Appalachian Culture Research Paper

Is the Appalachian region really a unique culture? If one is arguing from a geography paradigm, the Appalachian Mountains are 1,500 miles across North American, from Quebec, Canada to northern Alabama. In total, 13 states are part of the Appalachian Mountain range (Pollard, 2003). If one looks at the culture from this point-of-view, then there really is no unique culture geography. Lewis and Billings (1997) discussed in the 1960s social scientists, which was funded by the government, were trying to enmesh the Appalachian culture to the rest of the United States; this plan was called “cultural modernization.” The belief was giving money, influences, power, and values to the Appalachia institutions, it would change the culture be more “modernized”;

The Appalachian Mountains and divided them into three sections: Allegheny/Cumberland plateaus, Blue Ridge, and Ridge and Valley. All of West Virginia, the counties in Maryland that is placed between the panhandles of West Virginia, the counties in Virginia that are boarding West Virginia, western Kentucky and Tennessee, and northern counties of Alabama makes up the Allegheny/Cumberland region (Rehder, 2004). The Ridge and Valley region is on the outer edges of the Mountains in the east. The Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, and Mississippi make up this region. This area is more urban than the other two regions where larger cities can be found in the Appalachian Mountains. The Blue Ridge small area located between Allegheny/Cumberland and the Ridge and Valley (Rehder, 2004).

Pollard (2003), whom is part of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), divided the Mountains into three sections: northern, central, and southern. The Northern region makes up New York, Pennsylvania, and most of West Virginia. Central region is southern counties of West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Finally the southern region makes up the Carolinas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama (Pollard, 2003). This model also takes into effect of both geography and culture when dividing the region into sections. This model is widely accepted and used when discussing the sub-cultures in

With a collectivist society, tradition and how one was raised in very close the person’s identity, and keeping those traditions in mind when making choices in one’s life, even when it comes to education. Gore and Wilburn (2010) studied academic achievements between Appalachian and non-Appalachian college students in Kentucky. What the study found was those in were from the Appalachian part of Kentucky used more collectivism when describing themselves, their childhood, and academic goals. An example is how non-Appalachians would say the town or city they were from; while Appalachians would say the county instead. When it came to academic goals, those in the Appalachian part of Kentucky was more likely to follow what their parents’ wishes. The non-Appalachians had more of plan of their own career, and view lower grade point averages (GPS) more negatively (Gore & Wilburn,