Living in Appalachian Ohio (Southeast Ohio)

Appalachian Ohio groups the nine southeastern and east-central Ohio places in this project's coverage that fall within the real, federally designated Appalachian Regional Commission region (Ohio has 32 ARC-designated Appalachian counties) -- hillier, more rural, and generally more affordable than the state's major metros, with a genuinely distinct history running through each town. Athens is a real college town whose population figures are substantially inflated by Ohio University's own large enrollment; Marietta is Ohio's actual first permanent American settlement (1788) at the Ohio-Muskingum River confluence, with its own honest flood history; Chillicothe was Ohio's first state capital; Zanesville is known for its unusual Y-Bridge and pottery heritage; Lancaster's economy has long centered on Anchor Hocking Glass; Newark (Licking County's seat) is home to the real Newark Earthworks and the unusual Longaberger Basket Building; Steubenville and Portsmouth both carry honest, disclosed post-industrial and public-health histories (Steubenville's steel-industry decline; Portsmouth's early epicenter role in Ohio's opioid crisis); and Gallipolis, on the Ohio River, carries a genuine French-settlement heritage. Housing runs consistently affordable across the region, well below Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland alike.

Explore Appalachian Ohio (Southeast Ohio) in depth

• Cost of Living & Housing in Appalachian Ohio (Southeast Ohio)
• Best Places to Live in Appalachian Ohio (Southeast Ohio)
• Moving to Appalachian Ohio (Southeast Ohio)
• Climate & Lifestyle in Appalachian Ohio (Southeast Ohio)

Places we've researched in Appalachian Ohio (Southeast Ohio)

• Athens -- Athens County
• Marietta -- Washington County
• Chillicothe -- Ross County
• Zanesville -- Muskingum County
• Lancaster -- Fairfield County
• Newark -- Licking County
• Steubenville -- Jefferson County
• Portsmouth -- Scioto County
• Gallipolis -- Gallia County