Why are people from northern kentucky considered yankees to the rest of the state (Louisville: purchase, living in)

[uk06]

What's with the impression that northern kentucky is full of yankees when viewed by the rest of the state. My inlaws are from Owensboro and they tell me that all of the time. They said it is because I live to close to the river and am next to Ohio so I tell them they live next to the river and beside Indiana so that makes them hoosiers and yankees as well..ha. They hate that. Seriouslty though...anyone care to chime in?

[tomocox]

Maybe because they are? Actually, it does extend back to the civil war. If one were to draw a line from the Ohio River to I-64 at the Franklin-Shelby County line, then go east on I-64 to I-75 south towards Tennessee, most of the people north and east of that imaginary line voted to keep Kentucky in the Union, while the people south and west of that line voted to succeed. So, Kentucky compromised and stayed with the Union but as a slave state or what is better known as one of the four Border States. Thus the people, especially those in the Cincinnati area were labeled Yankees and it has stuck around.

Before everyone cries that the line was real, like all gray area's that line's gray area was by no means exactly drawn and only so wide. It was only described above to give a generalization, not a specific battleline.

[Davart]

Why are people from northern kentucky considered yankees to the rest of the state

Because they are ....

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by tomocox

Maybe because they are? Actually, it does extend back to the civil war. If one were to draw a line from the Ohio River to I-64 at the Franklin-Shelby County line, then go east on I-64 to I-75 south towards Tennessee, most of the people north and east of that imaginary line voted to keep Kentucky in the Union, while the people south and west of that line voted to succeed. So, Kentucky compromised and stayed with the Union but as a slave state or what is better known as one of the four Border States. Thus the people, especially those in the Cincinnati area were labeled Yankees and it has stuck around.

Before everyone cries that the line was real, like all gray area's that line's gray area was by no means exactly drawn and only so wide. It was only described above to give a generalization, not a specific battleline.

Wow! You know an awful lot don't ya Thank you for the info!

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by uk06

What's with the impression that northern kentucky is full of yankees when viewed by the rest of the state. My inlaws are from Owensboro and they tell me that all of the time. They said it is because I live to close to the river and am next to Ohio so I tell them they live next to the river and beside Indiana so that makes them hoosiers and yankees as well..ha. They hate that. Seriouslty though...anyone care to chime in?

Northern Kentucky doesn't seem to be just be next to Ohio but seems to blend into it as well. At least that is the impression I got.

[desiree253]

I dunno... maybe it's because they use a "disclaimer" when speaking of being a Kentuckian... like this... Speaker #1 - Out of Stater, "Where are you from?". Speaker # 2 - Northern Kentuckian, "Well, I live in Kentucky BUT it's in the Northernmost part of the state, so we're really much more like Ohio than <sneer> the REST of Kentucky! laugh laugh laugh".

[uk06]

I don't know anyone that claims to be more like OHIO. I do say that I am from northern kentucky...right across from cincy to people out of town because it is a place most people know of and can give them a better idea of the area i'm from. As far as being a yankee...I think a state that is just one state and some water away from Canada can't truly call itself southern anyway..just maybe a want to be.

[easydoesit]

I am not painting a bad picture of northern KY at all but just out of the people I have met/known from that area, they seem to disassociate themselves from the rest of the state rather than vice versa.

[snakedoctor]

tomocox is right. I live in Henry county which is right in the middle of the golden triangle. Born and raised. Mostly everyone in the rest of the state hates Louisville and any part of extreme northern ky. Growing up here I have seen a lot of people from up north move here and this part of ky has lost it's "countryness". Kinda like the movie Elizabethtown, either adapt or be shunned lol As far as the civil war goes, he is right, it has stuck. They are still raising cotton in the purchase region and a southern accent is nowhere to be found in northern ky. I have nothing against anyone, I do consider myself southern and will always take pride in that, its just the attitude some people have when they get here. Heck even southern indiana has a southern accent lol

[Avengerfire]

I will tell you that being from Northern Illinois (and living in KY for a year and a half as well as visting many times) most people here consider everyone in Kentucky to be southerners. (I am not saying that is right or wrong.) I dont think very many people in Northern Illinois and most of the Midwest would call Northern KY people Yankees by any means.

Just my 2 cents, take it for what it is worth...

I do know Civil War history and as other posters have pointed out, that could be the origin of such blanket claims.