95.10 percent white for my current county of residence
This is actually one of the more diverse places. The county I grew up in is 99.35 percent white, as of the current census.
My high school, which only had 450 kids in it (considered a mid-sized school in the state at the time), had zero African Americans, one Hispanic, and one Asian (father was a white guy).
Holy crap, for real? I can't picture that at all. My second high school I attended was like 82% white and I thought that was crazy but it was also an outlier for our city.
I grew up in the Rural Rustbelt 2 hours from Pittsburgh, in West Virginia.
Let's check the bordering counties to home county (not counting Ohio, I lived on a county on the Ohio River).
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Here's the thing. There are plenty of racists back home, but I've tried to explain this to non-whites before about a lot of folks. They literally go YEARS without seeing non-whites. That's why a lot of the good folks will still ask where you're from or why they might seem distrustful. They know instantly you're not from around there and they know NOBODY in your family. So, a lot of the questions you're gonna get might seem insensitive, but they are coming from not a mean place. Some people are racist, but most are not.
Pop - 15,000 - 99.92 white Pop - 7,500 - 98.30 white Pop - 8,100 - 98.30 white Pop - 9,900 - 98.68 white
My home county Pop - 8,900 - 99.35 white (I graduated high school in 2003, we had over 10,000 people then. The county had 15,000 in 1920 - My part of the country has been losing lots of people for decades.)
That's... wild. I can't even imagine somewhere with a population that low.
Did it feel like a "everyone knows everyone" kinda place?
This is extremely cheesy but when I think of that kind of place I think of Hal Ketchum's "small town Saturday night" if you've ever heard it.
Like morbidly curious to check out a place like that sometime just to experience it but also without any reason to I can't think why I would (like actually make the trip if that makes sense).
Yes. My hometown has 900 people.
Family means a lot. In the sense everybody knows everybody. So, your family (surname) goes a long way in dictating what people think of you. Since everybody knows if your dad and uncle are good for nothings, a lot of people will presume you are too. My family first settled in the county in the 1700s (one of the first in the area). So, my family is considered fairly reputable even though we chose wrong in the Civil War (confederates in a hugely Union county). My family also owns small businesses, so as a kid, I had to think about my behavior because the way I acted might change opinions about the family and cause people to not our stuff.
So, what sucks is for people different or if you're a good person in a "bad" family.
The whole gay baker thing would be in play in my county. If they won't serve due to "religion" (not saying this has happened back home -- I never heard of it happening at least) there aren't other options. You might have to drive an hour away to get service.
There is ONE stop light in the county. Only one "fast food" restaurant, a Dairy Queen.
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To be fair, it was super nice too. I knew everybody in my school basically. You know a lot of people in the community have your back, and (especially before the heroin invasion) it was pretty nice, extremely safe, and people just went about their lives in relative peace. ---
You know how fads are. Today it's brains, tomorrow, pierced tongues. Then the next day, pierced brains. -Jane Lane