Tourism is booming in Pocahontas County. It’s causing problems for some locals
MARLINTON — Tourism is rapidly growing in Pocahontas County, where the headwaters of eight rivers flow and miles of trails attract hikers and bikers. But, while many locals embrace the influx of visitors, it has created some challenges.
Mountain State Spotlight visited Pocahontas County as part of our initiative to talk to voters in all 55 counties in the lead-up to the 2024 Election. In each county, reporters are asking a simple question: What do you want to hear candidates talking about as they compete for votes?
From Hillsboro to Bartow, residents said they need a solution to the lack of affordable housing in the area, additional resources for county public schools and more grocery stores or places to shop.
In Marlinton, the county seat, business owners and longtime residents say they’ve seen a daily uptick of visitors since the pandemic brought people from urban areas to the state.
“We’re just average-joe people living in a tourist town,” said Anne Walker, owner of the Handmade WV Market.
In the back of her store, displays house colorful artwork, patterned quilts and tie-dyed shirts from local artisans. Near the entrance, handmade beaded bracelets and jewelry sit adjacent to fresh vegetables and jars of jam.
Walker said business has been steady since the market opened three years ago, but that changes with tourism seasons. Most tourists visiting are stragglers from Snowshoe Mountain Resort or bikers on the 77-mile Greenbrier River Trail.
Next door at Greenbrier Bikes, owner Scott Geyette sees bike riders from all over the country who come to town for biking gear or repairs at his shop.
With new bikes lining both corners of the shop, Geyette said that since moving to the area in 2011, he’s seen the town transform. Many new businesses opened following the pandemic.
“We’re trying to be a destination for people to come and spend their tourism dollars,” he said. “And it’s working.”
Nicknamed “Nature’s Mountain Playground,” Pocahontas County boasts activities including riding the Cass Scenic Railroad, skiing at Snowshoe Mountain Resort and hiking at Watoga State Park or the Cranberry Glades.
However, like in nearby counties, the strong tourism investment has led to a housing shortage and rising prices for residents.
Housing prices, available inventory remain an issue for many
Back at the market, Walker assisted her next customer and said finding housing has been a big issue for people in the area.
She said local landlords are turning rental properties into Airbnbs as demand has grown, further limiting supply for long-term rentals.
“The price of land has gone up, while the availability of housing has gone down since the pandemic,” she said. “Rural areas have become a sanctuary, and we’ve become a sanctuary for people living in the cities.”
Her customer, Marty Giddings, who is a real estate broker from Slaty Fork, added that the housing market atop Snowshoe Mountain has affected other markets across the county. She said she most recently closed on a $1.8 million listing there.
“Housing is incredibly difficult because of Snowshoe,” she said. “Landlords can get residual income from the resort through rentals. So, locals end up not being able to afford to buy something because the prices are crazy.”
20 minutes south in Hillsboro, at the Hillsboro Public House, visitors are enjoying a menu of salads, burgers and desserts. The pandemic-born eatery had three years of extensive renovations but was opened last year.
Owner Terrell McSweeney Burns moved to the area in the late 1990s and owns rental properties and businesses in town.
She said she’s struggled to find skilled labor like culinary chefs and the housing market has hindered her search.
“I could recruit from further away if I had housing to offer people, but I can’t,” she said. “I’m limited because there’s not enough housing here.”
Last year, Pocahontas County was designated as a Build WV zone, which is a state initiative to build more affordable housing. Developers can apply, and projects that are approved receive a sales tax exemption on building materials and property tax credits.
McSweeney Burns said she’s struggled with making rent prices of her properties affordable while also receiving returns on investments and figuring out how to develop land she owns.
“This tax credit thing they passed is a great start,” she said. “But, it’s not even close to trying to figure out the economics of someone like me actually developing properties.”
County public schools need more funding, resources for students
With a population of a little more than 7,800, the county only has one high school but several elementary schools.
As a mom of two teenage kids, McSweeney Burns said there need to be more resources for the school system and more pay for teachers.
“We don’t even have a scoreboard on our baseball field for the high school,” she said. “If we could invest more in the schools so that the kids felt more support and had real sports programs and real music programs, that would be great.”
In March, high school students walked out of classes in protest of proposed budget cuts that would’ve eliminated multiple teaching positions.
The county Board of Education voted to save a position in April but cited rising costs and decreased federal and state funding as reasons for the cuts.
On the northern end of the county, Dunmore resident Teresa Lambert works as a culinary arts teacher at the high school and runs the Mountain State Cakes Bakery.
She said the school system could use more supportive programs for struggling students as more than half of them do not live with their parents.
“It’s sad because we have lots of students who could do a lot of wonderful things, but when you have that kind of home life, that’s your focus,” she said.
More grocery stores, places to shop in the county
Residents also said they’d like more local places to shop or pick up household supplies and groceries instead of driving out of the county.
Up north in Cass, the scenic railroad gift shop features a range of items for thousands of visitors riding the train every year. From branded baseball caps to toy train whistles and playing cards, new souvenirs are stocked daily.
Amanda Bennett, who works as the receptionist for tickets, said she lives in Bartow but doesn’t mind making the 25-minute commute for work as she makes an even longer one just to pick up a loaf of bread.
“It’s not very crowded here, and it’s peaceful, but the worst part is going to buy groceries,” she said. “I have to go almost an hour away to Elkins.”
Even in Marlinton, resident and local craftmaker Cheryl Cane said she loves where she lives and how close-knit the community is but wishes she didn’t have to travel so far for her essentials. It would be nice to have some of the stores in the cities, she said.
“We have one grocery store, one dollar store and one pharmacy.”
Tourism is booming in Pocahontas County. It’s causing problems for some locals appeared first on Mountain State Spotlight, West Virginia’s civic newsroom.