Thanks for watching! This is part of our greater Appalachia series: kzfaq.info/sun/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

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

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.

That condo on the top of the mountain is a disgrace

This is happening everywhere. The rich move into beautiful areas and make it so the locals can no longer afford to live there. The gap between the rich and poor gets bigger every day.

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!!!

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

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.

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.

This Appalachia series is literally the best

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Peter is doing fabulous things for humanity....exposing and smashing stereotypes - great stuff.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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 🙄💩

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.

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.

Hitler had a resort in the mountains called the “Eagle’s Nest” what a bad idea to name it that.

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.

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

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

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

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!

Another great interview. Thanks for sharing this.

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.

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

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.

There is some hypocrisy going on here. The guy speaks of keeping the natural beauty, but has junked out his own yard. Everyone should be able to do as they please, but you often can’t have it both ways. If you don’t want to sell out, don’t sell. Seems pretty simple.

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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. 🤗

Peter, your shows are just awesome!

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 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

To any of y'all that bullied Ivy back in the day, shame on y'all! She's a jewel & we LOVE her! ❤️ Thank you Peter for shinin' light on the Appalachian culture & addressing ignorant stereotypes. 🍀✌️🍀

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!!!

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

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.

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

Thanks for sharing this! Well wishes from Singapore!

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.

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.

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.

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

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

I pray for the locals that their land doesn't get burnt to a crisp by whomever 🤔

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

Such a beautiful place! Thanks for the tour!

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

It’s really disgusting that they’ve doubled the taxes on these locals that have established generational lives there. Really gross that someone bought that hilltop and built a huge condo. People can be so selfish and gross. 🙄

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.

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

Thank you for making this video. I love your channel. I spent a lot of time in Appalachia (east TN) so it's great to see more of the real communities.

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.

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!

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

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

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.

The Appalachian series shows what America truly is! I love my heritage and am proud to be Appalachian American!

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

Dude i just wanna say, you have opened my mind so much with your videos. Its sooooooo refreshing to see such undocumented info with no type of Bias or agenda. What you are doing is so important for our society. Thank you so much Peter, and all the everyday people that help lead these videos

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

I live in the Spruce Pine area, grew up in Avery County and in my opinion there are two different types of people who come here. There are those who love and appreciate the way Appalachian people live and want to be a part of that. They don’t want to change things, they assimilate, become our friends and neighbors and understand the reason this place is so special is because of the way Appalachian people live and how much we love this land and mountains. Then there are those who come here who want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to own a piece of the beauty here just for them to enjoy and have sole access to when they want but then want everything and everyone surrounding to be modern and convenient for them. They buy up and gate off as much land as they can get their hands on, not to enjoy it or do anything with it, more like they just want to own these mountains for themselves . And because it is land that locals have had access to and been able to enjoy , hunt , wild craft and have taken good care of for hundreds of years, to have an outsider come in with no understanding of that and take that away so nobody can enjoy it, not even them because they never set foot on most of it, people coming in and doing that will ruin this magical place for everyone. Now we have developers trying to buy up everything to sell off in lots only the rich can afford to buy and build on. What happens then? When all the mountains and valleys are covered in housing developments and thousands more people here with no understanding of what makes this place special who wants to change everything? We do not want that and there is a lot of resentment building among the locals and developers who only see $ signs when they look at these mountains

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. 💕

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.

I admire the young man who moved to the area to be able to raise his children in a better place than the big city. That's an exceptional parent.

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!

Could listen to her speak all day! Love hearing their stories. I’m from southeastern ky so I relate!

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

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.

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!

Excellent documentary Peter. Thank you. 👍🏼

I found this interesting and informative 👍 thank you!

I'm loving this Appalachia series as much as I loved the tribes! Edit to add- she's not wrong about the bullying. I'm from southern Oklahoma. I have a thick country accent. My mom does too. And my grandmother did. I don't mind it, now. It's something I try to keep to a minimum. If something real hick slips out, my kids will tease me. In a good hearted way. I'm almost 50, I don't care what anyone thinks of me. I ain't got the time for no nonsense.

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.

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

Awesome video...thank you.

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

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.

I like your video and we have witnessed every where the migration of people! I appreciate your work!