My Appalachia

Georgianne McNutt

English 151

            Appalachia to me means the areas outside of Ohio University.  For example the landscape of the mountains and how towns are built around these areas to form small towns that makes bigger areas like Athens County.   I guess in a way Appalachia is a way of living on its own because where I am from it is all about the house you own or the people you know but in towns like Athens or Nelsonville it is about the things you do and the people you are close to.  I see this as a beneficial aspect because you get to know people for who they are and not the house they own.  The first person I interviewed was my roommate Tayler and she said she thinks Appalachia is just a term to define the region we all live in and to her it is a place she calls home for the time being.  She does not consider herself to be an Appalachian because she only goes to school here and does not know their way of living or can understand how the people that live in this region live.  The second person I interviewed is Kayla from down the hall and she agreed with Tayler’s comment about how Appalachia is a term to define the region of this mountain range and that it should not represent the people that live here.  She then says how she does not think she is and “Appalachian” because she is from Indiana and lives a different lifestyle then those of this region.  The last person talked to about this subject is my friend Jordan and he said that Appalachia is everything outside of this campus, the towns, the people and the landscape.  Also he does not think he is technically an “Appalachian” just because he goes here, he thinks that he might become a little more down to earth like the people from here but that this place did not make him Appalachian.  After listening to what all these people had to say it made me realize that Ohio University does a very good job at incorporating the Appalachia part of the town with Athens.  For example how we keep the area around it beautiful and how the townies even participate in parades or smaller activities in the college alone.  I am sure there are some ways that we can help incorporate the college life into this small town to make closer.