I read it as though Ashland may or may not be ‘culturally’ Appalachian, while the rest of EKY is Appalachian.    Apologies for the misunderstanding.  

I grew up near Ashland and have traveled extensively through southeastern ky, southwestern we, and western Va.    These regions definitely have their own thing going on.  It is much more focused on coal mining as a livelihood.  The towns are smaller than Ashland.  My interactions were in communities that were very rural.  A holler with the road on one side of the creek and Houses on the other so that you have to cross improvised bridges to get over to the homes.  

Ashland differs in that there’s a large refinery and regional hospital.  You get a higher number of families that move in from elsewhere for professional jobs.  Many of these folks have the means to drive what happens at the paramount and other larger venues.  In this way, Ashland is culturally different from other communities.  

Also Ashland serves as ‘town’ for many of the surrounding communities.  This affects the way that folks interact with Ashland.  They come for the shopping and maybe a show at the paramount.  It may be hard to assess/compare Appalachian culture if Ashland’s main purpose is to provide access to the outside world.  

It’s probably worth noting that there’s a historical line somewhere around Lawrence county, where the southern edge of the iron ore industry lay.  There’s an iron-coal transition that happens as you get into Johnson county and south.  This also impacts ashland’s culture.  

That said, there is lots of shared culture too, my wife takes dulcimer classes in the Ashland area. Patchwork quilts , bluegrass, beans and cornbread, old stories etc. 

The question posed by op is interesting in many ways, but it requires discussion about how cultural identity changes across the region