What is Appalachia? Appalachia is a region that encompasses parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and all of West Virginia. A certain mythology has grown up around the region. Legends about Moonshine, Clan Feuds, and illusions to inbreeding abound.
The truth is, the settlers who live here are mostly descended from Scots-Irish. They were intelligent, if not always articulate. They possessed a “common sense” about their mostly agrarian lifestyle and valued that knowledge over formal education.
There were mining booms in Appalachia which caused the region to prosper for a time, but as that industry ground to a halt, so has the economy. Due to the terrain, there are real geological factors that make it difficult to ship raw materials in or out.
The U.S. government has long recognized that Appalachia is an economically distressed area. March 9, 1969, according to Wikipedia…
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