Kentucky vs Tennessee vs Virginia (people, difference, size, similarities)
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Kentucky and Tennessee have more in common with each other than either does with Virginia, as a whole. However, Tennessee has consistently been a faster growing state than Kentucky for many years, and there is an exceptional momentum in the Nashville area that has no equivalent in the Bluegrass state. The lack of income tax on earnings, and having a long history of being right-to-work (only implemented very recently in Kentucky) give Tennessee a much better business climate. Also while eastern Tennessee has some very low economic status rural counties, they don't constitute as large a share of the state's population as those in eastern Kentucky, nor are they as isolated from interstate highways and metropolitan centers. Tennessee never had much of a coal mining history which unfortunately is associated with major social and economic problems today in parts of Kentucky and other nearby states.
In Kentucky's favor, I think the Lexington area is very visually attractive and appears to be mostly safe and prosperous with steady growth. Louisville has great cultural amenities, and Bowling Green and Paducah are doing just fine compared to other places of comparable size across the country. It's mostly the parts of the state east of I-75 (aside from areas close to Lexington or Cincinnati) that are a major drag on Kentucky's overall performance.
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Originally Posted by Shakeesha
I agree with your assessment and fully understand the context of your comparisons. Chattanooga is a hard one to place, but the closest is New Port News given both cities post industrial similarities and railroad history. They are about the same size and have active downtown revitalization efforts, although Chattanooga's is further ahead. New Port News has the better transportation infrastructure and superior airport. Clarksville shares similarities with Paducah and Owensboro. The main difference between the NOVA and Nashville comparison is that Nashville is largely alone in helping boost it's states economic growth and development status, while Virginia has Virginia Beach, the cities making up NOVA, and decent growth in the Richmond area. Kentucky has Lexington, Louisville, and Bowling Green to help its lackluster economy. None of Tennessee's other metro areas are booming.
Great points all.
The three areas of Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky, given their close proximity to one another, are colloquially called "The Golden Triangle" by some in Kentucky's political and business communities.
That said, Louisville is no Nashville, or even no Indianapolis or Columbus, in terms of economic progress. It's performing far better than in the past several decades, to be sure, but Kentucky's economic development system and tax structure have caused Louisville to lose ground to its regional counterparts since the 1950s. However, Lexington and Northern Kentucky have more thriving economies than, say, Knoxville and Chattanooga.
I agree with your assessments of Bowling Green and Paducah. I would also add Owensboro, Henderson, Frankfort (capital), and Elizabethtown. Richmond, Nicholasville, and Georgetown are all thriving ring cities around Lexington.
Bowling Green, KY is far nicer than Clarksville, TN, even if Clarksville is growing faster; really, I'd say Bowling Green is to Kentucky what Murfreesboro is to Tennessee. Paducah, KY is more attractive, and probably economically stable long-term, than Jackson, TN. Oldham County, KY is similar to Brentwood and Franklin, TN, but it's a steadily growing county instead of a booming county because it's in the shadows of Louisville and not Nashville. Frankfort, KY is basically Cookeville, TN, except with a capitol dome; both small cities have small local, public universities, similar blue-collar, working class populations, and general economic stability long-term.
Now, the only towns--and I do mean towns--in the Appalachian portion of Kentucky that respectfully to pull their own weights are Somerset, London, and Pikeville. And, I do mean towns, since the largest of these, Somerset, has only 12,000 residents (or 20,000 if you consider its "suburbs.") Our Appalachian counties have a disproportional deadweight affect on the Commonwealth in a way that Tennessee doesn't suffer nearly as much. If Interstate 66 is built through southern and eastern Kentucky, which I predict it never will be, then that might provide some glimmer of hope for even Somerset, London, Pikeville, let alone Hindman, Hazard, or South Williamson. But, as it is, Interstates 64 and 75 run along the general peripheries of the region. Tennessee nipped this 'un in the bud decades ago with the establishment of the Smokies as a tourist destination; eastern Kentucky, quite frankly, is several decades, possibly a century, behind in its ability to compete with far east Tennessee, or even southern West Virginia or north Georgia, as a tourist destination. The natural beauty is pretty much the same, though.
Shakeesha also said that none of Tennessee's other metro areas are booming. That might be true, but while Louisville can count Elizabethtown and Fort Knox as part of its Census-defined Combined Statistical Area, Nashville can count fast-growing Columbia and Maury County, and maybe, come 2020, the also fast-growing Clarksville. This gives Greater Nashville far greater clout nationally as far as continuing to attract businesses and residents, as well as improving perception, than it does Greater Louisville.
Furthermore, the Tri-Cities are of Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City are basically self-sufficient, not super close to Knoxville but not super close to Roanoke, VA, either. Kentucky has no such equivalent; maybe Bowling Green, Glasgow, and Franklin, or maybe Somerset, London, or Corbin will combine to provide a similar effect in a few decades, but I wouldn't count on it.
In defense of Kentucky's cities, in closing and as an aside, I believe they are cleaner and generally safer than Tennessee's cities. Sure, downtown Nashville is very clean, but much of the rest of the city isn't, nor is it particularly safe. Don't get me started on Memphis, too... Knoxville has its share of streets I wouldn't drive down at night, all for issues of lighting, perception, and serious crime. Clarksville and Jackson are two of the most unsightly cities in the South. Now, Louisville has an old industrial area that is run-down and filthy, but the city is a whole is cleaner than Nashville, IMO (the violent crime rate is a different story and is at an unexpected and historic high). Lexington is clean, even in the 'hood/rough neighborhoods, and has only a few square blocks of legitimately high crime. Owensboro, Bowling Green, and Elizabethtown are clean. Paducah (away from downtown) and Frankfort (away from downtown) are so-so in the cleanliness department, but are way ahead of most other cities of similar size in Tennessee.
In defense of Kentucky's cities, in closing and as an aside, I believe they are cleaner and generally safer than Tennessee's cities. Sure, downtown Nashville is very clean, but much of the rest of the city isn't, nor is it particularly safe. Don't get me started on Memphis, too... Knoxville has its share of streets I wouldn't drive down at night, all for issues of lighting, perception, and serious crime. Clarksville and Jackson are two of the most unsightly cities in the South. Now, Louisville has an old industrial area that is run-down and filthy, but the city is a whole is cleaner than Nashville, IMO (the violent crime rate is a different story and is at an unexpected and historic high). Lexington is clean, even in the 'hood/rough neighborhoods, and has only a few square blocks of legitimately high crime. Owensboro, Bowling Green, and Elizabethtown are clean. Paducah (away from downtown) and Frankfort (away from downtown) are so-so in the cleanliness department, but are way ahead of most other cities of similar size in Tennessee.
I think it is rather difficult to characterize Nashville, as many parts of the city have been evolving rapidly in recent years with gentrification both intensifying in the urban core and spreading outward. I've usually made it up to the area at least once a year for over a decade and many neighborhoods in the city have little resemblance to how they were a short time ago.
I've never noticed Tennessee's cities being particularly unsafe (other than an unfortunately significant part of Memphis) or less clean than anywhere else. Military dominated cities like Clarksville often tend to have less nice appearances - Fayetteville, NC and Killeen, TX are similar. This doesn't have to do with the state where they are located but the fact much of the population is just in the area temporarily and have very modest economic means while providing an essential service for the country. Cities with more long-term residents who have the means to invest in the community tend to have a more suitable environment for developing attractively.
Central Virginia (this is the first time I've ever heard "Crownlands") is only connected to the sea on Richmond's eastern counties and even then I want to be cautious with how i say "connected"--southeast counties like Charles City and Prince George (and Hopewell) are Tidewater-lite and have ties to The Tidewater; and northeastern counties like Caroline and surroundings are tied to the Northern Neck...
If the city of Richmond is connected to anything, the social and cultural ties here are noticeably greater to NoVA and DC than they are to the Tidewater. This one is an easy call. There goes that "connected to the sea" thing. Whoever gave you that map needs to be reprimanded lol. And just by your characterization of Central Virginia, it's evident you haven't spent much time outside of Northern Virginia (I was reared between both Northern and Central Virginia and know both quite well)...
An earlier post mentioned that he's seen Rich compared to other mid-sized Southern cities. Which is true, because Richmond is still a Southern City, however...Richmond is unique within the South in that Richmond does not view itself as a competitor to other Southern cities. We talk about it on here, but that doesn't reflect reality, not the government of this city, not the universities, not the pop culture, etc. The cities Richmond look to for inspiration are Northern cities. This doesn't mean that Richmomd isn't comparable to other Southern cities, because it is and any city can be compared to another--but Richmond isn't competing with Southern cities...
Richmond and Petersburg boomed because of the region's river systems. So the region is strong linked to the sea. It is, in a sense, Virginia's "Plantation Country." It doesn't have the ties that the Chesapeake Bay counties and HR have to the sea, of course, but the region boomed because there were navigable rivers that allowed plantation economies to flourish.
Kentucky & Tennessee are brothers. The eastern parts of both states are similar to West Virginia and appalachian in culture. The rest of the area is very Upper Interior South. Feels like a mix of Alabama and Indiana. Outside of Memphis, both states are very poor and mostly white.
Yea, Kentucky and Tennessee feel very similar to me and mirror each other in many ways, although no one can deny that Tennessee has had much more economic success in the last few years compared to Kentucky. It is interesting to think how Kentucky used to be a part of Virginia, but is much different today, at least according to many of the responses on this thread so far.
That's great but Richmond is still a southern city that competes with other southern cities.
I don't think that I mentioned the word compete in my entire post. I'm not sure what you are arguing but I want no parts of it. I agree that Virginia is a southern city and has southern peers.
Also, it's Newport News...I've never been to New Port News
Yea, Kentucky and Tennessee feel very similar to me and mirror each other in many ways, although no one can deny that Tennessee has had much more economic success in the last few years compared to Kentucky. It is interesting to think how Kentucky used to be a part of Virginia, but is much different today, at least according to many of the responses on this thread so far.
West Virginia was also part of Virginia but the two states couldn't be more different today. I think that when mentioning any of the 13 colonies you have to remember that many states were made from them but are their own unique states today.
Aside from the responses here, statistical data from each state shows the differences. If you spent time in the rest of Virginia I think that you would be easily able to see the differences.
West Virginia was also part of Virginia but the two states couldn't be more different today. I think that when mentioning any of the 13 colonies you have to remember that many states were made from them but are their own unique states today.
Aside from the responses here, statistical data from each state shows the differences. If you spent time in the rest of Virginia I think that you would be easily able to see the differences.
You make a good point. In many ways, the splitting up of states after the original 13 colonies in some ways may have had to do with them being unique and different.
VA is nothing like KY and TN. VA is one of the hardest states in the US to define because it has so many different regions.
Add West Virginia too. I still have no idea what region it aligns more with. Looking at multiple variables such as climate, culture, history, economics, WV is a tough state to classify as is VA, although parts of Virginia do feel very much like TN and KY, but in terms of determining where to live based on those three choices (KY, TN, VA), Virginia is the outlier.
I don't think that I mentioned the word compete in my entire post. I'm not sure what you are arguing but I want no parts of it. I agree that Virginia is a southern city and has southern peers.
Also, it's Newport News...I've never been to New Port News
Murk stated that, and your response indicated that you agreed with him. Do you agree or disagree?
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