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Missouri and Oklahoma also share a very long stretch of border with Arkansas and there could be a pretty strong argument made that Arkansas is the most "Southern Feeling" state in the South.
Alligators
Spanish Moss
Pine Forrest
The Quachitas
The Ozarks
Cattle Ranches
The longest Bayou in the US (Bayou Bartholomew)
The Delta
State Capital LR being located further south than Memphis, TN and once being the capital city of the south
Very few transplants as a whole
Cotton Farms
Rice Farms
I can go on and on and on.... granted they don't have an ocean, but that's about all.
It's VERY difficult for me to get past Southern MO & Eastern OK sharing a LARGE chunk of border with this state and then trying to act like either one feels more like the Midwest than the south. I just don't see it.
Find that strange. I have been to eastern Oklahoma a lot. Did you venture further south in Missouri from Springfield or Joplin? I feel out of place in Tulsa the part of sw mo I live in is far more southern than Tulsa.
Tulsa is quite an anomaly due to its rapid development in the early 20th century because of the oil boom. It had a larger infrastructure development revenue stream from wealthier business people that came from the eastern states that wanted the city to have nice institutions, art, culture, etc. When the boom periods ended, Tulsa became more southern overall as the older guard residents and wealth faded and left the area. The city is also close to the Ozarks and that has influences on the area as well.
Missouri and Oklahoma also share a very long stretch of border with Arkansas and there could be a pretty strong argument made that Arkansas is the most "Southern Feeling" state in the South.
More so than Mississippi? I doubt most people would agree with that.
Arkansas doesn't have the majestic live oaks of the Deep South.
Yes, but I thought the question is which is more Southern... not which is more "deep" South. And since neither one is deep South, it's a moot point anyway. If it was a relevant point, then I would say that far-Southeastern OK feels pretty "deep" South too.
IMO, the most important point is, where does most of the population reside in these states? Once that becomes the focus, it's obvious which state is more Southern.
It must not be too obvious...because several people disagree.
Find that strange. I have been to eastern Oklahoma a lot. Did you venture further south in Missouri from Springfield or Joplin? I feel out of place in Tulsa the part of sw mo I live in is far more southern than Tulsa.
Yes...we had to travel south through Southwest missouri on the way back to texas all the time...it just felt very rural to me...but far from southern. There were hardly any blacks in Springfield and surrounding rural areas at all...i didnt hear many noticeable accents at all outside the area near the bootheel...i knew a guy from greenville whereever that is up there, and he sounded almost like something from gone with the wind or something. He was definitely southern.
Yes...we had to travel south through Southwest missouri on the way back to texas all the time...it just felt very rural to me...but far from southern. There were hardly any blacks in Springfield and surrounding rural areas at all...i didnt hear many noticeable accents at all outside the area near the bootheel...i knew a guy from greenville whereever that is up there, and he sounded almost like something from gone with the wind or something. He was definitely southern.
Just because there aren't blacks doesn't make a place less southern...the Ozarks are a lot like portions of the Appalachians...very low black population. Where did you stop and talk to people on sw mo apart from Springfield? I assume you traveled back to Texas on i44? The southern influence becomes more apparent once you get south of i44.
Yeah, it's C-D. Go figure. Reality is subjective on this site.
Where do you live? I'm curious if you have extensive knowledge of the entire area. I work in Branson and talk to tourists every day from Oklahoma. You would be surprised how many don't have even a trace of a southern accent.
Just because there aren't blacks doesn't make a place less southern...the Ozarks are a lot like portions of the Appalachians...very low black population. Where did you stop and talk to people on sw mo apart from Springfield? I assume you traveled back to Texas on i44? The southern influence becomes more apparent once you get south of i44.
Meh..never even said not having blacks makes a place not southern...but having blacks in RURAL areas is often correlative with being southern
Like others have said though...its all highly subjective and missouri didnt feel southern to me outside the bootheel....if im being totally honest, even northwest Arkansas started to feel less southern and more southern lite toward its northwest extremes....and yeah, i think it was i44 to like 69 or something like that... but im not really prepared to stand trial about my experiences up there 14 years ago...lol so thats my take on it...your experience may vary...it is what it is
Meh..never even said not having blacks makes a place not southern...but having blacks in RURAL areas is often correlative with being southern
Like others have said though...its all highly subjective and missouri didnt feel southern to me outside the bootheel....if im being totally honest, even northwest Arkansas started to feel less southern and more southern lite toward its northwest extremes....and yeah, i think it was i44 to like 69 or something like that... but im not really prepared to stand trial about my experiences up there 14 years ago...lol so thats my take on it...your experience may vary...it is what it is
Yeah if you traveled on 44 then you probably wouldn't know much about the culture south of there! Come up and check out southwest Missouri sometime and see of you opinion changes! PLACes like Branson and west plains are very southern.
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