Just neighboring the Midwest where Chicago lies, the Appalachian region stretches for the lower tip of New York to northern Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Most of the Appalachian region is made up of mountains: the Blue Ridge province contains the Great Smoky Mountains, the Interior Plateau contains the Lexington and Nashville Basins, and the Valley Province contains the Great Valley and the Appalachian Plateaus. In comparison, Chicago is a lake shore city that does not have this rugged terrain, so they are quite different from each other in this sense.
Both areas have a humid climate (common to the northeast regions) with an annual precipitation of 40-45 inches and about 1/4 of that precipitation is snow during the wintertime. The Blue Ridge Mountains receive the most rain in the eastern U.S. with about 80 inches annually.
Appalachia has been a source of different stereotypes during the early 20th century, it's geography branded the people as isolated and many writers in this period focused on sensational journalism, focusing on clan feuds, moonshining, viewing them as violent people.
Although the region is rich with natural resources, the economy of the Appalachian region has not fared so well. In the early 20th century, coal mining farms and large scale logging brought jobs to Appalachia, but by the 1960s, very few long-term benefits were being reaped by its residents. The oil boom also decreased interest in the area, decreasing the population, and much of the coal mining polluted the water. Chicago on the other hand, was always a hub for business, trade and commerce. Although it is also abundant in natural resources, the region in which Chicago lies did not have to rely on these natural resources alone.
Ethnic groups
Both regions supported the European settlers from the United Kingdom, with Chicago having a heavy Irish population, and Appalachia having a large Scottish population. Germans, much like in Chicago, also settled in the Appalachian region, being a major pioneer group to migrate into the area. They brought their mining and metallurgy expertise to the workforce of the Appalachians. African Americans also make up about 8% of the population. Not nearly as concentrated as the African-American population in Chicago, both mainly reside in the urban areas of the region. There is one group, the Melungeons, which are a mixed group of African, European, and Native American descent that are scattered across eastern Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virgina who are unique to the Appalachian region.
Transportation
Transportation has been a huge struggle in Appalachia since it's early settlement in the 18th century. Unlike Chicago, which has a great transportation system, the Appalachian region's mountainous terrain prolonged major road construction until the 1970s. This problem left the region very isolated and slowed down economic growth. The birth of the railroad systems connected most of the region to the rest of the nation, but the poor road quality made travel beyond the rails difficult. The road to making Appalachia accessible required many engineering feats, one being the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia, the world's fourth largest single arch bridge. Immense amounts of rock were moved and large tunnels were drilled to make Appalachia available to the outside world.