A Yankee, Or A Hillbilly?

Ah, the North and the South; a Yankee or a Hillbilly. Which one are you, friend? According to the Oxford dictionary,  a Yankee is “an inhabitant of New England or one of the northern states”. Whereas a Hillbilly is defined as an “unsophisticated country person, associated originally with the remote regions of the Appalachians”. 

According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, Appalachia stretches from the southern part of New York all the way to Mississippi. But, for the most part, “hillbillies” are thought to have originated below the “Mason-Dixon line”, which is the south. While “Yankee” is more closely associated with New Englanders or New Yorkers. Although, technically speaking, even understanding what is considered the south is hard to completely understand (due to the line having revisions). Today, anything south of the Ohio River is considered the “South”, which includes the northern panhandle of West Virginia. 

But, just what exactly separates…. let's say a Hillbilly from West Virginia and a Yankee from New York. Well… first off, only about 150 miles. Yes, that is correct (as strange as it seems), but there aren't many miles separating the two cultures.

One thing I will say, is no matter how few miles traveled; when you enter West Virginia, it feels like West Virginia. From the “Wild and Wonderful” sign, to the steep mountains and rolling foothills, the old classic towns, and the unusually long steps leading to the front porches for many houses with large hills inconveniently positioned in the front. But from the northern tip of West Virginia, to the southern section of New York, there are far more similarities than differences. Now, what's odd to me, is that the stretch of land between New York and West Virginia (Western Pennsylvania and throughout the state) is known for some odd accents (and another language entirely). Some that come to mind, are Pennsyltucky (an odd mixture of what the name implies, Pennsylvania accent and Kentucky, spoken in both states). And/or the classic “Pennsylvania-Dutch” which is common, and originated, among the Amish people. 

But in my opinion, this area of northern West Virginia,  Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Southern New York, has found a way to not truly fit any labels, yet somehow fit them all. To some, they're all hillbillies. While to others,  they're all Yankees. Now, this might seem like an exaggeration, but it's true. Go and ask someone in Mississippi,  if they think someone in the northern panhandle of West Virginia is a southerner, or a Hillbilly. I know the answer you will receive about 75% of the time, which is a hard laugh and a hard no. But, regardless of the label, it's quite a unique area. One of the most unique things I've seen, is the old “Mail Pouch Tobacco” barns. Now, sure these were scatter3d throughout many states, but highly condensed in the Ohio Valley. 

So, there were an estimated 20,000 barns painted, and roughly only 2,000 or less left today. Many of those were painted by a man from Belmont County, Ohio [Harley E. Warrick]. But these signature barns describe the area perfectly,  in my opinion.