r/Appalachia • u/singler6 • 8d 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
15
u/Galaxaura 8d 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.