Appalachia
This Web guide is a source for anyone seeking information about the region known as Appalachia. Geographically, Appalachia includes all of West Virginia and parts of these twelve states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Links to a variety of topics are included, and all of the links are from educational, government, or organizational sources.
Introductory Information
A brief introduction to the Appalachian Region, with links to a map showing the region, and a list of Appalachian counties within each state is available at: ARC - The Appalachian Region
The Appalachian Regional Commission was established by Congress in 1965 to support economic and social development in Appalachia. ARC is a partnership composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a presidential appointee representing the federal government. Information about ARC programs, grants, news, events, publications, and regional research and reports, is available here.
South Carolina and Appalachia
The Appalachia Council of Governments provides support services to the UpState Region of South Carolina. This site contains community specific information on jobs, relocation, arts, events, and more.
South Carolina UpState Information is a part of the Appalachia Council of Government. SC UpState Info has thirteen categories of information for each of the six Appalachian counties of South Carolina. Categories include ecomomic development, employment, education, libraries, and more. The Appalachia Education Laboratory is a regionally oriented nonprofit organization working to improve teaching and learning through research, development, and services. Information on AEL's various programs is available, and it is also possible to search the ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools database.
The National Center for Education Statistics prepared a statistical analysis report in 1997 titled "Characteristics of Small and Rural School Districts." The report contains statistics on characteristics of schools and students, revenues/expenditures, and student/teacher ratios in small rural school districts.
Economics
The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture prepared a report, "Understanding Rural America" in 1995. The report contains information on Rural Change, Rural Diversity, Rural County Types, and more. The report is also available for order in print.
Socioeconomic data is also available from the ARC's Regional Research and Reports page. Data on Population Change, Employment Rates, Income Rates, Infant Mortality Rates, and Poverty Rates in Appalachia is available, as are various PDF reports.
Information about mining, including links to Federal Mining Agencies, is available from the Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration homepage.
Cultural Information
The Library of Congress American Folklife Center was created by Congress in 1976 to help "preserve and present American Folklife." Through the American Memory Project, there are collections available online, such as "Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier: The Henry Reed Collection" and "Quilts and Quiltmaking in America, 1978-1996."
The Appalachian Cultural Museum, a part of Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina works to represent the life and culture of the Blue Ridge Region. There are exhibits online, information about special events, educational programs, and more.
The Archives of Appalachia is available from East Tennessee State University. "The Archives of Appalachia seeks to collect and preserve those records having permanent value in documenting the rich cultural, economic, historic, political, and social fabric of life in Appalachia." The Archives of Appalachia is one part of ETSU's Center for Appalachian Studies and Services.
Tourism
The Blue Ridge Parkway site, from the National Park Service has information on travel basics, camping, lodging, activities, facilities, fees, and permits. There is also an excellent map of the Parkway (in PDF format) that shows the entire Parkway, from its beginning near Waynesboro, VA to its end near Cherokee, NC.
Information on the Appalachian Trail is available from the National Park Service and from the Appalachian Trail Conference. The NPS site has contact information for visitors, environmental assessments, and permits, fees, and limitations news. The Appalachian Trail Conference site has state by state information on the Trail, and has a section on the History of the Trail.
Shaunna E. HunterUniversity of South Carolina
College of Library & Information Science
CLIS 734 - Fall 2000