| Sumario: | The geography of the Appalachian region has been defined in many ways, from the extent of its mountains to the extent of its poverty. Appalachia as a community or regional identity is harder to identify on a map. The purported tendency of Appalachians to be "reclusive" or "clannish," coupled with other negative stereotypes, can lead some to avoid connection with Appalachian identity. The highly public nature of social media suggests that self-identification as physically or culturally part of the Appalachian region may not be evenly distributed throughout the region. The abbreviated nature of Twitter posts means that self-identification may be limited to hashtags, as length restrictions limit elaborate identity constructs. Twitter users have demonstrated predictable, definable connections that conform to Billig's description of "flagging the homeland." This tendency may expose strong pockets of Appalachian identity and invite a re-examination of how the Appalachian region is defined. This note examines tweets with significant words or phrases and uses cluster analysis to determine spatial concentrations of use. These clusters are mapped against conventional definitions of the region, which may also reveal exclaves of Appalachians outside the region.
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