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Those of us in Shreveport feel like part of Texas more than anywhere else. So unless you adhere to the statement that Texas is "Western South" and Louisiana is "Deep South" (like there is some sort of Iron Curtain on the border), it's believable enough that both states share common interests in many ways.
Whereas Georgia and Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, may be more southern in "culture" and this seems to direct the thinking of CD people, I have always believed that a state's economic activities should come into play. Texas and Louisiana are part of the great oil and gas belt and share much information and strategy connected with that business. This dates back to the early 20th century, long before fracking.
We are closely connected with a lot of things related to that business, so naturally I'm going to relate what I know of in the present with what I see everyday.
The Southeast beyond Mississippi could easily be as far away as the PNW, the NE, the Midwest, etc far as I'm concerned. I never really felt a part of it. Most of the major cities and tourist attraction of the Southeast are hundreds of miles away from here. We never hear any news about those places unless it's national.
This is why I believe Louisiana and Arkansas are more connected to the "Western South" than the SE. The "western south" in my book are the states west of the Miss. River. No other region west of the river has any "eastern" designation so why should we? Texas and Oklahoma were formerly "Southwestern" states although I don't know when that ceased. So they took up the moniker "Western South" which I always felt was our designation. Sometime in more recent times Louisiana became SE which probably suits New Orleans well as its history is southern after La was bought by the US. I know this is how many feel.
Louisiana doesnt feel very southeastern in the typical southern traditional ways. Catholicism rules here. We have different food traditions, different music, different words, different lifestyles. Outside of the gulf coast areas, it feels very different from the rest of the south.
Those of us in Shreveport feel like part of Texas more than anywhere else. So unless you adhere to the statement that Texas is "Western South" and Louisiana is "Deep South" (like there is some sort of Iron Curtain on the border), it's believable enough that both states share common interests in many ways.
Whereas Georgia and Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, may be more southern in "culture" and this seems to direct the thinking of CD people, I have always believed that a state's economic activities should come into play. Texas and Louisiana are part of the great oil and gas belt and share much information and strategy connected with that business. This dates back to the early 20th century, long before fracking.
We are closely connected with a lot of things related to that business, so naturally I'm going to relate what I know of in the present with what I see everyday.
The Southeast beyond Mississippi could easily be as far away as the PNW, the NE, the Midwest, etc far as I'm concerned. I never really felt a part of it. Most of the major cities and tourist attraction of the Southeast are hundreds of miles away from here. We never hear any news about those places unless it's national.
This is why I believe Louisiana and Arkansas are more connected to the "Western South" than the SE. The "western south" in my book are the states west of the Miss. River. No other region west of the river has any "eastern" designation so why should we? Texas and Oklahoma were formerly "Southwestern" states although I don't know when that ceased. So they took up the moniker "Western South" which I always felt was our designation. Sometime in more recent times Louisiana became SE which probably suits New Orleans well as its history is southern after La was bought by the US. I know this is how many feel.
+1
I would even go so far as to say that the Western South culture spills over into Mississippi, Western Tennessee and even the Missouri Bootheel. Memphians, for example, remind me more of Dallasites than Atlantans. I know some will disagree, however.
The Atlantic/Colonial South has more of a genteel feel to it, with more British undertones as opposed to those areas of the South with more German, Spanish or French heritage.
I would even go so far as to say that the Western South culture spills over into Mississippi, Western Tennessee and even the Missouri Bootheel. Memphians, for example, remind me more of Dallasites than Atlantans. I know some will disagree, however.
The Atlantic/Colonial South has more of a genteel feel to it, with more British undertones as opposed to those areas of the South with more German, Spanish or French heritage.
Take a screen shot of this post because we agree on something!
I'm not sure that I agree about the "western south" spilling over into Mississippi, or up as far as Memphis, but I agree that the Atlantic/Colonial South feels a LOT different from, say, Louisiana, Arkansas, and East Texas.
Memphis doesn't feel like any other city in the south to me. It just feels like Memphis. It's sort of a strange place.
I would even go so far as to say that the Western South culture spills over into Mississippi, Western Tennessee and even the Missouri Bootheel. Memphians, for example, remind me more of Dallasites than Atlantans. I know some will disagree, however.
The Atlantic/Colonial South has more of a genteel feel to it, with more British undertones as opposed to those areas of the South with more German, Spanish or French heritage.
Interesting. As a native to that area I'll have to think about that for a bit. I've been east and west some but probably not enough to tell the differences. I know I felt much more at home in the areas surrounding Dallas-Fort Worth than San Antonio for example. From what I know, the place that I have seen the most similarities to how I was raised is southern Appalachia. (This was in the hill country of Southeast Missouri)
Last edited by GunnerTHB; 06-24-2016 at 08:51 AM..
Take a screen shot of this post because we agree on something!
I'm not sure that I agree about the "western south" spilling over into Mississippi, or up as far as Memphis, but I agree that the Atlantic/Colonial South feels a LOT different from, say, Louisiana, Arkansas, and East Texas.
Memphis doesn't feel like any other city in the south to me. It just feels like Memphis. It's sort of a strange place.
Memphis and Jackson feel pretty similar to me. I've heard the same about Little Rock but I've never been.
Interesting. As a native to that area I'll have to think about that for a bit. I've been east and west some but probably not enough to tell the differences. I know I felt much more at home in the areas surrounding Dallas-Fort Worth than San Antonio for example. From what I know, the place that I have seen the most similarities to how I was raised is southern Appalachia. (This was in the hill country of Southeast Missouri)
I can see that, and I'm certain the same is true of the Fayetteville/Eureka Springs region of Arkansas.
Memphis and Jackson feel pretty similar to me. I've heard the same about Little Rock but I've never been.
Definitely a strong shared culture between the two. The only difference I'd say is that Memphis has more of a gritty, urban streak to it while Jackson is more so your typical snail-paced southern town. Both cities are in a cultural region that I feel stretches all the way to the Texarkana/Marshall region of Texas.
Little Rock is what you get when you cross Jackson with Tulsa. At least that's how I would describe it.
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