The Appalachia (West Virginia) & The Rockies (Idaho) (living, best, state)

[DANNYY]

I'd like to get as much personal experience in on this thread, and as much information about both as possible.

I've been to the Rockies before, in Colorado. But to my memory I haven't been directly in the Appalachia region yet, and from pictures I can tell its definitely a culture of its own and something worth checking out one day.

Can anyone share experiences growing up, or having spent time in either or both? How is the culture different than a region that isn't derived from mountainous terrain? What are some of the best benefits of growing up or living there?

And of course, pictures are welcome. And this isn't just restricted to West Virginia & Idaho like the title suggests, it can include any of the other states like Pennsylvania or Colorado where these mountain ranges are.

But I'll throw some criteria out just to keep this thread going legitimately:
- Scenery
- Wildlife (what kinds are visible)
- Type of housing
- Culture
- The states involved
- Anything else you can think of

I do encourage personal experiences and stories to be shared if anyone here has that experience in either place or even one of the two.

[Drover]

I briefly lived in northern Appalachia (Pittsburgh). The culture around there was basically post-industrial, blue-collar, union-sympathizing, socially conservative, not very forward-thinking. Pittsburgh and the urbanized area around it has received a small but growing influx of transplants who are starting to bring some new ideas and fresh blood to the area, but the rural areas outside of it are still culturally and economically stagnant.

My perception was that northern West Virginia was basically the same as the outlying areas around Pittsburgh. I didn't spend much time in southern West Virginia but best I can gather it starts to get a little more stereotypically "Deliverance"-style down there with isolated, insular populations scattered hither and yon coping with deeply ingrained multi-generational poverty and welfare dependency with no prospects that the situation will improve any time soon. Notwithstanding the welfare dependency, the culture seems to grow increasingly individualistic and embracing of a "self-reliance" ethic as you move from north to south.

Scenery: very nice. I prefer the Appalachian mountains to the Rockies because they're more embracing than imposing. You're part of the landscape rather than an interloper, and you don't get that sense like nature can crush you like a bug if it were so inclined. That's how I see it anyway.

Type of housing: anything from East Coast-style rowhouses in Pittsburgh proper to wood-frame foursquares in the city and everywhere else. Lots of brick homes too. Some are large and stately, some are modest. Roofs on single-family homes seem to be rather steeply pitched in the area, as if to mimic the hilly terrain. Oftentimes they have unconventional layouts caused by being built on an uneven lot -- basically built up the side of a hill. Here's a picture of a typical home in a northern Appalachian town.

[tpk-nyc]

The Appalachians go all the way up to Maine and into Canada. It's an enormous and diverse area.

I have family in West Virginia and have spent a lot of time there. One interesting thing is that the same people have been there for a very long time (by American standards). Some people move out, but not a lot of people move in. It has a very strong sense of social history, more than anywhere else I've lived.

My mother's family is quite prominent in West Virginia (they used to own a number of coal mines). I'm sometimes introduced to "cousins." When I ask how we're related, the answer is is: "Oh, they married so-and-so in the 1870s." The area was settled by the Scots-Irish, and it still maintains a Scottish sense of family and clan.

[BPerone201]

I like the comparison (2 states that get little love)
WV is one of the most beautiful states in the nation. I've never been to ID, but I know the beauty there is dramatic and unlike no other-

WV has the vegetation that's unbeatable in comparison, but ID's mountains are far more dramatic- ID is the winner

- Scenery: ID in general, WV in fall
- Wildlife (what kinds are visible): ID (Elk, Deer, Buffalo, Wild Horses, Mountain Goats, Gizzly/Black bears, moose) WV probably has more Black bears and deer though.
- Type of housing: ID
- Culture: WV
- The states involved: WV

[HtownLove]

My bestie lives in Huntington. Driving through WV both in late Spring and mid Fall is really really special.

You could not pay me to live there, but visiting is a must

[Chriscross309]

I'm from WV

West Virginians are hardworking, friendly, and helpful people----for the most part

We live and play in the mountains, and love to ski, hunt, fish, and hike!

Our culture is very regional! Northern WV is like Pittsburgh, Southern like Kentucky and Virginia, Eastern like Maryland and Virginia, and Western like Ohio! But we are all brought together through rich heritage and history.