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If there is a difference between Midvale and New Philadelphia then that is about as abrupt as a change as it gets. Midvale is 6 miles south of New Philadelphia (admittedly had to look it up because never heard of Midvale and thought you meant Midland, Pa., which is very Appalachian).
From my experiences, kind of agree with where Ohio cultural divides are. I personally think once you get south of Canton, it's steongly Appalachian but maybe New Philadelphia is the better dividing line ... and going from New Philadelphia to East Liverpool or Steubenville (and points south) all seems very Appalachian in culture. I've always thought Mansfield was the northwest edge Appalachia, but I can see where it is like Canton being in the cultural blend between Appalachian/Midwest/Great Lakes. Still, I think Mansfield and Canton are good examples of places where it's hard to peg what "region/subregion" you are in but go 20 miles from each and it is clear.
As far as O-high-O vs Ah-hi-ya thing. That seems more a rural vs. urban thing more than geographic. I've definitely heard the Ah-hi-ya "accent" but never have been able to pin point where it is most prevalent. The only thing I know for sure is O-high-o is how it's pronounced by 99 percent of people in Northeast Ohio.
It's not exactly an abrupt change at the New Phila/Midvale border. There are definitely some hilljack (as we call it) types in New Phila, Dover and Tusky, but it's definitely more Appalachian once you roll down past Midvale heading towards the Twin Cities (Uhrichsville and Dennison). It's only six miles on the map, but as it is here in the Pittsburgh metro, those six miles can take you to a different place in more ways than one.
Regarding North Eastern Ohio: for many of them Canton is some sort of an outpost between Cleveland and Columbus, lol. (Cincinnati and Toledo kind of doing their own thing(s).) Case in point: my folks are from NE Ohio. When my parents were about to be married and my dad brought my his future bride down to the place that she'd soon be calling home her first thoughts about it were, "where the heck have you brought me?" Living in a small, rural town in the foothills of the Appalachians was such a culture shock for a young woman who was raised in a college town in NE Ohio and thought that she'd be spending her adult life in a place like Hudson.
It's funny that you bring up Midland, though. In so many ways, Beaver County (and Washington County) often remind me very much of home.
But the people in that 20 minute span don't really change.
They can change in that the guy out on the flats is going to have a nice spread. A productive farm... and he is going to be surrounded by other families with nice farms.
The guy 20 minutes away lives up in the holler and isn't going to have any nice farm. Usually a trailer surrounded by mountains... and you have to go over to the next holler to find another guy who lives in a trailer. That guy won't have a nice farm either. Maybe a punkin' patch.... but not 600 acres of soybeans like them fellers out on the flats.
It's not exactly an abrupt change at the New Phila/Midvale border. There are definitely some hilljack (as we call it) types in New Phila, Dover and Tusky, but it's definitely more Appalachian once you roll down past Midvale heading towards the Twin Cities (Uhrichsville and Dennison). It's only six miles on the map, but as it is here in the Pittsburgh metro, those six miles can take you to a different place in more ways than one.
Regarding North Eastern Ohio: for many of them Canton is some sort of an outpost between Cleveland and Columbus, lol. (Cincinnati and Toledo kind of doing their own thing(s).) Case in point: my folks are from NE Ohio. When my parents were about to be married and my dad brought my his future bride down to the place that she'd soon be calling home her first thoughts about it were, "where the heck have you brought me?" Living in a small, rural town in the foothills of the Appalachians was such a culture shock for a young woman who was raised in a college town in NE Ohio and thought that she'd be spending her adult life in a place like Hudson.
It's funny that you bring up Midland, though. In so many ways, Beaver County (and Washington County) often remind me very much of home.
Lol, I only know of Midland because a girl I met way back in the day was from there. She told me she was from East Liverpool. When I first went down there to meet back up it was a Pa address. But I guess Midland people go to East Liverpool HS (probably the only area where the local school is in another state in Ohio).
Anyway, that whole Appalachian area has always been cool/fascinating place for me, and a good chunk of eastern Ohio is definitely within that region even though most of the state is outside it.
Lol, I only know of Midland because a girl I met way back in the day was from there. She told me she was from East Liverpool. When I first went down there to meet back up it was a Pa address. But I guess Midland people go to East Liverpool HS (probably the only area where the local school is in another state in Ohio).
Anyway, that whole Appalachian area has always been cool/fascinating place for me, and a good chunk of eastern Ohio is definitely within that region even though most of the state is outside it.
You're correct in your assumption that once upon a time and not so long ago, Midland kids went to East Liverpool for high school (it *was* the only district in Pennsylvania where this occurred.) They now attend Beaver Local.
But yeah, that part of Ohio is fascinating with an interesting history that ties in neatly with the rest of Appalachia. Not as mountainous/hilly, not quite as isolated as some parts (thank goodness for I-77 and I-70!), but still has both the best and the worst parts of the region.
I voted Pennsylvania. I think any state that borders WV has a fair case but so much of North Central to the entire western third of Penna is so Appalachian its hard to discount it!
There's a lot of national misunderstanding about what "Appalachia" really is or means depending on context.
There's the geographical/natural features definition, which does run between Maine and the Deep South states of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi; then there's the "cultural" region, really in Central Appalachia, where you find the highest concentrations of (white) poverty, low educational attainment and lack of economic opportunity in the US.
This map from the Appalachian Regional Commission really documents both the geographical expanse (excluding New England) and the cultural heart of the region, where you'll find the most "distress":
That being said, in the context that most folks imagine "Appalachia," I'm putting Kentucky in 2nd place, with Tennessee in 3rd.
I hope y'all realize that the borders defined by the ARC were greatly expanded to ensure more congressional support. That map does not represent cultural reality.
I would say Tennessee then Pennsylvania then Kentucky.
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Living in a small, rural town in the foothills of the Appalachians was such a culture shock for a young woman who was raised in a college town in NE Ohio and thought that she'd be spending her adult life in a place like Hudson. 
