Anybody want to move to Steelers country?

[MileHighGrowler]

(02-05-2021, 07:09 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I have to admit that if I had grown up in the area where I was born, I would probably have a different attitude. My family moved out of SW PA when I was a year old because of the lack of opportunities for jobs. I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley, bordering West Virginia, but just better off economically. I still have pride in the folks in my area. Reading the history of the area my family is from is a great time and I appreciate what I come from. When I have been out in the Midwest the culture is just so bland to me, same for the west coast. I've traveled a good bit around the country, I just always come back.

I love our mountains. They may not be the Rockies, but they once would've made them look small. Our mountains are older than bones (literally, they formed before creatures with bones had yet evolved) and the stories they have to tell are amazing. I don't ignore the problems in Appalachia, but I also know it is much richer and more diverse than a lot of people tend to realize.

Anyway, I'll get off my rant about Appalachia.

That's awesome to be able to see.  And I think people can understand and appreciate and embrace their history and culture more when they've been separated from it.  When you're just living life day to day, you don't see that.  My Ohio family doesn't look at history or culture of their families.  They don't see value in that.  Things just are what they are.  There's no pride of tradition or history that's passed down.  If you live in a challenging place and your experience is so focused on getting through the day that there's no reason to look at the past (which all just feels the same), I think you'll come out on the other side without much appreciation.  

Funny you say the places outside of the Midwest have felt bland to you.  The South is loaded is with a rich history of food and culture.  So many different countries have moved through the southern US over the last few hundred years, each sowing their own seeds of influence.  The West is the story of the pioneer, people taking chances and boldly setting out to break out of traditions and establish their own.  To our modern experiences of the history of the US being based on European settlers and beyond, the history of the West is very "new", but there is much very old history from Native Americans.  The dry weather in parts of the West have preserved many of these hieroglyphs and dwelling places.  Of course the East Coast is full of colonial history and the birth of the United States.  Even the comparison of Pacific coast to Atlantic is something I love.  The sharp cliffs and violent surf along the Pacific coast, the influences of Asian countries on the cuisine and their use of seafood, and the additions of the Mexican influence (which interestingly is more prevalent in parts of norther California than southern).  On the Atlantic coast there's more of a southern influence to much of the coastal cuisine, and the beaches are more gentle, rolling hills and marshes leading out to the ocean.  Both coasts on the southern parts in particular with influence in architecture from the Spaniards tying them together.

I love seeing the country and experiencing each place for itself.  I don't feel drawn to any one area as "home" any longer, but rather see the country as a whole as my home, with so many awesome places to visit and make friends.  I'm constantly learning.  I love reading about different regions.  I recently finished a book called "Night Comes to the Cumberlands" by Harry M Caudill.  It was a really fascinating exploration of the history of eastern Kentucky and the coal boom.  

I could talk about culture and history all day.  And I love when people are passionate about their personal history.  So share away about Appalachia!