What is "local color" writing?

Local color refers to a type
of regional writing with a focus on the specific features of the area. These features
can include regional or local dialects; characters with mannerisms distinct to the area;
historical references; social customs; and even the geographical peculiarities of the
region. The narrator of the story is often a person native to the setting, and he often
adds local color to the narrative. Themes also can also relate to the area of the
setting as well. Examples of stories with local color include Mark Twain's "The
Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and many of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' tales
of rural North Central Florida.