Is Kansas the Midwest? (Wichita, Atlanta: to live, shop, land)

[1067Top]

Originally Posted by prairiestone

i think it depends on the region of kansas your in... while in fort scott i felt it was more southern than midwestern the only thing it was missing was the grits... it is a connector state so i think mid west.. west and the south all merges here

Reminds me that the best Mexican food I've ever eaten was while I lived in Kansas and I lived in Phoenix for 12 years.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Plains10

Kansas is mostly a plains state overall. It is far too arid to be considered Midwest in large sections of the state.

And far too wet/humid in most sections to be considered the West.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Plains10

Small portions of Kansas do have some southern elements. Some examples would be southeast Kansas, and southwest Kansas (which has some Texas influences).

Oh yeah, I can vouch for that! We camped in Joplin, MO, and made several ventures into that region of KS. Galena, KS might as well be in Arkansas, very southern in feeling around those parts.

[Fiddlefeet]

Yes, it is the Midwest. You can't get more mid than Kansas.

[TNRyan23]

Originally Posted by Plains10

Small portions of Kansas do have some southern elements. Some examples would be southeast Kansas, and southwest Kansas (which has some Texas influences).

I can understand the influences, However, unless it was extreme East Texas, I wouldn't consider Texas as being Southern either.

As much as Arkansas and Missouri may want to be Southern States, They just aren't. To me, being from Florida and living for the last 10 years in Tennessee, The thought of Missouri being a Southern state is laughable to me.

[drjones96]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

As much as Arkansas and Missouri may want to be Southern States, They just aren't. To me, being from Florida and living for the last 10 years in Tennessee, The thought of Missouri being a Southern state is laughable to me.

It's all relative. I guess if I was from Mobile Alabama I may feel like Kentucky Tennessee wasn't very southern.

If you read up on the history of Missouri you'll see that it was a state divided in itself during the Civil War. Along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers there were those who had slaves and plantations. It was extremely southern. But in central parts of the state there were strong Unionists who had no need for slaves nor a want for them. Also there were those who took up arms against the Union just because. Read the book "Ride with the Devil"....or rent the movie...Toby Maguire was good in that...

Ride with the Devil (1999/I)


I'm from the area known as the Bootheel (part of which borders your Tennessee) and can tell you there is a strong southern feel to it. Growing up we saw St. Louis as yankee territory. Pretty funny huh?

[straw hat]

Back when people lived only on the east coast Missouri was as far as you would go and still be in the United States. Chicago was in the mid west; people never did get over the fact that the country grew. So they insist on calling the states that are still in the east third of the country the Mid West.
That would place our east coast states in the west. Measure the distance from the west coast to Chicago then measure the same distance from Chicago to the east, you will be somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
mid west = Middle of the west
However the states in the center of the country are called the plains states. Those would be North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

[FreeStater]

I live in Kansas, and I can tell you that the state is definitely in the Midwest. Because states are large geographic areas, not all areas within that state are going to be the same. States that are on the periphery of their own region are going to show influences from the states and regions next door. This is true of the Midwest influence on Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It's true of the northeast influence on Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. It's true of the western influence on Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. And it's true of the southern influence on Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

But just because a state is influenced on its peripheries by the states next door, doesn't mean that state is in that other region. Kansas is still a Midwestern state, even though it is influenced by southern and western states.

Very few states fit neatly into the little box that people would like them to. Culture is complicated. People want to define things because it makes them more comfortable knowing where something fits. It's kind of like "red states" and "blue states". Everyone knows that no red state is 100% Republican and no blue state is 100% Democrat. There are red counties in blue states and blue counties in red states. But people want to define things because it makes large concepts easier to understand.

Kansas is in the Midwest. The entire northern half of Kansas is in the Midwest, both geographically and culturally. Even as far west as the farthest northwest corner, around Saint Francis, Goodland, and Colby, the culture is Midwestern. The only parts of Kansas that are not entirely Midwestern are the southeast and southwest corners. But once again, these areas are mostly Midwestern, they just have influences of southern (southeast corner) and southwestern (southwest corner) culture. I could explain all the cultural reasons why southeast and southwest Kansas are different from the rest of Kansas, because I've lived here all my life and I know, but it would take a lot of typing and I'm not sure it's worth it. Anyone who knows about Kansas knows what I'm talking about.

[Chris19]

Having been to Kansas at least a dozen times, I would consider most parts of Kansas as Midwest. The northern parts for sure would allign with the Midwest are similar to Nebraska. The southern parts of Kansas (easily noticed in areas south of Wichita) have a mixture of southern and midwestern influences. I have noticed a greater difference of the Midwest and South after passing the Oklahoma border. I have not noticed as much western influences compared to Nebraska (but a little hillier in KS in areas) and South Daktoa, but am sure that it is in the western third of the state as with the other plains states.

Most Kansas people have Midwestern attitude and values, which I am familar with (coming from southeastern South Dakota). The climate in 70% of the state resembles that of other parts of the Midwest.

I notice gradual differences not too long after going south of I-70. Same with Missouri. One of the easiest signs to tell is by how people speak. Those in the northern part of the state sound similar to Nebraskans and Iowans and those in southern part of the state often have a touch of a southern drawl to them. I have relatives in Oklahoma and know of some people in southern Kansas and they can easily tell with my accent, which is a toned-down version of the Minnesotan/Fargo accent. I would consider Kansas as a transition state similar to Missouri.

I went through Kansas last May and it was good time and I want to compliment on the friendly people and an enjoyable time there. After coming from Colorado, I feel that I am back in the Midwest. I get the same feeling of being back in the Midwest after coming from Oklahoma. Kansas has its hidden gems and is overall a good state.

[writedecision]

Kansas is one of the central plains states. Northern plains states are N Dakota & S Dakota; central plains states are Nebraska & Kansas; southern plains states are Oklahoma and Texas. The midwest ends at Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota.