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Most of Jackson County is still a pretty good place to live. We live about 5 miles west of Sandyville, close to the Roane County border. It is very rural, our nearest neighbor is about 1/4 mile away.

The areas of the county that seem to be getting bad are the areas right off Interstate 77. Silverton / Ravenswood is probably the worst with Ripley / Fairplain starting to get just as bad.

I think the there's a combination of factors as to why this is happening. Since Jackson County is located between Charleston and Parkersburg it's a natural half-way point for the increasing drug trade in the region. Also many of the welfare queen/SSI types have figured out that they can have a nice house or trailer (paid for by HUD) if they come to the Jackson County area as oppossed to the small apartment or public housing they would have to settle for in Charleston or Parkersburg.

It also should be mentioned that the job situation in the area is absolutely abysmal. Virtually the only major employer in the county is Ravenswood Aluminum and they have been laying people off and shutting down lines for the last 10 years. If they go under, the next largest employer in Jackson County is Wal-Mart. People that wish to remain in the County are extremely lucky if they can find a job with a college degree, for people with HS diploma's/GED or dropout's there is virtually nothing other than fast food.