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Αυτά τα μεταναστευτικά ρεύματα ενδεχομένως απλώθηκαν μέσω των Αππαλαχίων και προς δυσμάς μέσω της περιοχής του [[Οροπέδιο των Αππαλαχίων|Οροπεδίου των Αππαλαχίων]] μέσα στους Οζάρκς και τους Κουατσίτας, και τελικά συνεισέφεραν στον εποικισμό της [[Texas Hill Country]].<ref>Meinig (1998), pg. 224</ref> Οι κύριες εθνότητες αυτών των πρώιμων εποίκων περιελάμβαναν την [[Αγγλοαμερικανοί|Αγγλική]], την Ιρλανδική, την Σκωτική και την [[Γερμανοαμερικανοί|Γερμανική]].<ref>Drake (2001), pp. 36-38, describes these early pioneer ethnic groups and notes that the term "Scotch-Irish" (Scots-Irish), while predominately Presbyterian northern Irish, also included a significant number of Catholic southern Irish; and that the term "English" was a general catch-all term including ancestries such as French Huguenot ([[John Sevier]]'s family, for example). On the topic of colonial Catholic Irish immigration, see also Williams (2002), pp. 43-44.</ref>
===Upland South today===
The Upland South contains its own sub-regions. The fertile lowlands of the [[Nashville Basin]] and the [[Bluegrass region|Bluegrass Basin]] gave rise to the truly urban cities of [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] and [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]], which grew into banking and mercantile centers in the 19th century, home to an elite class of Upland Southerners, including bankers, lawyers, and politicians. Most of the Upland South, however, remained rural in character.
Although historically very rural, the Upland South was one of the nation's early industrial regions and continues to be today. [[Mining]] of [[coal mining|coal]], [[iron]], [[copper]], and other minerals has been part of the region's economy since the 18th century. As early as 1750 lead and zinc were mined in [[Wythe County, Virginia]], and copper was mined and [[Smelting|smelted]] in [[Polk County, Tennessee]]. Two major Appalachian [[gold mining|goldfield]]s were developed, the first in western North Carolina beginning in 1799. By 1825 [[Rutherford County, North Carolina|Rutherford County]] was the center of the nation's most extensive [[gold mining]]. In 1828 a much richer Gold Strike was made in north Georgia, mostly within what was then the territory of the [[Cherokee Nation]]. The mining camp of [[Dahlonega, Georgia|Dahlonega]] boomed during the ensuing [[Georgia Gold Rush]]. Iron [[Foundry|foundries]] in Virginia and early coal mining operations in central Appalachia date to before 1850.<ref>{{cite book |last= Drake |first= Richard B. |title= A History of Appalachia |year= 2003 |publisher= University Press of Kentucky |isbn= 9780813190600 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=ngz-jTApvNoC&pg=PA70#v=onepage |pages=70–71}}</ref> Furnaces and forges were built in the Appalachians of north central Alabama as early as 1818. Some were fueled with nearby deposits of [[bituminous coal]]. Similar examples of early urban-industrial areas include Embree's Iron Works in East Tennessee (1808), the Red River iron region of [[Estill County, Kentucky]] (1806-8), and the Jackson Iron Works near [[Morgantown, West Virginia]] (1830). [[Wheeling, West Virginia]] was known as "Nail City" in the 1840s and 1850s. By 1860 Tennessee was the third largest iron producing state in the nation, after Pennsylvania and New York.<ref>{{cite book |last= Williams |first= John Alexander |title= Appalachia: A History |year= 2002 |publisher= University of North Carolina Press |isbn= 9780807853689 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=vKJhyDF8UsUC&pg=PA128#v=onepage |page= 128}}</ref> The scale of mining, especially coal mining, increased dramatically after 1870.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/countryboys/readings/appalachia.html A Short History of Kentucky/Central Appalachia], [[Frontline (U.S. TV series)|FRONTLINE]]</ref> The importance of mining and metallurgy can be seen in the many towns with names such as [[Pigeon Forge, Tennessee|Pigeon Forge]] and [[Bloomery, Hampshire County, West Virginia|Bloomery]] (a [[bloomery]] being a type of smelting furnace), scattered across the Upland South.
[[Logging]] has also been an important part of the Upland South's economy. The region became the United States' primary source of timber after railroads allowed large scale industrial logging in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Today, the importance of the Upland South's forests can be seen in its many national forests, such as [[Cherokee National Forest]] in Tennessee, [[Nantahala National Forest]] in North Carolina, and [[Daniel Boone National Forest]] in Kentucky, among many others. The Upland South's terrain and forests, as well as history and culture, occur in parts of states usually associated with the Midwest and Deep South. These areas are often associated with national forests, for example [[Shawnee National Forest]] in southern Illinois, [[Hoosier National Forest]] in southern Indiana, [[Wayne National Forest]] in southeast Ohio, [[William B. Bankhead National Forest]] in northern Alabama, [[Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest]] in northern Georgia, [[Sumter National Forest]] in South Carolina, and [[Ouachita National Forest]] in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
[[Textile]] mills and industry have been an important factor in the Upland South's economy since the time of the Deep South's cotton boom.
Today the Upland South contains a diversity of people and economics. Some parts, like the Shenandoah Valley, are famous for their rural qualities, while other parts, like the [[Tennessee Valley]], are heavily industrialized. [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]] and [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]] are both centers of industry and scientific research.
===Upper South as a cultural region===
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