Southeastern Kentucky is off the beaten path. In fact, it took settlers until the 1750's to fully reach it because of the natural mountain boundary. It has beautiful scenery and gorgeous landscapes, with flat rolling hills in the west and breathtaking mountains in the east. It is the home of the most famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone, who blazed the Wilderness Trail for the American westward migration. Kentucky was also the first state admitted into the Union west of the Appalachians.

Since the late 1800's and through the latter half of this century, largely outside interests extracted the abundant coal and timber resources in the mountains necessary to fuel the nation's rapid industrial growth. They timbered, tunneled, and stripped great, raw scars across the landscape that had defined the place for more than a century. The population grew dependent on these industries, and when they declined, this part of Kentucky was left behind. It has double-digit unemployment and few economic opportunities. Most of the area has limited highway access and the nearest metropolitan area is nearly 100 miles away in Lexington.