Appalachia, Cultural region in Eastern United States.
Appalachia is a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches along the mountain range of the same name, covering parts of 13 states from southern New York down to northern Alabama. The landscape consists mainly of forested hills, narrow valleys with small rivers, and settlements that often sit in hollows or on hillsides, connected by winding roads.
European settlers, mainly from Scotland and Ireland, moved into these mountains during the 18th century because the fertile lowlands were already occupied. Coal mining began in the 19th century and reshaped the economy and society of the area for generations, with many mining families living in company towns.
In small towns and at festivals, you hear music played on banjos, fiddles, and mandolins by local musicians who learned these tunes from earlier generations. In workshops and at markets, craftspeople make baskets, quilts, and carved wooden objects using methods passed down through families, and visitors often watch demonstrations or buy finished pieces.
The region is best explored by car, as many communities lie along mountain roads that can be difficult to navigate during winter snowfall. Autumn is the most popular time to visit because of the fall foliage, while spring and summer offer milder weather for hiking and visiting small towns.
In some valleys, older residents still speak with a dialect that preserves words and pronunciations from Elizabethan English, long vanished in Britain. A few remote communities celebrate traditional folk dances and songs that have changed little since the first settlers arrived.
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