His research interests center on the geography of Appalachia and the American South, cultural geography, and the geography of travel and tourism and has involved such topics as the spatial dynamics of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) social programs, spatial development philosophies of the ARC, the growth of the Mormon Church in the South, methamphetamine production in Appalachia, cultural landscapes of Japan and China, an analysis of historical photographs of the Smoky Mountain region, and the development of Gatlinburg’s tourist landscapes.
