Thanks for watching! This is part of our greater Appalachia series: kzread.info/head/PLEyPgwIPkHo5If6xyrkr-s2I6yz23o0av ► Help rebuild Jake's home: gofund.me/d2eac1ce ► Join our community: www.bit.ly/3HC36EH ► My exclusive content on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeterSantenello ► Buy merch: www.shop.petersantenello.com

@mjdf122

9 ай бұрын

Appreciate you Peter

@nikkinichols832

9 ай бұрын

Us born and raised West Virginians like to truly live in peace. We don't care what outsiders think about us. We just want to make a living, love our families, and serve The Lord doing it!

@jeffbolton622

9 ай бұрын

Love waking up to a new Video from you Peter! The Appalachian series is among my very favorite!

@randyross5630

9 ай бұрын

Living in Small Towns, the Locals are Intentionally Nightmares! And if their Bloodline has enough Local Status they can Attack you and Have you Arrested! And they Just Ruin their Undesirables Out of Town! Directly Tell You To Leave, and Scream at you about being an Out of Stater, and I've always been their Whipping Boy! They Wouldn't Even Educate Me! You can Tell How Mad these Locals are that People not from their Blood are Moving In! And it's Disgusting! They are Horrible People! And if they can Get their Claws into you, they will never Stop, Problem is they Dig Into Kids! And you don't even Understand why they are doing it, but you Get Older, and have to Be Disgusted with Locals!

@cherylkrause4998

9 ай бұрын

@PeterSantenello I hope you went to Swain County and learned the story of the Road to Nowhere and the broken promise to the people that were removed

Rich people fleeing the problems they caused seems to be a problem all over

@ubuntuiqinisoofuna7852

8 ай бұрын

It’s called Capitalism…the great societal ill - going back to Colonialism.

@daveshore8671

8 ай бұрын

Who sold them those farms ?

@BAFFLing752

8 ай бұрын

@@daveshore8671 Listen to the video.

@alexandrosfilth7042

8 ай бұрын

Why I will win the 2024 US Presidential election by a landslide victory as a write in party free candidate.

@daveshore8671

8 ай бұрын

@@BAFFLing752 I did. If your neighbor sell out then it’s on them. Boomers are greedy in all parts of this country. I bought 50 acres in Appalachia from a boomer who sold off family land bit by bit. I will keep it a farm. But they are all too willing to sell out their communities.

The local born and raised Appalachian people don't have any problems with outside folks coming in and wanting to live here. The major problem is the people who are coming and buying up property do so because they love the atmosphere and beauty of this place, BUT when they do get here they seem to want to change it to the way it was where they came from. If you ask any locals the majority agree on that.

@krystalgardiner5591

9 ай бұрын

Yup and they ruin the culture

@skinnylong2023

9 ай бұрын

That could be stopped with the type of regulations that Appalachians tend to vote against. It's hard to see things change, I struggle with the gentrification of Florida where it's negatively impacted our economy, but I lived in Appalachia for a time and I wonder if anything is better than the poverty and almost complete lack of opportunity that exists now in much of the region

@papi4253

9 ай бұрын

everywhere could stand some change and improvement

@Shaboomquisa

9 ай бұрын

they built a hotel directly on top of the mountain. bunch of idiots if you ask me.

@movingforwardfco1587

9 ай бұрын

My daughter in law my son and gbaby live in Brea, Kentucky. She was born in hazard county some where in haller. Best wishes

That condo on the top of the mountain is a disgrace

@thomasrainbow

2 ай бұрын

It's truly horrific. What an eye sore but also a great lesson to build with nature not destroy it.

@mikeandrews1899

Ай бұрын

The Sugar Cube 👌

@slumbr8814

Ай бұрын

its a ski resort. I live here. its ugly as shit

@sonjacollier7910

Ай бұрын

I live in Huntington WV where are these condos?

@mikeandrews1899

Ай бұрын

@@sonjacollier7910 it's in sugar mountain, NC 🤷‍♂️ but Huntington , now there's a sheet hole

I'm an Aussie and I love you're accent! It's got this unmistakable feeling of home, of family. Be proud of it! It's beautiful

@crbradbury8282

8 ай бұрын

Well said

@Ef554rgcc

6 ай бұрын

You're probably aware but the Scots-Irish had been embittered by life in England and Scotland and so came to America for a free life. Many of them settled in Appalachia. I'm a descendant of them and proud to be. It's amazing to think that some of my family may be in Australia!

@Judy-et4ex

6 ай бұрын

Yessir. My Scottish great grandgather said har, not hair. Same. Southern Ky.

@lynda2450

Ай бұрын

Love the accent too. I think it’s cool that you can kind of tell where she’s from.

My mother was the head of the Avery County N.C. Building Inspection Department and wrote the proposal which became "The Ridge Law" aka the "Mountain Ridge Protection Act" that was passed in 1983. A tiny 95lb 5'2" tall lady (Aleta Daniels-Field) was the driving force behind the law that prohibits any structure over 40' tall being built on the top of any mountain. I'm very proud of her for fighting for the beauty of the mountains we call HOME!!!

@LB-wt1oj

9 ай бұрын

Wow! That is amazing. You are right to be proud of your dear mother❤

@jaggirl

9 ай бұрын

Let's hope money and corruption doesn't make certain people look the other way. Sadly it happens. You mother was a force to be reckoned with. What a wonderful lady. 🌻

@capicolaspicy

9 ай бұрын

That is so cool, thank you for sharing!

@smashleybreaks

9 ай бұрын

Glad your mom took the "bull by the horns" and shut that down.

@zenraged

9 ай бұрын

That’s an epic win. I remember when that hideous hotel went up on the ridge. Such an eyesore.

This Appalachia series is literally the best

@jdc4483

9 ай бұрын

Yes! I love the respect you give them

@cumberlandquiltchic1

9 ай бұрын

He needs to talk to Tipper Pressley, celebrating Appalachia is her channel. The blind pig and the acorn is her blog. Shes keeping Appalachia anlive and down to earth, just made a top selling cookbook. Music, history , stories, language, truly keeping it ALL alive. She’s in my area over Brasstown NC.

@bdmenne

9 ай бұрын

Just came to say the Same thing! 🙌

@theymademepickaname1248

9 ай бұрын

Quit overusing the word literally. There was no reason for it in your sentence.

@SandyWolf-

9 ай бұрын

Agee! 100 percent

As a son of a man who grew up in Appalachia (W.Va), this video is amazing and I love her accent! There are some wonderful ppl here. My dad was raised in Bluefield from a small town called Bramwell. It’s always been about community. I know what a holler is lol. I may need to visit. This was emotional for me as my father has passed. What an amazing video

@FAB_GNC

6 күн бұрын

Born and raised in Brushfork here.

Ivy's accent is fabulous! - there are so many links & commonalities between us Scots & the Appalachian people that I'd probably fit in no problem. The friendliness & sense of community is so familiar to me. We also have similar issues with incomers, tourism & house prices so I can fully sympathise with the quandry of balancing jobs & income vs. the way of life being altered.

@michelleautrey7616

2 ай бұрын

The area they are in actually has an annual “Highland Games” festival yearly to honor Scottish roots in the area!!!!!!

@doloresreichhardt1485

2 ай бұрын

Only time I've ever heard anyone make fun of an Appalachian accent was one time on SNL, other than that I've never heard of such a thing. By the way, my nephew is married to someone with that accent, I think of her as a southern bell b/c of her lovely accent.

@mistrsynistr7644

Ай бұрын

@@doloresreichhardt1485 Sadly it happens quite often. It is not necessarily making fun of but more of treating someone like they are uneducated simply due to their accent. I have personally been hit with the comment "oh wow you are actually way smarter than you sound".... I guess having a southern accent means your IQ is lower than room temp.

Im born and raised NC! I live on my familys 220 acre farm and people and businesses are sending offers monthly to buy our land at hardly no cost. Us and All the farmers in the community stand together on keeping this the country side. We stand with yall as well💪🏼. Some of us just want to be left alone and stop dealing with business men and government

@angelawierda760

9 ай бұрын

God bless you all 🙏❤🙏

@rambo.69

9 ай бұрын

What's a 200 acre plot go for out there? I'm from England, and 200 acre of woodland with a bit of arable is multi millions £

@Lily_1010

9 ай бұрын

That's such a great attitude and I agree, to live on a farm with that kind of beauty and freedom surrounding you, if you and your families are doing well, who cares about money and greed, it doesn't buy joy or peace or health. God Bless you and your land and farms and families!

@jaredglass2562

9 ай бұрын

@@rambo.69 depends on where he is from and how the land lays but 1,500 to 4,000 a acre is typical. Sometimes people from out of state/or cities will pay higher prices.

@jbird73

9 ай бұрын

I sure hope yall don't sell. I was born in Raleigh but grew up in Myrtle Beach. It's more like NYC here now. It's ruined. There is no amount of money I'd take if I could make it like it once was. It's awfully sad.

As a Watauga local, it breaks my heart to be forced out of my hometown due to rising costs (coughAppstatecough) and people buying second and third vacation homes. The entitlement of people moving into their 6,000 sq foot homes and demanding local change is astounding. Thanks for highlighting the issues.

@benztech2262

8 ай бұрын

Same thing is happening to Florida. Sure my house is worth 3 times what it was but can’t afford to move up to a better house because so many are moving here from other states.

@dayisnow

8 ай бұрын

@@benztech2262 Arguably, it's occurring everywhere. Unfortunately, this is due to a lack of being properly informed about the area(s) and a pure disregard for local establishment. But hats off to Peter for providing significant coverage and initiating change. The best we can do is support him in those efforts and try to do the same ourselves.

@jen3345

8 ай бұрын

This is definitely happening everywhere, including my hometown in AZ. People born and raised here no longer able to afford it after rents raised 50% in the course of two years. People from coastal areas have a big effect on the places they move to, which is basically everywhere.

@ravenkitty1960

8 ай бұрын

All I can say is ; look to the 1st Nation peoples. There will always be someone coming for what you have come to call home, the only guarantee is that things will continue to change.

@jen3345

8 ай бұрын

@@ravenkitty1960 Absolutely. Someone always "owned" some land first. Obviously it's awful that people have been slaughtered in the past over land - but someone, or something (if not people, then animals and nature) were there first. At least these days we're mostly just dealing with gentrification, not genocide.

As a man from the suburbs of Chicago, seeing this even breaks my heart. I’ve always had a dream of moving to a place like this, but living simple and growing my own food. Why go there and destroy the environment and not become apart of the community. It’s understandable that the locals feel this way.

@wership

3 ай бұрын

It doesn't seem like the locals would ever be accepting of you no matter what.

@SwampNucker

Ай бұрын

​@@wership The problem is rich folk moving in, rising costs, building ugly mcmansions, and bringing problems that caused them to move in the first place.

@SoGshaiprosper5417

Ай бұрын

​@wership if he's a good dude, that wasn't trying to change their culture, sure he would be accepted, without a doubt. Funny how these people have been the bud of jokes and forced to survive with no interests/support from businesses or opportunists for centuries. The last place in the US to get on the power grid, 1970s. They survived and kept these places beautiful, to the point now those same third parties want to come and destroy it. Their supposed to be OK wi that? Foh 🤡

Thank you for the Appalachia series. I've enjoyed them. I moved to a nearby county to these people during the vid, but it was a house that was on the market. I've been immersing myself in the community and love everyone around here. Even joined the local volunteer fire department to help give back to the community that has been so welcoming.

Being originally from Southern Kentucky I could tell people one thing. Some of the nicest and even some of the smartest people I've ever met have lived in broken down trailers and little broken down cabins. Most of them will give you the shirt off their back if you need it. Never ever judge a book by its cover.

@cocomarineblu993

8 ай бұрын

If they’re so smart why are they living like that

@markhammer1902

8 ай бұрын

@@cocomarineblu993 because they choose

@stevewilliams6667

8 ай бұрын

You are correct. I am a mechanic and always impressed by the abilities and attitude of people I met there that could fix anything and get by with very little and also the generosity of people. I have always said don't judge a book by its cover.

@LiborTinka

8 ай бұрын

@@cocomarineblu993There are also very dumb and stupid people who are ultra rich. Think about that.

@twodigitscout9800

8 ай бұрын

@@cocomarineblu993Just like black folk, they dont have much choice or many opportunities to get out of it; not easy to do.

"Respect the views, the environment, and the people", WELL SAID!!!

@nmckeown101

8 ай бұрын

I agree with the statement. The man that said it should practice what he preaches. His place was definitely an environmental blight.

The point when you stopped to look at the beautiful scenery with the farm and cows, looks exactly like my village in Rukungiri, Western Uganda. All the way down to the narrow, but tarmacked 2-lane road.

I feel this in my soul! I live in the mountains of South Carolina. My 3rd great grandmother was the oldest woman in my county. I can’t even afford a house where my family is from because of the Cliffs, The Reserve, and Keowee Key. My family used to own some of what is now lake Jocassee and Gorges state park. No one is leaving here and moving to the north, but they all want to move down here and price us out of our homes and our roots. It breaks my heart.

Modesty needs to be praised and placed upon a pedestal, not the rich and greedy

@Ren3gade

9 ай бұрын

Indeed. Everything is greed driven now. The 0.0001% class of greedy individuals continues to amass wealth and ruin the world while the other 99% of us get poorer and poorer. If I was rich I would be helping THE PEOPLE. Not building mansions on other people's land.

@rambo.69

9 ай бұрын

I'll just buy a taller pedestal, I'll make my pedestal out of a redwood. I'll park my bugatti and raptor in the base.

@justinciallella4724

9 ай бұрын

@@rambo.69 no doubt you will

@Chris-yo6wx

9 ай бұрын

​@@rambo.69 Money is like salt water the more you drink the thirstier you get. In other words you lose.

@rambo.69

9 ай бұрын

@@Chris-yo6wx just buy a desalination unit

I love the people who want to protect their land not just because they own it, but by respecting it.

@ruralangwin

8 ай бұрын

Right on!

@randyross5630

8 ай бұрын

No! They want to Protect Land they don't Own and have No Right to from Americans owning it, because they are not From Small Rural Areas! You People are Insane! You think you have the Right to All you Survey because you were Born There! You think you have a Hereditary Right over other Americans, when in Reality the only thing you have is a Trailer Home and a Pick Up Truck!

@randyross5630

8 ай бұрын

People work there Whole Lives started at Childhood and Education to be able to Own a Home with a Few Acres, than some Lazy Country Folk who won't get Educated and won't Work Hard, gets to give them a Hard Time, and Try to Say No and Stop Them! It's Awful!

@sharongillesp

8 ай бұрын

Land … ALL LAND … needs to be respected and NOT OWNED.

@joshuaprivett3552

8 ай бұрын

@@sharongillespIn lalaland, sure. In reality, the vast majority of humanity has accepted the concept of land ownership. If no one owned land then why would someone ever bother to BUILD anything if the land it’s on can be trespassed on by anyone? The idea that land shouldn’t be owned doesn’t fit with reality, and you can’t change reality. Stop whining about things you literally can’t change- you have plenty of things in your own life that are 10000000x more important than the strange and impossible battle of making everything and everywhere free to everyone.

I'm a Canadian and this makes me so sad . These people lived here for a really long time,and have mined the land,and they don't have first dibs at decent prices.

@eljerc5894

7 ай бұрын

It's kind of like history repeating itself with the Native Americans that got kicked off

@rootigaroot9922

5 ай бұрын

they LITERALLY had "first dibs", where do you think this land is coming from? federal land can't be bought, these people are selling their own land

@brianmb

5 ай бұрын

Yeah I lived in that area. The influx of tourism is definitely providing industry but at what cost... you know?

@adamconner9302

5 ай бұрын

There is a mass exodus occurring all across the US out of the urban areas to the north and the coasts. The locals across much of the south and southeast of the US are taking a big hit as most of the emigration is going to those regions. Housing prices are unstable and the poor are simply being completely priced out. I live in a rural area close to Charlotte NC and at this point the cheapest rentals period are over $1000 and anything you'd actually want to live in is closer to $1500. I don't mean in the city, we're talking an hour or so from the city out past the suburbs and satellites in a town of about 3000 people. Many people have already and will continue to fall from being poor renters to homeless renters. Lots of foreign money coming in causing the same issues in the cities in the US too ironically enough. Same thing is happening in a major way in Vancouver and Toronto though so you probably know about it. Wild times we live in.

@Solutions3000

4 ай бұрын

The locals owned the land, first. They needed money, because it's a poor area.

Thank you again for speaking on such a painful, complicated topic. Born and raised NC and it hurts those of us that have seen all the changes. The culture and media paints rural southern folks badly and yet the rich/companies keep moving in - benefiting from exploiting our resources, spoiling our land, changing our culture and pushing locals out. Generations and generations back and it's all gone. We love people, we're so welcoming and don't mind sharing our communities and space. We're just wanting it done the right way, in a respectful way and that's just not happening. So many talk trash about the south but they are so quick to move down here and take over.

Just an FYI, the big field they stop at around the 5 min mark has been cleared as pasture land for as long as I can remember and I’m in my 40s. My Grandmother’s house is about a half mile up the road from that. Her property also has an entire mountain top that is cleared and has been used as pasture land for over 100 years. It was never cleared for the view.

@fzr1000981

9 ай бұрын

Are you single haha

@GM6.7

9 ай бұрын

Hasn't most the land been cleared and then abandoned and trees and brush taken it back over? That area is so lush twenty years a cleared field will be forest again.

@apatheticallyconcerned6574

9 ай бұрын

I think he was just using that field and its size as an example of the scale of land being cleared in some cases for "the view." He could clearly see the cows right in frame and he isn't an idiot.

@glennr9913

9 ай бұрын

@@GM6.7 It takes quite a bit longer than 20 years for the big trees to grow back.

@father8875

9 ай бұрын

@@fzr1000981my man!

I hope Peter gets an award for this documentary. It is so well done.

@swedboyzwsmeanoldnastydad6614

8 ай бұрын

Don't stop here... I only discovered Peter a couple of months ago and have binge-watching his videos ever since. He's so good with every place he visits.

@zchris87v80

8 ай бұрын

Actual journalism. The comments among those not familiar with the US should be evidence alone. He could focus entirely on the Appalachia series and I'd be happy. I've learned more from this series than actually living here.

@juiccychicken

8 ай бұрын

That’s exactly what happened to my home town in PA once it starts there’s no stopping it. It’s depressing

@karens.815

8 ай бұрын

He should. I am enjoying his videos. Talk about an education!

@johnjack902

8 ай бұрын

Deserving

Same this is happening to us in TN and the people from higher income states come and gloat in front of us about taking over our communities and act like the reason why we can’t afford the elevated housing prices now is because we aren’t working hard enough. It’s devastating to be pushed out of your home. I hate human nature sometimes…selfish and greedy. Something needs to happen in legislation to help protect locals from inter - state real estate transactions becasie different state have different minimum wage/average incomes. It’s not a fair fight and people shouldn’t be able to just come and replace a whole community because they come from a place with higher incomes.

@WoundedSnoogs

Ай бұрын

I agree! Eastern TN is becoming crazy populated and unaffordable.

I know you got a million comments on here but I wanted to throw in my little two cents worth period I'm from North Carolina and went to college in Appalachian State University. I went there because I wanted to live in the mountains and that was the easiest and quickest way for me to get there at 17 years old. I hiked a lot of the hills you filmed in this video and slept in a lot of those woods. It was back in 1988 and 1989 and it was so beautiful!! And so free..... As in tons of open space that was accessible to anyone willing to hike up into it. Now most of that land has been sold off and it's not accessible anymore and that's so sad to me. I was definitely an outsider when I got there but when I made my home there I became a local and that's the way I was treated. I also loved it enough to want to see it taken care of. I think with so many of these big money people coming in buying up all the land, it's a money thing for them and they don't care about preserving the beauty of the place. They'll deface the whole mountainside if they can make a dollar off of it and that's just sad. Some of the best people I've ever met in my life were locals in the mountains all around Boone and Todd and Blowing Rock. They were also some of the smartest people I've ever met through this day even though most of them had very little education. They knew how to live off the land and could survive in anything. I learned a lot while I was there and still carry so many of those lessons and values with me today at the age of 53. It feels home for me in so many ways. Maybe it's just the Nostalgia of it all but I have a deep love for that place. Thank you for taking the time to get to know it and for sharing it with all of us on here. I've always wanted to travel the world and it's beginning to look like that will never happen for me so I'm living a little bit vicariously through your videos at the moment and I am enjoying every single one of them. I just met Titus in your last video that I watched and of course that warms my heart. I guess I'm just trying to say thank you. God bless you as you continue your travels

You are hands down one of the best freelance journalists out there Peter! Don’t ever change, you’re the man✌️

@janettehunter6479

8 ай бұрын

As a Australian, I’m fascinated with the cultures of other places, the diversity of people’s lives but unfortunately the world over this story is happening. I love the variety, we don’t want everything the same.

This makes me realize what is happening to our world, it happening to everyone at the same time.

@TamaraJohnBlue

2 ай бұрын

And that’s what is so scary to me. It’s not organic population growth it’s turbocharged inflation, too.

Be proud of your Southern Accent! Best accent in the world. One of my favorite things about where we are in East Tennessee area etc

What incredibly well spoken ,informed and articulate commentary from this young lady….she was a pleasure to listen to.

As a millennial who spent their entire preteen and early teen years destroying anything within me that made me Appalachian and running away as soon as I turned 18. I'm 30 now and I moved back recently and I literally mourn for Appalachia and how much of us abandoned it

@christigoth

8 ай бұрын

then revitalize it... and sell crafts to the outsiders at bazaars in spring and fall. sell art to them. be sure to mark it up ridiculously.

@julesl8249

8 ай бұрын

I liked it all up until the last part smh@@christigoth

@henrilindroos3029

8 ай бұрын

Can relate, but just coming from the country side in Finland 🇫🇮

@JK360noscope

8 ай бұрын

​@@christigothadd a zero, you gotta make sure they don't think they're getting a deal

@Palerider2023

7 ай бұрын

I’m in the same spot.

I've been stuck in the hospital for 3 months now and discovered this epically amazing person exploring real issues with real people from a non bias, open minded standpoint. I have utmost respect for Peter Santenello for everything he is showing, the way he shows it, and the drive for knowledge. Big ups!! And thank you.

@staceyjones2405

8 ай бұрын

I just went home after 62 days in the hospital and this was the best series to help me cope with long nights and horrendous pain. I wish you well. Peter keep it up!!

@mione134

8 ай бұрын

Sending all of you healthy healing vibes. God Bless.

@crawwwfishh3284

8 ай бұрын

Best to you. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

@pinkythechihuahua3156

8 ай бұрын

I recently broke my hip and stayed 3.5 weeks in rehab. I don't watch TV but the facility has fun things to do. Arts and crafts, music, bingo etc. Was fun and the food was really good.

@cumberlandquiltchic1

8 ай бұрын

You should watch Tipper Presley at Celebrating Appalachia… her blog is , the blind pig and the acorn. She’s been keeping Appalachia alive for a very long time. Every bit of it….. She has years of stuff that you can’t ever get through it all. A plethora of videos and information

We've got similar stuff happening in parts of Georgia and Tennessee. Pretty much impossible to find rent under $2k - 3k a month, even in apartments. New and indistinguishable overpriced breweries and restaurants on every corner but no one to work in them, "help needed" signs decorate all their windows. Locals who used to fill those positions can no longer afford to live here, and the rich snowbirds obviously won't be mopping floors or cleaning toilets. There's a limit to how far this can go - a tourism industry can only last so long as there are people to wait their tables, fill the drinks and clean their precious cabins. The bubble will burst, it's all just a matter of when. Our homeless population is getting bigger every year.

@elismacintosh

Ай бұрын

Same thing is beginning to happen in the midwest in boring places even, not just beautiful scenic areas. The rich are eating the country alive.

@leroylowe5921

19 күн бұрын

>>>a tourism industry can only last so long as there are people to wait their tables, fill the drinks and clean their precious cabins Ah, but that's what the immigrants are for.

The locals need to ban together and invest in a land trust. Then the land can only be used for agricultural purposes or regular family homes.

@ghostofresonance4025

7 күн бұрын

Yes, they need to get a move on that pretty quick. All these outsiders start changing everything for the worst.

You mentioned north eastern Tennessee. That area has also grown in population with people moving in from Florida, California and many northern states as well. The growth has pushed housing prices to an all time high in East Tennessee. The area is becoming unrecognizable to people that have lived in the area their entire lives

@grain9640

8 ай бұрын

in the county in east Tennessee where my friend lives, airbnbs outnumber normal houses now

As a 6th generation Texan, I feel this so much. This is exactly what has happened here. Kids moved away and didn’t want the grandparents ranch and sold them off. Whole ranches have had all their trees stripped and are nothing but ugly roof tops now. My house value has more than triples in a decade. We joke with people who are thinking of moving, saying well if you do you won’t be able to afford your house if you want to move back. Old Texans cared for the land and green spaces. They’re now ruined. Trash everywhere. Trees gone. No culture - all that is mostly torn down. We are running out of water because there are no laws around putting in a well and watering your whole vineyard or distillery that just moved in. It’s disgusting. I have so much more to say and to warn these people of. Get your laws in order now. Get people in office that are from there, otherwise…. It’s coming.

@jamesedmonds9946

8 ай бұрын

If you were to develope Texas to the level of Manhatten the whole world could live in just 1/3 of Texas. I'm a truck driver. It takes a whole day to drive across Texas. Most of it is empty.

@StarreLabell

8 ай бұрын

​@@jamesedmonds9946 Not the I-35 corridor from San Antonio to Austin to Georgetown. Prices have tripled in the last decade and taxes gone up. Your talking about West Texas, which is lots of dessert and low population because there are few jobs. Dallas, Houston and even farther south in Corpus Christi are booming.

@jamesedmonds9946

8 ай бұрын

@@StarreLabell drive 10 miles in any directions from I 35 and then where are all the people. I'm sitting in Laredo right now. Think your living in an urban area and complaining that it's urban... Drive from Laredo to corpus Cristy and you see more roadkill then people.

@Tampattaya

8 ай бұрын

Happens in the.uk.secind holiday homes drive prices up in coastal holiday resorts

@StarreLabell

8 ай бұрын

I'm a 6th generation Texan, too. Fancy there being two of us on this thread.

Thank you for showing the truth about Appalachia and doing with respect. My family has lived in the mountains over 250 years. Sadly my father's family had to move to the "foothills;" but kept all of the traditions, accent, and family connections. They made sure we knew the families of the Mountain, Lewis Chapel, in southeast Tennessee. My father moved us to Los Angeles County when I was seven to be able to support our family. I was cruelly teased for my accent so worked hard to lose it. Unfortunately mt grandmother made sure that we took home remedies with us, I hated "yellow root," used to cure a sore throat. I'm now back in southeast Tennessee and visit our families cemetery anytime a relative passes away. We still have family reunions on the mountain, our family is so large that we introduce ourselves starting will our great grandfathers name down to our own parent. I love the traditions that we keep. Thank you

@nesq4104

3 ай бұрын

U should right a book on Appalachian remedies

I’ve recently discovered your channel. I am a Canadian. I am enjoying your reporting so so much and I am very impressed with the local man and woman in the interview. They are so down to earth and real!!!

I am from Appalachia, I love the series Peter! I am also glad they mentioned the wildlife, it is critical we protect trees for animals and the environment

@13_cmi

8 ай бұрын

Appalachia has a lot of old growth trees doesn’t it? The trees where I live are all really old oaks. Some could easily be older than this country. They won’t come back in 50 years like pine forests.

@livingintheforest3963

8 ай бұрын

The sad thing is, everybody’s going to learn the hard way. We have this issues happening here in Oregon too but we’re much more protected. Luckily because it’s such a blue state and environment is so important. But this is tragic.😢

@petramundo

8 ай бұрын

national forest typically do, but alot of land was farmed so the trees are not that 300+ year old ones. Where I moved the land was farmed for a good 60+ years and we figure most the trees are about 80-100 years old from when they fully stopped in the 30's. There are a few red oaks that are property markers that are definitely old growth though. @@13_cmi

It’s happening here in Henderson County, NC too. Driving home prices to insane levels. Just saw new condos starting at 400,000 to over 1 million. No local person could ever afford that here.

@bendover-bz4bc

8 ай бұрын

That same "lokal" person will sell it for most overpriced value in that area. You can't make a clap without both hands. Locals are as guilty as people buying homes. Stop crying and out up with it. It's how world has always been. European settlers literally genocide whole Indians and stole this land and now complaining about rich people . The irony

@ari3lz3pp

8 ай бұрын

That's the same in SoCal. Lol Most people that own nice homes or even rent aren't local...Though older people do still own homes that are worth a lot by proxy. Our parents often could afford homes in cheaper areas, but the ripple affect of the 90s and early 2000s carried through to now. I don't know anyone of my generation working less than 40 hrs per week- most work 50+ and no matter the industry are struggling to afford rent. Too many taxes and the rent goes up and up. We are lucky we weren't scared of the COVId and got good prices during the first shutdowns; so we pay a little less than other people moving into these apartments. Nicer area but still old and plenty of break ins etc. For a 1000 ft² 2 bedroom it's $3000/month if you're new. Lol I still can't believe how many small homes I have seen in ghetto areas going for $850k+ and new track homes have ignorant young ppl from other areas, many times sother countries buying them and they fall apart in a few years. For $1-2 million a piece that's unfortunate. I know this because my husband works in plumbing. He has been to amazing residences in nearby cities that have homes worth tens of millions and a few over 100M. They tend to be owned by foreigners, and the ones that are closer to 9-12 mill range are often vacation homes. We have "affordable housing" built with tax aide that we don't approve. It's always expensive and usually for elderly only. The idea is apparently that the people with money (usually criminals if not from elsewhere) will move into the nice new places and the people just out of poverty will struggle to move into those places, leaving the older places and poor people will move into their old places which will be barely affordable. Lol Also I get sick of ppl saying we voted for this. A lot of people here are not for blue govt. But our votes aren't counting....we've almost removed Newsome twice and he gets votes last min each time....and our policy votes don't seem to count either. It's a part of the bigger problems in this country. But we know who wins in the end. John 3:16❤ Keep your armor maintained. Ephesians 6:10 ❤

@TheSterlingArcher16

8 ай бұрын

Seems to be the same on almost every corner of the US and world for that matter. Idk how anyone anywhere affords housing right now.

@sbeasley7585

8 ай бұрын

​@@TheSterlingArcher16How do people afford a new car either?

@mizzchuz.6413

8 ай бұрын

I live in southern Ontario Canada - our entire province is struggling with this issue. There's literally nowhere a person not already owning property, someone looking for a rental, etc can find affordable housing. I live in a rural town and local families can't afford to stay and new condos etc going up for wealthier people moving in. Sad.

I live in TN a mile from the NC line. It breaks my heart every time I see a big fancy house on top of the mountain. Also all of the street lights that run 24/7 drives me nuts. I do agree that the cost of things has at least doubled if not tripled since 2020. The outsiders moving in hasn't made any thing better or easier for us.

Your documentaries are so real and intimate with the locals. I really like those people, very smart, cool, nice folks. I appreciate their love for nature, one more reason why it would be great to live there for a while.

I can so identify with the problems that these sweet people are experiencing! I was born and raised in Hawaii and it seems this problem is global!

@queenelcene638

7 ай бұрын

Not a globe, 😂😂😂😂😂😂

@dawnanebergall4434

6 ай бұрын

Klaus Schwab is the Global problem. He and his rich minions. Old saying goes, “Money can’t buy you happiness.” I’d rather be broke and poor. Than cold hearted rich❤😊

@joshuadelafuent3

6 ай бұрын

Hawaii is this dialed up to 1000 on this. Yall have the worst housing costs in the country, godspeed man.

@coherentpanda7115

6 ай бұрын

Even in some of the most rural states like Nebraska, 99% of the land is owned by investors like Bill Gates. You can't build a small ranch in the countryside, don't even think about going off of a paved trail to hike down to a creek, that creek is owned by someone, and they'll shoot you on sight.

@bobbybarnes1652

5 ай бұрын

Well, if the government didn't create disasters and then gobble up the land from the deceased ...

It’s interesting to see how similar things are between Appalachia and Hawaii. From the natives, to the farm camps, to a depressed economy, to a tourist economy, to people wanting to live there, with all the tension that brings.

@janetbeam3087

8 ай бұрын

People are priced out of home and heritage .Sad that things have to change. Glad that there is no need for money in heaven and o'boy the views will be great.

@ronlanter6906

8 ай бұрын

I noticed that too. It sucks. Coming from a poor man west of Richmond.

@ronlanter6906

8 ай бұрын

@@janetbeam3087 Amen Janet.

@claesvanoldenphatt9972

8 ай бұрын

There is always the revolutionary option, if it gets bad enough. But they have the poor hoodwinked into fighting each other not their class enemy.

@abramlittle7102

8 ай бұрын

These people are clearly not natives

Another great interview. Thanks for sharing this.

Peter --Excellent reporting! Many thanks to the people who were so willing to talk to you!

I bought the house next door to my parents. We are both almost 1/4 mile off the road. I would love to build a couple houses on the property for my kids. I think the idea of hollars, family compounds, multigenerational households, whatever you want to call them is coming back. Or growing

@laserflexr6321

9 ай бұрын

I think that is the natural way. Grandma is supposed to be with the little kids every day, she teaches them and looks after their booboos and they thread her needle and trim her toenails. The whole of society suffers when families are fractured and everybody has lost their place and responsibility.

@Moms1958

9 ай бұрын

But what kind of work will your kids do to live on the same land ? What if they don’t want to farm? There’s a whole world of places and professions , what’s wrong with that? This kind of thinking is called prairie living with blinders on, cant see the forest for the trees , the world must be flat because I can see clear to the edge of the property 😂

@dand33911

9 ай бұрын

@Moms1958 Who said I was a farmer? The tractors lol I'm in real estate. I own, manage, sell, flip and maintain real estate. My kids can do whatever they want. They wouldn't want to be city dwellers.

@southerngrits

9 ай бұрын

​@@dand33911I agree my family owns the whole block .My great grandfather bought it . I am in Florida . We don't farm we all have different Jobs .

@badapple65

9 ай бұрын

A smart way to live with the way things are going.

Peter, it’s amazing how much your channel has grown. Bravo! You’ve done more to introduce Americans to Americans than anyone else. So, so needed. 🤗

@PeterSantenello

9 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! So much more in the US to discover.

@---tx9xx

8 ай бұрын

well said

I miss watching Anthony Bourdain’s show and I love this web series. You get great guides, a good history of the location, what’s important to the locals and every once in a while some good local eats. Thank you.

This perfectly encapsulates the "Missing Middle" I feel that a lot of Americans are experiencing.

@ajack1889

25 күн бұрын

It'll only get worse as inequality skyrockets. Most of the billionaire class eventually wants to turn this country into an Ayn Rand inspired hellscape. No regulations to stop them from doing (and buying) whatever they want. In their ideal America there will be only two classes. Owner class (them) and worker class/serfs (everyone else). They're leveraging their capital to pull this off with think tanks ran by the Koch brothers, Peter Thiel, etc, etc.

I just finished your Border series & worked my way through this series. I’ve determined that you’re the only journalist we have left in the country! You have no bias/narrative to push. You let the people and places speak for themselves. Refreshing!

@tessmackay2945

8 ай бұрын

I agree 💯

@tzt1182

8 ай бұрын

So true. It is beautiful to have the unbiased truth. Also, Mark from the soft white underbelly is also great. Peter did a video with him not too long aho.

@karens.815

8 ай бұрын

Agreed

Being a native of western North Carolina and having traveled extensively in the state, I believe our woes regarding development can be condensed to one word…. GREED. Those who have much want more and they do not care who or what is hurt in the process. The only hope is for locals to remain strong and say, No More! People cannot gentrify the area unless locals give permission. We welcome you to visit us as we are.

@JK360noscope

7 ай бұрын

Welcome to the world economy... Damn thing sucks

@tonismith2070

6 ай бұрын

7:12 just did a week bike trip through WV, had to see it before its all gone. We were approached to buy land/property with the promise of huge return in the tourism industry. How sad. Regulation and decisions made about fuel use are killing the entire area.

@rootigaroot9922

5 ай бұрын

does greed apply to the people selling their land to these "big bad evil rich people" then?

@tonismith2070

5 ай бұрын

@@rootigaroot9922 if their backs are up against a wall and the poverty and disparity of need vs income prospects is a survival situation what are the choices 🤔 rock meet hard place.

@Solutions3000

4 ай бұрын

The locals need incomes, which they might not get (according to the video), if the wealthy didn't enter and offer jobs. Plus, land owners sell to the rich, because… Double-edged sword.

Great video Peter! Thank you!! Beautiful land/countryside. It’s kinda sad to see big cooperations taking over.Great people to have interviewed!

Great series! Beautiful place. You always do a great job with these.

I really felt it when Nick said he was concerned about the rapid rate of change while overlooking that spectacular valley. He's knows what a precarious point Appalachia is at. Everyone should take Ivy's final piece of advice to heart when going anywhere, whether it's visiting or moving there: learn the culture, be kind and respectful, and protect the land. Watching this series from the other side of the world in New Zealand, I've really appreciated the insights this series has provided. What strikes me, is that while the extent of the concerns may vary, the issues are the same the world over: affordable housing, drugs, gentrification, social media are affecting the average joe.

@thewalkingjed4893

8 ай бұрын

Those city slickers don't deserve to live there!

@anandsharma7430

8 ай бұрын

@@thewalkingjed4893 They should explicitly have one subject in school (worldwide) which only repeats a few sentences for the whole year : You simply cannot eat money. You need the environment to be healthy. You need sunshine and greenery to not be depressed. Without water you cannot last a week. In fact the situation today is actually so dire that we need to put those 4 sentences in every country's national anthem and song.

@jimmcdevitt6084

8 ай бұрын

But does that mean you have to live in a dump like the guy next door?

@yelapa999

8 ай бұрын

I really think you make great points. I would just add, I live in Portland, OR in the USA which is also at a precarious point-just a totally different version of precarious, I suppose. And there are so many other variations in so many other places now that I think on it.

@dwane_ashby56

8 ай бұрын

Kiora from the mighty otipoti! Jeez humans are a strange breed lol. Live and let live I say. Either that or the alternative... Nut up or shut up lol.

Appalachia is being destroyed by gentrification. In my hometown rent was always $300-$450 a month. Even ten years ago it was. But since 2017, when they started rehabbing houses and moving in yuppies, the rent has gone up from $450 all day to $1,000 for a studio. They bought out all the family corner stores and laundry mats and put in coffee shops and pilates gyms, effectively driving the local poor into starvation and homelessness cause they got no car and can't get out to an actual grocery store and they can no longer afford rent. You say it's cleaning places up and making it better but all it does is wreck the ability for the poor who are from there to survive. This ain't your playground it's my LIFE 🙄💩

@GoodBadCo

8 ай бұрын

What's your city ?

@daveshore8671

8 ай бұрын

Who sold those places?? boomers. Your friends and families Boomers sold those places. That’s on that older real estate owning generation. Or their kids. If you don’t protect your home nobody will.

@Bulvan123

8 ай бұрын

I empathize with you. But you can't leave a place to run down to cater to the poor. As much as I often dislike it you can't stop progress. Also, let's be honest, West Virginians made some poor choices & didn't look to the future. I'm from one of the rare Jewish West Virginia families. Why aren't there Jewish poor trapped in poverty in West Virginia? Because the children were brought up in an environment of going to college and becoming a Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant, etc. They didn't want their children to follow them in the mines or steel mills or even take over the small business they owned which made them at best middle class. West Virginia needs to stop crying Victim & start moving forward on its own terms.

@elizabethbednar6338

8 ай бұрын

You sound really ignorant to me not everyone can be a doctor or lawyer or accountant…and even if they could there wouldn’t be a job for everyone. There are always going to be poor people no matter if they get an education or not. We need people to be miners too. If we had no miners we’d be in more trouble than if we didn’t have lawyers and maybe even doctors. As long as someone is working even if they don’t make much money they deserve to afford housing.

@TheCoolFlames

8 ай бұрын

@@Bulvan123 You realise society would collapse pretty quickly without miners, mill workers, and small business owners? They are literally essential and have a right to life as much as anyone else.

Thanks for sharing this! Well wishes from Singapore!

Love your channel, you're very considerate to the people you visit, keep up the good quality

I live in Texas, and there was a ballot measure for increased property taxes for a soccer stadium worth $40,000,000. This town is only 26,000 people. $40,000,000 for a place that does not even have a professional soccer team. THAT is where my TRIPLED property taxes are going, and it really pisses me off because most people don't even play or watch soccer.

@adamdavis5312

8 ай бұрын

That same stadium will need another 20 mil in maintenance and upgrades in 10 years

@babymoon5282

8 ай бұрын

Money grab

@katadam2186

8 ай бұрын

There are building up Soccer so big money can be made moving forward; Beckham been busy for 20 years and it’s finally paying off for him

@trentp151

8 ай бұрын

@@katadam2186 So rich people can get more rich at taxpayer's expense. Criminal.

@tmmsplace

8 ай бұрын

So they can host Soccer World Cup can be hosted

This series has been so eye opening about the little known people of Appalachia. This video is another home run of historical information and up to date happenings in that region. I will never see Appalachia the same way again after watching this incredible series. Well done Peter!

@aimeemetzinger6718

8 ай бұрын

🎉🎉🎉

Such a beautiful place! Thanks for the tour!

Peter, your shows are just awesome!

I loved watching a tattooed guy from the Bronx teaching me about flowers outside a church :)

Watching videos like these really makes you realize so many stretches of America, urban and rural, are really the same. Of course the nuances are very different, but the conversations are so similar. I swear I’ve heard my older neighbor in Chicago voice 90% of these same concerns

@tmmsplace

8 ай бұрын

Exactly my thought

@botNatalia

6 ай бұрын

it almost seems like the real enemies were the rich assholes who destroyed our planet, ruined our cities, and now eating up our towns

These people are so knowledgeable so interesting!!! Thank you!

I have watched so many of your videos, and I love them all, but I have to say this series is by far one of the best series you have ever done.

I can relate to their experience. I live in Asheville, NC, and the rich began their takeover here about 10 years ago. People can't even afford to rent a studio or one bedroom anymore unless they're married or can split rent with someone. Those of us who prefer to live alone and don't make triple digits are screwed. Landlords have become so greedy and uncompromising, it disgusts me. What's so upsetting is how the rich can just buy a beautiful home/property, create an air BNB or 10--or leave it empty 10 months out of the year--then move back to Malibu or Manhattan and get richer while the average person who works their ass off continues to suffer. I get the principle with the 'money doesn't buy happiness' saying; but it buys security and comfort, and those things make me very happy. I do understand wanting to spend your money however you want, since all of us do and that is your right. But when people can't survive in their homes anymore, it's not ok. Thanks for highlighting the sad realities of gentrification.

@DNYLNY

8 ай бұрын

The rich have been in Asheville since the 1800s tho.

@christinehodges6

8 ай бұрын

@@DNYLNYI said that's when they began to take over. Rich people have always been everywhere...

@fixitright9709

8 ай бұрын

@@DNYLNY the rich were all over this country in the 1800s I was born in Asheville long time ago

@fixitright9709

8 ай бұрын

I was born in Asheville in 1958 and the Metropolitan population was 66,000 people, now it’s 370,000 people, I want to go home because Florida is now going to trash but I really miss my mountains, my father had retired in Brevard and what I remember of it was a little town probably unaffordable by now and you know I almost moved back 45 years ago when it was affordable with my dad, I should’ve took the offer and I cannot imagine Asheville with it growing to 400,000 people! where are they going to put them all?

@JK360noscope

8 ай бұрын

Get your guns boys, we got a class war to win

Conservation of natural resources is so important. Self indulgent clearing of land speaks to a "me" mindset. It's prevalent in every booming community. Love your videos, Peter!

I am so grateful for your videos, thank you for what you do!

What a bunch of awesome and very insightful people. I can tell ivy has been through alot I think the way she talks is awesome. Send lots of love to them all ❤️🙏

I’m really enjoying learning about Appalachia. This is a great series.

@VitalityMassage

9 ай бұрын

Ha ha. You should live here.

@S.O.S64

9 ай бұрын

​@@VitalityMassageexactly and the two young people that are being interviewed are making things up as they go. Someone a little older that has really lived in Avery should've been interviewed.

@timeforchange3786

9 ай бұрын

@@S.O.S64 they seemed a little off.

@barbarakiser5622

9 ай бұрын

@@VitalityMassage what a shame if they’re misrepresenting the area.

@megapint1626

9 ай бұрын

I grew up in the South. I now live in the Midwest for work. There are 3-4-5-6 generations of families here too. I don’t recognize the south they describe in this series. Thank you all that live there and posted this is a blinder-on micro view these individuals are presenting. EDIT: half way through now and it seems there is a-lot of jealously I’m hearing. They don’t own the property, don’t work jobs that would allow them to buy the property, but all say they would like to live on the property. Entitlement, like drugs, knows no class, race, education, or geographical lines.

That lady Ivy was so articulate. She explained so much without possibly offending ppl of belief and politics. She's very understanding and aware on how/where society has moved to. I think her accent is adorable and she shouldn't have stopped playing the banjo (which I want to play). My kinda gal and she likes my Dolphins! ❤

@crawwwfishh3284

8 ай бұрын

Who cares if people get offended. Speak your mind. That’s what’s wrong with this country.

This is happening everywhere. The lake I grew up on used to be modest homes/cottages, lots of trees, etc. For years now, people have been bulldozing the homes, clearing the property completely, and building huge houses that take up the entire lot. I don't understand why you'd want to buy something secluded and quiet, and turn it into the Chicago suburb you already live in.

Peter! I loved the Appalachia series ! Amazing insight for outsiders,do hope you do more of the these .Also lovedthe series you made on the various nations , Indian tribes just superb. Thank you

Great interview. This gal is extremely well spoken and explains what is really happening all over the country but she highlights very well her state/community. Thank you.

I live in Avery county NC and it's absolutely ridiculous- this video really is shedding light on a serious issue we have. Can't find anywhere to live. Every bit of land is being bought up by corps. I see that damn condo on the mountain ridge AND Eaglesnest everyday. Amazing people live here, but they're being forced out of the area for more Floridian 2nd homes. You either work for them or cater to them.

@nicolasgarcia400

8 ай бұрын

Amen brother

@terrijohnson6347

8 ай бұрын

dont think they are all floridians some are half backs

@zchris87v80

8 ай бұрын

I'm down the road a bit (upstate SC) and prices are being insanely inflated by people who are willing to live among us "ignorant rednecks", buying up the lake and mountain properties we've saved all our lives to hope to afford.

@misty3012

8 ай бұрын

@@zchris87v80that is the part that infuriates me. From Charlotte. I lived in Spartanburg. Moved to Holden Beach. I can’t get away from the snobs who hate us and are making it impossible for us to live in our home area

@Robin-mj6jv

8 ай бұрын

​@@terrijohnson6347what are half backs?

Love this from Australia and touches bases here as well great people and great interviewing

Excellent documentary Peter. Thank you. 👍🏼

My daughter lives in Maggie Valley. Works at a high end resort in the summer, that caters to the outsiders, and works at the ski lodge in the winter. Her and her boyfriend make decent money yet still have to live in a camper on one of the campgrounds bc rent in these places is unattainable even with two incomes.

So impressed! What well-spoken, knowledgable and insightful representatives these people are! This couple should run for office. We need more young people like these in government today. Wonderful interview! Thank you so much.

@lemontree5788

6 ай бұрын

I thought the very same thing. They should run for office.

@becorations1

4 ай бұрын

I’m from the area. Why does someone being well spoken seem to surprise you? Like she alludes to, we aren’t characters from The Deliverance. We even have universities and hospitals! Lol

@Solutions3000

4 ай бұрын

​@@becorations1 THIS

Really enjoyed this episode. There are many similarities to where I live in Wales, United Kingdom.

I absolutely love your videos, for someone that hasn’t traveled much they are amazing but the most important reason is the history and the understanding of what the local people are going through. It really makes you stop and think about how you effect an area when you move there be good stewards it’s the most important thing you can do. 💕

Great series. We are being priced out all over the country. The builders have no respect for the land🌻👣

@homes892

9 ай бұрын

Keep crying

@misterawesomeman1

9 ай бұрын

@@homes892 pathetic

@Cyberfarm9

9 ай бұрын

@@homes892you’re a jerk

@davidfosca1044

9 ай бұрын

​@@homes892To better understand the current political, economic, and social problems watch documentaries New World Order, Secret Societies, and Biblical Prophecy by Leonard Ulrich, The Money Masters, The Secret of Oz, Gold and Dollar How Money Became Worthless, America from Freedom to Fascism by Aaron Russo

@davidfosca1044

9 ай бұрын

To better understand watch documentaries New World Order, Secret Societies, and Biblical Prophecy by Leonard Ulrich, The Money Masters, The Secret of Oz, Gold and Dollar How Money Became Worthless, America from Freedom to Fascism by Aaron Russo

As a 46 yo native Tennessean, I love your work on anything Appalachia, Peter. We live on the border of middle and eastern TN, about an hour north of Chattanooga, on the Cumberland Plateau. Our little town suffered a similar "fate" in the early 2000s. A couple of developers from FL and started buying up acreage that, when we were kids, wasn't worth 700$ an acre. You couldn't even get city utilities. It was sink a well and hope for the best. In any event, these lots were sold for $50,000-$100,000 a piece. Then most people put up "kit" log homes. Granted, these are beautiful red cedar homes, 2-3 stories, and 3000 sq ft. Those folks could sell out in FL (at the time) for a cool 1.5 million and roll up here and get the lot and brand new log home for under $500,000. That's a good return on your money...if you have that much. Short story long, the Great Recession of 2008 hit, and tons of homes were foreclosed on. The locals couldn't afford to buy anything back, for sure. The county commissioners, in a panic of being left holding the bag with substandard roads, literally enacted, word for word, the building codes from Brentwood, TN...for a town with under 2,000 people. Our taxes have increased, access to "community land" (meaning anyone in the community could use it, so long as you respected it) is decimated, and I can't put so much as a pre-built Amish storage "barn" on my own property without the approval of the "building commission". My wife and I were lucky enough to end up as fourth generation owners of what was my great paternal grandparents' 70 acre cattle farm. Yet despite owning it free and clear, it took us 2 years and $3,000 to simply sub divide off a .7 acre plot...all because we wanted to have the ability to offer one or both of our daughters a lot on which to build. They can't even build anything on our existing 70 acres. Every new structure requires a sub division with soil studies, surveying, drainage survey and an corresponding doubling of property taxes for the exact same piece of dirt, only now it has a separate deed. The developers that ended up kicking off this original snowball...? They were long gone, money in hand, before the real estate crash even really hit deep. I'm in no way opposed to new people, new ideas, and new economies. But when a handful of people end up tilting the balance in their favor, and the locals have little to no recourse for generations to come...I get upset, and I'll be the first to own up to that fact. There's gotta be a better way. As Capt. Kirk said in Star Trek - The Undiscovered Country, "reality is probably somewhere in the middle." Love your work, brother, keep it up! And Ivy, you keep that accent going! I'm as country as cornbread and proud of it.

@seaxofbeleg8082

8 ай бұрын

Spencer?

@ryanbaker7404

8 ай бұрын

@@seaxofbeleg8082 Ding!

@ryanbaker7404

8 ай бұрын

@@user-zk5rt3gb3e I’m happy to share! I will be the first to admit that all my problems are still very much first world problems but they are still real and still irritating. The local, common man here doesn’t have the financial resources to waste on such silliness…yet here we are.

@huntfishfalls

8 ай бұрын

Great comment, Ryan! Boonie native here~

@genkaikuroneko5412

8 ай бұрын

I feel you! Native Rhea Countian here. My folks live up on the mountain. My husband and I came back home after his military service to retire, but we can't afford to buy anything! My folks just sold their house for 415k. We've been priced out of our home just like a lot of folks. We've had to resort to living in our rv, and its not just us. Wealthy retirees moving in and driving up prices-can't even rent a trailer for under $1k, but you can't make more than $20 p/h in this town. Families I grew up with are being forced out. Its horrible how our communities are being destroyed.

My co-worker and I are listening to this at work. We thought he was doing a documentary on Estes Park, Colorado.

This gentrification is even going on where I live, in the mountains of East Tennessee. I can't believe, every time I drive down the road, how many people from California and Texas are building these huge, multi-million dollar homes on our mountain. It blows my mind. These are mostly second and third homes for these million/billionaires. So sad. We are losing our culture.

@bhaveshpatel9626

7 ай бұрын

Are you by Johnson City?

@johndsouza842

6 ай бұрын

I live in elizabethton, I renovated a house here wit my friend n his wife. We’re all from jersey.. none of us have big houses tho. I do see what your saying when I’ve done deliveries.

@halenahandbasket

6 ай бұрын

@@bhaveshpatel9626 No, I'm north of Chattanooga, but not as far north as Johnson City. The area that I was specifically referencing is a tiny little mountain town called Hendon or "Flat Top" in Bledsoe County.

@halenahandbasket

6 ай бұрын

@@johndsouza842 haha oh ok, well cool! I hope you're enjoying our beautiful area 😊 (even though I don't live in that particular part of the state lol.) I'm practically in Chattanooga.. about 30 mins. away from Chatt. actually. I've grown up in these mountains for 31 years, and in the last 5 we have seen an ENORMOUS influx of people from states like California, New York, Texas etc. who are coming to what was once our tiny little mtn village, and building gigantic homes on huge plots of land. Renovation is great 👍 at least y'all revived something 😂 These people that I am referring to just come (or hire someone) to build these homes, then rarely ever visit them, and don even rent them out! Therefore, they aren't really contributing to our local economy... Just taking up our farm land. I appreciate your input though.

@bhaveshpatel9626

6 ай бұрын

I know Flat Top! I went to high school in Chattanooga (Hixson) and college in Johnson City (ETSU). I miss the mountains!!!!!

How does he always get such well-spoken people to interview? These are valuable interviews. Thank you for the great content to open our minds.

@darlenedarlene419

8 ай бұрын

I could listen to that girl's accent all day

@rosehannah4845

8 ай бұрын

They were so knowledgeable and well spoken. I was impressed.

@tamarajoquintanilla9467

7 ай бұрын

Texans nearly sound the same

@DigginDixie

7 ай бұрын

Do you think it is difficult to find intelligent southerners?

@scratchpenny

7 ай бұрын

You can always find interesting and intelligent people when you spend a lot of time talking to people. The other thing is that the media has skewed our perceptions about the world to such a degree that we often think in terms of stereotypes about other people and regions.

Love your videos, She is so respectful of both sides.

Really ,BREATHTAKING ! What WONDERFUL people you're meeting. ❤ GOD BLESS YOU ALL ! 😘

I live in North Georgia and man oh man. This video felt like watching what is happening in our community. Us locals are struggling to stay in an area where our families have been for hundreds of years.

@ban80

8 ай бұрын

Got to love progress. I live in an area so shitty we will never get pushed out.

@jadams1033

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, happening in Knoxville, TN as well. Sad to see

@r.d.9399

8 ай бұрын

You have to push the outsiders out. No other way around it. If you don't they destroy it all

@florastewart7957

8 ай бұрын

Take over the town Council and enact covenants.

@Aibric

8 ай бұрын

It's insane how fast the Atlanta metro sprawl is spreading like a cancer up 400/60. The same thing keeps happening in all these counties and towns and unfortunately a lot of it can be laid at the feet of prominent families that do go back a long ways and who control local councils and boards. They usually have personal stakes in the real estate developments that happen and sell communities out to benefit themselves. They will use reasoning like "people need the jobs and homes" but the jobs are nothing but low wage retail and restaurants, and the "homes" are increasingly apartments and poorly built stick homes on the tiniest lots possible. A lot of these jobs and homes end up filled by people from elsewhere in the end anyway.

Y'all are putting words to my exact thoughts. It's heartbreaking watching my mountains turn into another suburb of Atlanta

@Red-ej6he

8 ай бұрын

It's happening all over Georgia😢.

@pro-seriesfabrication3810

8 ай бұрын

For FAR too long, people didn't care what the county commissioners did. We're finally seeing the fall-out from that

@Patricksbenzowithdrawal

8 ай бұрын

I’m just curious which areas you’re referring to? I live in north Atlanta and love driving up in the mountains, SR60, blood mountain and so on. I don’t really see anything in the way of development in the north GA mountains, at least nothing at all close to what Atlanta suburbs see. I’m not denying what you’re saying I’m just curious which areas you’re referring to? I love the natural beauty of the mountains and love spending time up there. Hopefully it’ll stay that way.

@pro-seriesfabrication3810

8 ай бұрын

NGMC has a brand new facility they are building off 400 right before 60. Lumpkin issued a moratorium on rezoning at the end of 2021 into 2022 due to the growth of Lumpkin and Dahlonega specifically. There's already substantial talk of widening 400 to GA52 and extending it over what is currently longbranch rd.@@Patricksbenzowithdrawal

@bradleysanford7929

8 ай бұрын

​@@PatricksbenzowithdrawalEllijay, Blue Ridge, Dawsonville, Dahlonega. These small towns will never be the same. This video is a perfect example of what's going on here.

I found this interesting and informative 👍 thank you!

As a native East Tennessean living in the Knoxville area, I feel this soooo much. I cannot tell how many times I've cried over the sheer and utterly devastation of this area both financially, culturally, and physically.

@JonnyFortino

5 ай бұрын

I'm also in Tennessee, ever since I was little I've watched all these beautiful farms and woodlands I used to love as a kid. Breaks my heart to see a old farmer die or sell out and then 25 cheesebox houses pop up and then its streetlights and minivans. They creep closer to me every day. If I ever get the chance I'll buy 100 acres of woods with a little house in the middle so I can at least protect one small part of forest.

@laurelanderson8720

5 ай бұрын

@jonnyfortino yessssss!!!! Not sure if you know where Wears Valley is or what part of atN you're in...but I've watched it too. It is heartbreaking indeed! Will you share that 100 acres?? LOL!

@oliveyew77

4 ай бұрын

As a native Texan (6th generation Houstonian) now living in Knoxville. I am sorry that I am part of the problem. I love Knoxville and East Tennessee so very much. My husband is from Kingston and we are here to be close to his parents and more opportunity. We were able to come in a buy a house in an area with so much more to offer than what we could buy in Houston. We are in the city but have a beautiful community and hope be here for many generations. I clean cabins in Sevier County and I am grateful for the income but I just always think about what the landscape and culture was like before. Our goal is to eventually buy land and my in-laws can live there too and eventually offer our children and grandchildren part of it. It’s just going to take more than cleaning cabins to get there. My husband is a 3rd generation welder… his grandfather came to Tennessee from Alabama to weld at Y-12 in the 50’s and taught many people in the area to weld… lifting generations from poverty. My son is named after him. I hope to honor his legacy by getting back to the generational living he was trying to achieve for his family before his early passing.

@laurelanderson8720

4 ай бұрын

@oliveyew77, your mindset moving here is refreshing and welcome. Thank you! 💓 You've not come in here throwing money around like it is confetti at Time Square NYE. Again, thank you 😊

@jennavaughn1943

4 ай бұрын

​@@laurelanderson8720 did you know Harvey Sellers or Lilly Mae?

I moved to Southeastern Kentucky 20 miles south of Somerset 2 years ago from Florida. I came here not because I had money but because I didn't. I've never met a more accepting and kind people. I live off grid on 17 acres using rainwater and solar energy. I also happen to frequent the gas station that you were in in the last video. I will say this, if you do move here embrace the culture. I left Florida because New Yorkers ruined it. I will not leave here. Thank you for doing this series. I appreciate how you tried to look at it from every angle. I believe this is the most beautiful part of the country and some of the most beautiful people in the country. I hope it can be preserved.

@LilyGazou

8 ай бұрын

Well done. The right way to live.

@ubuntuiqinisoofuna7852

8 ай бұрын

How did New Yorkers ruin it? Florida is a transient state. Which you sort of proved that it is…

@actionfaction2558

8 ай бұрын

I did something similar. I grew up in the woods, then developments came and removed all the woods and built stuff. If I had the money( I was young), I would have bought the land to keep the woods… That being said, I did finally find and buy 19 acres of woods in Appalachian area, with 1600 foot of stream, eventually want hydro power, 4 springs, one tapped with a well, and two mountain tops. I’ve made miles of trails throughout the property and enjoy simply going into the woods with my dog and enjoying nature and the solitude and peace that comes with it.

@Pixieshade

8 ай бұрын

Unfortunately, people like you that move in are few, more often than not they come in and destroy our forest and farm land to build excessively large homes & drive up cost of living for everyone else. They destroying Appalachia and our way of life after destroying the hell holes they are escaping from. Big corps just see $ and care not to preserve our natural treasures.

@Ian-zj1bu

8 ай бұрын

How does a man from Somerset, England move there and do the same?

Hey Peter, watching this from a small town named Jalpaiguri in the state of West Bengal, India. Same things are happening in my district too. Politicians are colluding with the big time real estate developers to build apartment buildings in literally middle of the forest & almost all the apertments are being bought over by outsiders having money. It really pisses me off that how they are ruining our landscape & nature!! Great video by the way & more power to the people of Appalachia.

@aranmurphy1

8 ай бұрын

Please tell your fellow countrymen that I'm not interested in the extended warranty on my 1987 F250.

@jaykay415

8 ай бұрын

It's wrong! The developers in cahoots with the very rich should not be able to stomp over everyone else's way of life!

@crbradbury8282

8 ай бұрын

That's interesting to hear.

so motivating to see young generations talking about taking care of environment and respect, thank you for all this info

Peter from the videos I've watched that you made this is definitely your calling

I grew up in Bat Cave, NC once considered deep Appalachia. As kids we were free to wonder and explore the mountains and the hollers, hunt the woods, fish the streams and swim in the lakes…it was a nature lovers wonderland. Everyone knew everyone, we all helped each other in times of need, it was a strong community…Now thats all gone….Now its all subdivided up for second or third homes. I cant even access my old swimming hole anymore, Blackrock owns it now.

@kennyloggins2227

9 ай бұрын

What’s up neighbor. Same here. Now I’m priced out of my home county, and starting to be priced out of the big city I live in now. Not sure where I’m supposed to go

@mikeyoung490

9 ай бұрын

Loved bat cave area many years ago when I was a kid!

@Rudimentary007

9 ай бұрын

Black rock is bad news. Just look at Maui.

@mariedelozier2530

9 ай бұрын

May God damn Blackrock…

@mnetzer6777

9 ай бұрын

I'm from the city unfortunately. Denver. Bat Cave NC sounds like the coolest place ever. I'm sorry to hear about Blackrock. That's sucks. At least you had a great childhood in what sounds like a great place!! I'm jealous. Denver is a great place because the Rocky Mountains are close, but it is a BIG LIBERAL CITY.

This is happening in my town. Canton, NC. They closed our paper mill and now they are putting in expensive houses! My son is having a child and can’t find a home! It’s horrible!

@shirleytruett7319

7 ай бұрын

Hi chickapeas I'm from Waynesville but I live in SC now , Yes The rich people and government are trying to destroy all the beautiful places ❤🙏

@coherentpanda7115

6 ай бұрын

It's a national problem, you see beautiful forests being torn down for million dollar houses that sit on a mile long lot of grass with 1 or 2 token shade trees everywhere. You see beautiful small communities get bought up and torn down to build luxury apartment rentals. The community culture in this country is dying rapidly as the rich get richer, and are aiming towards the goal of having everyone work for them, and in exchange you can rent an apartment that the rich also own.

@rootigaroot9922

5 ай бұрын

@@coherentpanda7115 and yet the natives sold their land to contribute to the problem

@playlist9980

5 ай бұрын

I'm afraid it's happening in every scenic area in the developed world.

@keilana6

5 ай бұрын

😥

Awesome video...thank you.

Amazing series, on the edge of my seat. Please do more Appalachian videos 💯👍