Appalachia

This article is about the region in the United States. For other uses, see Appalachia (disambiguation).

Appalachia
Region
Left–right from top:
Red and dark red counties form the Appalachian Regional Commission; dark red and dark red striped counties form traditional Appalachia.[2]
Red and dark red counties form the Appalachian Regional Commission; dark red and dark red striped counties form traditional Appalachia.[2]
Coordinates: 38°48′N 81°00′W / 38.80°N 81.00°W / 38.80; -81.00
CountryUnited States of America
Counties or county-equivalents420[1]
States13
Largest cityPittsburgh
Area
[3]
 • Total206,000 sq mi (530,000 km2)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total26.3 million[1]
(Appalachian Regional Commission estimate)
 • Density127.7/sq mi (49.3/km2)
DemonymAppalachian
Dialect(s)Appalachian English

Appalachia (/ˌæpəˈlætʃə, -leɪtʃə, -leɪʃə/)[4] is a geographic region located in the central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. Its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountains of New York into Pennsylvania, continuing on through the Blue Ridge Mountains and Great Smoky Mountains into northern Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, with West Virginia being the only state in which the entire state is within the boundaries of Appalachia.[5] In 2021, the region was home to an estimated 26.3 million people, of whom roughly 80% were White.[1]

Since its recognition as a cultural region in the late 19th century, Appalachia has been a source of enduring myths and distortions regarding the isolation, temperament, and behavior of its inhabitants. Early 20th-century writers often engaged in yellow journalism focused on sensationalistic aspects of the region's culture, such as moonshining and clan feuding, portraying the region's inhabitants as uneducated and unrefined; although these stereotypes still exist to a lesser extent today, sociology studies have since begun to dispel them.[6][7]

While endowed with abundant natural resources, Appalachia has long struggled economically and has been associated with poverty. In the early 20th century, large-scale logging and coal mining firms brought jobs and modern amenities to Appalachia, but by the 1960s the region had failed to capitalize on any long-term benefits[8] from these two industries. Beginning in the 1930s, the federal government sought to alleviate poverty in the Appalachian region with a series of New Deal initiatives, specifically the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The TVA was responsible for the construction of hydroelectric dams that provide a vast amount of electricity and that support programs for better farming practices, regional planning, and economic development.

In 1965, the Appalachian Regional Commission[9] was created to further alleviate poverty in the region, mainly by diversifying the region's economy and helping to provide better health care and educational opportunities to the region's inhabitants. By 1990, Appalachia had largely joined the economic mainstream but still lagged behind the rest of the nation in most economic indicators.[6]

  1. ^ a b c "Population and Age in Appalachia". Appalachian Regional Commission. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Stewart Scales; Emily Satterwhite; Abigail August (1986). "Mapping Appalachia's Boundaries: Historiographic Overview and Digital Collection" (PDF). Journal of Appalachian Studies. 24 (1). Appalachian Studies Association: 89–100.
  3. ^ "About the Appalachian Region". Appalachian Regional Commission. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  4. ^ "Definition of APPALACHIA". www.merriam-webster.com.
  5. ^ "Appalachian Region". Appalachian Regional Commission. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Abramson, Rudy. Introduction to Encyclopedia of Appalachia (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), pp. xix–xxv.
  7. ^ Banker, Mark (February 16, 2022). "When grappling with Appalachian identity, don't resort to stereotypes". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  8. ^ Sokol, Anna. "Economic Redevelopment in Appalachia: The Appalachian Regional Commission". University of Michigan. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  9. ^ Ziliak, James P. (September 16, 2010). "The Appalachian Regional Development Act and Economic Change" (PDF).