Urban Appalachians

Urban Appalachians are people from Appalachia who are living in metropolitan areas outside of the region. Because migration has been occurring for decades, most are not first generation migrants from the region but are long-term city dwellers. People have been migrating from Appalachia to cities outside the region ever since many of these cities were founded. It was not until the period following World War II, however, that Appalachians became one of the major population groups in these metropolitan centers.

During the course of the late 19th and 20th century (the trend slowed down since 1970, but continues up to the 2000s), an estimated 40 million people from Appalachia migrated into newer industrial areas of the region (i.e. Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati) and others relocated farther up into urban states of the Northeast, Midwest and the West Coast.

In terms of national origin urban Appalachians reflect the varied heritage of the Appalachian region. They are Scots-Irish, English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh. Some are African-American or Native American. Many have a German ancestry. Others are descended from people of Central Europe and Southern Europe who were recruited to work in the coal and steel industries. Most Appalachians have a mixture of these heritages.

Urban Appalachians are also diverse in terms of the kind of places they lived in before migration. Many came from coal camps in the Cumberland Plateau or Allegheny Mountains. Others came from cities (rural people may moved into them) such as Knoxville, Charleston, West Virginia, the Huntington-Ashland area, or Pittsburgh. Most, however, came from a rural area or small town.

Urban Appalachians might be white, black, or Native American, and they might be Protestant, Catholic or Jewish, or possess a sectarian heritage that defies denominational classification. They might be rich or poor, live in the inner city or in an affluent suburb. Most are employed in blue collar and service jobs, but urban Appalachians are also professionals, owners of businesses and managers. Some are artists, engineers, or architects. Many are educators and health care workers. During the period of the nation's industrial expansion the majority worked in factories. More recently work in the service economy is becoming more predominant.

All of this diversity, however, does not mean there is no such thing as an Appalachian heritage. A shared history and the common experience of living in the hills, the towns, the valleys or the foothill sections of the Appalachian region did produce a sense of regional culture that many urban Appalachians celebrate today.