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Ohio. Its location puts it at the crossroads of four to five major regions of the United States. Ohio could be classified as a Great Lakes, Midwestern, Appalachian Region, Northeastern, or Southern state depending on who you talk to or what part of The Buckeye State you're referring to. Local dialect is the biggest indicator of this. Ohioans from Sandusky, Toledo, or Cleveland sound completely different from Ohioans living in Georgetown, Hillsboro, or Aberdeen. North of US 30, I would consider to be part of the Great Lakes region (Though some places south of this line like Millersburg and New Philadelphia are within Cleveland's television market) Areas of southeastern Ohio along the river from Steubenville to Portsmouth and cities along the interior of area code 740 like Athens and Jackson could be considered part of Appalachia because of their hilly terrain and proximity to West Virginia. Towns at the southern tip of the state like Gallipolis and Portsmouth even get local TV from Huntington, WV. The Midwestern classification comes from the overall flattening of the terrain west of US 23. Western Ohio and especially the bean fields and farm lands of southwestern Ohio near Clarksville, Xenia, and Wilmington could be easily be mistaken for the plains of Nebraska or Iowa in a photograph. Cincinnati has both a Midwestern and Southern feel to it as just across the Roebling Bridge is Kentucky and a short jog west up I 74 takes you into Indiana.
Could not have said this better myself. As a native Northern Ohioan, Cincinnati felt like Dixie to me. Now that I have lived in the real South I can clearly see it’s not Southern, but my point is Ohio takes on many regions and is certainly not 100% Midwestern. I will agree that Western Ohio is very Midwestern in feel, but Eastern and Northern Ohio along Lake Erie don’t feel too Midwestern.
I have to admit, without looking at any lists, I would by default classify Oklahoma as “Southwestern.” I’ve never thought Midwest or southern when I think of Oklahoma, mainly because of the historic Cowboy culture. Southwestern is the first region that comes to mind when I think about Texas for the same reasons (along with strong Mexican/Spanish influence- a history completely different from southern states).
Oklahoma and texas are both a solid mix of West and South and that includes topography, regionality, and most importantly culture.
I'd go with West Virginia on this one. It's so far Northeast yet definitely has its own country feel.
I think West Virginia fits best with the South culturally, although much less so towards the northern part of the state. Climatically, it is more aligned with the Northeast as it tends to be cooler, cloudier and snowier than virtually all of the South. The traditional heavy industrial based economy has tended to have more synergy with the nearby eastern Midwest region. So yes, it's a difficult state to truly place in one region.
Up and till a few years ago I always thought WV was solidly southern since VA is a southern state but when I saw that WV go as far north as NYC I thought mid-Atlantic would better suit it but no one from the Mid-Atlantic claim WV despite parts of it being in the DC metro area. Midwestern wouldn't work since it goes to far south, and northeastern would definitely be a no-no. I guess mid-applichan is the way to categorize WV. It's pretty much the applichan version of MD.
Up and till a few years ago I always thought WV was solidly southern since VA is a southern state but when I saw that WV go as far north as NYC I thought mid-Atlantic would better suit it but no one from the Mid-Atlantic claim WV despite parts of it being in the DC metro area. Midwestern wouldn't work since it goes to far south, and northeastern would definitely be a no-no. I guess mid-applichan is the way to categorize WV. It's pretty much the applichan version of MD.
It's geographically split between Midwest and Mid-Atlantic IMO. However, culturally it's Southern no question. The accents are more Southern than anything. Their way of life, politics, societal norms, outlook on life/the world, etc. is very Southern. Many states have pieces of their geography that are split, so it's not easy to say that just because it has weird shapes like where Wheeling and Harpers Ferry are, that it becomes part of that other region.
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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Originally Posted by jessemh431
It's geographically split between Midwest and Mid-Atlantic IMO. However, culturally it's Southern no question. The accents are more Southern than anything. Their way of life, politics, societal norms, outlook on life/the world, etc. is very Southern. Many states have pieces of their geography that are split, so it's not easy to say that just because it has weird shapes like where Wheeling and Harpers Ferry are, that it becomes part of that other region.
WV is truly a catch all of the eastern US.
Southern culture, save for the northern most portions. Heart of Appalachia. Northern/midland climates and flora/fauna. And of course that touch of cultural uniqueness only WV has.
WV is the anti-Florida. It's clearly a northern landscape but mostly full of southern and southernesque people.
Kentucky seems to be the state without a region. Lots of folks in the South don't claim Kentucky as a Southern State because it never fully committed to the Confederacy. Lots of folks in the Midwest don't claim Kentucky as a Midwestern State because they were taught in school that Kentucky is in the South. So, basicly, the South don't claim Kentucky and the Midwest don't want it. And Kentuckians are pretty much divided if they are in the South or the Midwest.
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