Are WVA & KY the South?
 

I'm working on a project where I'm trying to describe the coal mining area of West Virginia and Kentucky.

Does this region have a name? Would it be considered the South-eastern United States?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I want to say it's called the Appalachian region of the US (isn't it?)-- and many consider it the northernmost part of the "South". I guess I would too (I'm from southwestern Louisiana, which is the "real" South)....

Anyone else?

They appear to be part of the Appalachian region. Check out this site, it looks like it could be useful to you:

http://countrystudies.us/united-states/geography-13.htm

Hmmm -- Appalachia sounds OK, but is this phrase actually used and recognized by the residents (especially businesspeople) of this region?

Would you know where it referred to? I'm not sure I would.

Thanks for the site, btw.

Any other ideas?

I live in Maryland, which is considered part of the Mid-Atlantic. West Virginia and Kentucky are not part of the Mid-Atlantic States, nor are they considered "The South." I don't know about the rest of the country, but those of us who live in these parts are familiar with the term "Appalachia" as used to describe the region you asked about. Appalachia is also used to describe the region in the referenced website (which is maintained by the State Department btw, and you'd think they would know...) If you really want to be sure, you may want to call a local business and ask someone, say a post office branch. Good luck!

Thank you -- very helpful.

Eastern Kentucky lies in the coal mining Appalachian Mountain region, but the state of Kentucky doesn't consider itself "Applachian." We call ourselves southern but are considered to be the upper south by everyone else. Louisville calls itself the Gateway to the South, and the state lies south of the Mason-Dixon line.

I've always been told that any state that lies south of the Mason-Dixon line is in the South.

West Virginia is not part of the south because it was not a member of the Confederate States of America.

Kentucky west of the mountains is in the South. The people identify as Southerners and consider the Ohio River the dividing line. More importantly, the culture & attitude are "Southern."

Kentucky's two largest cities are Louisville & Lexington -- residents there *certainly* do not identify with Appalachia and would shudder at the thought of living in "the Appalachian region." They live "in the South."

During the Civil War era, Kentucky was officially a "border state" but most of its 120 counties sent men to join the Confederate army, not the Union. Another indication of its Southern heritage.

For the vast majority of Kentuckians, the eastern coal mining area of the Commonwealth is a world away -- isolated and separate.

Living in South Carolina, I don't consider Kentucky as a southern state.

I consider it to stand out as a place in its own right. You can't consider it northern, midwestern, southern, or Appalachia.

West Virginia is more Appalachia to me.

It depends on how you define your regions. Why not look at how the U.S. Census describes those states? Some people use a division into fairly large regions (south, midwest, west, northeast), while others use smaller regions such as Mid-Atlantic and Southeast and Southwest, and even upper Midwest. I would say WV and Kentucky are in the south (I live in NC). Think of it this way - WV used to be part of Virginia, and that is certainly a southern state. Kentucky to me is not that different from Tennessee. However, since your project relates to coal mining, I think you would be fine in going with "Appalachia."

Yes -- thank you all.

Virginia is an eastern state.

I stand corrected. According to www.EPA.gov, West Virginia is considered a Mid-Atlantic state.

"The Mid-Atlantic regional office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is responsible for programs in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the region has field operations and laboratories in Wheeling, W.Va., Annapolis and Ft. George G. Meade, Md., and Pittsburgh, Pa"

Again, regions can be very subjective for many states (as evidenced by the divergent opinions expressed here), and it often depends on the source of the division and how they organize. For example, if a company has four sales reps, it may divide the country into four large regions. If a government agency has offices in eight locations, they may establish eight regions. We in North Carolina definitely see Virginia as a southern state, although there is a difference between South and Deep South. The U.S. Census Bureau put West Virginia and Kentucky in the South Atlantic region, including also NC, SC, VA, DE, MD, DC, GA, and FL, but I have seen other sites that don't include those in this region because they aren't close enough to the ocean. I have also seen sites that put Kentucky in the South and WV in the Mid-Atlantic. Again, I believe if you consult sources that define states in broad regions, you will find WV and Kentucky in the South, the same as you will see for Texas. Then again, if the regions are taken a step farther, Texas may go into the Southwest. Historically, it can fit in either as well. Check out this site, if you want to see what I mean. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/regdef.html

Scurry
If you are researching the coal mining regions of Kentucky, I am sure you have found that it also has a Western Kentucky Coal Field, entirely different from the Eastern Kentucky region. The counties in the Eastern Coal field are considered a part of a part of Appalachia. I think the residents are well aware that the region is part of Appalachia, but you are much more likely to hear a reference to Eastern Kentucky or to a particular county.

Kentucky is a state of great geographical diversity as you go from east to west. Eastern Kentucky is a beautiful mountain region. Unfortunately, it has suffered from economic decline, greatly because of its economic ties to the Coal Industry.

Kentucky flattens as you go west into the Bluegrass Region of central Kentucky. The further west you go, the flatter the land.

Kentucky is considered a part of the Southeastern United States or the South. It is interesting that it would be a part of an Atlantic Region, given the distance from the ocean, unless you divided the entire country in to Atlantic-Pacific!

You will occasionally hear a reference to Louisville as a Mid Western city, but no part of Kentucky south of Louisville would lay claim to the Mid West.

I live in KY.

There are several distinct regions to the state.

East of I-75 would be characterized as Appalachia.

North Central KY (from say south of Cincinatti to Louisville, would be more characterized as more of an Ohio/PA/Mid Atlantic feel.

From Lexington to the Southeast is the south.

KY was a border state during the Civil War and I guess we still are now. People in INdiana call be a SOutherner...People in Tennessee call be a Yankee.

Jefferson Davis (the president of the Confederacy) was born in KY....but then again so was Abraham Lincoln...that pretty much sums it up...we're in limbo.

I characterize that I'm in the Upper South...supported by the fact that TN calls itself the Midsouth

I know this is a late reply but I just can't resist.
First of all West Virginia is a southern state, it is south of the Mason-Dixon line. Although somehow it is included in the mid-Atlantic states. Secondly it is Appalachia as is the eastern coal fields of Kentucky.
Appalachia refers to an area, it does not refer only to its residents.
I am proud to be from the south and Appalachia. When out West Virginia or the country people seem to think I am from Texas. When I correct them I then must tell them where WV is located in the states. But when I have people ask me if I live close to Roanoke or Richmond I feel they need to retake their Geography lessons.
Even West Virginians feel separated from the southern WV coal fields but never would we "shudder" at being thought of as living in Appalachia. Perhaps people should grow up and realize the only stigma associated with where you live is perpetuated by yourself.
A proud Mountain Mama from Appalachia

People outside the south often refer to North Carolina and South Carolina as "Carolina". They don't differentiate between the two states.


I was talking to a couple of golfers at the bar at a restaurant who just happened to be MDs from Manhattan. When they referred to the above as "Carolina" I asked them how much had they spent on their educations and still didn't know basic geography?