Passed by Congress in 1965, the Appalachian Regional Development Act created the Appalachian Regional Commission to oversee economic development in the Region and construction of the Appalachian Development Highway System. The ARDA includes language that West Virginia and parts of 12 other states – Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia – make up the Appalachian Region.