Thank you for watching my video on Appalachia, if there is a city state or region that you would like to see in a future video please let me know- here in the comments section.
right off the bat... anyone from this area doesn't pronounce it "appuh-lay-cha" It is pretty cringe to hear someone say it this way. If you ever visit and interview someone from there, I would advise you to never pronounce it this way lol.
I think it's funny how local Appalachians can identify outsiders by how they say Appalachian. Outsiders say Appa-Layshin. Locals in my part of VA say Appa-Latchin.😅
I grew up in the mountains of PA. I have been all over this country and it is vast, wondrous, and absolutely breathtaking but there is nothing that will ever replace the magic of my forest 🥰
My uncle owned a house in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania which I beleive is part of the Appalachian Mountains, me being from Houston used to love visiting him for a week in the summer and enjoying the mountains. It fueled my desire to live there or at least own a house there some day. Truly beautiful area
"No one cares about Appalachia" Tell that to the people buying all the houses. It insane in the Asheville area and not just in the city itself. Even an hour away in the sticks (well what use to be sticks when I was growing up) houses go for at least a quarter mil most are closer to half a mil.
The alleged economic prosperity is pretty lopsided, too. Most of that money and opportunities are not really of benefit to the locals so much as the newly arrived.
Yeah Asheville at this point pretty much only Appalachia by geography only. It’s basically Appalachian light. The culture is gone. It’s like San Francisco with banjos.
Growing up in northern Appalachia, the real struggle is in small towns. There, most people who grew up in a town had parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc that worked in the same mine or factory. As soon as that went under, that town is doomed. Cities like Buffalo struggled like this, and many cities a that are doing well now (such as Corning, NY with Corning Inc) are in the same place now. That, combined with population decline, makes an exodus to the cities inevitable in many cases. I hope to move back one day and rebuild a town
I am from South Central, PA and I love Corning, NY have vacationed there many times, Upstate NY is beautiful and very much like most of Pennsylvania IMO PA and NY are two of the most beautiful states.
@@patriciayohn6136 So true!!! I've lived all over Upstate in my young adult life, and I like to joke I'm "ethnically Pennsylvanian" because I stick out to a shocking degree in the cities by Lake Ontario. No hoodies, and no "ya" up here :P
I am from West Virginia (I believe we have talked before) and I fully understand your pain. My town was an industrial and financial city that was on the banks of the Ohio, however when the coal stopped coming the town slowly denegrated into being basically a college town. I fully intend to revitalize it through any means necessary (and when I say that I mean revitalize it for those that are there as the first priority).
Having lived in New England for many years, I have to comment that the Appalachian Mountain Range includes the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, and the Green Mountains of Vermont and White Mountains of New Hampshire which extend up into western Maine. I now live on my farm in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee
This is true. Except for the Berkshires those areas aren’t really culturally Appalachian, though. They are much more like coastal New England or Acadian Canada / Cajun Louisiana in the case of northern Maine.
@@brightharbor_ I have to disagree about the Green Mountains of Vermont and White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a kid I lived in Windsor, VT on the Connecticut River. As I said above, I now live on my farm in the mountains of northeast Tennessee. They say you can't go home again, but you can; it just might not be where you left it. The people here, except for the accent, are very much like the people in Vermont when I was a kid in the 1950s and early 1960s. I still have family in both VT and NH. I realize Vermont has changed a LOT since then, but the mountains are still part of the Appalachian chain.
In Western North Carolina, people from big cities and other regions are buying up Appalachian property and gentrifying it. There are McMansions everywhere. I don't live there but I live nearby. The people I have talked to who live or have lived there say that there are some people left over from when it was poor and isolated, but they are gradually disappearing.
asheville native my whole life and going back generations on both sides. its heartbreaking, everything is gone. I used to drive up town mountain road to get into the woods overlooking the town when I was younger and now every inch of it has been replaced with out of staters dream multi-million mountain mansions. what a fucking joke, if only they actually knew what they were doing.
I grew up in the Boone, NC area and I have a question: If this region is so bad, why are so many folks from New Jersey and Florida coming here to live? Why can't they stay where they belong? We locals don't like it one damn bit! If it gets much worse, I'm going to just pick up and move away. Go someplace like San Francisco or Portland, OR. I hear it's real nice out there.
@@clarencegreen3071 The region isn't bad to live in if you're rich and retired, it's just a bad region to locate manufacturing because the geography which makes it beautiful is also a major transportation and development obstacle. It's fine for second homes, mansions etc so those get built. Those are supported by outside money bringing it into those states which is good for their economies. Work from home makes it viable for some tech workers whose employer could be global but doesn't require an office presence. Mountains dictate development, climate, agriculture and other things. Businesses have to choose wisely to survive which often means cheap greenfield sites on flat land close to seaports and rail transport. That's why for example German auto industry investments in South Carolina are so large. They export vehicles and import some parts as the industry is global.
@@clarencegreen3071you’re absolutely tripping if you think San Fransico and Portland are better than Boone lol. More taxes, higher crime, more home less and poverty. If you think you can’t afford a house in NC you will be wildly shocked when you see prices over there. Careful what you wish for.
As someone who has visited all 50 states as well as a number of other countries, and has lived in several different states, I am happy to say I live outside of Knoxville and can think of no other place I would rather live. Precisely for the reasons you list. It’s just a different way of life here. I find the pace of life is slower and I like that. Having said that, I still have access to all that the “big city” has to offer without all the BS that comes with living in one.
the problem with knoxville is the problem asheville /wnc is having. Too many people. I drive from near Asheville to near Nashville 5 days a week and both have atlanta/chicago traffic now. Both have absolutely exploded. Parts of knoxville remind me of dallas honestly
@@charlesreid9337 Tennessee as a whole is struggling with infrastructure as it takes time and money to build it. Part of it is due to mismangement, as people had been barking at them for years to start building the roads and bridges then. They chose to wait though and now it can't catch up. I don't even think money is an issue, it's just that with the mountains and hills it takes time to finish and expand these projects. For what its worth though, having lived in Atlanta myself, and having grown up and lived in Tennessee for most of my life, the traffic pales in comparison to a place like Atlanta. Certain places can be rough at certain times of days, but overall its not even close to that level yet. Granted if they don't do something with Nashville it will be there quickly.
I live in Hendersonville about 30 miles from Asheville NC and the whole area is getting so gentrified that it's price us natives and locals out of affordable living options !
Happening everywhere people are drawn to. McDonald's doubled wages and everything else goes up with it. Thank our glorious leaders for rapid inflation with poor monetary policy.
@@googleuser868raising wages has been shown to not cause inflation you fucking dingus. It's bank bailouts and the federal reserve that make it spike. Dont blame the average worker who hasnt seen an increase on his wages in almost 15 years.
Appalachia is unchanging. Most people not from other parts who moved into places like Pittsburgh, Knoxville and Huntsville are descendants of the Scots Irish. Reivers. A people unwelcome wherever they were forced to go to. The Whiskey Rebellion, The Battle of Athens. Love them.
My maiden name is Bell and my 2X Great Grandfather John Bell was born in Ulster and then as a boy his family moved back to Paisley, Scotland before he emigrated from Paisley to Philadelphia in 1859 and yes I belong to Clan Bell N.A. Reivers.
You just described my ancestry, Scottish borders and Border Reivers! I have lived in Appalachia for 72 years and regardless have done well as did five generations before me! West Virginia is capitalizing on the remote work beginning with Covid by building out broadband everywhere. Live in the woods and work anywhere!
Good post except for the Appalachia is unchanging. That is RADICALLY untrue. Asheville has been exploding for 40 year. It has probably broken a million people or more. The entire area is gentrifying hard.
The horrible thing for central Appalachia was strip mining. The companies promised to set aside money to restore the land....but they declared themselves bankrupt and paid off their bosses but forgot about the moonscape they left behind.
Certain Appalachian towns fell victim to their early success and were not prepared for these unforeseen circumstances. So they struggled to play catch up ever since.
Central Appalachian towns and the people were severely exploited. They didn’t get much for what they gave up. Major corporations came in, took advantage of the people and left a toxic land and water legacy for the people to endure. They fell victim to greedy outsiders.
it was coal. Coal and tobacco took over these places early on and the coal barrons bought the governments and still own them. Look at Manchen. The working class was still poor , the money went to the coal barrons. Now coal and tobacco are dying and the coal barons are fighting to keep it alive instead of focusing the states on tourism and light industry.. their only real hopes. And their education systems are a joke
I moved to a major city after college for job opportunities. I moved from a very small Appalachian town. Moving away made me appreciate Appalachia. It is amazing that I grew up surrounded by forests and creeks. I let my imagination loose in the forests. It really helped form who I am today. As much as I hated poverty, I don’t think anything compares to the beauty of Appalachia.
It’s not always a bad thing. Otherwise you get hoards of people coming in spreading their way of life. Sure the median wage is lower, but so is the value of land. Go anywhere near a city and try to purchase a piece of land. It will shock you.
@@Trumble76 You have no idea, the transplants said all this garbage about how we were "cute" and "charming" when they came into east amwell, NJ of Central NJ which was practically untouched for a while compared to most of the state. We were all rural farmers or agricultural communities here. When they came along, they brought their attitude and snobbiness with them and all it did was rake in tourism and overpopulation which fucked us locals over who have lived here our entire lives. It's WRONG. They just lopsided the economy here too and packed our local government so it benefits only them, which they always do..
They are so close that it's like a bonus when you visit one (the other is right there). I like downtown Knoxville, it's small but charming and the street art there is really tasteful.
I live in Knoxville. Crazy how much its grown. Traffic is awful, housing costs are out of reach for most people, but id still rather live here than anywhere else.
ive lived all over the southeast, mostly nc.. florida is the only place ive ever been happy. But when i live in florida after 6 months something in my soul just aches for the NC mountains. Being born in beauty you take it for granted.
Never been there, but just looking at the pictures from decades ago versus today's street view on Google Maps is crazy. A bunch of other WV towns are a similar story, even outside of the coalfields. There used to be a ton of pedestrian activity and business on the weekends.
I grew up in the Ohio River valley. We did well until the steel and pottery/glass factories closed. My home town is still nice in the city center, but all the outlying neighborhoods were abandoned and have fallen, or are in the process of falling in. No young people can afford to stay so more of the town falls every year it seems. Slowly creeping inward like it is eating itself.
I feel you man, I'm from Portsmouth ohio and parts of it remain alive but people are slowly leaving, eating the town alive, year by year, decade by decade since the 40s.
Sounds like Anderson and Muncie Indiana. Big factory towns in their day. They're just a shadow of their past without those middle-class wage jobs. Delco Remy and Warner Gear left and so did the money.
Just a word. The Appalachian Trail starts at Mt. Katahdin in Maine. New Hampshire, Vermont, part of Massachusetts all have the Appalachian Mountains in them. They extend all the way to New Brunswick CA even .The area you showed was designated "The Appalachian Economic Region" by the U.S. Government which only officially recognized the areas you shaded based on their economic makeup/ties. You should have made that clear. Northern New England and Maritime Canada are also part of Appalachia geographically and even culturally, they just were not part of the map drawn for the "Economic Region".
its northern terminus is mt katahdin and its southern terminus is springer mtn. it dosent start anywhere. where a person would start depends on if they are going sobo or nobo first.
@@teemun3979 On the surface they look different. If you went to the middle of Dairy Cow Farm Vermont or Uptstae NY - full of Mountains you would understand more than you think. People have to live similarly (culturally) in both places because the land is the same throughout. They have to live in the "Holler" up there too, no place else to put a house - they just call it a 'Hollow'. ;) They have to cross a creek to get out of the driveway too. So they also have to make a living in similar ways.
Considering the disparity in poverty from Northern Appalachia, and Southern Appalachia. The part you think should be mentioned. To the poor. Goes without saying.
@@mdutton7567 Parts of Upstate NY ('Southern Tier' counties) and parts of Maine etc. are equally as poor as many parts of the South - for the same reasons. they have the same economies due to geography. Paper Mills, Pine, Furniture, Textile Mills run by rivers created by mountains, Dairy, Apples etc. all Appalachian areas are hampered economically due to bad access due to mountains/rivers etc. They are now suffering the same fates. I live In Western NC now and am from New England - paper mill just closed here. Same with NH and parts of Maine right now. Southerners don't like to see similarities - but the regions are similar. Maine is transforming itself and its paper industry. Some Southern states are trying to hold on to the past (coal).
Lived here my whole life, and my family has been in northern appalachia PA-Ohio since the great grandparents came off the boat. It really is beautiful and Pennsylvania and Southeast Ohio are where I'm from and can say I love it. Most underrated places in the US. You are right though, I'm close to West Virginia as well along with seeing towns near me on the Ohio river go downhill rapidly since the steel mills/plants shut down. That's how my parents met and how both my Grandpas made their money. Great video man seriously
I live in North Mississippi ("hill country"), maybe 1-1/2 hour's drive from the southernmost part of Appalachia. A couple months ago, I visited Alabama (Gadsden area), and was impressed with the scenery.
Gadsden is totally gorgeous. They also have the Riverfest concerts which beats the mess in Bham. Also you can get in the river when it is hot. No water in Bham at all.
@@Dannysoutherner The scenery is cool but the place is a total shit hole filled with crime, poverty, and bad health Gadsden and Anniston are definitely the worst cites in Appalachia Alabama especially Anniston.
As someone that grew up about and hour or so from Asheville, back up in the mountains toward Cherokee. I think you have the title wrong. It's not really that nobody cares about the Appalachia. It's the opposite. Most of the time, if you visit the small towns, you'll find the people there don't really care about what's going on everywhere else, and being stubborn and tough enough to keep on going whether other people like it or not. I use to work construction there 20 years ago. "Nobody cares about the Applaccia." aside from northerners that have a house, aka "cabin", in one of the gated communities. Just so they can say they own a house in the woods. And some of these "cabins" were in the few million dollar price range. This doesn't include the movie industry. For example, The Hunger Games, was filmed in Dupont State Forest.
At 0:27 your map of the Appalachian mountain range extending into Canada is very incorrect. It does not extend into Ontario, but into New Brunswick which is around 1000km away from where it is depicted on the map in the video.
This video saddened me in a way, but I can’t be mad at you for driving tourists away from here. It’s fucking sad that the human experience has come to this. My people will be able to survive while these Yankees will not. They are the same ones who clown us for not being educated when in fact we are we just talk with a thick accent that’s a product of living here since late 1700s. No one was to expect the world to change the way it did. Used to if you weren’t rich everyone was a homesteader just cause that’s the circle of life. And you accumulate resources. Now everything is fucked up and people who buy meat cry about animals being slaughtered. I’m telling you man there’s a serious disconnect with the human experience and nature, living in Appalachia the connection between the two is almost real again.
Other small communities around Cherokee are also booming..I live in the Maggie Valley area which is very close to the Cherokee reservation…it’s a beautiful small town that is booming due to tourism…the fact that it’s difficult to get to just adds to the magical charm of our area…my worry is that so many folks are coming to our area that it’s changing the very fabric of our communities. The landscape has changed dramatically in the past 15 years with large estate homes that locals couldn’t begin to afford to live in..the wooded natural landscape along with wildlife is being destroyed due to the over build that’s happening in some local communities. All of which will ultimately destroy what makes it so charming in the first place..what a conundrum we have going on in Western NC for sure!
@@donnamays24 I used to visit from the Atlanta area to Western NC a lot as a kid. We used to go skiing and visit the typical places around Cherokee, Bryson City and the ski area. I always thought the region was depressing to be honest, which is why I don't bother visiting as an adult. The natural landscape is beautiful, but there is a lot to be desired. For example, a lot of the Cherokee cultural heritage seems so forced and fabricated. And any newly built areas are just suburban hell scape ***but with pretty mountains behind the parking lot. It just seems... uninteresting for the most part.
Yep, Something like 200+ Cat Field Mechanics lost their job in 2013 when the coal market took a shit. Can't imagine what that number outside of Whayne-Supply looks like.
Coal devastated the entire planet’s ecosystems. As bad as the economic damage in places like Kentucky was, it was still better than the environmental damage coal was causing. If we had a more planned, less stochastic economy, we could have used government resources to stimulate economic growth in places like KY while switching away from coal.
@@brightharbor_ after reading your little youtube bio thing for your page, the people in eastern ky would have a field day with you. I don't think you have the foggiest idea how KY works and what sort of impact coal had positively and negatively. Additionally, you have no idea how little there is from an economic standpoint outside of coal and timber. There is little to nothing the federal or state government could have done to fill the economic void. There is squat little tourism. That would be the next most logical source of income.
I'm from Southwest VA, and this issue is close to my heart. Saying the "war on coal" ruined the regional economy is ridiculous. No town, county, or state has ever become stable and prosperous off coal. The companies came and extracted all they could, poisoned the soil/water and left, taking the money and jobs with them. That had nothing to do with eco-warriors or whatever. The war on coal didnt kill Appalachia, coal did.
The Appalachians cut an odd-shaped triangle across NW New Jersey, which is not shown on your maps. Also the third "a" in "Appalachia" is pronounced short, not long, the same as the first "a".
Being from upper east TN I can definitely relate to this video. The people here are rugged and don't really care about how the rest of the nation thinks about us. We have been treated that way all the back to the days in Scotland, Ireland and England. To me, these are the toughest people in America and have the old American resolve.
I moved to Morehead, KY in 1998 from Charlotte, NC. You wanna talk about culture shock, that was it. While it's people are genuinely some of the best people around, and the natural scenery is beautiful, the entire core of Appalachia (like you said) is collapsing. There has been no real job growth in EKY or WV in decades. Just your typical factory or agricultural work. The entire area was propped up by coal mining, and while I'm a huge proponent of sustainable energy, coal no longer being a dominant force it was 100 years ago, has gutted that entire region. There was never an investment of education or planning for the future in this area, just the thought that coal/tobacoo/hardwood would always be around and would always have plenty of jobs. Now most of the people that could make changes to this area, are leaving for more promising careers in metropolitan hubs or areas that afford better wages. The economic depression of this area is causing it's most talented people to flee, and that's only going to continue to cause this downward spiral for the region. Manufacturing and Distribution hubs need to increase wages and there needs to be an investment of capital to help educated and develop technology centers in this area, the problem is the people of these areas are so distrustful (rightfully so) that they will often vote against their own best interests, because they don't trust outsiders to do the right thing. Some poor choices over a century ago, have caused an entire area to suffer and continue to suffer for the foreseeable future.
I care about Appalachia! In 1979 when, I camped and Appalachia white water rafting in Harper Ferry, West Virginia. Visited all over Pennsylvania including Scranton which was nice too.
Thank you for talking about how Appalachia was exploited by major coastal cities, who robbed the area of its wealth while giving almost nothing back to the people who live there.
@@charlesreid9337 Mining companies came from the coasts, such as Berwind-White Coal Mining Company from Philadelphia or U.S. Steel Corp from the east coast, which needed coking coal for its mills. They bought up the land, set up mining towns where they didn't even pay local miners in US currency! They paid them in a custom company currency, called "scrip," so the miners had to buy from the other businesses that the mining companies owned, so the miners could never save up and move away. They also busted unions and exploited the locals in every possible way. Educate yourself.
Small correction. Erie isn't Appalachia. While it is short distance from that region it is better defined as a steel mill town on the Great Lakes, now part of the Rust Belt with Cities like Cleveland and Buffalo.
I'm from that southern corner of Ohio, and a big part of why things went bad is because all the factories and mills along the river closed shop. If you aren't in a union, in healthcare, or working for one of the few factories still open, you can't afford to move somewhere else. Nobody is investing money into areas that people leave the second they can afford a home somewhere else.
My family has multi generational roots in eastern Kentucky. It wasn’t until my father that my family left. It is an interesting juxtaposition of beautiful mountains and biting poverty. Most of the people there are without hope.
Significant reductions in poverty were made, but voters wanted more. President Reagan and congressional Republicans started dismantling it in 1983. They believed it was a waste of money.
@@hilohilo9539 Even Suches, Robbinsville, and Copper Hill have been invaded. Sad to watch. Asheville is fully woke and I can't stand to even drive through it.
I live in North Georgia and recently visited up the east coast, I can say that overall Western-West Virginia is the most run down, poorest looking area I've ever been in. Even compared to my home state of Georgia which shares it's place in the Appalachia mountain range with West Virginia, the living conditions look terrible.
@@thomasb1813 isn’t it weird how like having different people with vastly different traits and characteristics creates division? It’s totally a strength to have absolutely nothing in common with anyone.
Yeah I live in a small town in Texas. Very few black folks here… and it’s those very few who get into trouble for breaking into cars on the street, or even stealing a whole car from a Walmart in a town you’d otherwise be able to leave the doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition and it wouldn’t disappear. The longer I live here the more I wish I’d stayed in the Ozarks - the cultural cousin to Appalachia with about the same diversity.
The Appalachian Mountains also continue up into Vermont, New hampshire, Connecticut, MA, new jersey and maine with the land rising back up to over 6000 feet. They are the northern Appalachians, a lot of people don’t know this and they also extended out to northern canada.
As a truck driver TN, WV & NC have the longest up hills I avoid working there too bad for trks when heavy.. my check engine has come at least 5 times in the Monteagle mountain close to Chattanooga 😅 and WV haven’t been in those roads in like 5 yrs there’s a lot of crazy mountains but its a beautiful scene nature at its best
I live in Fla, but have a second home right outside Waynesville about 30 min from Asheville. My house is on a mountain and is very beautiful and peaceful up here. I'm not sure if I could do it full time, though. I went to Asheville the other day, it reminded me of Spring break in Fla, the traffic was terrible, everyone wants to see the changing of the leaves.
I grew up in the South end of Louisville, KY. The neighborhood I grew up in is one of the most diverse in the entire state. Most neighbors are immigrants or first generation Americans buying or renting their first homes. I absolutely loved it, but I also went to college at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, KY in the very Eastern part of the state. What blew me away about Appalachia is just how similar it is to my home neighborhood. That is, it's full of cycles of poverty. And what astounded me the most was the fact that, by ways of negative stereotyping of both places and cultures, the people from both places couldn't see how similar they were.
Please explain how Pittsburgh at 2.5 million metro is bigger than Atlanta with 4 million, given you said Atlanta is in the region. And on city population Pittsburg is 302k, while Atlanta is 498k.
@@bowez9 1) The map graphic is wrong, as I already said. 2) He never says that Pittsburgh is larger, population wise, than Atlanta. 3) He says that, "Appalachia surrounds Atlanta," which it doesn't. The mountain range runs to the west, from north to south, of Atlanta. 4) The elevation is because it's a capital, not because of its being in the mountain, because it's not. He's speaking in generalities, some obviously wrong and yet you focus on them for some reason? Why, to prove something to me or yourself? Now you rewatch it.
I'm from Robbinsville NC, and have to say the way you pronounce Appalachia made it hard to watch the video. ;) As soon as the industry left our area, starting in the mid 80s, our towns died. Main Street was thriving when I was young, it is dilapidated, boarded up store fronts now. The only thing that brings money into the area now is tourism that is mainly controlled by outside influence and provides very little for locals.
It's a difference of gold vs coal when it comes to East coast mountains and west coast. Even just the prospect of gold, made investors pour money into infrastructure and communities. Meanwhile, coal companies had a company store, and essentially control over every element.
Im from southestern ky, many areas are overlooked by government because of how much needs to be invested. Big comanies use labor in the areas to benefit theirselves until people start getting smarter and realizing how bad they are getting treated
Thank you for pointing that out. You can always spot an outsider or (flat lander) when you hear them call those beautiful hills App-uh-lay-sha..Although I think it's mostly Northerners who use the "lay" pronunciation...
Thank you, I was checking out the comments to see if anyone caught how he pronounced Appalachia. Mostly outsiders (not from Southern Appalachia) are the ones that don't get it right.
Great content! Also,it would have been beneficial to delve into the economic marginalization of Appalachia since pre colonial America. The best most fertile farm land in mid Atlantic states, North/south Carolina, Virginia and Georgia specifically were owned by a few southern planter elite families. They tended to keep the land between themselves, via marriage or inheritance. New immigrants, mostly scotch Irish, were pushed to the outer regions. This isolated mountainous region was an automatic struggle and not widely conducive for general agriculture.
You don’t know what you are talking about. That rich farm land you speak of. Is often on ground so steep you can’t farm it. That comes from an actual farmer who lives in that region. And no there weren’t any rich landowners in the Appalachian Mountains. Just poor dirt farmers. Just like now. Our secret is “ live and let live “. You outsiders should give it a try. No better path to living in harmony.
@@mdutton7567 You don’t know what you’re responding to. Read my comment again, and work on not being so knee jerking with your reactions. And don’t assume I’m not tied to the Appalachian region.
One of my favorite regions. Former resident of Williamsport pa, Atlanta ga and Greer sc. West Virginians need to forget about coal and find a new economic driver.
I'm surprised tourism isn't bigger in West Virginia. That state looks beautiful, yet that state historically seem to only care about coal and nothing else. What gives?
I have been saying for a long time that WV should focus more on nuclear energy. They know more than the average person about energy. There are tons of uranium and thorium deposits in the mountains. It is time people start looking towards the future and investing in it. WV could easily become an economic power house, literally. It could set up tons of plants and supply energy to all the states around it.
It wasn't just coal. There was steel, glass, farming (mostly in the Eastern Panhandle) and, earlier, oil & gas. The entire State's economic history has been that of resource extraction or otherwise using nature. Frankly i don't think it can do much better, without angering a big portion of the residents that prefer living a quote on quote "backwards" life.
I live in SC at the most eastern tip of the blue ridge mountains. My grandmother's family were mountain folk. (Go see Campbell's covered bridge if you ever find yourself in Greenville county!) And they came from poor people, who came from poor people. My grandmother was the first of her family to go to college.
Even the Appalachian people don't care enough about Appalachia to pay for good schools, public services, and ways to attract businesses.. Is like they don't want to be more successful ..
Miner’s economy generally was tokenized to keep the miners and their families dependent on their employers, the mining companies. Each territory having their own tokens. Of course, with zero exchange and completely inclusivity to each “economy.” Edit: Go look into company scrips and coal and logging industries.
As someone from Eastern KY, we hate the yuppies because they took our stuff, dispersed what they didn't keep to everyone else, and left us with nothing. This still continues (coal severance). Then, to add insult to injury, they tell everyone else we're barefoot and inbred while also suggesting our resources are killing everyone (cough cough, coal) which, ironically, are the very resources they stole to make their wealth. While ignorance can be the historical explanation, it was rather an attack on humility and hope. People came to Appalachia to escape the very types that abused us to begin with. Then, with the hope of a prosperous future, we let down our guard when someone flashed some dollars to only be abused in a way never thought possible. With that said, I'd never live anywhere else. I'd rather struggle economically and have freedom to move about in these mountains than succumb to the daily hurdles of a city dweller any day. Ask me again why we don't trust people (esp politicians) and why there exist this strange, irrefutable urge to maintain a toughness and pessimism that is removed from the naivety of years long gone. In a country where people don't know if they're a boy or a girl, we simply hope to be left alone because we at least have that part figured out.
As a Canadian with American cousins I always had a sense of hope when traveling through the Appalachians to see my cousins on the main line northwest of Philadelphia
I personally care a lot about Appalachia, my dream is to go to West Virginia. Yet stemming from job issues family illness issues, childcare another stuff. I really can’t leave my city right now. But I hope to make it there before I pass on.
People can laugh make fun of us all they want but we are the strongest people this nation has. When this nation falls and it is we will be the last stand!
I would rather be poor money wise , rather than live in the hell hole cities of "growth". Concrete prisons. Born in the foothills of Smoky Mountains, traveled and lived all over the US. I will die in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, God willing.
In the Southern core they aren't, in cities like Huntsville they are- but cities like Huntsville are still the exception (and not very associated with Appalachia)
Generally what you hear is that the rich in California cant afford the life style they lead any more so they go to poorer parts of the country where they can afford massive houses and land and what not. (And those areas are not really appalichia, just has the name)
What about Knoxville? My city is packed full. People drive insane because of all these Yankees coming in in a rush. Not used to the old way of life being simple and taking it easy. These industrial cities have taught these people to consume consume consume. It’s what the media pushes.
We live in East Tennessee and it's a beautiful area. If you're going to move here do it soon if possible. Housing prices are rising. It's especially good for retirees. "When should I move there?" Yes.
WNC, NGA. Upstate SC are turning into the middles class belt of Appalachia where as WPA use to have that distinction. In WNC it's getting increasingly harder for local residents to afford property especially since remote work became a thing. It's a popular location for those from FL, CA, NY and the DC area. As the more developed and adjacent rural areas see growth, the towns with less reputation and migration become ghost towns as people move to the Piedmont or to the counties experiencing the growth. Some WNC towns have become exclusively for the wealthy and affluent pushing the generational residents out. It's interesting watching the change and how the demographic is permanently altered. Land at one time you couldn't give away has become a premium for the rich and rootless.
Definitely what happens when the coal, car, and raw materials industries left. That being said, absolutely DO NOT talk about what happens in the woods after dark. We don’t go there and we didn’t see anything.
Not everyplace is deteriorating. Kingsport and Johnson City TN is doing fine. I moved here 3 years ago. A house down the road just sold for 400 K. Was built in 1929 and fixed up by a flipper. Sold in about 2 weeks. There are lot of jobs here for those willing to work manufacturing jobs. Not glamorous jobs , but jobs. if your standard of living is not too high.
I grew up in the foothills of the Appalachias. Its where my home and heart are. Let a foreign invader land on our east coast, they might take the coast... but they'll never see the other side of the Appalachians 🇺🇸
Lived in the area all my life, I just wish I lived closer to the mountains. Glad Arkansas is doing more to add mountain biking trails, they just need to up the outdoor game in these areas too.
It is. Michelin has their US HQ there, and ontop of that with Bosch & BMW in the area as well, ontop of it's quaint downtown, it's a wonderful area to live. However, I'm leaving it, due to the fact I have nothing here anymore except a big house I don't need and zero friends in the area, since I'm a transplant for the last 16 years so I'll be off to a better place to live soon enough. Home.
Thank you for watching my video on Appalachia, if there is a city state or region that you would like to see in a future video please let me know- here in the comments section.
right off the bat... anyone from this area doesn't pronounce it "appuh-lay-cha" It is pretty cringe to hear someone say it this way. If you ever visit and interview someone from there, I would advise you to never pronounce it this way lol.
@@gamerdad7320Yes please, it’s pronounced “Apple-At-Cha”. Like I’ll throw an apple at cha
@@KlynerKaiOffical I like that analogy.. lol nice
Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
FYI if you wanna sound like us locals, it’s pronounced “app-uh-lat-cha”. Gotta say it smooth with not breaks.
I think it's funny how local Appalachians can identify outsiders by how they say Appalachian. Outsiders say Appa-Layshin. Locals in my part of VA say Appa-Latchin.😅
I know right?!
It's almost ear-bleeding to hear "Appa-Layshin" said that much.😆
@@ZestonN me in my Hank Hill voice: Yyyep
Western NC, too. My university was "Appa-Latchin" State University in Boone, NC.
@@kim5229 I'm familiar with Boone. I had a pottery teacher from my community college. He got his undergrad degree there.
It's because we natives know what we're talking about. People from off somewhere else would benefit from asking us instead of lecturing us.
I grew up in the mountains of PA. I have been all over this country and it is vast, wondrous, and absolutely breathtaking but there is nothing that will ever replace the magic of my forest 🥰
It really is!
I miss being able to visit PA state parks for free. 😢
PA mountains are nice but it’s more scenic in upstate New York
My uncle owned a house in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania which I beleive is part of the Appalachian Mountains, me being from Houston used to love visiting him for a week in the summer and enjoying the mountains. It fueled my desire to live there or at least own a house there some day. Truly beautiful area
"No one cares about Appalachia" Tell that to the people buying all the houses. It insane in the Asheville area and not just in the city itself. Even an hour away in the sticks (well what use to be sticks when I was growing up) houses go for at least a quarter mil most are closer to half a mil.
The alleged economic prosperity is pretty lopsided, too. Most of that money and opportunities are not really of benefit to the locals so much as the newly arrived.
Yeah Asheville at this point pretty much only Appalachia by geography only. It’s basically Appalachian light. The culture is gone. It’s like San Francisco with banjos.
@@zachsmith8916Good
@@happymolecule8894 cringe
@@NevisYsbrydBecause the newly arrived are bringing skills the locals don’t have. But when jobs move to you, go get training in those jobs.
Growing up in northern Appalachia, the real struggle is in small towns. There, most people who grew up in a town had parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc that worked in the same mine or factory. As soon as that went under, that town is doomed. Cities like Buffalo struggled like this, and many cities a that are doing well now (such as Corning, NY with Corning Inc) are in the same place now. That, combined with population decline, makes an exodus to the cities inevitable in many cases.
I hope to move back one day and rebuild a town
I am from South Central, PA and I love Corning, NY have vacationed there many times, Upstate NY is beautiful and very much like most of Pennsylvania IMO PA and NY are two of the most beautiful states.
@@patriciayohn6136 So true!!! I've lived all over Upstate in my young adult life, and I like to joke I'm "ethnically Pennsylvanian" because I stick out to a shocking degree in the cities by Lake Ontario. No hoodies, and no "ya" up here :P
Thank you Dylan, is ethnically Pennsylvanian the same as Pennsyltuckian! LOL
I am from West Virginia (I believe we have talked before) and I fully understand your pain. My town was an industrial and financial city that was on the banks of the Ohio, however when the coal stopped coming the town slowly denegrated into being basically a college town. I fully intend to revitalize it through any means necessary (and when I say that I mean revitalize it for those that are there as the first priority).
Bet that most of the people vote democrat!
Having lived in New England for many years, I have to comment that the Appalachian Mountain Range includes the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, and the Green Mountains of Vermont and White Mountains of New Hampshire which extend up into western Maine. I now live on my farm in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee
This is true. Except for the Berkshires those areas aren’t really culturally Appalachian, though. They are much more like coastal New England or Acadian Canada / Cajun Louisiana in the case of northern Maine.
@@brightharbor_ I have to disagree about the Green Mountains of Vermont and White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a kid I lived in Windsor, VT on the Connecticut River. As I said above, I now live on my farm in the mountains of northeast Tennessee. They say you can't go home again, but you can; it just might not be where you left it. The people here, except for the accent, are very much like the people in Vermont when I was a kid in the 1950s and early 1960s. I still have family in both VT and NH. I realize Vermont has changed a LOT since then, but the mountains are still part of the Appalachian chain.
lol how they make the so map wrong get it together 😂
In Western North Carolina, people from big cities and other regions are buying up Appalachian property and gentrifying it. There are McMansions everywhere. I don't live there but I live nearby. The people I have talked to who live or have lived there say that there are some people left over from when it was poor and isolated, but they are gradually disappearing.
asheville native my whole life and going back generations on both sides. its heartbreaking, everything is gone. I used to drive up town mountain road to get into the woods overlooking the town when I was younger and now every inch of it has been replaced with out of staters dream multi-million mountain mansions. what a fucking joke, if only they actually knew what they were doing.
@@novembersneverending jokes on them because their house is worth 100k tops in an honest market.
I grew up in the Boone, NC area and I have a question: If this region is so bad, why are so many folks from New Jersey and Florida coming here to live? Why can't they stay where they belong? We locals don't like it one damn bit!
If it gets much worse, I'm going to just pick up and move away. Go someplace like San Francisco or Portland, OR. I hear it's real nice out there.
@@clarencegreen3071 The region isn't bad to live in if you're rich and retired, it's just a bad region to locate manufacturing because the geography which makes it beautiful is also a major transportation and development obstacle. It's fine for second homes, mansions etc so those get built. Those are supported by outside money bringing it into those states which is good for their economies. Work from home makes it viable for some tech workers whose employer could be global but doesn't require an office presence.
Mountains dictate development, climate, agriculture and other things. Businesses have to choose wisely to survive which often means cheap greenfield sites on flat land close to seaports and rail transport. That's why for example German auto industry investments in South Carolina are so large. They export vehicles and import some parts as the industry is global.
@@clarencegreen3071you’re absolutely tripping if you think San Fransico and Portland are better than Boone lol. More taxes, higher crime, more home less and poverty. If you think you can’t afford a house in NC you will be wildly shocked when you see prices over there. Careful what you wish for.
As someone who has visited all 50 states as well as a number of other countries, and has lived in several different states, I am happy to say I live outside of Knoxville and can think of no other place I would rather live. Precisely for the reasons you list. It’s just a different way of life here. I find the pace of life is slower and I like that. Having said that, I still have access to all that the “big city” has to offer without all the BS that comes with living in one.
Agreed from Abingdon
the problem with knoxville is the problem asheville /wnc is having. Too many people. I drive from near Asheville to near Nashville 5 days a week and both have atlanta/chicago traffic now. Both have absolutely exploded. Parts of knoxville remind me of dallas honestly
@@charlesreid9337 Tennessee as a whole is struggling with infrastructure as it takes time and money to build it. Part of it is due to mismangement, as people had been barking at them for years to start building the roads and bridges then. They chose to wait though and now it can't catch up. I don't even think money is an issue, it's just that with the mountains and hills it takes time to finish and expand these projects.
For what its worth though, having lived in Atlanta myself, and having grown up and lived in Tennessee for most of my life, the traffic pales in comparison to a place like Atlanta. Certain places can be rough at certain times of days, but overall its not even close to that level yet. Granted if they don't do something with Nashville it will be there quickly.
you do know that the "city bs" IS coming,don't you? it make take a few years but it WILL come,,,
As someone who moved from Knoxville area to Huntsville area. This dude has to be high to think Huntsville is bigger
I live in Hendersonville about 30 miles from Asheville NC and the whole area is getting so gentrified that it's price us natives and locals out of affordable living options !
As a lifelong local of Hendersonville, I couldn’t agree more. Too many liberal carpetbaggers turning our home into the cesspools they came from
Happening everywhere people are drawn to. McDonald's doubled wages and everything else goes up with it. Thank our glorious leaders for rapid inflation with poor monetary policy.
@@googleuser868raising wages has been shown to not cause inflation you fucking dingus. It's bank bailouts and the federal reserve that make it spike. Dont blame the average worker who hasnt seen an increase on his wages in almost 15 years.
@@googleuser868willing to also bet good money you dont live anywhere remotely close to bunco or hendo counties
@@googleuser868 oh, so because it’s happening everywhere, that makes gentrification ok? Weird way to say you believe in manifest destiny but ok
Appalachia is unchanging. Most people not from other parts who moved into places like Pittsburgh, Knoxville and Huntsville are descendants of the Scots Irish.
Reivers. A people unwelcome wherever they were forced to go to. The Whiskey Rebellion, The Battle of Athens. Love them.
That's my people! At least on my mother's side.
My maiden name is Bell and my 2X Great Grandfather John Bell was born in Ulster and then as a boy his family moved back to Paisley, Scotland before he emigrated from Paisley to Philadelphia in 1859 and yes I belong to Clan Bell N.A. Reivers.
Don't think they cared about being welcome
You just described my ancestry, Scottish borders and Border Reivers! I have lived in Appalachia for 72 years and regardless have done well as did five generations before me! West Virginia is capitalizing on the remote work beginning with Covid by building out broadband everywhere. Live in the woods and work anywhere!
Good post except for the Appalachia is unchanging. That is RADICALLY untrue. Asheville has been exploding for 40 year. It has probably broken a million people or more. The entire area is gentrifying hard.
I love this channel so much. I appreciate your perspective and discussion regarding the regions of the country. It really is informative.
Thank you so much, this made my day!
The horrible thing for central Appalachia was strip mining. The companies promised to set aside money to restore the land....but they declared themselves bankrupt and paid off their bosses but forgot about the moonscape they left behind.
Which is why sinkholes are a thing. If this area ever gets hit by an earthquake the whole region would collapse on itself.
And now instead of coal we will be strip mining for lithium and rip up Arkansas and other areas.
They were allowed to do that by corrupt local and state officials, and the people just keep voting those crooks back into office..
Certain Appalachian towns fell victim to their early success and were not prepared for these unforeseen circumstances. So they struggled to play catch up ever since.
I think that's right, the Northern and Southern ends of the region are doing alot better since the mid-2010's though.
Central Appalachian towns and the people were severely exploited. They didn’t get much for what they gave up. Major corporations came in, took advantage of the people and left a toxic land and water legacy for the people to endure. They fell victim to greedy outsiders.
it was coal. Coal and tobacco took over these places early on and the coal barrons bought the governments and still own them. Look at Manchen. The working class was still poor , the money went to the coal barrons. Now coal and tobacco are dying and the coal barons are fighting to keep it alive instead of focusing the states on tourism and light industry.. their only real hopes. And their education systems are a joke
@@rebeccamd7903exactly...West Virginia is THE Prime Example. Our coal and tumber built America.
I moved to a major city after college for job opportunities. I moved from a very small Appalachian town. Moving away made me appreciate Appalachia. It is amazing that I grew up surrounded by forests and creeks. I let my imagination loose in the forests. It really helped form who I am today. As much as I hated poverty, I don’t think anything compares to the beauty of Appalachia.
It’s worse than not being cared about, we are actively denigrated.
By a lot of ignorant people that have never been here.
It’s not always a bad thing. Otherwise you get hoards of people coming in spreading their way of life. Sure the median wage is lower, but so is the value of land. Go anywhere near a city and try to purchase a piece of land. It will shock you.
@@Trumble76 It's up beyond $10k/acre for swamp, in central Appalachia. It's all fucked.
Damn right, it's a fucking shame.@@SMichaelDeHart
@@Trumble76 You have no idea, the transplants said all this garbage about how we were "cute" and "charming" when they came into east amwell, NJ of Central NJ which was practically untouched for a while compared to most of the state. We were all rural farmers or agricultural communities here. When they came along, they brought their attitude and snobbiness with them and all it did was rake in tourism and overpopulation which fucked us locals over who have lived here our entire lives. It's WRONG. They just lopsided the economy here too and packed our local government so it benefits only them, which they always do..
I actually believe that Knoxville and Chatanooga are next cities to explode
They are so close that it's like a bonus when you visit one (the other is right there). I like downtown Knoxville, it's small but charming and the street art there is really tasteful.
Native to East Tn and I will say everywhere around me is over populated
@@SomethingDifferentFilmsmajor drug problems there.
Chattanooga TN has a city municipality fiber optic internet. Not to shabby,
They’ll continue to grow but they can never truly “explode”
Thank you for this... I was born and raised in Ashland, KY within 20-30 minutes you could visit KY, OH, and WV... I sat at the heart of it...
I live in Knoxville. Crazy how much its grown. Traffic is awful, housing costs are out of reach for most people, but id still rather live here than anywhere else.
Appalachia is beautiful! The land itself speaks to the soul!
ive lived all over the southeast, mostly nc.. florida is the only place ive ever been happy. But when i live in florida after 6 months something in my soul just aches for the NC mountains. Being born in beauty you take it for granted.
No it's not Denver way better
Since I live there I am glad no one cares about it. That way it doesn't get much more crowded than it already is.
Amen
Agreed. I live in SW Florida. I grew up here surrounded by orange groves, cattle and swamps. Now trailer parks, sub-divisions traffic.😵💫
Born in Logan, WV. Thanks so much for this presentation. Enjoyed it immensely.
Never been there, but just looking at the pictures from decades ago versus today's street view on Google Maps is crazy. A bunch of other WV towns are a similar story, even outside of the coalfields. There used to be a ton of pedestrian activity and business on the weekends.
I grew up in the Ohio River valley. We did well until the steel and pottery/glass factories closed. My home town is still nice in the city center, but all the outlying neighborhoods were abandoned and have fallen, or are in the process of falling in. No young people can afford to stay so more of the town falls every year it seems. Slowly creeping inward like it is eating itself.
I feel you man, I'm from Portsmouth ohio and parts of it remain alive but people are slowly leaving, eating the town alive, year by year, decade by decade since the 40s.
@@YaDingleBerryptown for life brother
i left portsmouth in 1981...it has changed a lot since then...have sisters in New Boston ,Oh and South Shore Ky@@YaDingleBerry
Sounds like Anderson and Muncie Indiana. Big factory towns in their day.
They're just a shadow of their past without those middle-class wage jobs.
Delco Remy and Warner Gear left and so did the money.
Steubenville? From there too and you're exactly right.
Just a word. The Appalachian Trail starts at Mt. Katahdin in Maine. New Hampshire, Vermont, part of Massachusetts all have the Appalachian Mountains in them. They extend all the way to New Brunswick CA even .The area you showed was designated "The Appalachian Economic Region" by the U.S. Government which only officially recognized the areas you shaded based on their economic makeup/ties. You should have made that clear. Northern New England and Maritime Canada are also part of Appalachia geographically and even culturally, they just were not part of the map drawn for the "Economic Region".
its northern terminus is mt katahdin and its southern terminus is springer mtn. it dosent start anywhere. where a person would start depends on if they are going sobo or nobo first.
Even culturally? Nonsense. I don't relate to those yanks.
@@teemun3979 On the surface they look different. If you went to the middle of Dairy Cow Farm Vermont or Uptstae NY - full of Mountains you would understand more than you think. People have to live similarly (culturally) in both places because the land is the same throughout. They have to live in the "Holler" up there too, no place else to put a house - they just call it a 'Hollow'. ;) They have to cross a creek to get out of the driveway too. So they also have to make a living in similar ways.
Considering the disparity in poverty from Northern Appalachia, and Southern Appalachia. The part you think should be mentioned. To the poor. Goes without saying.
@@mdutton7567 Parts of Upstate NY ('Southern Tier' counties) and parts of Maine etc. are equally as poor as many parts of the South - for the same reasons. they have the same economies due to geography. Paper Mills, Pine, Furniture, Textile Mills run by rivers created by mountains, Dairy, Apples etc. all Appalachian areas are hampered economically due to bad access due to mountains/rivers etc. They are now suffering the same fates. I live In Western NC now and am from New England - paper mill just closed here. Same with NH and parts of Maine right now. Southerners don't like to see similarities - but the regions are similar. Maine is transforming itself and its paper industry. Some Southern states are trying to hold on to the past (coal).
Lived here my whole life, and my family has been in northern appalachia PA-Ohio since the great grandparents came off the boat. It really is beautiful and Pennsylvania and Southeast Ohio are where I'm from and can say I love it. Most underrated places in the US. You are right though, I'm close to West Virginia as well along with seeing towns near me on the Ohio river go downhill rapidly since the steel mills/plants shut down. That's how my parents met and how both my Grandpas made their money. Great video man seriously
I live in North Mississippi ("hill country"), maybe 1-1/2 hour's drive from the southernmost part of Appalachia. A couple months ago, I visited Alabama (Gadsden area), and was impressed with the scenery.
It's honestly one of the most breathtaking parts of America
Indeed!! Very beautiful . Used to live in Birmingham area. Went to Gadsden for a night and impressed with how nice it was
Gadsden is totally gorgeous. They also have the Riverfest concerts which beats the mess in Bham. Also you can get in the river when it is hot. No water in Bham at all.
Near Tupelo?
@@Dannysoutherner The scenery is cool but the place is a total shit hole filled with crime, poverty, and bad health Gadsden and Anniston are definitely the worst cites in Appalachia Alabama especially Anniston.
As someone that grew up about and hour or so from Asheville, back up in the mountains toward Cherokee. I think you have the title wrong. It's not really that nobody cares about the Appalachia. It's the opposite. Most of the time, if you visit the small towns, you'll find the people there don't really care about what's going on everywhere else, and being stubborn and tough enough to keep on going whether other people like it or not.
I use to work construction there 20 years ago. "Nobody cares about the Applaccia." aside from northerners that have a house, aka "cabin", in one of the gated communities. Just so they can say they own a house in the woods. And some of these "cabins" were in the few million dollar price range. This doesn't include the movie industry. For example, The Hunger Games, was filmed in Dupont State Forest.
That doesn’t make the title wrong. The rest of the country doesn’t care about Appalachia.
@@baneofbanes I'm in Colorado, I care. But them Appalachians ain't no mountains. 🤣
@@Derideoyour mountains are ugly and bare
Oh, in Virginia, the state government definitely doesn't car about Southwest VA.
Who's here after Hurricane Helene?
At 0:27 your map of the Appalachian mountain range extending into Canada is very incorrect. It does not extend into Ontario, but into New Brunswick which is around 1000km away from where it is depicted on the map in the video.
Thanks for mentioning this. I believe you are correct.
this is true, in fact, it goes all the way through the Maritimes to Newfoundland!
This video saddened me in a way, but I can’t be mad at you for driving tourists away from here. It’s fucking sad that the human experience has come to this. My people will be able to survive while these Yankees will not. They are the same ones who clown us for not being educated when in fact we are we just talk with a thick accent that’s a product of living here since late 1700s. No one was to expect the world to change the way it did. Used to if you weren’t rich everyone was a homesteader just cause that’s the circle of life. And you accumulate resources. Now everything is fucked up and people who buy meat cry about animals being slaughtered. I’m telling you man there’s a serious disconnect with the human experience and nature, living in Appalachia the connection between the two is almost real again.
I like your accent but then, I am a reactionary Brit who watched a lot of "Firefly".
Amen 👍
Thanks for addressing the diversity of Appalachia. Cherokee Reservation has a Harrah's Casino. That's a national employer with good benefits.
Thank you! I actually used a photo of that casino when talking about Cherokee. It's a really nice area, but I found it difficult to get to.
Other small communities around Cherokee are also booming..I live in the Maggie Valley area which is very close to the Cherokee reservation…it’s a beautiful small town that is booming due to tourism…the fact that it’s difficult to get to just adds to the magical charm of our area…my worry is that so many folks are coming to our area that it’s changing the very fabric of our communities. The landscape has changed dramatically in the past 15 years with large estate homes that locals couldn’t begin to afford to live in..the wooded natural landscape along with wildlife is being destroyed due to the over build that’s happening in some local communities. All of which will ultimately destroy what makes it so charming in the first place..what a conundrum we have going on in Western NC for sure!
@@donnamays24 I used to visit from the Atlanta area to Western NC a lot as a kid. We used to go skiing and visit the typical places around Cherokee, Bryson City and the ski area. I always thought the region was depressing to be honest, which is why I don't bother visiting as an adult. The natural landscape is beautiful, but there is a lot to be desired. For example, a lot of the Cherokee cultural heritage seems so forced and fabricated. And any newly built areas are just suburban hell scape ***but with pretty mountains behind the parking lot. It just seems... uninteresting for the most part.
Most Indian tribes are completely overrun with Celtic people of Germanic origin. Blue eyes and totally pale skin.
@@donnamays24 Mankind is picking the world clean. Don't know what future generations will do once it's all used up.
The "War on Coal" devastated not only eastern KY but also west-central and north western KY as well.
Yep, Something like 200+ Cat Field Mechanics lost their job in 2013 when the coal market took a shit. Can't imagine what that number outside of Whayne-Supply looks like.
Coal devastated the entire planet’s ecosystems. As bad as the economic damage in places like Kentucky was, it was still better than the environmental damage coal was causing.
If we had a more planned, less stochastic economy, we could have used government resources to stimulate economic growth in places like KY while switching away from coal.
@@brightharbor_ after reading your little youtube bio thing for your page, the people in eastern ky would have a field day with you. I don't think you have the foggiest idea how KY works and what sort of impact coal had positively and negatively. Additionally, you have no idea how little there is from an economic standpoint outside of coal and timber. There is little to nothing the federal or state government could have done to fill the economic void. There is squat little tourism. That would be the next most logical source of income.
And Birmingham, Alabama as well.
I'm from Southwest VA, and this issue is close to my heart. Saying the "war on coal" ruined the regional economy is ridiculous. No town, county, or state has ever become stable and prosperous off coal. The companies came and extracted all they could, poisoned the soil/water and left, taking the money and jobs with them. That had nothing to do with eco-warriors or whatever. The war on coal didnt kill Appalachia, coal did.
The Appalachians cut an odd-shaped triangle across NW New Jersey, which is not shown on your maps. Also the third "a" in "Appalachia" is pronounced short, not long, the same as the first "a".
Being from upper east TN I can definitely relate to this video. The people here are rugged and don't really care about how the rest of the nation thinks about us. We have been treated that way all the back to the days in Scotland, Ireland and England. To me, these are the toughest people in America and have the old American resolve.
Only problem is Ashville is full of transplants not many locals left there.
Drove through Chattanooga last year. Lots of tweakers out at night, even if the main street is pleasant, the side streets are rotting. 😢
I used to enjoy the downtown area alot, but it's seemed more in decline with recent visits.
@@SomethingDifferentFilmsdowntown and north of the river/Redbank are still pretty nice actually.
South of downtown is a warzone 😢
The last time I visited downtown was 2020 and it wasn't nearly as nice as previous visits; but that could have been the pandemic.
Like California you’ll have that everywhere in a degenerate rotting country
Parts of Atlanta are like that too. It just happens in large cities.
0:55 bro, forget about Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine?
I ❤the Appalachians! Friendliest people live in the small mountain towns!
I have enjoyed all the sub-regions of Appalachia; but I find Eastern KY and Western West Virginia to be especially fascinating.
@@SomethingDifferentFilmsshhhh
@@SomethingDifferentFilmsDon’t forget Southwestern VA, it’s the same way here.
I moved to Morehead, KY in 1998 from Charlotte, NC. You wanna talk about culture shock, that was it. While it's people are genuinely some of the best people around, and the natural scenery is beautiful, the entire core of Appalachia (like you said) is collapsing. There has been no real job growth in EKY or WV in decades. Just your typical factory or agricultural work. The entire area was propped up by coal mining, and while I'm a huge proponent of sustainable energy, coal no longer being a dominant force it was 100 years ago, has gutted that entire region.
There was never an investment of education or planning for the future in this area, just the thought that coal/tobacoo/hardwood would always be around and would always have plenty of jobs. Now most of the people that could make changes to this area, are leaving for more promising careers in metropolitan hubs or areas that afford better wages. The economic depression of this area is causing it's most talented people to flee, and that's only going to continue to cause this downward spiral for the region. Manufacturing and Distribution hubs need to increase wages and there needs to be an investment of capital to help educated and develop technology centers in this area, the problem is the people of these areas are so distrustful (rightfully so) that they will often vote against their own best interests, because they don't trust outsiders to do the right thing. Some poor choices over a century ago, have caused an entire area to suffer and continue to suffer for the foreseeable future.
I care about Appalachia! In 1979 when, I camped and Appalachia white water rafting in Harper Ferry, West Virginia. Visited all over Pennsylvania including Scranton which was nice too.
Thank you for talking about how Appalachia was exploited by major coastal cities, who robbed the area of its wealth while giving almost nothing back to the people who live there.
literally none of this is true. blaming yoru problems on others may feel good but it's foolish and leads to you simply suffering more
@@charlesreid9337 Mining companies came from the coasts, such as Berwind-White Coal Mining Company from Philadelphia or U.S. Steel Corp from the east coast, which needed coking coal for its mills. They bought up the land, set up mining towns where they didn't even pay local miners in US currency! They paid them in a custom company currency, called "scrip," so the miners had to buy from the other businesses that the mining companies owned, so the miners could never save up and move away. They also busted unions and exploited the locals in every possible way. Educate yourself.
@@charlesreid9337 You should visit. Maybe you'd understand.
@@charlesreid9337You didn't refute any of this; just said "nuh uh".
We were, and are nothing more than a resource area. The rich exploiting the poor.
Who else is seeing this right after hurricane Helene?
So sad
IMHO the Blue Ridge Mountains are the most beautiful place on planet Earth. So, there's always that.
Amen
Until you see Colorado, that is. But don't move here, too many are!
Thanks for mentioning Greenville, SC.. That region is underrated!
I still want to visit Greenville.
Greenville SC is in the Piedmont.
My first and last time I passed by Appalachia was in 1977. I cannot believe that it has not improved in any ways!
im from deep in west virginia, for the most part, no one here wants to be some mega metropolis, we just do what we do and dont care about others
I'm from West Virginia Charleston
Small correction. Erie isn't Appalachia. While it is short distance from that region it is better defined as a steel mill town on the Great Lakes, now part of the Rust Belt with Cities like Cleveland and Buffalo.
I'm from that southern corner of Ohio, and a big part of why things went bad is because all the factories and mills along the river closed shop. If you aren't in a union, in healthcare, or working for one of the few factories still open, you can't afford to move somewhere else. Nobody is investing money into areas that people leave the second they can afford a home somewhere else.
My family has multi generational roots in eastern Kentucky. It wasn’t until my father that my family left. It is an interesting juxtaposition of beautiful mountains and biting poverty. Most of the people there are without hope.
Appalachia is “diverse” because it has both Scotch-Irish people and regular Irish people there
Hm, interesting perspective. Being from the region its always interesting to see how folks see things. Its complicated, like any place.
My older brother and sister-in-law live in a small town in the mountains in Virginia and they love it, say they’d never move anywhere else.
in the 60s, war on Poverty was launched by LBJ and this region was cited as one area that needed help, don't know if the Feds made it any better
They definitely made it better. See the before pictures.
Made better by new industries moving in. War on poverty went the same as LBJ's Vietnam policy.
have the feds ever made anything better?
The government has never in history made anything better !
Significant reductions in poverty were made, but voters wanted more. President Reagan and congressional Republicans started dismantling it in 1983. They believed it was a waste of money.
People are moving to Southern Appalachia at an alarming rate. It is sad to watch it melt into modern America.
Wish there could be a balance
Well, not the isolated parts of the region. Places like those around Knoxville, Asheville, and Chattanooga lost their 'Appalachian' culture long ago.
@@hilohilo9539 Even Suches, Robbinsville, and Copper Hill have been invaded. Sad to watch. Asheville is fully woke and I can't stand to even drive through it.
@@diggernash1 Asheville is a dump now
I live in North Georgia and recently visited up the east coast, I can say that overall Western-West Virginia is the most run down, poorest looking area I've ever been in. Even compared to my home state of Georgia which shares it's place in the Appalachia mountain range with West Virginia, the living conditions look terrible.
Weird how people always say poverty and crime go hand in hand, yet the crime rate is lower than other places…
Excellent observation. I remember doing an entire research paper on that very argument for a college paper…
diversity. Like it or not there is a real link.
@@thomasb1813 isn’t it weird how like having different people with vastly different traits and characteristics creates division? It’s totally a strength to have absolutely nothing in common with anyone.
Tennessee has the 3rd highest crime rate out of the 50 States. Keep making stuff up.
Yeah I live in a small town in Texas. Very few black folks here… and it’s those very few who get into trouble for breaking into cars on the street, or even stealing a whole car from a Walmart in a town you’d otherwise be able to leave the doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition and it wouldn’t disappear. The longer I live here the more I wish I’d stayed in the Ozarks - the cultural cousin to Appalachia with about the same diversity.
The Appalachian Mountains also continue up into Vermont, New hampshire, Connecticut, MA, new jersey and maine with the land rising back up to over 6000 feet. They are the northern Appalachians, a lot of people don’t know this and they also extended out to northern canada.
Fun fact: when those mountains formed America was pushed up against what is now Europe. The mountains of Scotland are the tail end of the whole chain.
As a truck driver TN, WV & NC have the longest up hills I avoid working there too bad for trks when heavy.. my check engine has come at least 5 times in the Monteagle mountain close to Chattanooga 😅 and WV haven’t been in those roads in like 5 yrs there’s a lot of crazy mountains but its a beautiful scene nature at its best
I love how people doing these videos never say Appalachian or Appalachia correctly
It kills me
That’s why they’re on RUclips and not writing history textbooks bro
They are called accents, deal with it.
@@surreal3900 saying the word completely wrong is not an accent.
@@coketrain4755 Then you expect someone from New York or Maine to pronounce it like you do?
I live in Fla, but have a second home right outside Waynesville about 30 min from Asheville. My house is on a mountain and is very beautiful and peaceful up here. I'm not sure if I could do it full time, though. I went to Asheville the other day, it reminded me of Spring break in Fla, the traffic was terrible, everyone wants to see the changing of the leaves.
pretty place, but jobs are scarce, have major weather issues, tornadoes, floods, coal mining did damage that still hasn't been fixed
I grew up in the South end of Louisville, KY. The neighborhood I grew up in is one of the most diverse in the entire state. Most neighbors are immigrants or first generation Americans buying or renting their first homes. I absolutely loved it, but I also went to college at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, KY in the very Eastern part of the state. What blew me away about Appalachia is just how similar it is to my home neighborhood. That is, it's full of cycles of poverty. And what astounded me the most was the fact that, by ways of negative stereotyping of both places and cultures, the people from both places couldn't see how similar they were.
As someone from central Appalachia thanks for talking about home.
We were a stone's throw from WV and we could see the Appalachians, and the Northern part of the range seemed very thin.
Please explain how Pittsburgh at 2.5 million metro is bigger than Atlanta with 4 million, given you said Atlanta is in the region.
And on city population Pittsburg is 302k, while Atlanta is 498k.
Atlanta isn't in Appalachia. The population number for Pittsburgh is the metro area, aka surrounding areas.
@@Atheos-1 the author says it is on numerous times. If it's not then explain its elevation, being the highest capital east of the Mississippi.
@@bowez9 He never referred to Atlanta as Appalachia. His orange region designation that included Atlanta is wrong.
@@Atheos-1 rewatch it he says at least twice and as you said the map/graphic includes it.
@@bowez9
1) The map graphic is wrong, as I already said.
2) He never says that Pittsburgh is larger, population wise, than Atlanta.
3) He says that, "Appalachia surrounds Atlanta," which it doesn't. The mountain range runs to the west, from north to south, of Atlanta.
4) The elevation is because it's a capital, not because of its being in the mountain, because it's not.
He's speaking in generalities, some obviously wrong and yet you focus on them for some reason? Why, to prove something to me or yourself?
Now you rewatch it.
I'm from Robbinsville NC, and have to say the way you pronounce Appalachia made it hard to watch the video. ;) As soon as the industry left our area, starting in the mid 80s, our towns died. Main Street was thriving when I was young, it is dilapidated, boarded up store fronts now. The only thing that brings money into the area now is tourism that is mainly controlled by outside influence and provides very little for locals.
It's a difference of gold vs coal when it comes to East coast mountains and west coast. Even just the prospect of gold, made investors pour money into infrastructure and communities. Meanwhile, coal companies had a company store, and essentially control over every element.
So how do you explain New England?
Im from southestern ky, many areas are overlooked by government because of how much needs to be invested.
Big comanies use labor in the areas to benefit theirselves until people start getting smarter and realizing how bad they are getting treated
Appalachians pronounce it App-uh-latch-uh NOT App-uh-lay-sha. Thank you.
Thank you for pointing that out. You can always spot an outsider or (flat lander) when you hear them call those beautiful hills App-uh-lay-sha..Although I think it's mostly Northerners who use the "lay" pronunciation...
Thank you, I was checking out the comments to see if anyone caught how he pronounced Appalachia. Mostly outsiders (not from Southern Appalachia) are the ones that don't get it right.
He pronounces _Appalachia_ the same way I do. It is also how I have usually heard it pronounced. I think either pronunciation is acceptable.
No we all dont
@@skeemeastwood9075 - Thank you for your non sequitur.
Great content! Also,it would have been beneficial to delve into the economic marginalization of Appalachia since pre colonial America. The best most fertile farm land in mid Atlantic states, North/south Carolina, Virginia and Georgia specifically were owned by a few southern planter elite families. They tended to keep the land between themselves, via marriage or inheritance. New immigrants, mostly scotch Irish, were pushed to the outer regions. This isolated mountainous region was an automatic struggle and not widely conducive for general agriculture.
You don’t know what you are talking about. That rich farm land you speak of. Is often on ground so steep you can’t farm it. That comes from an actual farmer who lives in that region. And no there weren’t any rich landowners in the Appalachian Mountains. Just poor dirt farmers. Just like now. Our secret is “ live and let live “. You outsiders should give it a try. No better path to living in harmony.
@@mdutton7567 You don’t know what you’re responding to. Read my comment again, and work on not being so knee jerking with your reactions. And don’t assume I’m not tied to the Appalachian region.
@@mikeymasters8459 I know what you’re saying is bullshit
@@mdutton7567 Feelings aren’t facts Duhtton. Lmao
One of my favorite regions. Former resident of Williamsport pa, Atlanta ga and Greer sc. West Virginians need to forget about coal and find a new economic driver.
I'm surprised tourism isn't bigger in West Virginia. That state looks beautiful, yet that state historically seem to only care about coal and nothing else. What gives?
I have been saying for a long time that WV should focus more on nuclear energy. They know more than the average person about energy. There are tons of uranium and thorium deposits in the mountains. It is time people start looking towards the future and investing in it. WV could easily become an economic power house, literally. It could set up tons of plants and supply energy to all the states around it.
It wasn't just coal. There was steel, glass, farming (mostly in the Eastern Panhandle) and, earlier, oil & gas. The entire State's economic history has been that of resource extraction or otherwise using nature. Frankly i don't think it can do much better, without angering a big portion of the residents that prefer living a quote on quote "backwards" life.
Pittsburgh itself is only about 300,000 people. They are pulling in a very big very outlying area to come up with a number like 2 million.
I live in SC at the most eastern tip of the blue ridge mountains. My grandmother's family were mountain folk. (Go see Campbell's covered bridge if you ever find yourself in Greenville county!) And they came from poor people, who came from poor people. My grandmother was the first of her family to go to college.
Even the Appalachian people don't care enough about Appalachia to pay for good schools, public services, and ways to attract businesses..
Is like they don't want to be more successful ..
Miner’s economy generally was tokenized to keep the miners and their families dependent on their employers, the mining companies. Each territory having their own tokens. Of course, with zero exchange and completely inclusivity to each “economy.”
Edit: Go look into company scrips and coal and logging industries.
I like how you say thank you in the end, very wholesome
As someone from Eastern KY, we hate the yuppies because they took our stuff, dispersed what they didn't keep to everyone else, and left us with nothing. This still continues (coal severance). Then, to add insult to injury, they tell everyone else we're barefoot and inbred while also suggesting our resources are killing everyone (cough cough, coal) which, ironically, are the very resources they stole to make their wealth. While ignorance can be the historical explanation, it was rather an attack on humility and hope. People came to Appalachia to escape the very types that abused us to begin with. Then, with the hope of a prosperous future, we let down our guard when someone flashed some dollars to only be abused in a way never thought possible.
With that said, I'd never live anywhere else. I'd rather struggle economically and have freedom to move about in these mountains than succumb to the daily hurdles of a city dweller any day. Ask me again why we don't trust people (esp politicians) and why there exist this strange, irrefutable urge to maintain a toughness and pessimism that is removed from the naivety of years long gone. In a country where people don't know if they're a boy or a girl, we simply hope to be left alone because we at least have that part figured out.
You have a victim mentality.
As a Canadian with American cousins I always had a sense of hope when traveling through the Appalachians to see my cousins on the main line northwest of Philadelphia
I personally care a lot about Appalachia, my dream is to go to West Virginia. Yet stemming from job issues family illness issues, childcare another stuff. I really can’t leave my city right now. But I hope to make it there before I pass on.
I live in Lee County, VA, the estern most county in the state. Thank you for making this video!
People can laugh make fun of us all they want but we are the strongest people this nation has. When this nation falls and it is we will be the last stand!
I’m from North Central Pennsylvania in the Allegheny Mountain range of the Appalachians. I love the mountains.
I would rather be poor money wise , rather than live in the hell hole cities of "growth". Concrete prisons. Born in the foothills of Smoky Mountains, traveled and lived all over the US. I will die in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, God willing.
I work in Asheville. This was a cool video to find in my recommended for sure.
My people I am Appalachian WV what other people think about us, doesn't concern us or bother us, it never has.
I recently read Alvin York’s autobiography, it’s crazy to think how isolated his area if Tennessee was prior to ww2
Then why the hell is everyone moving here. ??
In the Southern core they aren't, in cities like Huntsville they are- but cities like Huntsville are still the exception (and not very associated with Appalachia)
Generally what you hear is that the rich in California cant afford the life style they lead any more so they go to poorer parts of the country where they can afford massive houses and land and what not. (And those areas are not really appalichia, just has the name)
The government overlooks many areas, a haven more so for freedom
What about Knoxville? My city is packed full. People drive insane because of all these Yankees coming in in a rush. Not used to the old way of life being simple and taking it easy. These industrial cities have taught these people to consume consume consume. It’s what the media pushes.
They are driving up the taxes and the cost of living but they don't gaf, as long as they get what they want.
We live in East Tennessee and it's a beautiful area. If you're going to move here do it soon if possible. Housing prices are rising. It's especially good for retirees.
"When should I move there?" Yes.
WNC, NGA. Upstate SC are turning into the middles class belt of Appalachia where as WPA use to have that distinction. In WNC it's getting increasingly harder for local residents to afford property especially since remote work became a thing. It's a popular location for those from FL, CA, NY and the DC area. As the more developed and adjacent rural areas see growth, the towns with less reputation and migration become ghost towns as people move to the Piedmont or to the counties experiencing the growth. Some WNC towns have become exclusively for the wealthy and affluent pushing the generational residents out. It's interesting watching the change and how the demographic is permanently altered. Land at one time you couldn't give away has become a premium for the rich and rootless.
I live in N GA BR Mountains and the same situation here
1:45 im thinking of Chattanooga cause i been wishing i could move there for years
Definitely what happens when the coal, car, and raw materials industries left. That being said, absolutely DO NOT talk about what happens in the woods after dark. We don’t go there and we didn’t see anything.
Huh
@@dancer2they're saying that if you hear something strange in the forests of Appalachia, no you didn't
@dancer2 from the indians time to the colonists time to modern times, there has been some weird shit going on in those mountains
Are you talking about Missing 411? Thats some pretty creepy stuff
Not everyplace is deteriorating. Kingsport and Johnson City TN is doing fine. I moved here 3 years ago. A house down the road just sold for 400 K. Was built in 1929 and fixed up by a flipper. Sold in about 2 weeks. There are lot of jobs here for those willing to work manufacturing jobs. Not glamorous jobs , but jobs. if your standard of living is not too high.
Right at the end you said 'from the Catskills in NY...' - are the Adirondacks not considered Appalachia? Just curious.
I've read that the Adirondacks are not geologically related to Appalachia but rather they're part of the Canadian Shield
@@eskegit2876 interesting and thanks
What people don't like about WV makes it special to me. Big city riots do not affect us, and the mountains are beautiful.
I hope ppl care little enough to not move their failing policies here, we are growing too fast, though I do want fiber internet where I live
I grew up in the foothills of the Appalachias. Its where my home and heart are. Let a foreign invader land on our east coast, they might take the coast... but they'll never see the other side of the Appalachians 🇺🇸
In my opinion one of the most beautiful areas in the country. The appalachian trail is amazing hiking in every area.
Lived in the area all my life, I just wish I lived closer to the mountains.
Glad Arkansas is doing more to add mountain biking trails, they just need to up the outdoor game in these areas too.
Great video! Please do more like this. Don't forget SE Ohio Region. Thanks!
Atlanta is not Appalachian.
Atlanta is a disaster.
@@DannysouthernerWhy so?
That’s why he said “which lies just outside of Appalachia”
@@caleboutlar8502probably crime but that's every large city.
Did bro just say that Greenville, SC is Appalachian?
Northern Greenville County is most certainly Appalachian, but not Greenville city.
I lived in Greenville Spartanburg sc it was growing with factories
It is. Michelin has their US HQ there, and ontop of that with Bosch & BMW in the area as well, ontop of it's quaint downtown, it's a wonderful area to live. However, I'm leaving it, due to the fact I have nothing here anymore except a big house I don't need and zero friends in the area, since I'm a transplant for the last 16 years so I'll be off to a better place to live soon enough. Home.