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Parkersburg is along the Ohio River too, the land is more rolling hills than mountains. The official definition of Appalachia includes the entire state, but the western border is more similar to eastern Ohio than it is to the "real mountains" of the Potomac Highlands region.
Parkersburg is along the Ohio River too, the land is more rolling hills than mountains. The official definition of Appalachia includes the entire state, but the western border is more similar to eastern Ohio than it is to the "real mountains" of the Potomac Highlands region.
Huntington is actually still considered Appalachian. The whole entire state of WV is Appalachian as well as parts of KY, OH, PA, MD, VA, NC, SC, NC, GA, NY, and maybe even a few others. My mind gets kind of fuzzy at 3:30 AM. ha ha
Thanks. I thought that the elevation in Huntington is 548 ft. or something like that. So, I didn't think it was high in the Appalachian Mountains.
Don't let the average elevation fool you. The entire state is made up of hills and mountains so that no matter where you go, there are only two directions ─ up and down. I've never seen any really flat land of more than a few acres in the entire state, and that's usually along a stream between hills. They call it bottom land, and it's the most valuable for farming. The closer you get to the Ohio River the lower the elevation becomes, but it's still hilly in all directions. The hills are just rounder on top. However, you could make an argument that the Mountain State doesn't really have mountains at all if you only consider elevation. The highest elevation is less than 5,000 feet. The Rio Grande Valley in Albuquerque is over 5,000 feet and is flat. The lowest foothills that surround the relatively flat Las Vegas Valley are all higher than the highest mountain in West Virginia. We look up from the valley at 2,000 feet when it is 90º and see snow on the 12,000 foot peak of Mt. Charleston.
Even the "mountains" of Vermont and New Hampshire are higher in elevation than those in West Virginia. But westerners scoff at the idea that any eastern state has mountains. I usually tell them to go there and start walking and then tell me what they think.
Mountains are really about terrain more than altitude. The mountains in West Virginia can be very rugged, but regardless of whether they are round or craggy, they are the dominant feature of the entire state. Wherever you are in West Virginia you are completely surrounded by mountains. You are either standing on one, or about to go over, around, or down one, and unless you can get on top of the highest one, you can never see very far because there is always a hill blocking the view of more hills.
By the way: The Appalachian Mountains run from Maine to Georgia and are made up of different chains, like the Allegheny chain which is really what most of West Virginia has. There is no real place called Appalachia unless you consider New York and the rest of New England as Appalachia too. But the way it is used only applies to us poor, ignorant, barefooted hillbillies from south of the Mason-Dixon Line. It's no better than using the 'N' word when referring to persons of color. I never heard the term until JFK used it in his 1960 campaign to win the hearts and minds of West Virginians. Some of us understood his meaning and were offended by it, as it is a condescending, derogatory term, couched in hidden meaning; but it seems to have have been bought into by many of those who agree that they can't take care of themselves (which was the underlying meaning when he called us Appalachians, a PC term for hillbillies), and they think they need the government to take care of them. They forget that the government couldn't run a popsicle stand. And I say that from having worked in state government since 1991.
[quote=Buzz123;5208068]Don't let the average elevation fool you. The entire state is made up of hills and mountains so that no matter where you go, there are only two directions ─ up and down. I've never seen any really flat land of more than a few acres in the entire state, and that's usually along a stream between hills. They call it bottom land, and it's the most valuable for farming. The closer you get to the Ohio River the lower the elevation becomes, but it's still hilly in all directions. The hills are just rounder on top. However, you could make an argument that the Mountain State doesn't really have mountains at all if you only consider elevation. The highest elevation is less than 5,000 feet. The Rio Grande Valley in Albuquerque is over 5,000 feet and is flat. The lowest foothills that surround the relatively flat Las Vegas Valley are all higher than the highest mountain in West Virginia. We look up from the valley at 2,000 feet when it is 90º and see snow on the 12,000 foot peak of Mt. Charleston.
Thanks! For your time and information about the elevation, mountains. the term "Appalachian" and West Virginia. I would love to live in or near the mountains. Very beautiful scenery and fresh air. I am weary about living in the snow and driving on icy winding mountain roads. I am also afraid of heights and driving up a loop and down every day would terrify me. I am all right with rolling hills and mountains in the backdrop. But, not living in elevations of 3,000 feet or higher. I would need to plan a trip to WV, and see for my myself where I would like to live. I perfer lakes and inland regions in WV to the coastal communities of FL or SC. I did watch a documentary about the Appalachian mountains hoted by Billy Ray Cirus which included KY, WV ,TN and other states you mentioned. Talked about the culture of the people and traditions brought down by previous generations. I remember the whiskey that is brewed there and shipped all over the world. The music and its orgins in country and bluegrass. I never thought of Appalachian as being a derrogatory term like hillbilly or hick. To me, it is a geographical region that expands over several states.
If someone calls me a hillbilly... I'd give them an uppercut right under the chin....
Apparently it is a slur to some people, no matter where it originated from.
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Mountains
