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Im from Arkansas and i say ta hell with yall thinking every state but Arkansas should be a southern state well fyi we ant south north west east were Arkansas the real key from the midwest northwest or just west they come throw arkansas then your in the south wr are just arkansas
If by Southern you mean sipping sweet tea on the veranda and going to Baptist service on Sundays, then New Orleans has a lot of differences compared to the rest of the South.
New Orleans is a Catholic city of multicultural heritage while the rest of the south is mostly Protestant with less multicultural heritage. Those are just a couple of reasons why New Orleans is described as a city that's in the south, but not of the south.
New Orleans is a Catholic city of multicultural heritage while the rest of the south is mostly Protestant with less multicultural heritage. Those are just a couple of reasons why New Orleans is described as a city that's in the south, but not of the south.
On the topic of whether Tennessee is Mid-south or apart of the Deep South, the answer is that the state is divided. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, TN is a Mid-south state. However, many refer to West TN as apart of the Deep South because of our culture and geography. In fact, many natives of West TN get upset if you reckon otherwise. As many know, our state flag has 3 stars, which represents the Three Grand Divisions - the Smoky Mountains in the East, the basin, rim, and plateau in Middle, and the plain in the West. The climate in West TN is hotter and more humid, which causes our soil to be extremely rich, much like Mississippi’s. West TN has the most farmlands in the state. In terms of history, West TN has always been the powerhouse of the state’s economy. It was based primarily on agriculture, which influenced TN’s decision in the Civil War. Though TN had both a Union Army and a Confederate Army, much like other states, TN seceded from the Union and became apart of the Confederacy. The second most battles were fought on TN soil and the state is known for one of the bloodiest battles, the Battle of Shiloh. Majority of those in East TN were against seceding. They, unlike West Tennesseans, did not rely on slaves for picking cotton and tobacco (our cash crops) and instead focused on industries such as mining. Though East Tennesseans are southern as all get out, it would be inaccurate to conclude they are just like West Tennesseans. Many within TN will tell you that there are rivalries between the divisions. East Tennesseans even venture to call us West Tennesseans “Tennessippians.” Most West Tennesseans will take more trips to Mississippi than to East TN, which is how the name came about. Memphis, West TN’s pride and joy, is also known as Cotton Capital as well as the capital of the Mississippi Delta.
On the topic of whether Tennessee is Mid-south or apart of the Deep South, the answer is that the state is divided. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, TN is a Mid-south state. However, many refer to West TN as apart of the Deep South because of our culture and geography. In fact, many natives of West TN get upset if you reckon otherwise. As many know, our state flag has 3 stars, which represents the Three Grand Divisions - the Smoky Mountains in the East, the basin, rim, and plateau in Middle, and the plain in the West. The climate in West TN is hotter and more humid, which causes our soil to be extremely rich, much like Mississippi’s. West TN has the most farmlands in the state. In terms of history, West TN has always been the powerhouse of the state’s economy. It was based primarily on agriculture, which influenced TN’s decision in the Civil War. Though TN had both a Union Army and a Confederate Army, much like other states, TN seceded from the Union and became apart of the Confederacy. The second most battles were fought on TN soil and the state is known for one of the bloodiest battles, the Battle of Shiloh. Majority of those in East TN were against seceding. They, unlike West Tennesseans, did not rely on slaves for picking cotton and tobacco (our cash crops) and instead focused on industries such as mining. Though East Tennesseans are southern as all get out, it would be inaccurate to conclude they are just like West Tennesseans. Many within TN will tell you that there are rivalries between the divisions. East Tennesseans even venture to call us West Tennesseans “Tennessippians.” Most West Tennesseans will take more trips to Mississippi than to East TN, which is how the name came about. Memphis, West TN’s pride and joy, is also known as Cotton Capital as well as the capital of the Mississippi Delta.
Now it takes a true TN resident to know the difference! The rivalry is strong, but we come together in the end. They don't call us the volunteer state for nothing.
Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina and Tennessee are undisputed South.
Kentucky? 95% South to me
Florida? 90% South to me
Virginia? 80% South to me
Texas? 75% South to me
Arkansas? 70% South to me
West Virginia? 60% South to me
Oklahoma? 55% South to me
Missouri? 40% South to me
Maryland? 30% South to me
Delaware? 15% South to me
Indiana? 10% South to me
Illinois? 5% South to me
New Jersey? 3% South to me
Pennsylvania? 1% South to me
I'll just do my best here, purely my opinion- I am from Memphis and live in NOLA.
Southern Lite (i.e. they can fit into multiple categories and are not always associated with the south; and some are more 'southern' than others): Oklahoma (but not OKC, never been to Tulsa so can't speak to that), southern Missouri, Texas, West Virginia, FL (excluding Northern FL), possibly NOVA but a lot of VA fits here as well.
Upper South: East Kentucky, Southern Virginia, NC, East TN - this is really what I consider to be more Appalachian culture; WV probs fits somewhat in here too.
Mid-South: Arkansas, Central TN, Central Kentucky.
Louisiana I can't quite place. Parts of it- especially the northern part of the state, feel deep-south to me- however, NOLA does not. Similarly, Lake Charles doesn't feel deep-south to me either. I haven't spent enough time in Baton Rouge to give a clear-cut answer.
Memphis is much more similar to Jackson than it is to Nashville. I've spent a lot of time in both Little Rock, Nashville, and Jackson and Memphis is like a bigger version of Jackson. I don't think I've crossed the bridge and though, wow, that's like my area! Whereas, my town (a burb of memphis) is 5 mins from the border and a lot of my friends are from Hernando/Olive Branch/ Northern MS. Most of my high school friends went to Ole Miss or MSU, not UTk.
I know I'll get flak for Texas but even Houston feels a lot more similar to Phoenix to me than it does to Memphis or even Nashville. My father's family is from Waco, and I've spent some time there, it did not feel super southern to me, but it was more so than Houston. Houston did not feel super southern at all- I've spent a lot of time in Phoenix and it is the city it felt most similar to, at least to me. Beaumont felt a bit more southern to me, which is weird, but was just the vibe I got from the people.
Austin felt akin to California. I haven't spent a ton of time in Dallas but from the weekend I spent (I know, not enough time) it was akin to OKC.
San Antonio, my favorite city in the state, felt like it could easily be in AZ or NM.
As a whole, Texas just seems to fit in nicely with the Southwest, with states like Arizona and New Mexico. Sometimes OK is lumped in there too, and I can kinda see that too.
Sorry for the long post hah. I certainly understand that this is a very debated topic and I'm sure many others will disagree with me!
On the topic of whether Tennessee is Mid-south or apart of the Deep South, the answer is that the state is divided. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, TN is a Mid-south state. However, many refer to West TN as apart of the Deep South because of our culture and geography. In fact, many natives of West TN get upset if you reckon otherwise. As many know, our state flag has 3 stars, which represents the Three Grand Divisions - the Smoky Mountains in the East, the basin, rim, and plateau in Middle, and the plain in the West. The climate in West TN is hotter and more humid, which causes our soil to be extremely rich, much like Mississippi’s. West TN has the most farmlands in the state. In terms of history, West TN has always been the powerhouse of the state’s economy. It was based primarily on agriculture, which influenced TN’s decision in the Civil War. Though TN had both a Union Army and a Confederate Army, much like other states, TN seceded from the Union and became apart of the Confederacy. The second most battles were fought on TN soil and the state is known for one of the bloodiest battles, the Battle of Shiloh. Majority of those in East TN were against seceding. They, unlike West Tennesseans, did not rely on slaves for picking cotton and tobacco (our cash crops) and instead focused on industries such as mining. Though East Tennesseans are southern as all get out, it would be inaccurate to conclude they are just like West Tennesseans. Many within TN will tell you that there are rivalries between the divisions. East Tennesseans even venture to call us West Tennesseans “Tennessippians.” Most West Tennesseans will take more trips to Mississippi than to East TN, which is how the name came about. Memphis, West TN’s pride and joy, is also known as Cotton Capital as well as the capital of the Mississippi Delta.
I like your summary and as Mississippian i will continue to disassociate Memphis with all of these themes:
Capital of MS Delta ( Nope that's Greenville)
Beginning of the Delta ( Nope that's Tunica)
Birthplace of the Blues ( Nope & the hardest eye roll)
Overall like the city of Memphis & live in the burbs of Nashville. Y'all Mid-South to me.
I think it is fair to consider Memphis a creature of both the Mid-South and Delta/Deep-South. I don't think bigger cities really parse that neatly (like NOLA). Tunica and Greenville are pretty small comparatively. It may be true they embody the MS Delta better compared to Memphis but that doesn't mean Memphis doesn't fit in this category. Additionally, I just find it hard-pressed to say Memphis isn't the city of the blues... Memphis may not be the 'birthplace' of it- but it is certainly considered its capital.
As between Memphis and Nashville- I just don't get how anyone can spend time in these two cities and think they are mirrors of one another. Beale and Broadway are vastly different. I can get chitlins in Memphis; haven't found them in Brentwood or out near MTSU... I'd even say Memphis is more similar to Little Rock, not by much, than it is to Nashville. Cotton was heavily produced in Memphis and its surrounding area- not in Nashville or Little Rock. Some of our biggest burbs are in Northern Mississippi and one of the biggest cities in MS is a Memphis burb. I mean, if you consider northern MS the Mid-South then, for sure, Memphis is Mid-South, no question. I just don't really see how someone could view it like that unless they were from Philly or something and just viewed all the South as the same.
Usually, where state lines are drawn are not clear cut-offs of a culture. Nothern VA and southern VA are vastly different from one another; same with NorCal or SoCal, Northern and Southern FL- TN has 3 different cultures within it. I could see someone thinking they were the same from an outside perspective but from a southerner it seems a bit hard- especially if one has lived in Nashville. I'd be willing to bet most folks in Knoxville consider Nashville and Memphis way different from themselves, but view the tri city area as more closely related. Similarly, I'd think that most of the folks you talk to from Nashville would consider themselves different. My friends in Nasvhille would say Memphis is not at all similar to Nashville. My friends from Horn Lake, Hernando, Olive Branch, South Haven, White Haven, all say they are from Memphis- Collierville is closer to MS than it is to Midtown or East Memphis. It doesn't magically become Deep-South to Mid-South in the 3 minute drive across state-lines. The only time we differentiate Hernando from Collierville is if we are joking about the other's town and with one another. We won't go into it unless we are talking with a local or someone who really knows the area- and even then, the differences are minute at best. We all say we are from or live in Memphis though.
Again, I don't think Memphis is the 'deepest' deep-south one can get- nor is it perfectly parsed, but its sister city is certainly Jackson. I guess if one considers Northern MS as Mid-South then certainly Memphis is Mid-South.
Last edited by Crazybreakfast; 04-13-2020 at 02:58 PM..
Reason: forgot a word!
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