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Kentucky, to me, is the hardest fit for any state to assign it regionally. It was a union state in Civil War, and Lincoln thought it to be instrumental in preserving the US. Parts of Kentucky around the Ohio River such as Louisville and Covington (suburb of Cincinnati) seem to have more of a mid-west look/feel. West Virginia is another state that possesses a similarly puzzling dichotomy when it comes to how to classify its regionality.
Kentucky is without question part of the South. After living my entire life in Chicago and the Midwest, I had never heard anyone argue that Kentucky could possibly be in the Midwest until I had seen some discussions on this issue on this forum. While certain parts of Kentucky might have Midwestern characteristics, such as the northern border areas near Ohio and Indiana as mentioned, the state overall politically and culturally is a Southern state. Arguing that Kentucky is part of the Midwest would be like saying Illinois is part of the South as result of the culture around its southern border or that Virginia is part of the Northeast since the suburbs around Washington, DC have that type of feel. Those border areas can rightly be called transition areas from one region to another (so they might have a hybrid of characteristics), but when characterizing the state overall, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Kentucky looks like a Southern state and feels like a Southern state - therefore, it's a Southern state. Most importantly, the flagship state school is in the SEC - that's about as southern as you can get. Until Kentucky gets a school into the Big Ten (which will be never), it will be part of the South.
However, I'll grant you that West Virginia is confounding. It could be argued that it's part of the South, Midwest or Northeast. The urban areas feel like the Midwest since they are very industrial, while the rural areas feel like the South (I think there's a different feel as to whether you're in the rural Midwest versus the rural South). Meanwhile, there are DC-area commuters that are heading out to the eastern edge of West Virginia. I tend to put West Virginia into the southern category, but it's a tough one to pin down.
Kentucky is without question part of the South. After living my entire life in Chicago and the Midwest, I had never heard anyone argue that Kentucky could possibly be in the Midwest until I had seen some discussions on this issue on this forum. While certain parts of Kentucky might have Midwestern characteristics, such as the northern border areas near Ohio and Indiana as mentioned, the state overall politically and culturally is a Southern state. Arguing that Kentucky is part of the Midwest would be like saying Illinois is part of the South as result of the culture around its southern border or that Virginia is part of the Northeast since the suburbs around Washington, DC have that type of feel. Those border areas can rightly be called transition areas from one region to another (so they might have a hybrid of characteristics), but when characterizing the state overall, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Kentucky looks like a Southern state and feels like a Southern state - therefore, it's a Southern state. Most importantly, the flagship state school is in the SEC - that's about as southern as you can get. Until Kentucky gets a school into the Big Ten (which will be never), it will be part of the South.
However, I'll grant you that West Virginia is confounding. It could be argued that it's part of the South, Midwest or Northeast. The urban areas feel like the Midwest since they are very industrial, while the rural areas feel like the South (I think there's a different feel as to whether you're in the rural Midwest versus the rural South). Meanwhile, there are DC-area commuters that are heading out to the eastern edge of West Virginia. I tend to put West Virginia into the southern category, but it's a tough one to pin down.
You could almost make a similar argument for Pennsylvania, in a weird way. The eastern part of the state, east of Harrisburg has a mid-Atlantic feel to it, the area from Harrisburg to east of Pittsburgh is way more Appalachian, while Pittsburgh and Erie almost feel more like the midwest.
You could almost make a similar argument for Pennsylvania, in a weird way. The eastern part of the state, east of Harrisburg has a mid-Atlantic feel to it, the area from Harrisburg to east of Pittsburgh is way more Appalachian, while Pittsburgh and Erie almost feel more like the midwest.
I'd agree with that. Pittsburgh feels much more like a Midwestern city (it has lot more in common with Cleveland and Detroit) while Philadelphia is definitely an East Coast city.
Ben, i agree i placed the northwoods boundary too far south, but i was actually thinking along more ethnic/cultural lines rather than terrain. according to a few ethnic and accent maps i have seen, the scandonavian ancestry/fargo accent infleunce extends into the far north of iowa and westward to eastern montana
also, as for the conservative plains, if you look at a map such as the one on neighboroo that shows by how far a margin each county went for bush or kerry, you'll find that the true republican support belt stretches along the plains from central texas, up through OK, KS, NE, southwest SD, and curves northwestward into western ND and wyoming/montana. this north-south stretch also boast the highest church adherance (higher than in the famed southern "Bible belt") and the highest number of aging people and traditionally structured families. this is the real "traditional Bible belt"
RE: ethnic/cultural trumping terrain, OK, it's your map, but I could see arguing it either way. But then to be consistent, you shouldn't use Appalachia to define one of your new "states", either, as suggested by another. While Binghamton, NY, Roanoake, VA and Birmingham, AL are all in the traditionally defined Appalachian region, they are ethnically and culturally quite different from one another.
RE: political and religious leanings of ND, MT and WY, didn't know that. Very interesting!
Frank the Tank: "I had never heard anyone argue that Kentucky could possibly be in the Midwest until I had seen some discussions on this issue on this forum. "
Same here. Those who feel this way, where else have you heard this arguement?
Frank the Tank: "Most importantly, the flagship state school is in the SEC - that's about as southern as you can get. "
Careful with that one, Frank. Penn State's in the Big "Ten".
RE: part of NYS being Midwest, I have deep family roots in the Rochester/Buffalo/Niagara Falls area. Never once have I heard any of my relatives or any of my teachers, any local or national media or anyone I knew there when growing up even once refer to any place in NYS as Midwestern. We considered ourselves New Yorkers, North Easterners or Northerners, but never Midwesterners. (Many people I have met in the Midwest (my home these days) consider people from Northeastern locales such as far-Upstate NY, VT or Western PA as being from the "East Coast", but we'd never say that!)
Classifying Western NY as Midwestern would be just as arbitrary as classifying it as Canadian because it is closer to Toronto than it is to NYC!
RE: ethnic/cultural trumping terrain, OK, it's your map, but I could see arguing it either way. But then to be consistent, you shouldn't use Appalachia to define one of your new "states", either, as suggested by another. While Binghamton, NY, Roanoake, VA and Birmingham, AL are all in the traditionally defined Appalachian region, they are ethnically and culturally quite different from one another.
RE: political and religious leanings of ND, MT and WY, didn't know that. Very interesting!
I've used this map a few times before to illustrate the political plurality when it comes to voting patterns on a county level, from the 2004 election:
The western half, mostly; or at least the northwestern quadrant.
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