in reference to the North American mountain range, c.1600, Mountaynes Apalatsi; written apalachen by Spanish explorers and originally in reference only to the southern end of the range. Originally the name of the Apalachee, a Muskogean people of northwestern Florida, perhaps from Apalachee abalahci "other side of the river" or Hitchiti (Muskogean) apalwahči "dwelling on one side." Spelling shifted under influence of adjectives in -ian.
Mountain chain in the eastern United States, extending from the valley of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, to the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama.
Note: Location of the Appalachian Trail, the world's longest continuous hiking path. It extends over two thousand miles from Maine to Georgia.
Note: Historically, the Appalachian Mountains were a barrier to early western expansion. In the early 1840s, railroads began to transport settlers across the mountains, permitting access to the frontier.