The area is scenic, hilly, rural, and economically depressed. It has little in common with either tidewater eastern Virginia, or affluent suburban northern Virginia. It was settled by Scotch-Irish and German farmers two hundred years ago. It was anti-secessionist in the Civil War. Its western counties are heavily dependent on its coal fields.
Tobacco is still a major crop.
There are no big cities. Abingdon, Blacksburg, Bristol, and Pulaski are the major communities. The district is large, and its population is dispersed. Also, the multitude of mountain ridges and hollows make broadcast and terrestrial wireless communications problematic. There are no major high tech companies in the district.