Ohio’s Poorest County Continues to Vote Democrat, Remaining Blue in Sea of World Changes

Downtown Athens, Ohio in the state's southeastern Appalachian region, remains a popular destination for Ohio University college students. However, Athens County remains the poorest county in the state with a slightly higher than 31 percent poverty rate. Michael Sakal/The Epoch Times

SOUTHEAST OHIO—In the heart of southeast Ohio’s Appalachian region is Athens County, the state’s poorest area with a 31 percent poverty rate.

Most of the people living in Athens county at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains near the border of West Virginia—from farmers, professionals at Ohio University, or the working poor—all seem to know their county’s notoriety, but don’t really seem to mind too much.