Appalachiais an Abiding
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i is an abiding APPALACHIAsymbol ofrural white poverty in America. When the media needs a visual clip,asound bite,ora few column Looking for inches on rural poverty, reporters and photojournalists are dispatched to Ap- Appalachians palachia. When presidential contenders need a social issue, their campaign trails often include a stop at a small Appala- in Pittsburgh: chian town for a quick, speech and few ' photos. Seeking 'Deliverance Apart from its symbolic function of < PhillipJ. Obermilleris an associate professor and Finding the ofsociology at Northern Kentucky Univer- 9 sityand amember ofthe Urban Appalachian 'Deer Hunter Council's Research Committee. Michael E. Maloney is a social planner for an urban ministry project oftheEpiscopal Church,the By Phillip J. Obermiller and Appalachian People's Service Organization, Michael E. Maloney and teaches Appalachian studies at Xavier University and Chatfield College. \u25a0 \\ : invoking images ofpoverty, Appalachia assumptions, stereotypes, and biases of Appalachian cultural presence in Pitts- remains fairly unknown to mainstream urban power brokers. Cincinnati's ur- burgh. The city's history ofimmigration America. Millionsof Appalachians, pri- ban Appalachians are teaching govern- and its strong ethnic neighborhoods marily from West Virginia and Appala- ment social service departments, philan- would lead most observers to believe chian regions ofother central and south- thropic organizations, social welfare that Appalachians are merely the most em states, have left the region and settled agencies, school systems, and mainline recent group of white ethnics to estab- inmetropolitan areas from Baltimore to religious groups that ethnicity is not lish itselfin the city. Yet Pittsburgh may Los Angeles in search of work and im- restricted topeople offoreign lands and be the only major metropolitan area in proved life chances for themselves and cultures, that poverty is not confined to or near the Appalachian region without their families. These migrants receive blacks and rural whites, and that assimi- a signficant population ofmigrants from even less recognition than their kinfolk lation into the urban milieu is not a other parts of Appalachia. This article back in the mountains. Urban Appala- foregone conclusion for many rural-to- explores the reasons for this anomaly, chians have been characterized— aptly as urban migrants. The authors, one Appalachian, and the "invisible minority" invisible be- InPittsburgh the picture is entirely the other of European ethnic stock, are cause their culture isnot recognized and different. The city,the county (Allegh- familiar with the dynamics of Appala- minority because when itis recognized, eny), and allofWestern Pennsylvania lie chian migration and ethnic neighbor- it is not accepted by individuals and within the Appalachian region as de- hood formation inCincinnati and other institutions in the urban mainstream. fined by the federal government, mak- midwestern cities. We traveled to Pitts- Appalachian migrants to cities like ing the entire population of the Pitts- burgh expecting tofindhidden enclaves Cincinnati have begun to organize, and burgh metropolitan area technically of "invisible" Appalachians. We visited they are imposing a severe strain on the "Appalachian." Yet there is nosign ofan several different neighborhoods in and \u25a0is — S I I I "" ---' m . \u25a0\u25a0-. t \u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0 r \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 * :n:-", ; f ! '"*~' ' \ ~ «2 .* r :'7^.- J* -, Pittsburgh History, Winter 1990 around Pittsburgh. Weinterviewed coal mining, traditionally have to allresidents ofthe 397 counties key informants across the city — formed the region's economic inthe region as Appalachian. This preachers, social workers, educa- base; agriculture, forestry, tourism usage ignores the reality that many tors, shopkeepers, university pro- and recreation, and textile manu- people living in the region may fessors — and always asked where facturing are also components of have moved there from other we might find a neighborhood the regional economy. places, but because of the avail- populated by West Virginians or There is significant cultural di- ability of data, many researchers by "folks from the mountains." versity within the Appalachian re- employ this definition. Research We scanned scholarly documents gion.Ineastern Ohio,forinstance, on Appalachian migration gener- and daily newspapers, looking for there are areas withpeople ofpri- ally considers a person who was hints of an Appalachian presence marily Anglo-Saxon and Celtic born inthe region or whose fore- in Pittsburgh. Using annual heritage who have historic links to bears were born in the region as county- to-county migration data Kentucky and Virginia. Other sec- Appalachian. "Southern Appala- produced by the U.S. Census Bu- tions ofthe region were settled by chian" refers to people living in reau and Internal Revenue Service people from New England and are West Virginia and the mountain- records, westudied migration flows not a part of the "upland South" ous areas to the south, while out ofAppalachia and into Allegh- cultural region. The river towns "Northern Appalachian" refers to eny County inselected years from north ofMarietta, Ohio,are home people livingin the hills ofsouth- 1955 to 1981. to large numbers of people with eastern Ohio and upland areas to The results of our studies are central and southern European the north. presented here in the form of a backgrounds. Similar diversity is Anthropoligists studying value comparison between Cincinnati orientations go beyond these and Pittsburgh. Cincinnati repre- geographical and topographical sents the 30 major metropolitan Pittsburgh distinctions and define as Appala- areas in whichAppalachians can be represents the only chian anyone who is tied to the found as a legitimate, ifinvisible, region by ancestry and who shares ethnic group. Pittsburgh, sur- known ease in the subcultural values ofthat area. rounded by Pennsylvania's Appa- Further distinctions could be made— lachian counties and readily acces- which Appalaehian between mountain subcultures sible by Interstate 79 from West migration streams forexample, between farmers and Virginia,stands alone; itrepresents miners, rural folk and small town the only known case in which have almost folk,or snake handlers and Primi- Appalachian migration streams entirely tiveBaptists. have almost entirely avoided a avoided a The most dramatic Appalachian readily accessible industrial city. readily aeeessible migration tometropolitan centers The Appalachian region is began in the decade after World composed of397 counties, which industrial city. War II.Those who clustered in lie across portions of Mississippi, blue-collar ethnic neighborhoods Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, found in Appalachian Pennsylva- and who experienced problems South Carolina, North Carolina, nia. Washington County appears typical for most low-income mi- Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Vir- tobe more strongly influenced by grants (underemployment, pov- Maryland, ginia, western Pennsyl- the culture ofthe BritishIsles than erty, school failure, stereotyping, vania, and the entire state ofWest the steel towns along the and discrimination) are primarily Virginia. Although Appalachians Monongahela and Ohio rivers, from the northern and southern are generally perceived as rural where central European ethnicity Appalachian coalfields. As might people, about 75 percent of the is more prevalent. be expected, this region's group is pre- 1980 population lived in What then is meant when we dominantly white, mostly Baptist metropolitan 1 or urban counties. say that a person is "Appalachian" or Pentecostal, and heavily blue Major urban areas in the Appala- or when weuse terms such as "an collar. They are for the most part chianregion Birmingham, include Appalachian neighborhood?" Be- of Scots-Irish or Anglo-Saxon Charleston, Chattanooga, Hun- cause of the variety of connota- tington, Huntsville, heritage, speak with a distinct ac- Knoxville, tions and denotations that the term cent, and especially enjoy Pittsburgh, andTuscaloosa. "Appalachian" country Cities can have, we will and western, bluegrass, and "old located in counties bordering on describe some of the most com- time" gospel music. When wewent the region include Atlanta, Buf- mon usages and indicate which looking for Appalachians inPitts- falo, Cincinnati, and Memphis. one we are using at any given time. Extractive industries, burgh, these were the people we specifically Apolitician might reasonably refer sought. 162 m Favorite Cities for Appalachian Migrants h Appalachian Region Boundary as designated by the Appalachian Regional Commission- in1965. HI!Old destination Major metropolitan area historically Based on these characteristics with large Appalachian community.- we expected to find Appalachian ANew destination Metropolitan area among the top 10 for j \ neighborhoods replete with"hill- migrants from the Appalachian region, 1980-81. (Also includes / I billy"bars and restaurants, Pente- Houston, not shown.) - I Anold and a new destination Metropolitan area S costal and Baptist churches, and O *~~S X withhistorically large Appalachian community -'J l people speaking with mountain- that remained among the top 10 destinations jf^ /— eer accents. Other typical lifestyle for Appalachian migrants into the 1980s. features ofblue -collar Appalachian neighborhoods include pickup " trucks withhunting riflesmounted .) I ptTE^H' V-^ ) inside the back window, camping S_^t3a^^«^