It ain't coal, it's Amerika

The New York Times did a piece about McDowell County, West Virginia's

Coalwood Mountain (Postcard)

decline in population and wealth while still wanting to stay proud and bring back the glory days of prosperity from coal mining.

It reminded me that just the other day I was driving up country road 116, a back way to a friend's house, and thought, "This place was once a bustling lake community.  What happened to it."

Lake Huntington, off Route 116, W52 © Pentamento

The town is Huntington Lake.  Driving up towards the lake is a winding road, with more than one sharp turn.  Along the road are large, very large, houses, most of which are decrepit, several nearly falling down, and quite a few up for sale. 

At the lakeside itself, you can also find decrepitude, and a sense of the forgotten.

Few of the houses bordering the lake itself are in good condition.

Is this the future of Amerika?