nitro, WV an unforgettable experience that I’d love to relive…because it was awesome and made me into the person I am today.