Gilmer County is located in the central geographic region of West Virginia.  Gilmer County has two municipalities, Glenville and Sand Fork. The town of Glenville is the county seat, with a population of 1960.  Glenville is located 16 miles west of Interstate 79.  Sand Fork is located 12 miles west of Interstate 79 and 4 miles outside of Glenville.   Glenville is the home of Glenville State College, a 4-year college.  Cedar Creek State Park is located 14 miles outside of Glenville.

Gilmer County is a quiet, well kept secret. The community has been through 'boom and bust' times. Our human resources as well as our natural resources have molded the area into what we have today.

Like so much of Appalachia, we were remote a wilderness when the first white settlers arrived. First was the timber and trapping industries. Upon the depletion of big timber, the land was now ready for subsistence farming. Along comes the Civil War and the coal, oil, and gas industries appear on the scene. These were the days of 'boom'. Glenville Normal School is chartered. Now we are into the late 1800's. The Little Kanawha River is providing the 'lifeline' for Gilmer County. Building materials, oil, coal, gas wells, farm machinery, food stuffs, college students, all arrive from the Ohio River via the nearly 50 river packets in use. River travel is 'the' mode of transport and travel.

On into the 1900's the oil and gas boom grows. The Normal School's growth evolves into our current Glenville State College. General population will peak just after World War I. Lots of small farms, small businesses appear. Glass, brick, chair/furniture and shoe factories spring up. Other small home cottage industries flourish as well. The river packets now number almost 100. The County Fair flourishes. The West Virginia State Folk Festival, the nations' oldest and longest running Folk Festival makes its appearance.

Late the 1900's and into the 21st Century, we have built new schools, the College has and is expanding, we support 2 banks, over a dozen local churches, a Lions Club, Farm Bureau, Economic Development Association, and many, many other civic groups exist. Our Historical Society is 50 years old, the aforementioned Folk Festival is 58 years old, our shopping mall is viable and rarely has a vacancy, a modern motel and new hotel are in place, over a dozen resturants to serve the public. Laundromats, car washes, auto repair shops, grocery stores are all present. Very few of our businesses are of the chain store variety. Small business constitutes our business mainstream. Our Recreation Center, County owned, is the center of 4-H activities for several counties as well as numerous other sports and activities. The golf course, swimming pool, nearby State Park, shooting range, large library all provide recreational opportunities. Two community computer centers for public use are available. Fitness and excercise locations are available at the College and the recently completed Senior Center. We have a modern medical center as well as several Doctors in town. A 10 million sports and recreation facility just had their ground breaking.

All this in a rural community of 1500 with total county population of about 7000. Our people are our strongest resource. This is a community that works and pulls together. More opportunity will result in more sucesses. 

Glenville State College brings in students and family members annually.  The West Virginia State Folk Festival attracts thousands of people each June annually.  Both the festival and the college attract international visitors, and numerous states surrounding West Virginia.  Other attractions include the quiet, secluded atmosphere, our abundant wildlife and natural resources and a very low crime rate.  Families relocating to Gilmer County find the cost of living to be much lower and the ability to sell a family home and buy a several acre farm in Gilmer County.  

The market is very slow at this time. There is a lack of moderately priced houses, ($60,000-80,000) and an oversupply of higher-priced houses. The demand for moderately priced houses is good and various types financing is available. Several of these do not require a downpayment.

The demand for rental is good. However, there is a lack of nicer homes. Most of the houses are HUD approved and are not acceptable by many families that work at the college or the federal prison.

It appears there is also a lack of nicer apartments. Many apartments are rented by college student, who aren't as "picky." However, many parents are looking for nicer apartments for their children, while they attending college.

The overall situation is that the demand for houses and apartments is strong, but the supply is low.` 

Strengths: Our local economy has been strengthened by the employment opportunities offered by Glenville State College, Gilmer County Board of Education and the oil and gas industry. These three areas provide the best jobs with regards to pay, benefits and security. One of the biggest strengths of the local economy is the work ethic of the Gilmer County people. As is typical in West Virginia, the people in Gilmer County are hard-working, conscientious people. The commercial district would consist of a few retail stores located in Gilmer County, primarily consisting of grocers, gas/convenience stores and dollar stores. Our industrial sector consists of pipe manufacturers, Flying W Plastics and Appalachian Piping. Miller Supply is a retailer of oil and gas supplies. In recent years, the FCI-Gilmer has provided employment opportunities, but much of the staff does not live in Gilmer County. WEAKNESSES: Our weaknesses are the location of our county in comparison to our surrounding counties. As we are located 15 miles from I-79, travel into Gilmer County presents a problem. This problem then deters other industries and businesses from locating within our communities due to added transportation costs. The Little Kanawha River is non-navigable and thus does not provide an alternative route of transportation. 

The County Commission Representative serves on the board of directors for the local Recreation Center, Economic Development Association and the Senior Center.  The commission representative has also attended basic community and economic development training in the past, and has served the county for over 20 years in this capacity.  The economic development representative has completed two years at Community Development Institute-East, and has an understanding of community development principles.  The team has collaborated in the past in a local visioning exercise as well as strategic planning for the county.  Other collaborative exercises have been demonstrated as some team members attended Brushy Fork Institute and had a three year process with the Community Collaborative.  Other team members are involved with the annual Community and Economic Development Summit and the Benedum funded Counties 4 Development project.

       The local Family Resource Network has a proven track record of over a decade of identifying local needs.  The group identifies needs through data and an inclusive process.  The group brings stakeholders to the table regularly, develops a strategic plan and forms teams to work on local issues.  An example of this type of collaboration would be when Head Start participation was low in the county due to federal travel regulations.  In an effort to increase participation a pilot program was developed at one of the local elementary schools.  Community assessments were done prior to gain community support.  The participation in Head Start was doubled in the first year of the program.  Other collaboratives have produced a state of the art flooding and mapping computer program for the county that identifies structures that are at risk of flooding.  The county has gained numerous grants that have only been made available due to the collaborative process and consensus.  The local Family Resource Network director is a graduate from Economic Development Institute and Community Development Institue, and is a certified community and economic developer.  The director is also a certified housing counselor and certified facilitator.  

Yes. Our county organizations have effective leadership in place. These organizations are moving forward, however, they work independent from one another. More collaboration is needed, so that all may move together as one.

Such public stakeholders are: Glenville State College, Gilmer County Board of Education, Senior Citizens, GIlmer County Parks and Recreation, Federal Correctional Institute Gilmer, Gilmer County Commission, Gilmer County Economic Development Association, Glenville City Council, Community Resources, Inc., Gilmer County Family Resource Network, Inc.,

 In addition to our public organizations, we have many interested private sector stakeholders. Our oil and gas industry represents our commmunity's strongest private supporter -- usually providing the bulk of support for any endeavor deemed worthy.

Our Business After 5 organization is comprised of local business owners, and functions in many ways as a Chamber of Commerce. These businesses meet monthly to discuss various developments within the community and their individual enterprises.

I feel our community is a good fit for this training because we have ample resources and residents with a strong drive toward development and growth.  What we lack is the type of training this iniative provides.

Our County has much potential, a major portion of which comes from our four year state college and recently constructed federal correctional institute. Our towns are scenic and peaceful. Our people frequently meet, both formally and informally, to discuss paths and obstacles to Gilmer County's growth.

In short, we work constantly toward our common goals, however, certainly have squandered opportunites and encountered unnecessary frustration.

This training would enable us to make the right choices, see our current situation clearly, and provide a better understanding of what must be done to determine and accomplish our goals.

We are a good fit for this program because we are exactly the type of community it was created for.  

Donna Waddell, of the Gilmer County FRN, responded to collaboration information request.

Sandy Pettit of the Gilmer County Economic Development Assoc, responded to economy/business information request; as well as, providing information regarding Vision Plan.

Mary Lee McPherson, broker of Town and Country Real Estate, responded to housing information request.

Larry Chapman, County Commissioner, responded to leadership information request.

Wanda Reed, of the GCEDA, responded to "what attracts people" information request.

Dave Brown, a local historian, responded to brief history information request.

Lisa Belknap, of Gilmer County FRN, compiled information and responded to "Why do you feel your community…" information request.