Appalachia

The selection of J.D. Vance as Donald Trump’s running mate has made Appalachia the regional epicenter of America’s political universe. But above the social media sniping and political gamesmanship lies a message of diversity, identity and internal conflict at the very heart of what it means to be an American. J.D. Vance, a native of Middletown, Ohio and the bestselling author of Hillbilly Elegy, was immediately criticized by Kentucky governor Andy Beshear as a phony who acts “like he understands our culture” when “he ain’t from here.

State officials and nonprofit leaders often chatter about economic diversification and a just transition for Appalachia. But old habits die hard. Many still dream of large factories and firms returning to the region, bringing economic wealth — and tax revenue.  The divide between smokestack chasers and economic diversifiers has an extra urgency as the federal government directs more money into the region than they have in decades. But the diversification versus big business divide threatens to squander the money from federal legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.  Swinging for the fences promises the revival of a golden era, when Appalachia was dotted with coal mines and factories.