THE APPALACHIAN REGION The Appalachian Region includes all of West Virginia and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Region is home to more than 25 million people and covers 420 counties and almost 205,000 square miles. |
APPALACHIAN STATESLearn about ARC's investments in each Appalachian state. |
 NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTSARC Status During Appropriations Hiatus
In the event of an appropriations hiatus after December 8, ARC will continue general operations as described in its shutdown plan. If the hiatus extends beyond a period of 12 weeks, the Commission would initiate an orderly shutdown of activities. ARC shutdown plan (PDF: 83 KB) ARC Hosts Student Leaders from 11 States at 2017 Appalachian Teaching Project Conference
At the 17th annual ATP conference in Washington December 1–2, students and faculty from 13 Appalachian colleges and universities presented their research on sustainable solutions to challenges facing their communities, many of which are in economically distressed counties. Press release In the Region This Week: November 30
Western North Carolina rebuilds rural manufacturing through Industrial Commons innovation; Appalachian communities and changemakers give voice to their #TransformingAppalachia vision; entrepreneurs get boost to grow tourism businesses along West Virginia's Hatfield-McCoy trail. Read more and subscribe to ARC's weekly news snapshot. In the Region This Week: November 16
Health care training efforts help Appalachia's rural communities build stronger workforces and jobs; Appalachian Spring Initiative taps into Virginia's natural assets for tourism growth; reclaimed mine sites offer fresh opportunity for ag entrepreneurs in West Virginia. Read more and subscribe to ARC's weekly news snapshot. 
New Resources Available from ARC's 2017 "Transforming Appalachia" Summit
The Commission's October 17-19 conference in Pittsburgh focused on key issues shaping the Region's future, including developing a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, strengthening businesses, addressing health challenges, and capitalizing on natural and cultural assets. See summit presentations and resources In Focus October 2017: Putting Appalachia's Health in an Economic Context
Identifying and addressing health challenges are important steps to helping Appalachia's communities and local economies thrive. ARC's new quarterly looks at recent research on key health issues affecting the Region today, and at successful efforts to help make communities healthier. Read more and subscribe Study Examines Disparities Related to "Diseases of Despair" in Appalachia
A new ARC-commissioned report analyzes the impact of "diseases of despair" on mortality within the Appalachian Region, focusing on increasing morbidity and mortality from three main causes: alcohol, prescription drug, and illegal drug overdose; suicide; and alcoholic liver disease/cirrhosis of the liver. The report was prepared by the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. Read the report Report Documents Health Disparities in Appalachia
An August 2017 study issued by ARC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky documents dramatic disparities in health outcomes and other health-related factors in the Appalachian Region, compared with the nation as a whole. The first part of a multi-part research project, the study reviewed 41 health indicators to provide a comprehensive overview of the health of the Region's 25 million people, and examined 20-year trends for selected indicators. Press release |
UPCOMING EVENTSOpportunities in Energy 2017 ASD Women in Agriculture Conference ARC-FHWA Webinar: Economic Impacts of the Appalachian Development Highway System |