Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
MIT and IBM did an interesting study that looked at zones where people were more likely to call somebody inside them than outside them. Some states end up being homogenous, some form sister states, and some states are split between zones. The map is available here:
Interesting how almost the same exact "territories" appear on maps of sports allegiances, economic connectivity, accents, culture, and on and on. Essentially, the metro area is much more relevent today than the out-dated states.
Interesting how almost the same exact "territories" appear on maps of sports allegiances, economic connectivity, accents, culture, and on and on. Essentially, the metro area is much more relevent today than the out-dated states.
NJ is basically split right where folks would route (NYC/Philly) and also what most would consider the North/South Jersey Split - almost perfectly aligns to the MSAs there. (also the cut to what become Baltimore ot the South is pretty apparent as well and to my personal surprise the blob around Philly actually captured Cecil County MD part of the Philly MSA) Some other subtleties I found personally interesting was that NYC blob into PA does include the Scranton area which alothough closer to NYC seems to route pretty strongly for Philly teams. Am also a little suprised that the Philly influence is as far west in PA though it would be more Pittsburgh west of Harrisburgh and it extended all the way to Centre County which to me although inundated (Because of PSU) by Philly folks the area seemed to have more connection to Pittsburgh (not surprised to see the WV connectivity to Pittsburgh though
Am surprised there was no seperation among the any of the big TX metros, FL, or even OH for that matter
MIT and IBM did an interesting study that looked at zones where people were more likely to call somebody inside them than outside them. Some states end up being homogenous, some form sister states, and some states are split between zones. The map is available here:
That's pretty interesting. The often debated border of Northern and Southern California is exactly where I've always thought it to be---right around the San Luis Obispo-Kern County-Bakersfield borders, with an additional area up into the Owens River Valley and Inyo County up towards Mammoth. Although Southern California is connected to Southern Nevada and Las Vegas and into western Arizona.
The yellow block of Utah and Southern Idaho conforms directly to the Mormon population settlement. The Pacific Northwest shows most of Oregon, Washington and the tip of the Idaho Panhandle around Couer D'Alene and Sandpoint.
We've known it all along....Okies and Arkies possess many cultural/socio-economic similarities.
Sooners and Razorbacks also have a common enemy in that we enjoy whoopin' up on the Texas Longhorns!
My Dad is from Arkansas, technically born in California of Arkansas parents but he was raised in Arkansas, and I don't think he'd agree to that at all. The one time we had to go down to Oklahoma he was not happy. I get the sense it was common in Arkansas, at least in his generation, to dislike Oklahoma.
Anyway I noticed several places on the map where the population was low or something because they didn't really have info. That includes all or nearly all of Montana and the Dakotas. Curiously Wyoming, which I think still has less people than those states, seemed to have two or three counties listed in one or other.
My Dad is from Arkansas, technically born in California of Arkansas parents but he was raised in Arkansas, and I don't think he'd agree to that at all. The one time we had to go down to Oklahoma he was not happy. I get the sense it was common in Arkansas, at least in his generation, to dislike Oklahoma.
Anyway I noticed several places on the map where the population was low or something because they didn't really have info. That includes all or nearly all of Montana and the Dakotas. Curiously Wyoming, which I think still has less people than those states, seemed to have two or three counties listed in one or other.
No offense, but he's not like any born&bred Arkies I know. Having family from Arkansas, and still living here in Oklahoma I have many, many friends from Arkie (also through business dealings, etc.). There is absolutely a cultural affinity between Oklahoma and Arkansas as both are sparsely populated and generally rural in outlook; and undoubtedly, both have a Southern bent.
You say he had connections with California; that could be an explanation for his disdain. Oklahoma obviously (along with Texas and Arkansas) led the way in the western migration during the Great Depression. The stigma of Okies and our Southern/backward ways (could easily be said of Arkansas as well) was not positive in Cali as you well know. Could be an explanation.
Outside of that I would say he was jealous of our football team as pretty much everyone is! GO SOONERS!!!
Another thing that could be going on is that every state (apparently) needs a "whippin' boy." For instance, for many Texans, Oklahoma has always been considered the Redneck/backward side of Texas (this is generally lite-hearted and not malicious in nature. Although for a few ignoramuses it is malicious). Your Cali-Arkansas daddy could be picking up on this and recapitulating Texas sentiment towards its raucous and unruly neighbor to the North (in Arkansas' case, to the West). I've noticed this with my Louisiana friends also. They like to pick on Arkansas as kinda the regional step-child. Arkies may just be using Okies/Oklahoma as a "whippin' boy" somebody they can pick at and pick on.....not wise IMO, cause Okies are known to enter a scrape if need be and drop a 50 gallon drum of *ss whoop on somebody.
If there truly are no legitimate reasons for your daddy's disdain of Oklahoma, he might have just been parroting what he had heard about the uneducated/Redneck neighbors to the West.
Last edited by Bass&Catfish2008; 07-22-2011 at 11:13 AM..
My Dad's from the Northwest of Arkansas and he left California at age 5. I mean maybe it relates, I think some Arkansawyers who went to California disliked being called "Okies" because it was inaccurate, but I got the sense down there that disdain for Oklahoma wasn't that uncommon.
I would have expected Louisiana and Oklahoma to be more in tuned with Texas.
Kind of surprised me too. Although I have kinfolks in Miss, I couldn't tell you the last time I talked to them. I must be in the minority. OTOH I talk with La and Tx kin semi anually.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Having family from Arkansas, and still living here in Oklahoma I have many, many friends from Arkie (also through business dealings, etc.). There is absolutely a cultural affinity between Oklahoma and Arkansas as both are sparsely populated and generally rural in outlook; and undoubtedly, both have a Southern bent.
