Greetings and welcome to the Appalachia site at BellaOnline. My name is Phyllis. I am your Appalachia Editor and I am happy to be here for you.

I have been an editor at BellaOnline since December 2007. Writing is my passion. I do heavy research and draw from my own knowledge to give you, my readers, the best possible articles. I wrote for the Native American site for three years, am the current editor/writer of the Folklore and Mythology site and am happy to also be your editor/writer of the Appalachia site.

I bring to you articles on tourism, culture, history, notable people, festivals, events, arts and crafts, the music of the people, anything that relates to the regions of the Appalachia area -- and, of course, the Appalachian Trail and mountains will be a wonderful part of this site. There is so much for us to learn and explore and I am happy to be here to share with you all we can about this beautiful, historical area.

I have always loved researching the history of our country, the cultures and traditions of the people who made history. The Appalachian areas hold a special interest for me because it is steeped with lore and the history that goes back to over 12,000 years ago when Native Americans first settled in the area.

Within this vast range, defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Appalachian regions currently include 420 counties and eight independent cities in 13 states, including all of West Virginia, 14 counties in New York, 52 in Pennsylvania, 32 in Ohio, 3 in Maryland, 54 in Kentucky, 25 counties and 8 cities in Virginia, 29 in North Carolina, 52 in Tennessee, 6 in South Carolina, 37 in Georgia, 37 in Alabama, and 24 in Mississippi.

It is an extraordinary part of history that includes the traditions and cultures of many different peoples. So, I hope you join me in exploring the beauty and history of the Appalachian country.

I also hope you will join me in my Appalachia forum for discussions and sharing information. It is free to sign up. Once you sign up, you will have access to all the forums (over 400) at BellaOnline. You will find my site forum in the channel listing of Travel and Culture and under the sub-channel of US Destinations.

I send out a weekly newsletter that features my latest articles. You can sign up for my free newsletter for up to date information, news about Appalachia country, recipes, seasonal events -- lots of interesting things.

Please feel free to come join me in the forum. I look forward to meeting you.

Walk in Peace and Harmony,

Phyllis Doyle Burns
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