The twenty WNC counties AAPF considers within its area are:

Avery
Buncombe
Burke
Caldwell
Cherokee
Clay
Graham
Haywood
Henderson
Jackson
Macon
Madison
McDowell
Mitchell
Polk
Rutherford
Swain
Transylvania
Watauga
Yancey

Note: There are different methods of selecting just which counties are part of Western North Carolina. The number of those counties ranges from 16 - 23. The twenty chosen above are not close to any major city in NC (with the exception of Asheville). The other three counties have decent access to either Winston Salem or Charlotte and therefore good access to teaching organizations and opportunities in those cities.