Where Is Appalachia?

Where is Appalachia?
When the exact location of Appalachia is considered, there are many different opinions. Some would say that Appalachia is an attitude rather than a geographic location, while others argue that Appalachia is a location, running the same path as the Appalachian Mountains. Others even argue that things such as coal, music, or the attitudes of rebellion and freedom define the location of Appalachia. According to this video and the Appalachian Regional Commission, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3b8LnloTtw) Appalachia is “a 205,000 square mile region that follows the Appalachian Mountains for more than 1,000 miles.” It includes all of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi,
I recently watched a documentary on Netflix, called “The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia” and to much of the world, things such as this documentary define the location of Appalachia. It displayed a family (the Whites) located in Boone County, West Virginia, who are known very well by the law. They use drugs, kill people, and make moonshine. Combining for a total of probably 20 teeth, and an IQ score of 12, films like this only fuel the fire of stereotyping in Appalachia. Many people however, forget to recognize Poney White, who, in the documentary escaped Boone County. He now lives in Minnesota, and is Jesco’s only surviving brother. He clawed his way up into the middle class. Many people don’t realize that this can happen, but it is also rare. Living in Appalachia myself, I see this all around me. If daddy uses drugs, the son will too. If mommy was a prostitute, the daughter will be too. Sadly, this is usually how it works. However I do also know many college students who’s fathers were deadbeat addicts and and out of jail all the time. I feel like that side of the region is rarely seen in media. I found Loren’s comment at (http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/movies/05wild.html) to be very interesting. Loren said that people could never escape this vicious cycle
As you can see on the chart on page two of their report, the rates of poverty were significantly higher in Appalachia as opposed to the rest of America, and that was prior to the recession in America. From 2000 to 2008, Appalachia lost more than 59,000 jobs in farming, forestry, and natural resources, and 473,000 manufacturing jobs, according to (http://www.arc.gov/images/appregion/Jan2011/EconomicOverview-1-28-11.pdf). The statistics there also state that only 17 of the 420 Appalachian counties showed employment growth from 2008 to 2010, and those growths were insignificant. Their statistics also show that the rates of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, which were much higher than those of the rest of America. This is a result of the lack of medical and affordable medical care in the region. Also unfortunate, the proportion of adults with a college degree was 17.6% in Appalachia, as compared to 24.4% for the rest of the nation. It is also likely that the gap is widening in this statistic as well due to the low income rates in Appalachia, and the high costs of secondary education. The region also receives 33% less Federal expenditures than the national average. This includes education! If Appalachia cannot advance in technology and development without education, then shouldn’t we be receiving more government