Blue Ridge Mountains

I have lived in the western part of North Carolina for my entire life. Currently, I live in North Wilkesboro, a small town in the foothills. The majority of my extended family is either located in the foothills in Wilkesboro or on the mountains in Alleghany. This area of North Carolina attracts visitors for its many scenic views. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic route that winds along the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia. If you're bored in western North Carolina and looking for cheap (and polluting) amusement, you might find yourself cruising along a section of the 469 miles long parkway.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway which seeks to protect some of the scenic areas of Western NC and Virginia. Due to the elevation and location of the mountains, this area has very diverse vegetation. Many parks along the parkway protect the history of this area, as well as the wildlife and ecology of the mountains.

I have chosen the Blue Ridge Mountains because it is an area I have visited many times but don't know much about. I think it would be interesting to take a closer look at the history of the Blue Ridge parkway and the environmental history that accompanied the construction of the parkway along the Blue Ridge Mountains.