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I dunno. The Ozarks always seemed Southern to me, I guess. Not Georgia southern, but more like Upland southern, like Kentucky or Arkansas.
It also depends on what your definition of Ozarks is. Some people consider the entire southern half of Missouri to lie in the "Ozark plateau". I do not.
In some states, it's possible to have an isolated area of Dixie.
I agree...the plateau in central Missouri that is mostly rolling hills with corn fields are not what I consider to be the Ozarks.
Mark Twain referred to all of Missouri as "Southwestern", based on differences in how people there spoke, as compared to Easterners. So I guess it still is Southwestern, but there was no Arizona back in Mark Twain's time. The language difference between Missouri and states further east persist to this day. Many of the linguistic distinctions Twain applied to Missouri also occur in Louisiana. Geographically, the Ozark Plateau extends into Oklahoma, which would add to its southwestern credentials.
Yes, Twain did consider himself a Southwesterner. Back in his time, he was. You have to consider the historical context. For example, prior to the construction of the Erie Canal, much of New York was considered "Western".
Yes, Twain did consider himself a Southwesterner. Back in his time, he was. You have to consider the historical context. For example, prior to the construction of the Erie Canal, much of New York was considered "Western".
Exactly. This is the reason why the Great Lakes states are called the Midwest. At that time, they were Western states.
As a native Ozarker, I'll address some questions and comments:
Hot Springs is in the Ouachitas, not Ozarks. Likewise, Little Rock is not really in the Ozarks either. It's at the confluence of 4 different landforms: The Ouachitas, the Ozarks, the Delta and the Arkansas river valley. If you look at most of the rock strata in and around Little Rock you find predominate folding and pitching that is indicative of the Ouachita formations. Rock strata in the Ozarks is strictly flat and parallel to "ground level" being the result of pure uplift and not folding. From that perspective, the Ozarks share nothing in common with the Blue Ridge.
Culturally, I never discerned any difference between people I grew up around and those north of the border in Missouri. To my mind you have to get to the "outskirts" of the Ozarks before you really begin to see changes from the Hill culture. I would wager that most outsiders visiting the area who are well traveled in both the south and midwest would see very little in common with either of those in the nominal sense. Ozarks culture would probably align much more closely with typical Appalachian culture of Kentucky and West Virginia and have very little in common with the deep south.
The two main larger cities in the Ozarks - Springfield, MO and Little Rock, AR, are perhaps the most ignored and forgotten about cities in the United States. Despite the surge in growth, not much is nationally known about the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area either.
The entire region gets a cold shoulder by the rest of America.
I disagree. Culture in the Missouri Ozarks is far different from Central Missouri and lightyears away from St. Louis and Kansas City. Culture in the Arkansas Ozarks is different than what you will find in the Arkansas Delta. Same with Oklahoma.
Little Rock is not in the Ozarks. That much I am certain of. The Ouachita Mountains are usually not considered part of them.
I like Springfield well enough, but it simply doesn't stand out as a city very much. It is a quite, smallish town that is a nice place to live, just not much else.
Little Rock might have a better argument for attention, being the state capital, and a bit more significant from a historical perspective.
As for central Missouri, the Ozarks do extend up to that area, with the tip being a bit north of Columbia. In Missouri, the southern third of the state is a bit different than the rest, regardless of where the Ozarks lay. Missouri is a border state in every way. It can be hard to describe, but for the most part, it is Midwestern.The southern parts of the state have some of the Midwestern mentality, even though it seems to be for the most part, southern. So I would say that the Missouri Ozarks are influenced somewhat by the rest of the state.
As for KC and St. Louis, they are just big cities in a state that is otherwise mostly just small towns and rural areas.
I won't speak for St. Louis, but Kansas City is influenced heavily by people who have moved there from the rural areas including the Missouri Ozarks, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, etc., as well as the rest of rural Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa... I once read that a lot, if not most, of it's growth comes from the surrounding area. Southern accents aren't prevailing, but are surprisingly common. So even in the big city, the culture isn't far removed from places like the Ozarks.
I agree with pretty much everything you have said except where St. Louis and Kansas City are concerned. Kansas City's culture is vastly different from the Ozarks. A lot of other Midwestern cities experienced a mass migration of Southerners in the early 20th century in addition to K.C. St. Louis and Kansas City are best described as Midwestern cities with some Southern influence. While the Ozarks may extend north of Columbia, Columbia and Central Missouri for that matter are undoubtedly Midwestern. Chicago and Detroit took on Southern influences as well...this is easily evidenced by the "Chicago Blues" and "Motown" style stuff. K.C. is undoubtedly more Midwestern than it is Southern.
Little Rock is not in the Ozarks. That much I am certain of. The Ouachita Mountains are usually not considered part of them.
The whole area is a mystery to this New Yorker. There are also mountains in Arkansas called the Boston Mountains. I thought the whole area Ozarks, Boston and Quachita mountains were all part of the Ozark chain? Sort of the way the Great Smokies, Alleghanies, Catskills and Green Mountains are all part of the Applachians.
I say again even though one or two of you disagreed with me, that these mountains are pretty interesting and I am suprised not more national attention is payed to them.
Yes, Twain did consider himself a Southwesterner. Back in his time, he was. You have to consider the historical context. For example, prior to the construction of the Erie Canal, much of New York was considered "Western".
I just think that back then Missouri was a different state. Nobody today from the Northern half of Missouri would ever claim to be anything besides Midwestern. Missouri and Iowa were both eventually included along with the Great Lakes states in the Midwest.
I know very little about the Ozarks as you rarely seen or even read anything about it. In fact there is very little coverage about anyplace outside NYC, southern California and areas with tropical beach resorts or casinos. A big pet peeve of mine.
My impression is that Missouri is a midwestern state but the southern part has a strong southern dimension to it. And I believe southern Missouri includes the Ozarks?
The geographical extent covers much of Southern Missouri. Didn't anybody ever teach you that landforms and culture don't always coincide perfectly? The Ozarks are not a homogenous mixture in culture...I am not going to argue with the rest of the posters on here, but you are making a big mistake in saying I've never seen or read anything about them. I've been to the region MANY times, and I have family that grew up in the region. The Southern part has strong Southern influence, I will agree, but it also has very clear Midwestern influence to it, even in Southwest Missouri.
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