Environmental and social factors influencing the price of land in Southwestern Virginia, USA, 1786-1830

Abstract

Topographically isolated communities of the southern Appalachian Mountains provide an ideal area in which to examine the impact of environmental and social connections on the economy of land sales. Our objective was to identify whether the price of land in a small Appalachian county of southwestern Virginia, USA, from 1786 to 1830, was influenced by area, month or year of sale, water availability, presence of tree species that were proxies of site quality, grantor/grantee residency, or familial relationship between grantor and grantee. The multiple regression model identified four significant factors that influenced the price of land during early European settlement of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Larger areas of land sold for lower prices. Landowners sold land to relatives at a lower price than to nonrelatives. The presence of surface water or red maple (Acer rubrum) on the property was associated with lower land prices. The negative relationship between water and price of land was likely a reflection that the parcels sold at the highest prices were in towns where streams or rivers were no longer relied upon as a water source. The model explained 39% of the variation and demonstrated a blend of environmental and social factors that influenced land sale patterns during early European settlement of the Appalachian Mountains.