Geez, I just can't believe what some of these "reporters" report [1].

The state looks a lot like the America of a bygone era: overwhelmingly white, largely rural, and proudly blue-collar.

Just a quick peek at how this really looks around the US. Regarding white and rural [2], what about Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Iowa, Maine, Oregon? Regarding blue-collar workers [3], Wyoming has the highest percentage of blue-collar workers (14.8), then West Virginia (12.3). Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, all are within 1 percentage point (11.3 to 11.7) of West Virginia's percentage (12.3) of blue-collar workers. All of these states are pretty darn rural as well. Is it just because West Virginia is East of the Mississippi and not considered "The South"? Is it because West Virginia is bordered by those oh so sophisticated states of Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania?