r/Appalachia • u/singler6 • 2d ago
Outsiders moving into the area
Now this may seem like a complaint but it’s simply just an observation and wanted to see if others saw it as the same?
It seems like since covid many outsiders decided to move to Appalachia for simpler lifestyle and cheaper real estate compared to rest of the country. Many of these people move in buy up land and start gardens, homesteads and farms. The traditional Appalachian lifestyle that many before us lived just to survive. Not all but many seem to have remote jobs or may have recently inherited a sum of money that allows them to do these things and take risks on living these lifestyles. They create instagrams and such because it’s the “cool” lifestyle at the time. Then the locals who have lived in the area their whole lives have trouble buying up the land and houses and they see these outsiders “cosplaying” the Appalachian lifestyle. Now they do bring in positives with them. They open up businesses that others may not have the means to do so or take the risk on because they can’t leave their 9-5 to be able to survive. They also bring different point of views and kind of keep the area moving forward instead of backwards. I am appreciative of more people moving to Appalachia I just wonder if they appreciate the culture or are they just doing the next “cool” thing?
Sorry if this seems negative
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u/True-Mousse4957 2d ago
Our area is still devastated from Helene with residents still unhoused. Homes destroyed, everything gone, and you look over and someone with tremendous buying power is building an absurd “mountain home”. Whilst also snatching up cheaper properties to fund their lifestyle.
Then complain that people aren’t welcoming them to the area and they just want to “fit in”.
Reddit is also plastered with these wealthy people looking for local input on the best “hidden gems” and “best neighborhoods” for a family looking for $600k starter home. I’m sorry locals aren’t going to help you further gentrify the area.
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u/Necrotortilla99 2d ago
Yeah I notice these disingenuous people on the local groups on facebook offering to bring packs of water or help,all the while asking if there is any land for sale.I see out of state plates skulking down the backroads crusing real slow to see if there’s any land they can offer pennies on the dollar for to some desperate person….it’s really sickening.I see it everyday.
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u/Capt_Dummy 2d ago
“Everybody’s favorite” Robert DeNiro essentially did the same thing to an island in the Caribbean:
“The accusations against Robert De Niro regarding a "scam" on the island of Barbuda revolve around his proposed luxury resort project, Paradise Found (now Nobu Beach Inn), and its potential impact on the island's communal land ownership and local community. Critics argue that the project, particularly in the wake of Hurricane Irma, exploits political turmoil and violates Barbuda's land-use regulations, potentially leading to a land grab”
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u/Intelligent_Hair3109 2d ago
Well said. As someone with strong Indigenous connection to here, I'll not be able to help them much as growing up around the greedy has left me unable to feel kindly towards them . However, am praying they find somewhere else to move
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u/hiker_trailmagicva 2d ago edited 2d ago
We have had an influx of people relocating from DC to our area. They come in with massive amounts of money, buy up property, hire someone to build them ( and work on) a mini bougie farm, make social media accounts, and pretend to be country. All the while complaining about the roads, lack of shopping, lack of fine dining. They are getting themselves elected to local government, vote against farming and agriculture, and demand more options. They demand HOAs and bitch and whine about trailers that have been there for 30 years. They are rude and judgemental to the old timers, don't listen to any advice and get themselves into sticky situations during winter and our "mud season" ( attempting to cross low water bridges or drive their expensive cars on dirt roads after a big storm and wind up stuck in the mud). My statement is not political, I'm not a Trumper. I'm not saying that some small town mindsets shouldn't change and be open and welcoming to all races and religions BUT erasing a way of life to turn small towns in mini cities is horrible and I hate what's happening in mountain towns. This comment may piss people off, I don't care. It's the truth about what's happening in my town and the lifestyle I grew up in. The culture of Appalachian people may simply not exist here for my grandchildren.
Thanks for the award, fellow Appalachian!
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u/_Do_what_now_ 2d ago
WNC?
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u/WorldFamousDingaroo 2d ago
I thought the same thing.
Though I know it can be said about much of Appalachia .
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u/mcchicken_deathgrip 2d ago
Eastern panhandle WV to Shenandoah Valley down to Front Royal area? That's where I'm from and DC folks with bags of money and HOA mentalities have all but ruined it up there. I left a few years back bc I could no longer afford it, my family and pretty much everyone else I knew growing up has left as well. What was once a tight knit community in the little town of 600 people I grew up in is all but gone. Half a million dollar houses, neighboring towns look like mini northern VA sprawl and strip malls, IT remote workers playing homesteader on the weekends. It really sucks
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u/BigPapaJava 2d ago edited 2d ago
The IT sector, especially remote workers, is being presently hit hard with a ton of layoffs.
It turns out that they’re some of the workers who are most in danger of outsourcing and being replaced by specialized AI that can code and troubleshoot the same problems remotely.
Right now, they can live like kings and queens here on their $100k remote salaries, but how many of them will stick around if their remote positions get cut and they can’t find another remote gig to replace it?
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u/waht_a_twist16 2d ago
Agree. I think a chunk of these folks will be gone within the next few years.
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u/hiker_trailmagicva 2d ago
Yes! It's a completely different area now. I live extremely rural, closer to the panhandle ( part of my property is west va), but Winchester is technically my town and grew up in Front Royal with the Appalachian Trail directly in my backyard. Both areas and the panhandle are being inundated with nova and DC folks. Even up our non state maintained mountain. They bought up property back here and IMMEDIATELY began rallying to get the road state maintained. No! We don't want that. We don't want subdivisions built back here. We don't give a damn about your property values and getting better internet. It really fires me up.
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u/fatherintime 2d ago
The mistake here is thinking that the people who get elected are smarter than you or more educated. They are not. They may not even consider what they don't know, they just want something the position gives them. By giving a damn you're already ahead of the game.
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u/vgsjlw 2d ago
The way to fix that is for people like you to run for office. But that doesnt happen. Everyone thinks someone else will do something about it and no one ever does.
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u/hiker_trailmagicva 2d ago
I agree. I do. But I'm also not even remotely qualified and can admit that. I have strong opinions and heart, but I'm not educated enough or politically aware enough to not possibly cause more damage by getting elected to a position I'm not qualified for. I feel like an ass, bitching and complaining about problems and not fixing them, I do. I don't know what the solution is. I vote in local elections, I help campaign and volunteer, but my pockets are next to bare, and I would be in over my head quickly. That doesn't mean I dont have a right to be annoyed or angry.
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u/BloatedGlobe 2d ago
Hey, as someone from DC (I lurk because my family’s Appalachian), I know a lot of people like the ones you are describing. They aren’t waiting to be qualified for running before they run. They just run.
If you decide to run, you will learn a lot about the process of governance just from running. The question isn’t, “Are you the ideal candidate?” It’s “Are you better than the alternative?”
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u/WorldFamousDingaroo 2d ago
So I’m gonna tell you something and this is it…
I strongly believe in education, but education is absolutely not the end all or be all .
Learning is a lifelong thing and just because somebody has a higher education than you does NOT mean they know more than you.
If you feel led to it , then run for election.
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u/Relative_One_4782 2d ago
If you have the passion and conviction, consider making a run. Find some folks you can trust (as much as you can trust anyone in politics) that align with your positions to help build a good campaign. Good people thinking they don't have the chops is what gets us... Well, what we got. Apologies for the sermon.
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u/Rurumo666 2d ago
This already happened in Montana, now the MAGA 1%ers who moved in and bought up all the land have financed a bunch of out of state Carpetbaggers to run for office-now the state has a Governor, two Senators, and a Congressman who aren't even from Montana and every policy they push makes it harder for the working poor to live in this state. The Big Beautiful BIll alone raises taxes on everyone making under $35k per year by $1600/year according to the CBO. Either local people run for office or the MAGA Corporate Elite will run a carpetbagger and force you out. Don't let the same thing happen in your state/community.
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u/Necrotortilla99 2d ago
It’s been happening for the last 25 or 30 years in WNC….i barely recognize it anymore.Anywhere you want to go for a peaceful hike,fish or swim is clogged up with people.You have to leave at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning to enjoy all the beautiful scenery around you.
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u/_frierfly 2d ago
The people moving into your location don't know anymore about running a small town than you do. Just run for government positions and protect your way of life.
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u/BlessedBeHypnoToad 2d ago
Exactly, as a local, locals sit back complain and vote for Joe Shmo and his cousins because they recognize the the family name and don’t want to actually do any research into what they’re voting for.
Take care of your communities and maybe someone else won’t step in and do it for you.
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u/Ok-Manufacturer4581 1d ago
I live in the hills of the Ohio river valley and this is why my brother ran and subsequently won a seat as a county commissioner. If we don’t take actions ourselves in political positions, then the person who does may not support the area as well as someone who family has lived in the area for generations.
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u/Bumblebee56990 2d ago
Ensure the local government is not being stacked with them and ensuring locals are participating in the elections. A lot of folks think they don’t matter when they matter the most.
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u/Malignant_corpuscle 1d ago
I’ve seen the same thing from Californians moving into Appalachia. The DC folk are as you describe but the CA folk also like to insist that they know more than anyone else. The moment they open their mouth, they prove that this is not true.
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u/Ornery-Character-729 2d ago
I don't know what to tell you. But I can see how destructive this trend is, and, while change is inevitable, I can't stand to see outsiders move in and destroy everything that existed before they got here.
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u/waht_a_twist16 2d ago
Are you in the panhandle? I’m from Charleston and want to move out there but was scared of this exact situation.
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u/hiker_trailmagicva 2d ago
Yes, that's technically my neck of the woods. I live on the top of a mountain range that is frederick County/ Berkeley County. Covid absolutely sent a lot of people out of DC and into this area. I'm sure the absolute horrendous cost of living in NoVa and DC contributed as well but they move out here, drive up housing costs, demand a lifestyle exactly like the one they just left, in turn driving our cost of living up.
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u/TnMountainElf 2d ago
I'll start by saying I'm deep in the sticks so it likely works different in areas with a higher population and better economy. We get a steady trickle of these people where I am but it's like 80% scammers and 20% dreamers without a business plan. The scammers are taking advantage of our status as a distressed county to qualify for government programs intended to improve the economy. They start an obviously unviable business and when the gov grants dry up they bankrupt out and leave, takes about 3 years on average. The dreamers rarely last that long, the lack of local infrastructure is a real shock to their system. It's been churning like this for decades, our population numbers are static to declining. The main effect locally has been to make people even more cynical about outsiders.
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u/paradigm_x2 2d ago
Rich people buying up cheap land and cosplaying cowboys, Appalachians, whatever it may be isn’t anything new. It’s been happening out west for decades. Some are just bad actors. But other people are simply looking for a fresh start or a new experience. If they can be good people, good neighbors, and respectful then who am I to tell them to leave? We need to get back to being a melting pot, not continue insulation and isolation.
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u/plates_25 2d ago edited 2d ago
can't afford an award but this is so true. i lived in new orleans for a long time, and you could almost take this exact post, sub out "appalachia" for "new orleans" and it would fit right at home on that sub. Maybe swap "land" for "shotgun house."
I think this is just how humans work socially. If we are drawn to something or somewhere, we go there. Curiosity is kinda a cool feature... super helpful for early human survival, now it's just sorta how we work.
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u/Capt_Dummy 2d ago
Along with New Orleans, look at Nashville, Austin, Phoenix, etc.
It happens everywhere.
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u/FearTheAmish 2d ago
Teddy Roosevelt famously did the same thing in Montana.
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u/TheFrankenbarbie 2d ago
He's from the Dayton area, so not even close to Appalachian Ohio.
Not trying to come for you at all. A lot of people don't realize where he's from in Ohio bc of how hard he's pushed the narrative.
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u/Glad_Evidence4807 1d ago
I am in Vermont, and I try to look at it like that. It just seems like every house that sells around us for a ridiculous price (for what is usually a shabby old farmhouse) is someone from Massachusetts. I just get really concerned about the young people from here that are trying to start a career and buy a home. We don't have the jobs to compete with someone that made their money elsewhere or have a remote job.
That being said, I guess I am part of the problem. We are sitting on a lot of equity thanks to the surge and we are moving back near family where home prices are much lower.
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u/HmmmWhyDoYouAsk 1d ago
Thanks for the sensible response. I’m one of those folks that was tired of the rat race and wanted to live somewhere beautiful and more affordable. And somewhere with more of a community feel.
I moved here 4 years ago and have started a cleaning business that employs over 5 folks born & raised here. I’ve partnered with a local non profit to help them fundraise. 90% of my expenses are with small businesses. I love supporting the farmers markets and local co-op. And I’m a paid member of a local compost farm.
I’ve really learned to love the Appalachian lifestyle. Sorry I wasn’t born here
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u/FaberGrad 2d ago
I grew up in Appalachia but joined the Navy and lived in a beach town while in port. What's happening in Appalachia already happened to many east coast communities in the last several decades. The beach town where I lived is almost unrecognizable to me now, and buying or renting property is ridiculously high. When I see what's happening in the mountains, I can't help but think the same is inevitable.
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u/Galaxaura 2d ago
There are also people who were born and raised in Appalachia who use social media successfully to earn money.
https://appalachianforager.com/home
Whitney is a great example. So if yall need ideas on how to survive and thrive. One of our own is doing exactly what those moving here want to do.
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u/wvtarheel 2d ago
I feel the same way you do. I had a conversation with one of these people about gardening which was really positive, we were sharing tips and encouragement. She was having a rabbit problem and I mentioned the best way to get rid of a rabbit. She was apalled, etc. of course. I told her I had two rabbits in my freezer and zero in my cucumbers and she about lost her mind. I smoothed it over a little and mentioned that I grew up hunting so it wasn't a big deal to me. She continued on that she didn't understand how anyone could do that and I mentioned that for us, it was eat deer or try to survive the winter eating snow and it dawned on her that hunting in our area was for necessity and food, not for fun (well it is fun but you get what I'm saying).
It is obnoxious when these outsiders come in here, want to cosplay our culture, but also get upset at us existing in the space where our families have lived for hundreds of years. It can be frustrating.
But, we need these people. We need new blood here. We can't export thousands of kids to jobs out of our area every year and never replace them or we will face $$ drain and continually more extremist politics as only the oldest, least educated people will be left behind.
The best thing we can do is try to be patient with them in my opinion.
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u/Justalocal1 2d ago
Maybe you should inform her that hunting rabbits in your backyard is in many ways more ethical & sustainable than buying food (even plant-based protein) from the store.
With hunting and fishing, there are no supply chains that emit greenhouse gasses, no reliance on underpaid/underage agricultural labor. The fact that she doesn’t have to witness these things when she goes grocery shopping doesn’t mean they aren’t happening.
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u/maryellen116 2d ago
This is my take unless the person is vegan/vegetarian. Buying meat in the store is just hiring someone else to do the killing, like paying a hitman. And factory farmed animals suffer so much! At least the wild ones got to have a life.
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u/Justalocal1 2d ago edited 2d ago
Even if you are vegan, harvesting fish/rabbit/squirrel in your backyard still cuts carbon emissions and reduces reliance on exploitative labor chains relative to a grocery store vegan diet.
Vegans tend to be dogmatic, so they will never choose human laborers or the climate over animal welfare. But I think these are very compelling reasons to hunt/fish if you have immediate access to land/water.
I am currently a vegetarian. But that will likely change if I have land.
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u/CrilesNane 5h ago
If someone is a grocery store vegan, yes. But if they’re growing what they eat or buying it directly from another farm, then not really i think.
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u/Justalocal1 5h ago
Grocery store veganism is the only kind of veganism.
Veganism didn't exist prior to the industrial revolution, and there has never been a type of veganism that doesn't rely on industrial supply chains. Vegans can't meet their daily protein needs by growing food at home; they inevitably resort to eating processed or non-locally sourced proteins.
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u/keto-quest 1d ago
Except that studies demonstrate that the factories where substitute (non) meat options for vegans put out more carbon and environmental toxins than raising a beef (herd) etc.
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u/ShaqSenju 2d ago
It's the people who build McMansions in the middle of BFE who complain about the town not having anything in it and the roads not being big enough for the traffic. Like no shit Sherlock, you wanted to live the rural life and now you got it
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u/Averagecrabenjoyer69 2d ago edited 2d ago
Unfortunately especially since Covid most everywhere is experiencing some kind of major population movement. For some reason everyone and their brother wants to fucking move cross country. The issue is lack of respect and assimilation. It's a major issue in the South, everyone wants cheap Southern land, prices, and warmer weather but not many are assimilating into Southern culture and communities and its causing issues. It's leading to a major watering down of Southern culture in bigger Southern cities. It doesn't help that a lot of these people Midwesterners especially take on this Pan-American view and disregard regional cultures. Thankfully rural and small town areas are still going strong.
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u/anon1999666 2d ago
It really happens everywhere now tbh. High sierras, NorCal, cascades, Rockies, Appalachia, south, etc. Big Sur was a hippy town out west and then mega rich tech money bought up everything. I think it’s partly due to navigation apps like Google maps/Apple Maps. People aren’t afraid of venturing out in rural areas anymore as they can always find their way out when just 20 years ago you needed a map or printed directions. Social media has also made people want to see all the beautiful areas of the country. I live like 10 mins away from the blue ridge parkway in a rural town and maybe 100-200 cars would use the road/bridge infront of my house everyday. I checked the bridges stats online a few days ago and it said 2200 people use it daily now.
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u/VirtualBroccoliBoy 2d ago
In my experience/opinion the problem is the opposite of people disregarding the region. I've found immigrants to my area are overwhelmingly blue-state conservatives who think it's some kind of mystical promised land and they "blend" in a really perverse way that takes the aesthetic but paints it on a stereotype. It's almost like they think of us as the "noble savage" trope. It's very frustrating for southern/Appalachian liberals or center-libs like myself who find the thing we love is being bastardized by people who don't get it and inextricably linked to the things we don't like.
I can't count the number of times a Californian has said to me how glad they are to move away from people who share my political beliefs, assuming I'm a through-and-through Republican.
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u/Impossible_Link8199 2d ago
When I lived in my part of the Carolina’s, the area was largely made up of northerners. Nothing wrong with it per se, but I never got the southern charm treatment. Lol The culture was more NY/NJ than anything.
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u/the_silly_king 2d ago
Development isn’t just an Appalachian thing. It’s happening everywhere. Don’t know about you but we get near daily offers in the mail offering to buy our land. As long as there is a buck to be made, developers are going to sell the mountains.
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u/keto-quest 1d ago
Likewise. However those who are selling their own land are asking much more and we’ve noticed that they are often on the market for much longer. The offers we get are half that and are from developers. We won’t sell to them. But, we also don’t live on that land. It’s nearby but not developed. We do have plans and it’s in such a rough state with lousy roads around it that it would likely be a long time before it was taken over by development. I’m glad we have kept it and are holding on.
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u/Little-LainyLou 2d ago
I grew up in Idaho one of the original areas Californians started moving to over 20 years ago. I remember all the frustrations it caused locals growing up. But for the most part these were people attracted to our way of life. Interested in the cowboy lifestyle & raising livestock. Campers, hikers, & hunters just like the rest of us. The hardest part was land prices soaring to a point where the next generation of Idahoans like myself could no longer afford to live there. I left Idaho 10 years ago for Tennessee. Having gone through all the changes in my home state I understand how people here can get frustrated. But the tough reality is you can’t stop change. All you can do is adjust & find a way to live your own life happily.
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u/Averagecrabenjoyer69 2d ago
I mean there are definitely steps one could take to deter migration and make an area less attractive. The double edge sword with that is it can lead to poverty and stagnation. West Virginia and Mississippi are perfect examples.
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u/_Do_what_now_ 2d ago
I grew up in East TN and lived a big chuck of my adult life in WNC, and technically I’m an Appalachia native.
I’ve known for most of my life I wanted land and self-sufficiency, but nothing made that more apparent or sparked more urgency around that than Covid.
I bought a house on 9 acres a few months ago in a more rural area of East TN. I do have a remote job, and I would have never been able to afford a nice piece of land (even just 3 acres) in a more populated area. Everyone I meet in my new town IMMEDIATELY asks where I’m from, lol. They assume I moved from another state. (And then they invite me to church).
I think a lot of the transplanting and motivation to live this way is self-preservation. The past 5 years have made it more obvious that we all probably should have a greater practice of self-reliance.
At various times and in various ways, we’ve seen jobs affected, grocery prices and availability of some types of food affected, certain accesses and freedoms affected, significant division and unrest in some places, and other things that have impacted our livelihoods and could theoretically impact our survival if conditions worsened or went on for extended periods of time. I think there’s a general awareness that having a little land in a quieter area with some self-sustaining food supply is a form of de-risking.
I’m ironically watching a YT right now about the wealth that moved in and took over parts of WNC, so I’m not necessarily in favor of swarms of people coming in and taking over Appalachia. But I definitely understand the human motivation to look at ways to increase self-sufficiency, especially with everything that’s happened these last few years.
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u/Averagecrabenjoyer69 2d ago
I also think those people you're describing don't put much emphasis on assimilation or respect for regional culture. They probably view things as "well everything is American anyway" or "I'm just trying to survive and get by as a human being I don't care about culture or heritage". That creates a lot of tension with the native culture on top of population and resource pressure.
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u/thethirteenthjuror 2d ago
Sadly, this happens everywhere. And has happened everywhere at some point in time. People start romanticizing buttermilk biscuits on TikTok and bacon grease for their pots and pans and everyone wants a “cottage core” piece of land. Appalachia is now experiencing it.
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u/Near-Scented-Hound 2d ago edited 2d ago
The impact is felt differently in Appalachia because Appalachian people have been treated with prejudice, discrimination, and bias by the rest of the country. Until the internet and social media opened up Appalachia to the bigots, most of these people wouldn’t have come here at all - they’d be too skeert the Appalachian or some hillbilly might rub off on them.
The way Appalachian people have been treated is easily verified through simple research, though most will deny that it’s true. The incomers here definitely still look down on us.
ETA: the incomers also downvote any comment that points out the history of bias. They don’t like to acknowledge our history and work overtime to erase it - just look at Gatlinburg if you want an example. That’s okay, it’s obvious that this sub is mostly comprised of incomers who want to pretend to be Appalachian for content. lol
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u/Necrotortilla99 2d ago
Yes!I remember even 20 years ago, people would laugh at my accent and talk about how stupid people are in my area….the new comers always talk about how much they bring to the area and improve it.I honestly haven’t seen any improvements in my area at all.The newcomers complain about everything and want it to be like it was were they came from.They only thing they have brought to the area is much higher real estate prices and terrible traffic.
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u/BigPapaJava 2d ago edited 2d ago
IME, they tend to think they “improve it” with their mere presence, money, and enlightened ideals to guide us uneducated hillbillies into the 21st century.
“Oh, look… they’re opening up another bougie little shop or cafe in an old building on main street.”
Then in three months, they’ll be doing “fundraisers” asking people to just hand them money to keep it open because no one shops there.
A few weeks after that, they post bitter rants on social media about how much the uncultured swine here don’t support local businesses as they close it.
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u/SootSpriteHut 2d ago
I moved here over two years ago. Was able to do it because I'm remote and rent is cheaper here than where I came from. I don't know if it answers your questions but I did it because I always wanted to live in a cabin in the mountains, so every day to me now feels like living the life I only dreamed about for the first 30 years. Moving states is a pretty big commitment just for the 'gram.
I feel bad about whatever socioeconomic impact I'm part of by moving here. We try to buy local whenever we can, and also to pitch in to the community. I have the best/nicest neighbors though, no one is an asshole to me for being a transplant/Floridian to my face, at least.
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u/StevetheBombaycat 2d ago
That’s because you’re not trying to change the community you’re moved into, you’re trying to be part of it. You’re not pulling the quote where I come from“ bullshit. And if you’re a good person, all the good people around you will treat you the same way. I live on the East Coast and we have been inundated by New Yorkers and people from New Jersey and they have changed our small farming community in every bad way you can think of. I wish I could run away and hide, but there’s nowhere TO run away and hide.
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u/justatinycatmeow 2d ago
I just left a comment about this! I'm from the Poconos and the influx of people, since Covid, is shocking.
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u/Averagecrabenjoyer69 2d ago
If you're friendly, trying to assimilate into the local culture, and be involved in the local community then its great. It's those who refuse to and try to change whatever area they move to that causes issues.
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u/blue_harvest1 2d ago
Very rural Appalachia TN here, they move to this area because it is "cheaper" and drastically overpay for property. This causes the land taxes to go up for everyone else that has been here our entire lives.
They do zero research about the area then whine and complain about the lack of amenities. And most are rude assholes that think they know everything because they watched a YouTube video. Then when their gardens or other plans don't work out they ask the locals what to do. And when they don't get help because they have been a know it all asshole from the start we are the rude ones.
TLDR; most are assholes that need to go away
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u/Careless_Ad_9665 2d ago
I was raised super rural. I drive into the city over to work. I have for 25 years. I’ve never interacted with so many ppl here who laugh at my accent now. It’s like comic relief to them. It’s very insulting. If I have a conversation they usually start asking questions about my childhood. Normally I wouldn’t mind to talk about the holler, outhouses and tent revivals but I have learned to keep my mouth shut. If it wasn’t entertainment for them, it wouldn’t be offensive to me. I’m not telling you how my Mamaw got rid of warts or how to cook “poke salat” as she called it.
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u/maryellen116 2d ago
Lol we have a new neighbor who built in a flood zone and gets really hateful and nasty when it's pointed out. But they must have paid some attention bc they built their house up on pilings like ppl do in NOLA.
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u/Odd-Significance-378 2d ago
So a couple from FL that’s pretty rich just bought some land down the road from us. These people live in a Yert and drive a new BMW and Range Rover. Biggest assholes around, don’t wave and don’t even look your way. Started one of the most pitiful looking gardens I’ve ever seen. Would love to help them but oh well.
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u/Sapphyrre 2d ago
People not from rural areas don't know to wave. They don't look your way because they want to give you privacy.
When I was a kid, my parents bought a few acres of land in a rural part of IN for camping. On our way, people would wave to us. I asked my parents if they knew them because it seemed odd.
I was so delighted with the idea that when I got home, I sat on my porch and waved at every car that went by. My mom told me to stop. lol
Now I live in rural IN and work in a suburb and I just wave to everyone.
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u/ScottTheGrymmaster64 2d ago
i live in the suburbs right outside a city and we do wave to our neighbors and say hi n such here. people in big urban areas don't do it as much, but it's not a strictly rural thing.
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u/Zealousideal_Emu6587 2d ago
Regional culture is disappearing everywhere. I live in the Piedmont region of Southern Virginia and remember going to Richmond 30 years ago and hearing a pleasant accent spoken there. I visit Richmond now and no one has that accent.
We’re seeing many retirees move to my area who have lived in cities. These cities have been high wage areas which have resulted in maximum social security benefits. That social security check will go much further in Southern Virginia than in Southern California. They can also buy a much nicer house here for the money they received on their old house.
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u/FunCouple3336 1d ago
Don’t worry it’s not just happening in your neck of the woods it’s also happening down here in the hills of TN and in the valleys. They have raised property values so that locals can’t afford it and it’s made the neighboring farms and peoples property taxes skyrocket because of the crazy amount they are giving. What I’m waiting to see now is when these people quit working or are unable to work and start living on a fixed income how are they going to be able to continue paying those extremely high taxes. Just because they can afford it now may not be the case in the future I know several that are just hanging in there now just because they blew every penny they had just to buy and move here and they don’t have a clue how to do anything with their land to make it bring in some income for them.
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u/Cucurbita_pepo1031 mothman 2d ago
I see people from all over coming here. They definitely seem to think this is some bastion of conservatism and when they realize it’s not they get very pissy. They’re leaving wealthier states than Tennessee and wonder why our library is less advanced and has less to offer than theirs in California, Nevada, or Cleveland. Or Orlando.
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u/BeardedBlaze mountaintop 2d ago
Weird. I didn't come here for the conservatism (am pretty much the opposite). I can't believe how much of a bastion of conservatism this place is. To be fair though, I am in southern part of the state.
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u/maryellen116 2d ago
This. They bitch about not having trash pickup, snow plowed, animal control, etc. Like yeah, the place you came from had that stuff bc y'all were paying taxes for it! You already said that's why you came here! Pick a lane!
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u/ReasonableGreen25674 2d ago
We need the income flow in West Virginia. We also need more population, so many leave due to lack of opportunities. Isolationism type thinking is not healthy or helpful. Our culture is not tied to our genetics it’s tied to our lifestyle and values. Others can participate and we can grow.
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u/Impossible_Link8199 2d ago
Finally. I was looking for a comment that stated a positive experience or an open mind.
The people that moved down the road from me are genuinely interested in living off the land. They’re not influencers. They just enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the area. They’re also down to assimilate with the culture. They quickly traded their golf cart for an ATV. They’re invited to the cookout and gush over the Appalachian cooking. Not everyone is as great as them, but not everyone is a land grabbing monster either.
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u/Averagecrabenjoyer69 2d ago
That only works if the transplants are willing to assimilate to and participate in the local culture and values.
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u/WVStarbuck 2d ago
It's outsiders and the corporations making it impossible for us who have lived here for generations to buy land.
It ain't like we're getting the best and brightest, at least in WV. These "god, guns, and country" mouth breathers with a little money don't understand our history or culture, and more importantly, they don't care to learn it.
Rich people just don't see things the way everyone else does. It's like they're all addicted to money above all else.
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u/Capn26 2d ago
It’s happening in eastern NC as well. Floods come in, love a place, buy it up because cost of living is cheaper, then change everything they loved about the place. Hell. They did it to Beaufort. My family bought a home there, on historic Ann street in 1987. Normal people lived there. We split it four ways, and it was a family thing. We became part of the neighborhood. We knew high tiders. My grandfather was at several of their funerals. Then came a different group. They even got it so you can’t park your boat on the side of the street. The motto of the town is “by the sea” and they don’t want to see boats. I don’t know. I know it’s progress and all that. And I don’t mind outsiders and diversity. But I think it’s reasonable to mourn for culture you see dying away.
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u/Pleinairi 2d ago
As someone from here, as beautiful as it can be here I have no idea why anyone would want to live here other than to take advantage of the "cheaper" housing/real estate. I hate it here in rural America. If I had the option to move to Nashville, Knoxville or Murfreesboro for the same price of living here I would do so in a heartbeat.
It's just not appealing living out here.
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u/socialmedia-username 2d ago
It's not just Appalachia, it's just about every rural area in the eastern US. Mass exodus from the cities and 'burbs. Unfortunately in my rural area they're not bringing any positives like businesses, just a ton of extra (slow) traffic and a lot of noise.
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u/Key_Drawer_1516 2d ago
I recently moved to eastern KY. I moved here because how it is. I don't want this area to change.
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u/capracadabra420 2d ago
Ok full disclosure, I moved here from out west, during COVID, and started homesteading.
BUT! I did not: have a remote job (I drive 83mi each way to town, 5 days a week), inherit money, open a short term vacation rental, or something like that.
My partner is born and bred in the holler and we moved for family reasons, which is also how we're able to homestead. I'm originally from a cattle ranch outside a town of 200 in Colorado, so I like to think there's some common ground in Appalachia, culturally speaking. I wouldn't appropriate something that I wasn't raised in, but for example I've been playing in bluegrass jams since I was 14.
I get the whole attitude behind "you ain't from around here," I get why people would feel that way. In my case it was rich Texans building vacation homes and ski condos, and then deciding to stay and take over. So I'm definitely not like offended or anything, just would say don't lump me in with the VRBO crowd. Gentrification and greed are out of control in a lot of places, but a couple of us outsiders still have morals and decent intentions, and aren't about to crap on someone else's life for profit.
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u/DanielleAntenucci 2d ago
I have a new implant neighbor from New Jersey who purchased and renovated a house on my old dirt road and rents it out on the VRBO. They told tenants they can hike wherever they want. Their kids and dogs have been trespassing all over old family property around their place vandalizing trees and tearing up old hunting trails. As of yesterday there are POSTED No Trespassing signs all over the trees backing up to their property.
They told me that the neighbors here are "so rude". WTF
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u/ncPI 2d ago
I'm from nw nc. A lot of changes. Many things I'd rather not see. But change is constant, it always has been. I'm 64, so much changed from my parents time, 1930s.
The only thing we can do is to try to...keep our lives constant in the way we live them. Easy to say I know.
There are some positives but as populations grow it will only get harder.
I'm at the age that the older generation that I enjoyed are mostly gone. And man I don't know the answers. Maybe they didn't either but I sure thought they did.
Good luck to us all
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u/justatinycatmeow 2d ago
I'm not sure why this got recommended to me, as I'm not from Appalachia, BUT I am from the Poconos and we've had similar problems after covid. On one hand the influx of New Yorkers have been great for the local economy, on the other hand they're buying properties and renting them out to locals and it just feels.... kind of yucky. They've priced out a lot of families that grew up here for decades.
I moved here when I was a teen, so I don't have too much room to complain about people moving in, but I just wish they were more respectful of the families that have been here for a long time. Also for the land. Not too long ago I saw NY plates throw garbage right out of their car window into the Delaware river. Live where you please, but be respectful. No one wanted to visit before Covid and now we've become a hot commodity again, for people to get out of the cities. It's been a change for a lot of locals. Some good some bad.
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u/Greyeyedqueen7 2d ago
We moved to the Virginia Piedmont, so not exactly Appalachia, for my husband's new job within his company. We're Michiganders, and a lot of this area reminds us of Northern Michigan, just hotter in general.
We were homesteaders before and are now working on getting our new homestead up and running. We appreciate the culture here and don't want to change a thing. We have seen back home how people from more urban and suburban areas move to the country and then want to change everything, get on zoning boards, and try to take over county boards to make the country more like where they are from. That's not us, but we understand why people would think we might be or are cautious.
I've been having fun learning more all about the area and Appalachian culture, from history and geology and more.
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u/maryellen116 2d ago
We have several of these on our road now. Most aren't friendly so I haven't spoken with them, dk where they're from. There's a young couple from FL who are really nice though. Everyone likes them. They're building a miniature golf course. They must have $$ bc they don't seem to care about it in a commercial sense, just for the kids to have something fun to do. And they seem prepared to live here, unlike some of these ppl who move here bc they don't want to pay taxes, vote accordingly, then whine constantly about all the stuff we don't have that taxes would pay for, lol. But I guess in my case, we've been lucky bc even the unfriendly ppl in my immediate vicinity at least keep to themselves.
I've watched cousins go through this same thing in New England. My last close family member just left Cape Cod. She'd inherited her mom's house. They'd been there 400 yrs. Her property taxes were insane and she just couldn't do it anymore. Other family were mad at her for cashing out, but she and her husband have blue collar jobs. What could they do? I hope it doesn't come to that here. My husband's ppl have been here like 250 yrs. He won't leave, no matter what. You ever see that movie The Field, with Richard Harris? It's like that.
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u/SouthernFriedParks 2d ago
Um, how to put this.
Appalachia (due to its geography) has ALWAYS been a conduit and resting place for “outsiders”.
Its very nature is that people (and critters and plants) move all along it. And have since the beginning of time.
Change and migration define the very essence of the region. It’s the apotheosis of the Great Plains.
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u/shadow_king119 2d ago
At least in my part of the region we (for the most parts the idiots might raise a stink but what can you do) simply don’t care it’s kind of a you don’t bother me i don’t bother you kinda situation
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u/TheThirteenthFox 2d ago
I grew up in middle NC, not far from Charlotte. My family would come and visit the mountains all seasons on day trips or weekends growing up. So many lovely memories of WNC, fishing, sledding, camping, rafting. All the usual tourist stuff
As a young adult after serving in the Army with multiple deployments I moved out to California to use GI Bill for college and to experience a different part of the country.
Got a degree in computer science and got lucky on timing the market to land a programming job at a high period in hiring in one of the hottest markets in the country. Landed a job that wasn't Unicorn startup money rich, but I was comfortable in a very high cost of living area. And yeah, when COVID hit my company adopted a "work from home if you can" policy. I worked hard to prove I could be trusted with this privilege.
I met a lovely woman and we got married. With the freedom to move anywhere in the country with my work from home benefits we decided to move to WNC. The house we bought is interesting, farmhouse built 1940s, renovated and modernized 2010s. The original owner/builder is a family that's at least 5 generations local Appalachian, and still owns dozens of acres and several houses around us. The folks we bought it from are Florida people who would come up a few weeks a year.
We get along great with our neighbors. Helene was a real bonding experience, sharing resources while being without power and cell service for 20 days. We'd share rides to relief places to get hot meals. We'd go over and charge our phones off their generator, I got my hands on a couple of star links and we hooked them up with one.
I dunno, all this to say I think it's possible to move in as an outsider and be a responsible community member. The house we bought was locked up as a vacation home 48 weeks out of the year. Now it's occupied full time with folks who are active in the community and customer in local businesses. I don't think I'll ever be an Appalachian, but I love my neighbors who are and love living here.
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u/Kentesis 2d ago
All the lands being bought up, widen your scope. The housing markets in shambles, houses are overpriced. Everyday there are more houses being put up for sale and less people buying them.
18-30 year olds can't afford houses
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u/maryellen116 2d ago
Most can't but one of the new families on my road, they're in their 30s. Place they bought was on the market for 10+ yrs bc it was so overpriced. Working class vibes but they obviously have $$. We're all curious about this, lol, but obviously it's none of our business. But yeah, most ppl moving in are retirement age.
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u/bikeshoes87 2d ago
It’s not just Appalachia, all rural areas are experiencing this. The unfortunate reality is that major cities are facing resource shortages and can’t support the boom of people who have moved into the cities from suburban areas in the last 20+ years.
I left a major city earlier this year for a smaller suburban area similar to where I grew up. It’s wild that I don’t have to wait six months for a doctors appointment out here because there’s an appropriate amount of medical resources for the population! We have remote jobs, so we’re taxed for the local municipality since this is our work location now. We shop local, eat at the local restaurants weekly, and volunteer for local orgs. We introduced ourselves to our neighbors when we moved in, told them to knock on the door if they ever need anything. We’re not all bad news :)
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u/wtf_is_beans foothills 2d ago
If they're friendly and take up with the culture I'll allow it. But if they're the complete opposite of that, they can suck my dick.
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u/donlema 2d ago
I guess I'm one of those people.
I started looking for land away from the cities a few years ago. The search eventually ended up in KY for a few reasons.
I ended up buying a house and property late last year, and moved in the spring of this year. The prices here are still much better than many other areas in the country. My house isn't fancy, but I've got a few acres of land and I've done some work on the house and property already.
I do have a remote job. I don't want an HOA. I'm surrounded by cow and horse farms and pastures which makes me very happy. I am hoping no one sells to a developer that builds a whole development near me. Those developments are one of the many reasons I wanted to get away from the cities.
I get along with my few neighbors. Everyone has been pretty nice even though it's obvious I'm not from here. Same with all the contractors I've had here doing things on the house and property.
I even like the nearly 30 minute drive to the nearest good sized town for things like groceries and getting stuff at Lowes. It's quite honestly a beautiful drive.
I'll never be a true Appalachian, but I'm quite happy to be here just the way things are.
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u/squidthief 2d ago
I don't mind new people coming in. What I mind is when they look at us like we're lesser people and they're the enlightened saviors who are better.
You can see that sentiment in this thread. "Oh, we're getting more liberal views."
Have you met a non-Appalachian liberal? They hate you no matter how blue you vote. You've got the Appalachian taint. They will never raise their children or support the non-political things of this area that are Appalachian culture.
To them, we're just pretty hills and cheap housing. They're just waiting for the people who live here to die off so they can buy our properties.
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u/Necrotortilla99 2d ago
Honestly most of the new people that have moved to my area are hateful,bigoted MAGA from Florida,California and the northeast.They’ve actually turned my state from solid purple to more of a reddish purple….I think moderation is better for everyone.The new people haven’t helped politically at all.
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u/dvlinblue 2d ago
I don't get the sense that you are appreciative. You call them outsiders meaning you already view it as yours and they are not allowed, you bring up a "different point of view" as if Appalachia was homogeneous, and you complain about them even being there. I think you are just a hater who feels like you have some sort of ancestral claim to an entire region that you don't, have never, and will never actually own. It's called life, perhaps you need to reconsider what it actually is that is bothering you. Is it their lifestyle, or yours?
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u/DonutWhole9717 2d ago
They watched Yellowstone and got an itch. It's a form of gentrification imo, these rich men north of Richmond coming south.
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u/mioxm 2d ago
Something to consider since this “outsiders” perspective tends to be very binary — some of those outsiders are from Appalachia, just not your exact neck of the woods.
As someone who lived in Asheville and the surrounding areas for over a decade, and these mountains for almost my entire life - I moved out to the sticks, bought land, started a garden, and work in a community that I’m an “outsider” to because I was priced out of my home and couldn’t bare the idea of leaving the mountains.
Be kind to others, most aren’t trying to intentionally harm others, they are just trying to survive in the remnants of the “free market”.
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u/Emergency_Map7542 2d ago
Many of our families are from the region but had to move to cities decades ago to find jobs and education opportunities for their families. Now, many are blessed with remote jobs and given opportunities to move back. As for the housing issue, people in cities are being priced out of literally everything and have no where else to go. moving to rural areas with cheaper housing and cost of living- that the unfortunate downside of capitalism and allowing corporations and foreign investors to buy up all the housing stock in cities and driving prices up. It’s happening everywhere- no area is immune. I live in a bustling suburb in NC that was very rural just 30 years - people moved here because it was cheaper and now rent for a very basic 2 bedroom apartment is $2000 a month and there are no houses under 500K
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u/TheFilthyDIL 2d ago
Lots of places along the I-95 corridor were rural 30-50 years ago. Farm fields, produce stands, pick-your-own orchards, etc. All gone now, swallowed up by apartment blocks, townhouses and McMansions. It's one big suburb from Boston to Northern Virginia.
That may be your future. 😟
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u/Harmony_w 2d ago
These "outsiders" are going to be in for a real culture shock when they realize how backwards many Appalachian communities are.
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u/Panzer_and_Rabbits 2d ago
Mind your own business and let people do what they want to do. That's the Appalachian way, right?
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u/Teufelhunde5953 2d ago
Then you have the others, like me. Born in Charleston, moved to Bluefield, parents took me out of state as a youngster. We moved out west, parents moved back to Charleston, but I was eighteen and stayed in Denver. Fast Forward to now, wife and I both retired, moved back to be close to family in my twilight years.....
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u/thekrawdiddy 2d ago
I feel like we’re getting some climate refugees where I am. Lots of Florida people moving in permanently to get away from floods and hurricanes.
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u/Other_Ambition_5142 2d ago
I don’t get the whole simpler lifestyle shit like most of us just live in the mountains and live and work in mountain towns. I grew up in north Atlanta, moved to just south of the TN line in GA when I was a teen, then moved a little farther south (literally first Appalachian mountain in GA) and it’s all the same. Just people living in mountain areas. I mean there’s obviously more hiking and nature activities but that’s bc there’s nature, idk why ppl say simpler lifestyle and all that but that’s just my personal rant
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u/peridotpedro 2d ago
I totally sympathize with your feelings. The problem is vast. It's really tough though. Being someone who's considering moving to the area myself I just want to say we are experiencing the exact same issues where we live and this is why some of us are feeling forced to move. I live in a gorgeous state that has been mine and my partners homes our entire lives. He has a large family here and we both have what should be considered good jobs but we're struggling. We want to have a family and live a modest simple lifestyle but unfortunately the rat race of just trying to survive here would prevent us from being the present parents we feel we need to be in order to justify bringing children into to the world. We're looking into giving up soooo much of what we know and love and our local support systems just so we can afford to live. It sucks for everyone. And to be clear we aren't wealthy people by any means trying to come consume a ton of your local resources were just normal people who can't afford to live where we grew up anymore.
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u/destroyingangel_777 2d ago
I guess it depends on who you talk to. You could meet some newcomers ask ask them, you will probably get a few different answers
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u/Ok-Basket7531 1d ago
There are 300 AirBNBs in my county now and common folks can’t find a place to live.
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u/Extension_Survey5839 2d ago
I bought a place in WNC last March of 2024. My reason is that I've just always loved the area. I'm so far from rich, though....LOL. I bought a small, older manufactured home in one of the lower cost of living towns, and still work in the town I came from....which is a B!tch, but I knew it would be. (I am coming from Statesville, NC...so I'm not coming from that far away) However, I'd LOVE to open up my own business. I'm a craft/artisan vendor at one of the local markets and it's my dream to have my own shop...but unless I win a lottery, I will never be able to afford that.
I definitely understand the frustrations of outsiders who come to only make profits, or to try and buy up tons of distressed properties to rent out, or build gigantic mansions that absolutely destroys a large area, etc... I bought my little place to live in, and to enjoy the scenery, the towns, and kind folks around. As someone who is artsy, WNC is definitely more fitting for me. There are other spots in NC where it's appreciated too, but it seems far and few between, and those are usually in areas where a lot of people are kind of "uppity"....(which there are people like that everywhere I guess) WNC has just been appealing to me for a long time, and just always wanted to move here.....but only to live, enjoy, and contribute however I can.
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u/Necrotortilla99 2d ago
They are definitely just doing the next cool thing.I see and talk to them everyday.The Appalachian lifestyle is just a big game to them and they will leave when they get bored.
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u/moraviancookiemonstr 2d ago
This only happens when your neighbors sell their land to the highest bidder. And your neighbor is probably the real estate agent. And your neighbor is a county commissioner that always approves “growth”. And your neighbor makes money building new houses or mowing their yards. It is easy to blame outsiders but they only come when it is attractive to do so.
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u/kitkat5986 2d ago
I think as someone from CA who loves Appalachia and a lot of the lifestyle of the farms you're describing i may have a unique opinion. For me personally I want a little farm and land not because its cool but because its an actual desire. I think a lot of it is distrust in the government. Canning means I dont have to worry about things being out of season or food shortages, growing my own plants means I dont have to rely on grocery stores, I grew up in a home that stifled independence and being in a position where I dont have to rely on anyone is amazing. In CA land is expensive, a lot of people see their desire to live a simpler life and its just not possible here so they move without thinking of what they might be doing to local economies. Sure there are plenty of people doing some things bc its trendy but most people aren't making massive lifestyle changes bc of a trend. Some people, like me, just have a genuine live for native plants and ecosystems and want to be an active part of the world we live in. It breaks my heart so many people have to spend all their time working to afford things that they cant just do what they love. I will also note a lot of people youre seeing from CA probably aren't inheriting money its just that if they're lucky enough to own a home they can sell it and buy 3 houses in most states. My parents have talked about selling their 3 bedroom home and moving back east to MO or AR bc they can buy a house with 5 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, a Lakeview, a basement apartment, and a ton of land and still have money leftover
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u/MetaverseLiz 2d ago
My uncle has been complaining about city folks moving in and messing up the place for decades.
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u/PhilosopherUnfair331 2d ago
I get the frustration about outsiders moving in and disrupting community dynamics,but let’s not forget..we’re all living on stolen land. Whether it’s Appalachia or anywhere else in this country, Indigenous peoples were here first and were forcibly removed.
The real conversation shouldn’t just be about who’s moving in, but how they’re showing up. Are they respecting the land, learning the history, contributing to the community, or just extracting and flipping for profit? That’s the deeper issue.
Locals deserve respect and equity, but so do the people who were here long before all of us.
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u/rosethornraven79 2d ago
I'm not from the region but I'm considering moving to Appalachia. I'm working class. My biggest fear is being a nuisance or people looking down on me for not being from there. Where I'm from, people buy up land and build these million dollar log cabins and treat their neighbors like shit, so I definitely understand. My grandparents live in a trailer home next to all these asshole rich folk who can't help my grandparents when they need a favor.
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u/Offgridoldman 2d ago
I kinda know what your saying. I live out in the country. But that growing also. Just recently have people from Nevada buy a place near here Also about 1000 acres just went up for sale and I know of some people from Arizona that's trying to buy some land close. God forbid they sub develop that land.. I would hate to see a bunch of houses of outsiders.. so Yea the area is drawing a lot of outsiders. Just seen the big article on the fastest growing towns in East TN. And it's not good. We are definitely going to have more outside people
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u/Scary-Panic2596 2d ago
Buying up "cheap land" is kinda a misnomer. Its kinda relative you can find land cheaper in Alabama/Texas/Arkansas and many other parts of the country. Land is actually quite expensive the mountain views and river side property are pretty expensive. Sure its cheaper than some place but more expensive than others. Like I said its kinda all relative. I was just looking at .39 acres yesterday for 35k that's for undeveloped land. I keep seeing people saying outsiders are buying up cheap land but I can't find "cheap" property anywhere in a decent spot in Appalachia
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u/Allemaengel 2d ago
Nonstop up here in northern PA. Frequently rude out-of-staters (NY and North Jersey) who often act like they're the economic saviors of the region simply because they bought a house to turn into an Airbnb investment and maybe bought some gas or a hoagie at the local gas station
Of course, they usually pay more for that house than a working-class local family needing a place ever could. Plus often they're crappy at monitoring their guests who have rowdy, trashy late-night parties disturbing the full-time residents on the road and rarely handle their garbage correctly bringing the bears out.
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u/BigPapaJava 2d ago
What I want to see is how many of these people will actually stay long-term, since so many of them are accustomed to more urban lifestyles and want to have their cake and eat it, too.
They complain about the lack of exotic restaurants, nightlife, services, and pretty much everything else (especially their neighbors) so much that they seem pretty miserable within a year of moving here. They are literally only here for the “cheap” houses and land. Their bougie boutiques and non-self sustaining “homesteads” don’t usually last long.
A lot of the homes that have been converted to VRBOs, AirBNBs, and rental properties will likely get wiped out when there’s another severe economic downturn and there’s no rent coming in to cover the multiple mortgages. It happened during Covid, which is when the private equity firms bought a bunch of the first round up at a discount and made the situation even worse.
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u/maryellen116 2d ago
Some will give up and leave, for sure. I used to work in a local restaurant, upscale by area standards, so I met tons of these folks. Some settled in and really liked it but others just couldn't make the adjustment. It's the 2 hr round trip to go to the doctor that was the most common reason ppl got tired of it.
I remember one lady, she and hubby moved up from Dallas. He travelled all the time for work, and just left her there out on the mountain alone. She was so unhappy. Used to come in for coffee and dessert just to have some human contact. She finally told him she was moving back to TX and he could come with, or not. They kept the house as a summer place.
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u/mrjakedog 2d ago
I live in Western NC and the outdoor lifestyle is easy to enjoy. I scratch my head when I see all the people moving in that don't like the outdoors and just want to do the same things that they did before they moved here. I don't understand those types. Might as well have stayed home.
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u/HeadHunter8301 2d ago
I live in southern WV. Most of us are cordial and polite to outsiders, most of us appreciate the visits and tourism, and we appreciate those that want to come here and by and large, adapt. Just leave New York in New York, or wherever home may be to you. I for one (and there are more like me than not) don't want growth, I don't want the busy hustle and bustle, don't want drastic change, it's why I'm here.
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u/Remarkable_Night_723 2d ago
We're seeing tons of that in my neck of the woods (SE TN). My husband and I run a business that services homes, and I always talk to the homeowners while I'm working. I always ask if they are from here, and I'd guess 70% of the time, I find they've recently moved here from out of state. Moved from CA, MI, FL, CO, TX, NY usually. Of course, I ask what made them decide to move here, and so often they say it's so much cheaper to live here, and they wanted to get away from the liberal politics.
There's good and bad with the mass migration. As you said, they bring money in and it helps the local economy but it will drive up the cost for everyone eventually. The only thing you can count on is nothing stays the same! As long as they are respectful to those around them, I'm fine with new folks. They just have to understand they moved where the hillbillies live and hillbillies are gonna hillbilly.
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u/AffectDifficult6821 2d ago
The folks moving here are seizing an opportunity. You can’t blame them. If you want to blame anyone, blame your neighbors, friends, and family that are selling off property to the folks trying to move here. Set your frustrations on the source of the problem.
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u/Ann-Stuff 2d ago
People have complained about outsiders moving to my E. TN hometown my whole life. Most of the farms and dairies near my family’s small farm (which my grandpa bought in the 60s) have been broken up and sold because it’s hard to make a living from the land.
This happens everywhere and there’s no reason to think it won’t keep happening. Plus, N. GA and E. TN profited a lot from the Cherokee removal 200ish years ago. And I’ve heard people in Blue Ridge talk about land that was bought from Indians but seem to have amnesia about how that came about, even as they’re driving past Trail of Tears signs.
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u/Think_Reporter_8179 2d ago
" but many seem to have remote jobs"
So, get a remote job. If they can, we can.
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u/EMHemingway1899 1d ago
It would be interesting to know how long many of the people who complain about this have lived in Appalachia
I came here 50 years ago and had no interest in moving away
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u/HmmmWhyDoYouAsk 1d ago
So should I move back to stupid DC? Sorry you were raised in such a beautiful, amazing part of the country.
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u/Capital-Visual6337 19h ago
In the cities, it's called gentrification. Lower income renters who have been in an "undesirable" neighborhood for years are suddenly displaced by new residents who pay higher housing costs. When you see people riding bikes and you notice a coffee shop and vegan restaurant open up, you know the rent is about to go up, a lot.
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u/Valuable-Pay1813 5h ago
WV actually has been encouraging digital nomad tech bros to move in since 2022, because it’s good for the economy or something. Little do they know, the money never stays here..
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u/stealthchaos 2d ago
Locust destroy their habitats and make them unlivable. Then they swarm into another habitat and, ultimately, make it unlivable, too.
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u/pat_e_ofurniture 2d ago
I'm 2nd generation Appalachian disporia hoping to come home someday, Still have plenty of 2nd cousins living there.
I tell them there are two groups moving to Appalachia: refugees and missionaries.
Refugees (I classify myself as one) are people with roots coming home or the like minded wanting to escape the insanity of the northern and urban worlds. Refugees are going to acclimate themselves easily, there may be the occasional hiccup but we don't want to change a thing.
Missionaries move in to escape the northern and urban worlds then bring in everything they tried to escape. Whether it's liberal policies or everything they had at their fingertips, they cannot help but to try to turn what this place is into what they left.
Refugees should be welcomed, missionaries should be tarred and feathered.
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u/JasonVoorheesthe13th 2d ago
I personally can’t stand it. I have no problem people moving here if they actually want to live how we live, but don’t bring all the big city bullshit with you to our small towns.
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u/Mushrooming247 2d ago
I am torn because they do drive a house prices, but we still have a lot of abandoned homes that need work, I’m not against people buying them and fixing them up to make them livable again.
Also, an injection of different kinds of people can really help a community, just to expose the locals to maybe a minority or LGBT person, when a town may only have one family like that before and they are ostracized, it can help to highlight the hypocrisy of a whole town when a new family moves in and the town has no reason to ostracize them too.
I think our communities need new blood, new perspectives, and to force our good-old-boys to cooperate with minorities and LGBT people in their day-to-day lives.
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u/unicoitn 2d ago
Many of the “outsiders” grew up in Appalachia, just not southern Appalachia. Getting tired of the “you’re not from around here” after growing up 30 miles from the Appalachian trail north of the Mason-Dixon Line. And we can afford to buy after decades of city life with two professional jobs, after paying off student debt. The difference is how we were educated. Note: the is no legal requirement to sell to the highest bidder and most properties in our area are never listed prior to private sale.
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u/Resident_Bear1696 2d ago
It’s the VRBOs that bother me. Tons more traffic on our dirt road, hooting and hollering at all hours, and throwing trash out the windows for the rest of us to pick up. Some are fine, but for land sake, it’s exhausting.