Appalachian Studies

Resources in American History ranging from general sites to specific event information.

While significant improvements have been made in key economic factors such as poverty, per capita income, and high school graduation rates, Appalachia still lags behind the rest of the nation on average. In order for the Region to recover from economic disruptions, address the substance abuse crisis, and attract additional investment, more work is needed.

The purpose of the Appalachian Diabetes Control and Translation Project is to reduce the effect of diabetes among people who live in high risk (distressed) communities in Appalachia.

Over the past several years, research has focused on the increasing morbidity and mortality from three main causes—alcohol, prescription drug and illegal drug overdose; suicide; and alcoholic liver disease/cirrhosis of the liver, which have been referred to as “deaths of despair” or “diseases of despair.” The goal of this study was to analyze the impact of the diseases of despair on mortality within the Appalachian Region.

The term "Appalachian music" is in truth an artificial category, created and defined by a small group of scholars in the early twentieth century, but bearing only a limited relationship to the actual musical activity of people living in the Appalachian mountains.

The Appalachian Trail is a 2,180+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.

The Appalachian Region includes 420 counties across 13 states. Learn more about the ARC program in each state, including contact information, state-specific stats, ARC impact data, state strategies and more.

Since 2001, over 2,350 students from 22 colleges and universities across Appalachia have participated in the Appalachian Teaching Project (ATP). Administered by East Tennessee State University, ATP is an applied research training program for Appalachian college students to support economic development initiatives for their communities.

Among the oldest mountains in the world, the Appalachian chain is now relatively low but visually striking. The Appalachian Mountains appear striped because the ridges are forested, providing a dense and dark canopy cover, while the valleys are farmed with crops that generally appear as lighter-toned areas.