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Appalachia
The mountain cultural region of the eastern interior
Appalachia is the cultural region of the Appalachian Mountains, a band of highland country running from southern New York down through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the western Carolinas into northern Georgia and Alabama. Defined by rugged ridges, hollows, and a history of relative isolation, it developed a distinctive folk culture - bluegrass and old-time music, Scots-Irish settlement, and a fierce tradition of independence.
Coal mining shaped its modern economy and its hardships, bringing boom, bust, and long stretches of poverty that prompted the creation of the federal Appalachian Regional Commission. The landscape is among the most biodiverse in the temperate world, from the Great Smoky Mountains to the New River Gorge. The region today balances its mining legacy against tourism, outdoor recreation, and a celebrated craft and music heritage.