[Augustine23613]

I grew up in southern Appalachia. Keep in mind that ‘Appalachia’ is a vast area stretching from southern New York to northern Mississippi, however, some generalizations are possible. The religion is overwhelmingly fundamentalist Christian and it is a part of daily life. Indeed, many rural areas are ‘dry’ because alcohol is seen as a great social and spiritual evil. (There are sizeable Catholic populations in the larger cities.) Socially, it is primarily rural, though keep in mind that Pittsburgh is in the middle of Appalachia and other large cities such as Cincinnati, Nashville, and Atlanta are on its periphery. There are many small cities of 25,000 to 100,000 people and these are the hubs of economic and cultural life. The people are generally friendly but it is not ‘Southern hospitality’ as such. Historically, the prime industries have been coal and steel but this is disappearing fast. Health standards are not as high as in more developed parts of the nation, but excellent health care is available in the urban centers and many patients are drawn from the adjacent mountain areas. The population is mostly descendants of British Isles nationalities (English, Scotch-Irish, Welsh, etc.) with significant German and Slavic pockets and much Indian ancestry. There is even an extended community of dark-skinned people in southern Appalachian usually called ‘Melungeons’; their origins are uncertain. I would add that Appalachia is a land of stunning natural beauty and biodiversity; I have travelled in virtually every county of central and southern Appalachia and always find new places to explore when I go there.

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Name : Augustine23613, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 39, City : Columbia, State : SC, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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