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I know these "more southern than" threads are a bit silly, but this is one question I've had in the back of my mind. What would y'all say? VA is far more historically southern, but OK doesn't seem to be quite as influenced by outside transplants. Regardless, tons of folks refuse to call either state "southern" especially in the Deep South (SC, AL, GA, etc).
Virginia's southernness is very diluted in NoVA and on the coast. It is more pure in the Appalachian area and closer to North Carolina.
Oklahoma is VERY Southern culturally and there isn't a lot of transplants here to dilute the southernness.
Oklahoma is not as southern as you and others think. While it is probably more southern than anything else, it's not all that Southern compared to other places. Oklahoma is certainly more southern than NOVA, but less southern than the rest of Virginia with the possible exception of the Tidewater area.
You could technically consider OK the southern boundary of the Midwest. But if you're talking political leanings, urban form, demos, etc., I think OK is more statistically in line with other southern states. But when I'm thinking of Oklahoma, I also think of North Texas. Let's be honest, OK and VA is a fairly odd comparison. Virginia, is a smaller, more populous state on the coast. While always a southern heritage state, VA appears less southern than OK by most metrics today, maybe save for the culture the further west you head from the eastern urban nodes/coast. 64% of VA's population (and 79% of its economy) is focused on the eastern corridor that wraps around from Hampton Roads to Richmond to Northern VA/DC.
It's not really a strange comparison, it's just that both are on opposite sides of the South. Many people, as time goes by, are admitting that VA is becoming less southern despite its unquestionable southern history. On the contrary, I feel like more people are viewing states like OK and AR as southern due to a lack of outside influence. Also, one could place VA in the Mid-Atlantic region like one could place OK in the lower Midwest. They're not unquestionably southern like SC, GA, AL, etc.
I know these "more southern than" threads are a bit silly, but this is one question I've had in the back of my mind. What would y'all say? VA is far more historically southern, but OK doesn't seem to be quite as influenced by outside transplants. Regardless, tons of folks refuse to call either state "southern" especially in the Deep South (SC, AL, GA, etc).
And you are wrong about the highlighted above. I don't know of any Southerner that does not consider Virginia to be not southern. It is, has been, and will always be southern, and the opinion of some fool won't change that.
And you are wrong about the highlighted above. I don't know of any Southerner that does not consider Virginia to be not southern. It is, has been, and will always be southern, and the opinion of some fool won't change that.
I've met people from Alabama who won't even consider North Carolina to be southern. It's ridiculous, but true.
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