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Missouri as a whole was mostly settled by Southerners - which makes sense, given it was a slave state. But Saint Louis began to shift ethnically in the period from 1830 to 1850, when it attracted large numbers of Catholic Germans and Irish. The Germans in particular gained control of City government just prior to the Civil War, which is why it remained a unionist stronghold.
By the 20th century, Saint Louis had a number of enforced Jim Crow laws. That said, racial violence was not as bad as the deep south. One interesting historical tidbit is when East Saint Louis had a race riot in 1917, the Saint Louis police guided black residents over the Eads Bridge into Saint Louis. A local representative representing part of Saint Louis eventually sponsored an anti-lynching bill in response to this local crisis.
Obviously Saint Louis was demographically transformed by the Great Migration. But it was not part of the "Hillbilly Highway" which resulted in many white southerners moving to cities like Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Dayton, and Cincinnati.
Overall I don't think it's true that Saint Louis has a huge southern influence. I think it's less southern influenced than any of the other cities in the traditional "border states" however.
There is nothing southern about St. Louis. I grew up about 120 miles south of there and the difference between us and them is night and day. I keep seeing people making this claim but they never have any evidence to back it up. Not sure what you mean by "country" but St. Louis is a city regardless.
I noticed that St Louis is the only place in Missouri that doesn't even have a hint of a Southern accent.
I noticed that St Louis is the only place in Missouri that doesn't even have a hint of a Southern accent.
KC doesn't either. The vast majority of Missourians speak the Midland dialect, which has Southern influences but is not a full blown Southern accent. My source is the University of Pennsylvania among several others.
Baltimore has Southern influences in its speech patterns. St. Louisans have zero Southern influence in their speech patterns. Baltimore's demographics in their entirety reflect a more Southern city where as St. Louis' demographics are consistent with other Midwestern cities and show little to zero consistency to any Southern city. You're trying to make it out that St. Louis doesn't belong in the Midwest and is a borderline case...bad news, it's not.
Um, Missouri was a slave state just like Maryland. And St. Louis is 48% Black. It's not that different from Baltimore.
Baltimore is also much more Jewish than St. Louis. That doesn't negate all of the Southern influence, however.
Missouri as a whole was mostly settled by Southerners - which makes sense, given it was a slave state. But Saint Louis began to shift ethnically in the period from 1830 to 1850, when it attracted large numbers of Catholic Germans and Irish. The Germans in particular gained control of City government just prior to the Civil War, which is why it remained a unionist stronghold.
By the 20th century, Saint Louis had a number of enforced Jim Crow laws. That said, racial violence was not as bad as the deep south. One interesting historical tidbit is when East Saint Louis had a race riot in 1917, the Saint Louis police guided black residents over the Eads Bridge into Saint Louis. A local representative representing part of Saint Louis eventually sponsored an anti-lynching bill in response to this local crisis.
Obviously Saint Louis was demographically transformed by the Great Migration. But it was not part of the "Hillbilly Highway" which resulted in many white southerners moving to cities like Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Dayton, and Cincinnati.
Overall I don't think it's true that Saint Louis has a huge southern influence. I think it's less southern influenced than any of the other cities in the traditional "border states" however.
The only Missouri Jim Crow law I'm aware of that survived into the 20th century was schooling. That was it. Nothing else. St. Louis and Missouri didn't segregate people on street cars or in bathrooms the way true Southern states did, and that includes Maryland.
Um, Missouri was a slave state just like Maryland. And St. Louis is 48% Black. It's not that different from Baltimore.
Baltimore is also much more Jewish than St. Louis. That doesn't negate all of the Southern influence, however.
Ok fine. St. Louis is a Southern city. Are you happy now. You seem to be on a campaign to take St. Louis out of the Midwest and place it in no man's land, which it is not. you really seem hellbent on making St. Louis at minimum 50% Southern, which it is not. Missouri is a decidedly Midwestern state, and Maryland is not part of the South either.
Ok fine. St. Louis is a Southern city. Are you happy now. You seem to be on a campaign to take St. Louis out of the Midwest and place it in no man's land, which it is not. I'm gonna have to put you on ignore...you really seem hellbent on making St. Louis at minimum 50% Southern, which it is not. Missouri is a decidedly Midwestern state, and Maryland is not part of the South either.
To be fair, he's not arguing that St. Louis is Southern or "at minimum 50% Southern." He's simply saying that it does have some Southern influences.
To be fair, he's not arguing that St. Louis is Southern or "at minimum 50% Southern." He's simply saying that it does have some Southern influences.
I've made this comment before. The people on this forum who seem to represent St. Louis get pretty worked up over this. Like being able to get ribs and collard greens on street-side stands is a bad thing.
I've made this comment before. The people on this forum who seem to represent St. Louis get pretty worked up over this. Like being able to get ribs and collard greens on street-side stands is a bad thing.
Hah-right. I think certain stigmas of regions prevent honest discussion like there is nothing redeemable about the South or Midwest.
I hear what U146 is saying too as St. Louis does seem to be an exception in Missouri.
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It's not that different from Baltimore. 
