Is NWA in the midwest or south? (Little Rock, Benton: baptist, areas)

[imbored198824]

Originally Posted by Rock Climber

No, I'm saying you don't understand that calling something Northwest Arkansas is rarely done anymore, unless referring to the metro area proper.

Look at a map, and even towns like Russellville are in the north/west quadrant of the state. But if a person from Russellville was asked where they were from, they would never say "I'm from northwest arkansas" because everybody in the state of Arkansas would assume that meant the metro. If I met someone from Harrison say, on the Buffalo River, and I asked where they were from, they'd say "Harrison". If I met someone from Lowell or Centerton, they'd most likely say "we're from Northwest Arkansas", to which I would ask "which town?"

Nobody argues that Harrison isn't in the north/west quadrant of the state. But nobody would claim its in "northwest Arkansas" and they sure as hell would never say "its in NWA", because those designations have become the accepted name of a metropolitan area.

You are incorrect I live much closer to Harrison and EVERYONE classifies it as northwest Arkansas. My mom lives in jasper and she also says she lives in Northwest Arkansas. Maybe you need to get out of the metro and actually talk to some people! "
apps.ky3.com/t/categories/news
...ky3 News to provide the latest news, weather, sports and more in the Ozarks, southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas ..."

m.ozarksfirst.com/ kolr10 news...
"... autos and community information about southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas. Powered by KOLR10 and KOZL ..."
99% of the people here in sw mo and nw Arkansas don't even go to the Nwa metro. mod cut I have posted several valid news sources that dispute any claim you have made.

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by imbored198824

I consider most all of Texas and Oklahoma to be southern over western in culture..the south dominates by a large margin....3 to 1...va and ky nominally southern??? Lol wow didn't know that. Considering the capital of the south was in Virginia. Also take into account most migration from Missouri is from the southern portion which is culturally southern. So well over 1/2 of the transplants bring southern culture to a southern area and it is now somehow not southern? This idea is too funny!!!

Well, what do we care if YOU consider Texas and Oklahoma to be Southern? Most people don't agree with your opinion.

And again, to those who seem to have reading comprehension problems, no one is saying that Northwest Arkansas isn't southern. No one said that. NO ONE.

The point is that Northwest Arkansas's population has more than tripled during the past 50 years, TRIPLED, most of the people who live in Northwest Arkansas today are NOT natives of the area, and they have each brought their own cultural heritage to the area. The combination of diverse population growth, from all over the country, has allowed Northwest Arkansas to develop its own cultural identity, distinct from anywhere else.
Is part of that cultural identity southern? Of course. But it's a different take on "Southern" than you see anywhere else.

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by imbored198824

I'm not talking about a metro area. I'm saying Harrison is in the northwest part of Arkansas geographically. Everyone here considers northwest Arkansas to include Harrison as it's part of northwest Arkansas. Just as Branson is considered part of southwest Missouri as we are in southwest Missouri. "Most people" here would say Harrison is part of northwest arkansas...if they know how to read a map.

Everyone here.....

Or JUST YOU?????

[Sam I Am]

These threads often become problematic.

The original question was "is NWA in the Midwest or South".

We are not going to argue about Texas or where Harrison is, or whether it is NWA or out of bounds from Missouri.

C'mon - let's get back on topic.

[Rock Climber]

So you're saying Florida is SEA? (Southeast America). Let's debate! LOL

The whole identity of "southernness" to me is not really appealing in most ways anyway. I'm not a big fan of soul food, I much prefer Tex-Mex. I find the identity of "southern-ness" to be inexorably tied to the Old South, at least after a point. I believe that if there is a delineation of values to be examined in this country, it is more between the rural and the urban. Rural communities tend to foster a closeness and politeness that isn't specific to a particular region. This comes from the lack of anonymity. You are less likely to flip someone the bird in traffic if you might run into them at church or at the grocery.

Much of the southern cultural ethic is just a rural American ethic. Northwest Arkansas may be losing that bit by bit as it becomes a larger metro, regardless of the origin of its new residents. Perhaps that's the source of much of the debate and hand-wringing about its "southern-ness".

Although I admit that folks are not having the debate about regional affiliation for cities like Memphis or Jackson, Miss. NWA is on the border of two, maybe three loosely identified American cultural regions. South, Southwest, Midwest. It makes sense that it would draw influences from all three. My concern is that NWA remain economically healthy, protect its natural heritage, and keep some of the positive energy and optimism that I find here in large quantities. I don't think I'd like it here as much if it had the same culture as Jackson or Birmingham. I think there's positivity and progressive, "big-thinking" here that is relatively rare in the true deep south. And that's one of the things that is so attractive about NWA (the metro).

[Echo916]

Oh, it's SOUTH!!

[imbored198824]

Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

Everyone here.....

Or JUST YOU?????

I'm not sure what people from the metro believe as I don't know many people from the metro area. I'm simply saying people from Harrison consider it to be in northwest Arkansas. Mayb it has a different meaning for some of y'all over there.

[nmnita]

can't we just drop this? We all know, whether we are culturally Midwest or south will never be proven. We all have our ideas. no one is questioning whether AR is a southern state or not; we all know it is and who cares about southern food, climate here etc? Again, we all have our own ideas and none are all right or all wrong, so let's just let it be for heavens sake.

[southernbythegraceofgod]

If it's geographically and historically located in the south.... Without question, whatever is happening there is part of the southern culture. Like I've said before, progression doesn't change. Whether someone likes or dislikes that, there's no getting around it. NWA is 150% southern.

[southernbythegraceofgod]

*progression doesn't change geography & roots...