A mural depicting a more vibrant time in the town's history decorates a building in the business district, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, in Welch, W.Va. Poverty experts say these efforts helped relieve the most acute conditions, but did little else. As coal employment declined, people fled because there was little else for them to do. McDowell County, home to Welch, had a population of just under 100,000 in 1950. Since then, the county’s population has fallen by four-fifths, to around 20,000. (AP Photo/David Goldman)