why is Maryland so Appalachian in culture? (Baltimore, Frederick: 2015, how much)

[WhoDatInMD]

Originally Posted by thealfa

is it just me or is everyone trying to deny this fact, just because...? Or the fact that no one's ever brought it up?

I noticed such culture in Howard, Anne Arundel, P.G., and Montgomery Counties. These are the more "progressive" counties per say so I would assume it gets worse outside of these areas.

There's a lot of anger from both sides (black and white) and the rest seem to be affected as well and tend to choose a side (by which neighborhood they moved to, etc.).

Most MD locals I know have asked me why I moved here, of all places! They too aren't as crazy about this place but it's "hometown" to them therefore they have to "represent" (it's what they "know"). What's wrong with this Appalachian state?

Can you describe what your definition of Appalachian culture is? I'm not even from here but the areas you mentioned are far from my idea of what that culture is/looks like: mountains, forests, rivers, farming, fishing, people living on/with the land, little to no city lights obstructing the nighttime sky.

[jmking]

Originally Posted by WhoDatInMD

Can you describe what your definition of Appalachian culture is? I'm not even from here but the areas you mentioned are far from my idea of what that culture is/looks like: mountains, forests, rivers, farming, fishing, people living on/with the land, little to no city lights obstructing the nighttime sky.

It's all that moonshining goings on in Montgomery county.

[thealfa]

OK I'm curious what the closest Appalachian "spot" from Baltimore so I can go visit and see for my self the difference then. Is Morgantown WVA the closest Appalachian "spot" from Baltimore? I want to see for my self. Do these areas generally have the basic necessities like gas stations and or motels so I can spend the weekend in true Appalachia.

[Borntoolate85]

There's Garrett and Allegany counties which is closer than Morgantown. Cumberland for the "urban" style, Deep Creek for the touristy style, and the rest of the area for a more authentic experience. Washington and western Frederick is sort of "quasi-Appalachian" due to some more transplants, but like westsideboy has said many times, the true culture occurs west of Sideling Hill (a few miles west of Hancock.)

[westsideboy]

Yup, you don't have to even leave the state. Come up and spend a day and a night in Cumberland to get the small city urban Appalachian experience. Plan a drive down the Rt. 36 mine heritage route through the George's Creek valley, catch a bite to eat, do some shopping........if you can find a commercial business that is still in operation, then head up through the Savage River Forest to Oakland to see wild, sparcely populated Appalachia, and the county seat of Garrett County. It will be a mix of tourists visiting from the Lake, and the locals.

I suspect you will be rather shocked by what you see. At minimum, there won't be places in PG, Montgomery, Howard, or Anne Arundel County that will come even close to the amount of vacant buildings, de-populated towns, and lack of in-migration over the last 60 years. George's Creek especially will be informative about the major difference between Appalachia and the rest of the state. I guess only the lower shore and parts of Baltimore City are comparable for pure shock value.

[papichulo2]

wow this post is another interesting one! i wish i could climb the mountains of maryland and go hiking and scuba diving it sounds really fun! Where in maryland can this happen? not PG anne arundel or montgomery i know that

[U146]

Only Western Maryland is Appalachian. And I don't believe in a uniform Appalachian culture. It's either Southern or Northern. Appalachia is a geologic region. That's it.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by U146

Only Western Maryland is Appalachian. And I don't believe in a uniform Appalachian culture. It's either Southern or Northern. Appalachia is a geologic region. That's it.

Many don't. Count me among them. The same mountains that divided us from the rest of the world, divided us from each other.

That said, I do believe there such a thing as Appalachian culture, but like Southern culture or "Northern" culture, there is no standard measure or litmus test other than:

1. Self identity
2. and for Appalachia, geology. A large part of the Appalachian-American experience is the reality of living in the mountains themselves. Man is small, nature is big, the mountains define how the land can be used, limit the ability of man to transform them into generic cookie-cutter habitations. We use our mountains like a ship uses lighthouses, they give us our bearings and show us the way home.

I have literal panic attacks in flat places.......can't ever figure out where I am relative to other nearby things. I feel lost all the time. All I can see is stuff at ground level, and without elevation, no ability to gain perspective on the world around me.

[North Beach Person]

I've lived (grew up in) Appalachia and now live by the Chesapeake. Are there differences in the base culture between the two? Yes.


You have hillbillies and shorebillies. Much is the same while much is different.

[Scratch33]

The banjos start getting loud just west of Fredneck.