What is Southern Appalachia’s place in U.S. history and identity - and in particular - the country’s politics? Voting patterns in the region have stayed remarkbly stable in presidential elections in recent decades - certainly in comparison to the rest of the region known as Appalachia - but the region's significance in those races may be a bit overstated.
Dr. Chris Cooper of Western Carolina University has done a lot of research on Southern Appalachia, including its voting patterns. He sat down with BPR's Matt Bush to discuss the recent history of voting results in Southern Appalachia, noting that the homogeneous makeup of its demographics have kept its political leanings mostly stable. Cooper also says a recent study done by the university showed more people in North Carolina's 23 westernmost counties identified as being 'southern' as opposed to 'Appalachian', but the difference was close - a sign of how the mountains define regional identity. You can listen to their full interview above.
This interview is the latest in BPR's Exploring Southern Appalachia series, which was started this month. The BPR news team will continue the series in occasional stories to examine the region's identity and culture.
