Town file
Skygusty, West Virginia
Skygusty, West Virginia (McDowell County, West Virginia) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 524, "Trust Game" (31 August 2024).
- Town
- Skygusty
- County
- McDowell County
- State
- West Virginia
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 524
- Approximate location
- 37.324, -81.476
Episode 524 / 31 August 2024 / 71 min / express
Trust Game
"And this is Sky Gusty, West Virginia... it's in far, far southern West Virginia, all the way at the bottom there... The entire McDowell County has just over 19,000 people in it." about 0:03:09
The case: Murder of John Thomas 'Bama' McGuire (February 2019). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Median household income
- $29,219
- Median home value
- $55,400
- Unemployment rate, McDowell County
- 22.4%
History, in brief
- In the first half of the 20th century, McDowell County was all coal mining. about 0:05:36
- By 1950 it was the leading coal producing county in the United States. about 0:05:41
- In 1950, 16% of the county's population was employed by the mining sector. about 0:05:51
- Automation, beginning in the late 1950s and running through the 60s and 70s, is what killed mining jobs. about 0:06:15
- Mining employment in the county fell from 16,000 in 1950 to 7,000 by 1960. about 0:06:28
- John F. Kennedy campaigned in McDowell County promising help; his first executive order created the food stamps program and the first recipients were in McDowell County. about 0:06:51
The reviews read out
1 star
"It used to be a wonderful area, but drugs have taken over and jobs have left; the writer loves it but is leaving, because the drive to cancer treatment is two hours each way, there are no nearby hospitals, and no stores or restaurants."about 0:07:14
"A Reddit answer to someone thinking of moving there: it is literally like moving to a third world country, and the poster is not exaggerating."about 0:08:06
"A reply from someone who grew up in the county and has been gone more than 30 years, returning only for funerals: it is absolutely a third world country and there is no hope for the area."about 0:08:16
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Hensley, West Virginia16 miles
- Lashmeet, West Virginia17 miles
- Princeton, West Virginia21 miles
- Pemberton, West Virginia31 miles
- Marion, Virginia34 miles
- Beckley, West Virginia35 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.