This week, we’re revisiting our episode “What Is Appalachia?” from December 2021. Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust belt and even the Northeast. The Appalachian Regional Commission defined the boundaries for Appalachia in 1965 with the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission, a part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. It was legislation that sought to expand social welfare, and some localities were eager for the money, while others resisted the designation. The boundaries and definition of Appalachia can now only be changed by an act of Congress.

Politically, Appalachia encompasses 423 counties across 13 states — and West Virginia’s the only state entirely inside the region.

That leaves so much room for geographic and cultural variation, as well as many different views on what Appalachia really is. 

For Inside Appalachia, we turned our entire episode over to the question, “What is Appalachia?” With stories from Mississippi to Pittsburgh, we asked people across our region whether they consider themselves to be Appalachian.

Mississippi

Credit: Caitlin Tan/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Bob Owens is a watermelon farmer outside New Houlka, in the northeastern part of Mississippi. Owens said he was aware that Mississippi is part of Appalachia, but that no one in the state would consider themselves Appalachian. “I consider myself the worst redneck you’ve ever seen,” Owens said. “I live in the area of the Appalachian mountain range — not part of it, but close to it. So I guess you call me a redneck Appalachian.” This is the general consensus among the people in Mississippi we spoke to.

Geographically, the foothills of the Appalachian mountain range are located in northern Mississippi. The state’s tallest point is Woodall Mountain, 806 feet in elevation. For reference, the highest point in North Carolina, Mount Mitchell, is more than 6,600 feet in elevation, eight times higher than Woodall Mountain.

Co-host Caitlin Tan spoke with Texas State University History professor Justin Randolph, who wrote an essay for “Southern Cultures” called “The Making of Appalachian Mississippi.” Randolph argues in his essay that Mississippi became part of Appalachia for political and racial reasons, as well as economic advantages the designation brought to the 24 counties in Mississippi that were included in the ARC’s boundaries.

In the 1960s, while some localities were clamoring to get into Appalachia, on the eastern edge of the region, some lawmakers fought to keep their counties outside the boundaries, including politicians in Roanoke, Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Appalachian Studies associate professor Emily Satterwhite said explaining to her students why some counties in Virginia are included in Appalachia, but others aren’t, is confusing. “

The students in front of me are wondering why they're not included,” White said.

Courtesy

Appalachia’s largest city is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When we asked people from that city to tell us if they consider it a part of Appalachia, about half said no. “I definitely do not feel that I am Appalachian culturally,” said Mark Jovanovich, who grew up just outside Pittsburgh’s city limits in the Woodland Hills area. “Personally, I would consider the city of Pittsburgh is sort of like a mini New York City. I guess we'd probably be lumped in as like a Rust Belt city, which makes enough sense, but definitely not Appalachian culturally.”

Writer Brian O’Neill disagrees. He wrote a book called The Paris of Appalachia: Pittsburgh in the Twenty-First Century. “My original title for the book was ‘I love Pittsburgh like a brother and my brother drives me nuts.’”

An editor advised him to change the title of his book to a phrase that he said is sometimes used to refer to Pittsburgh derisively. “I couldn't figure out why that should be a putdown, because Paris is nice. And Appalachia is a beautiful part of the world. And if we were called the Paris of the Rockies, we wouldn't run from that. So why would we run from this? Why don't we embrace it? So that became the title of my book.”

He said that geographically, Pittsburgh is clearly in the Appalachian Mountains. “I mean, this is one mountain range that stretches from Georgia to Maine. And the idea that it belongs only to the southern part of the mountain range defies logic to me,” O’Neill said.

How about you? Do you call yourself an Appalachian? Why or why not? Send us an email to [email protected].

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by John Wyatt, John R Miller, Alan Cathead Johnston, and Dinosaur Burps. Roxy Todd originally produced this episode. Bill Lynch is our current producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Alex Runyon was our associate producer on this original episode. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, New Year’s resolutions can be easy to forget, but some find that a visual reminder of these yearly goals helps with follow-through. Reporter Jack Walker visited a crafting event in Shepherdstown where folks assembled handmade collages to represent their new-year aspirations.

And our Song of the Week comes from Sarah Jarosz. In her third appearance on Mountain Stage, she performs “Good at What I Do” from her 2024 release, Polaroid Lovers.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content. 

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caelan Bailey, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Liz McCormick, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

On this West Virginia Morning, you don’t have to wait for spring for farm-to-table dinners featuring locally grown produce. Matt Welsch, the executive chef of West Virginia State Parks, spoke with Maria Young about a new dinner series at some of the state's most iconic and naturally beautiful sites.

And for the past 60 years, Kwanzaa has celebrated African American culture for the week between Christmas and the New Year. January 1 was the final day of Kwanza festivities. Javier McCoy, interim director of the West Virginia University Center for Black Culture, sat down with Chris Schulz to talk about the holiday.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

This week, a look back at some of the stories that shaped the show in 2024, like the story of an abandoned Fairmont Brine site in Marion County, West Virginia. It was a common hangout spot, but there’s a hidden danger. 

Also, food deserts are places where it’s hard to find nutritious food. Like disenfranchised neighborhoods in East Knoxville, Tennessee. 

And, not all bamboo is invasive. In fact, there’s a species native to Appalachia.

You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Starting in the late 2000s, fracking brought a natural gas boom to parts of Appalachia. But, the natural gas market has been erratic. And in some places, the oil and gas industry has left behind dangerous, radioactive sites. Justin Nobel is an investigative reporter who’s covered that issue.

In the fall of 2023, he wrote about it for Truthdig in a story titled “Inside West Virginia’s Chernobyl: A highly radioactive oil and gas facility has become a party spot in Marion County.” Mason Adams spoke with Nobel. 

Through the 20th century, lots of poor and largely Black neighborhoods were bulldozed and replaced with new highways and civic centers. Now some groups are looking at creative ways to repair those communities. In April, we featured a story about a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee. And a woman there who uses food as a way to heal generations of damage.

Folkways Reporter Wendy Welch had the story. 

There are a lot of different kinds of bamboo – more than 1,400 varieties. 

America has a native species of bamboo, but was nearly wiped out.

Last summer, Radio IQ’s Roxy Todd reported that a group of mostly volunteers is trying to restore the plant in southwestern Virginia.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Kaia Kater, Bob Thompson, Caleb Caudle, Noam Pikelny and Blue Dot Sessions.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from folkways editor Nicole Musgrave.

You can send us an email: [email protected].

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, host Trey Kay explores some of our most vexing questions in the end of year episode of Us & Them. He leans across the divide and uses one of the last bridges we have left in this splintered world - careful listening.

And in honor of the season, the staff at West Virginia Public Broadcasting has read the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas", better known as “Twas the night before Christmas,” from the first line.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and the Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

The headlines and issues front and center in 2024 have presented complex challenges. 

In this year end episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay uses his cold water open swimming to launch an exploration of some of our most vexing questions. He leans into listening, challenging himself to understand more about those across the divide. 

Kay hears from some who celebrate a victory, as others fear the days ahead. And, he’s reminded that our nation proclaims fundamental rights and freedoms, while struggling to uphold them equitably. Living through history is how one person describes these divided times. 

In a splintered world, listening is one of the last bridges we have toward understanding.

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the CRC Foundation.

Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.

"I was on a recent swim when I noticed a house along the lake with a large “Trump 2024” flag that read, “No More Bullsh***.” It unsettled me, disturbing the meditative calm I rely on during my swims. Trump has never been “my guy.” I’ve often criticized his behavior, his dishonesty and his inability to admit wrongdoing. Seeing that flag reminded me of my disappointment that so many Americans have elected to give Donald Trump a second chance in the White House. But as I swam, something shifted. This is not just about frustration; it’s an opportunity — it’s a sign. It’s a call to listen."

— Trey Kay

“And this is research that I’ve been doing recently, looking at how Democrats and Republicans feel about each other on a more radical level. This is based on research people have done in other countries, and one thing we know is that in countries where the political divide is aligned with ethnic or religious divides, the chance of violence increases, which is exactly what’s been happening in the U.S.

In my research, we ask questions like, ‘Do you think that people in the other party are a threat to the United States?’ and ‘Do you agree with the statement that they’re not just wrong in politics, they’re downright evil?’ We even ask whether the other party deserves to be treated as humans or if they behave like animals.

What we found were really high levels of support for these views. In dozens of national surveys since 2017, we have found that 80 percent of American partisans think the other side is a threat to the country, about 50 percent to 60 percent say they’re evil, and about one-third are willing to dehumanize people in the other party.”

— Lilliana Mason

“I just felt like there were so many women who were pro–Kamala Harris, and it almost seemed like I encountered the extremist side every time. I thought, ‘I’m not talking to an extremist; I’m not.’ Then there were people who were quiet about it. I felt like the quieter people were more pro–Donald Trump, but they didn’t want to say they were pro-Trump. They kept it to themselves.

I have a friend who has a class at Marshall, and one of his buddies asked him who he voted for, and he said Trump. A girl behind him started yelling at him in class, calling him names and saying he was stupid. I just didn’t want to encounter any of that, so I definitely kept to myself.”

— Bella Lane

“So, close to the election, we discussed in one of my political science classes what people were expecting. About two days before, I had a feeling that my home state, Michigan, might go to Trump, and it’s one of those important key states. I thought if he won Michigan, he might end up winning the election, so I wasn’t surprised by the outcome.

“However, there were parts of his platform that I was really disappointed to see might be implemented. Neither campaign offered a platform I was excited or optimistic about, especially regarding the Gaza genocide. Trump’s platform was even further from what I wanted. After inauguration, there may be choices I’ll have to grapple with, and I’ll need to figure out how to make my voice heard and support what I believe in, even if the administration doesn’t share those goals.

“I think a lot of people feel disappointment about the direction both parties are going, and I definitely experienced that.”

— Olivia Andrew-Vaughn

“[University of Pennsylvania’s student protest] guidelines include, but are not limited to, the requirement that you need two days notice to get permission to hold a demonstration unless you want to do it in a heavily trafficked area, in which case you need two weeks notice. They also include a ban on violent speech and, most astonishing to me as a child in the 1970s, a ban on the use of sidewalk chalk.

I can well imagine that many of the people who support this code — this ban on ‘violent’ speech — believe they’re protecting Jewish voices, because there were expressions of antisemitism on our campus. But every single rule to restrict speech will come back to bite you in the rear end. We’ve discovered that large fractions of our students are afraid to say what they think in class and outside of class.”

— Jonathan Zimmerman

The Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, produces an annual report measuring which American universities foster a climate of free speech. Its 2025 report shows many students are afraid to express their opinions on campus. One West Virginia University (WVU) student said, “I feel as a conservative my opinions are silenced for fear of being called names or assumed homophobic, racist, conspiracy theorist, etc. In class I cannot freely disagree if it goes against the expected norm.”

View FIRE’s 2025 College Free Speech Rankings Report.

This week, we go a-wassailing in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s kind of like Christmas caroling, with a kick.

Also, family recipes bring generations together. But what happens when you’ve got grandma’s potato candy recipe, and it doesn’t have exact measurements? 

And a new book explores the magical dark side of nature. 

You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

The winter holidays are a chance to get together and find some good cheer.

In Asheville, North Carolina, a group of friends has been taking part in the English singing tradition of wassailing. It’s like Christmas caroling, but older. And for some of the singers, wassailing has become a way to connect to their roots.

In 2023, Folkways Reporter Rebecca Williams had this story.

A lot of families have tried and true holiday recipes. Often, these treasured family recipes get passed down and are a way to connect with the past. But not all of them use exact measurements. So how do you know you’re getting the mix right, especially if you’ve never tried it? 

In 2023, Capri Cafaro brought us a story about Brenda Sandoval’s attempt to recreate her grandmother’s potato candy.

Leigh Ann Henion is an author from Boone, North Carolina. Her new book is about what happens after the sun goes down. It’s called, Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens and Other Marvels of the Dark.

Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Henion about staying up late and not so late to see wonders.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by The Sycomores, Bob Thompson, the Cappella Bell Choir and Bela Fleck and the flecktones.  

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from folkways editor Nicole Musgrave.

You can send us an email: [email protected].

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, North Carolina author Leigh Ann Henion speaks with Inside Appalachia’s Bill Lynch about exploring nature at night for her new book, “Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens and Other Marvels of the Dark.”

And our Song of the Week comes from Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill Hustle. They perform “Jim Devlin,” on this week's encore broadcast of Mountain Stage.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia’s Auditor J.B. McCuskey will become the state’s Attorney General in January. Statehouse reporter Caelan Bailey spoke with McCuskey about his career as a lawyer and delegate, and priorities for the incoming administration, and how he plans to follow the legacy of outgoing Attorney General and Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey.

And Christmas can be particularly difficult for those deployed away from home while serving in the military. Archival material shows how the Navy made the holiday special during the Great Depression — with a West Virginia connection.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

On this West Virginia Morning, after two years as West Virginia’s State Health Officer and four years working to improve the state’s health through the government, Dr. Matthew Christiansen resigned on Friday, Dec. 13. He spoke with health reporter, Emily Rice about his time in state government and what the future may hold.

And earthquakes are relatively infrequent in West Virginia, but one on Monday was strong enough to be felt in the Huntington area. Curtis Tate spoke with Tom Pratt, a U.S. Geological Survey research geophysicist, about seismic activity in the region.

Also in this episode, a Kanawha County teacher is awarded for his excellent work, and Gov. Jim Justice certifies the results of the General Election.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning