What city do you consider to be the capital of Appalachia?

[Thomas R.]

Originally Posted by CookieSkoon

It does have an Appalachian culture. As it's a culture in the Appalachians.

What you mean to say is that it doesn't have a southern Appalachian culture.

If it's a culture in the Appalachians, it's an Appalachian culture.

I think by "Appalachian culture" they're meaning both in and of. I read of some Hmong that settled in Appalachian North Carolina. This doesn't make the Hmong an Appalachian culture. They may be Appalachian by now, for all I know, but the point being geography and culture are different. (Possibly the Amish are a better example. There are Amish in Kentucky, but I doubt they are an "Appalachian culture" no matter where in Kentucky they are located. They are an Amish culture)

I'm thinking they're saying Pittsburgh is "in" and not "of" Appalachia. I don't know if they're thinking a North/South thing as you seem to assume, but they may. Still I think a person could accept parts of Pennsylvania, or even New Hampshire, as "Appalachian culture" and yet not accept Pittsburgh. For many Appalachia is strongly associated to rural life so no city would fit. For others it's largely linked to Scotch-Irish culture so possibly Pittsburgh wouldn't fit there. And so forth.

[CookieSkoon]

Originally Posted by Thomas R.

I think by "Appalachian culture" they're meaning both in and of. I read of some Hmong that settled in Appalachian North Carolina. This doesn't make the Hmong an Appalachian culture. They may be Appalachian by now, for all I know, but the point being geography and culture are different. (Possibly the Amish are a better example. There are Amish in Kentucky, but I doubt they are an "Appalachian culture" no matter where in Kentucky they are located. They are an Amish culture)

I'm thinking they're saying Pittsburgh is "in" and not "of" Appalachia. I don't know if they're thinking a North/South thing as you seem to assume, but they may. Still I think a person could accept parts of Pennsylvania, or even New Hampshire, as "Appalachian culture" and yet not accept Pittsburgh. For many Appalachia is strongly associated to rural life so no city would fit. For others it's largely linked to Scotch-Irish culture so possibly Pittsburgh wouldn't fit there. And so forth.

If you consider it like that, then parts of NY and Vermont and Maine would be Appalachian as well.

What I mean is, even to the rest of the northeast, areas in the mountains and hills are culturally unique to themselves in PA, NY so on. They are not like the counterpart areas of the south, but they are of the Appalachians in their respective regions.

The southern tier of NY is as different to the rest of NY as eastern TN is to the rest of TN. Know what I mean? Unique areas.

[memberX]

Southeastern Kentucky, southwestern West Virginia, extreme southwest Virginia, and northeast Tennessee have always seemed to be the "core" of Appalachia to me. The biggest city is Johnson City, TN, but the capital would be Pikeville, KY.

Northwest Georgia, where I was born, is considered Appalachian as well, but the above mentioned areas are where the culture is the most concentrated and unchanged.

[AuburnAL]

Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl

If we are truly talking about culture, Pittsburgh in the North and Asheville in the South.

Culture as in Appalachian culture is what I was going for. For example if a city has a municipal ballet company that should probably not be considered a reason for it to be the cultural capital of Appalachia.

[sandlapper]

Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Nashville come to mind.

[Ebck120]

Isn't Atlanta partly in the Appalachia?

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by Ebck120

Isn't Atlanta partly in the Appalachia?

I wouldn't count it as part of Appalachia because of its more urban culture, location, and role in the deep south

[CookieSkoon]

Originally Posted by Ebck120

Isn't Atlanta partly in the Appalachia?

Kinda.

It's on the Piedmont, which, is historically and culturally drastically different than the mountains and western hills. Even up north where sits the lower Bos-Wash corridor (NYC down) it is different.

The Piedmont had/has seen major urban development and wealthy plantations whereas the rest of the Appalachians didn't.

Atlanta has much more in common with the rest of the lowland south.

[Dotty19]

Originally Posted by Akhenaton06

I heard Pittsburgh referred to as the capital of Appalachia, but to me it seems to be more of an anomaly for the region. So I'd probably say Charleston, WV.

Charleston was the first city that came to mind for me also.