Appalachian People and Culture
During the 1800s there was a major discovery of Appalachia by local color writers and
journalists of the day who saw much in the region to entertain and amuse the American
public. The region was initially described in terms of romantic wonder. By the mid
1890s this became distress about the imagined degradation and degeneracy observed the
mountains. Mountain people were viewed as hopeless but proud, desperate but industrious,
noble first generation frontier people, yet somehow ignorant and degenerate. These
contradictory stereotypes have grown to be perceived as fact through American fiction
and other media (i.e. the film Deliverance, television show Beverly Hillbillies, comic
strip Li'l Abner, etc.) 

The truth is that life in the wilderness and the continuing isolation of Appalachian
people have made us different from most other Americans. The Appalachian value system
that influences attitudes and behavior is different from the norm, and similar to the
value system of an earlier America. Some of our more important values are religion;
family solidarity; individualism, self reliance and pride; love of place; modesty and
being oneself; sense of beauty; sense of humor; neighborliness; and patriotism. 

Nowadays Appalachian people are more diverse than ever, both rural and urban, but share
pride, values and heritage that makes us distinct. You can't separate our history from
the history of coal mining, oil, timber, and other extractive industries, and our own
collusion in the colonialism of our land. After years of prosperity most of these
industries have left, leaving the landscape scarred yet beautiful, exploited yet
underdeveloped. But we still have much to be proud of. Strong values of family, self-
reliance and pride have helped us bounce back from hard times even though others have
portrayed us in a negative manner.