The people of Logan and McDowell Counties are proving they can overcome recent floods or mine disasters, and are working to build a future on one hand with the global economy, and on the other, using native talents and traditions. Highway Corridor G has been a Godsend to Logan; it is hoped the proposed King Coal Highway will do the same in Welch, allowing trade and tourism to easily penetrate the southern mountains.

Libraries and colleges, including the Wyoming/McDowell Campus of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, contribute to the creation of a skilled workforce. They also promote the preservation and appreciation of local history and coalfield traditions. Annual performances of "The Aracoma Story" in Logan and "Terror of the Tug" in Welch recall to locals and visitors to the region the drama of their past culture and history, as do the exhibits at Chief Logan State Park Museum and Welch's History of Our Mountains Museum.

Cultural Arts organizations along with efforts to protect and empower the young and the vulnerable such as SAFE in McDowell and NEW in Logan County, have arisen from the talents and compassion of local citizens. Sharon Walden, Executive Director of SAFE, writes that "McDowell County has learned that we cannot look to the outside to come and save us but that initiative must come from within us. I am proud and feel that we are on our way finding ways to use our talents, skills and heritage to make those changes ourselves." A renewed sense of self-sufficiency married to openness to new ideas bodes well for the future of Welch and Logan.

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