Excerpts: Lewis County, West Virginia, has at its southern tip a piece of rugged land comprising approximately 9 square miles. This tip differs sharply from the more gently rolling hill land immediately to the north, but is similar to the adjoining land in the three neighboring counties. The area is drained by a dozen or more streams and runs, which have cut it into a series of steep valleys and narrow ridges, with only occasional narrow strips of level bottomland and hilltop flats. Forty-six percent of the land area has a slope of 40 percent or more, the generally accepted limit for even the most extensive types of farming in the State. This report is the result of a study, requested by the Lewis County Land Use Planning Committee, to find out more about the human element in this total problem situation. In the survey an attempt was made to get information as to the present conditions of people living here, something of their background, and their attitudes toward their present situation and the future. This material is primarily for the use of planning bodies and action agencies in trying to understand better the nature of the problems, both on this relatively small area and in similar places elsewhere in the State, as a first step in any attempt to correct the maladjustments with sound planning and remedial measures.
