For decades in Pike County, Kentucky, coal was more than an industry.

It was a way of life, powering homes, paychecks, and a deep sense of identity.

But as the economy shifts, residents are also grappling with growing political divisions within their community.

Judy Woodruff reports from Pike County in the latest installment of her series, America

at a crossroads.

In the hills of eastern Kentucky, fall colors streak across the Appalachian Mountains,

a reminder of the area's beauty and resilience.

But over the past four decades, the population has fallen sharply, down by nearly a third,

following the collapse of the region's main industry.

Traces of the old coal economy are still visible in a region once hailed as America's energy capital.

Those who've left to find jobs elsewhere face a stigma.

If you venture outside of here, as someone from Appalachia, immediately feel

defense and shame. Like, I'm from a lesser part of the country. I'm from, you know, I'm a dumb hillbilly, and that's what everybody thinks.

What do you say to them, people you know, about this part of the country, about Pikeville?

I say, come with me, you know, get to know people outside your bubble.

It's not that hard.

Sociologist and author Arlie Hochschild has spent more than seven years Get to know people outside your bubble. It's not that hard.

Sociologist and author Arlie Hochschild has spent more than seven years, getting to know

the people here in Pike County, Kentucky, the state's largest and most eastern county.

I often heard we kept the lights on.

We won World War I. We won World War II. We provided the electricity

and energy that helped build the weapons we needed to win that war. And now we're forgotten.

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