Is Kentucky the south or the midwest? (Louisville, Owensboro: colleges, plantations)

[mdawg]

Originally Posted by urbancharlotte

Well, let's talk about "culture" shall we.

% of black population in Kentucky
Kentucky 7.7%
Kentucky QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

% of black populations in 3 southern states
Tennessee 16.8%
Tennessee QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
Virginia 19.9%
Virginia QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
North Carolina 21.6%
North Carolina QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau


% of black populations in 3 midwestern states
Ohio 12%
Ohio QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
Indiana 9.1%
Indiana QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
Illinois 14.9%
Illinois QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Which states (culturally speaking of course) would you group Kentucky with?

Well racially, I would group it with IN, IL, and OH, but culturally speaking, of course, i would group it with TN, VA, and NC.

[sophialee]

I'm from Ohio (Cleveland), live in NC now(hello urbancharlotte!), but I went to college in Cincinnati and used to work in KY. lol. Anyways, I think KY is more southern than midwestern. They have southern accents too

[JefferyT]

One of the best comments here:

So, I conclude emphatically that Kentucky is a Southern state. But it is important to remember that the South is no more homogenous than the people who live here. There is the Deep South, the Appalachian highlands, the low country of South Carolina, the Virginia Piedmont, the bayous of south Louisiana, the scrub forests of north Louisiana and South Florida, which hardly even seems American. They are all Southern. And they are all very different, as are the people who live there.

...and especially this:

I would close by saying that while Kentucky is indeed Southern, it is a state that is hard to categorize or even fully describe, especially for those who love Kentucky.

Kentucky is a place unto itself within the South.

[King_X]

I went through Kentucky on I-75 on my way to Detroit. I made several stops.
I think Kentucky is equal or more like Ohio than it is to most of Georgia.

I guess it depends exactly where you are in a particular state.

For an example, extreme North Georgia (above ATL) seems more similar to Kentucky than it does to the much closer middle and south georgia areas.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by King_X

I went through Kentucky on I-75 on my way to Detroit. I made several stops.
I think Kentucky is equal or more like Ohio than it is to most of Georgia.

I guess it depends exactly where you are in a particular state.

For an example, extreme North Georgia (above ATL) seems more similar to Kentucky than it does to the much closer middle and south georgia areas.

Where did you make your stops?

[sophialee]

Originally Posted by King_X

I went through Kentucky on I-75 on my way to Detroit. I made several stops.
I think Kentucky is equal or more like Ohio than it is to most of Georgia.

I guess it depends exactly where you are in a particular state.

For an example, extreme North Georgia (above ATL) seems more similar to Kentucky than it does to the much closer middle and south georgia areas.

Well I don't think it's like Georgia, but I don't think Georgia is like Mississippi either. I was raised in Ohio almost my entire life and Kentucky is nowhere near equal to Ohio.

The first time I saw a country bar w/ people line dancing was in KY...and that's before country music was en vouge.

I LOVE both the South and the Midwest so it's not a rip on KY either way, just an honest observation because I've spent lots of time in both states

[JefferyT]

Living in the part of Ohio along I-75, I can say if you are in Southwest Ohio, the areas beteween Cincinnati and Dayton (including Dayton), there are a lot of people in this area from the Southern Appalachians (not necess. KY), so a causal encounter at, say, a gas station or restaurant you stand a good chance in running into people who are more "southern" than one would expect in Ohio.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by mdawg

Well racially, I would group it with IN, IL, and OH, but culturally speaking, of course, i would group it with TN, VA, and NC.

I was just thinking about the numbers you put up and al the states across the river from Kentucky have higher black rates then we do. Could it be because they were all free states and that's where some of the black people fled to?

[urbancharlotte]

Originally Posted by sophialee

I'm from Ohio (Cleveland), live in NC now(hello urbancharlotte!), but I went to college in Cincinnati and used to work in KY. lol. Anyways, I think KY is more southern than midwestern. They have southern accents too

Sup sophialee!!!! Most of my experience with the midwest has been the Ashland, Columbus, and Indy. I agree that KY is the most "country" of the three aforementioned areas. However, it takes a lot of black folks for an area to be truly "southern" IMO. This is something that Kentucky just doesn't have.

Large black populations has shaped the culture of the south in ways that few folks may have ever thought. Trust me. My wife (and step sons) are from Kentucky (they are white, and I am black). The wife (and one of the step sons) lives with me in Charlotte now. Eventhough my wife and step son speak with southern accents, they got a SERIOUS culture shock when they moved to NC. The larger black and hispanic population was something they just were not used to. If they were from Louisville, I am certain the culture shock would not have been so bad. However, they are from Eastern Ky.

One could certainly argue that KY is more southern than it is like Cleveland. However, KY is more like Southern Ohio (and Southern Indiana) than it is like NC. This is kinda my point.

Also, most of KY's population sits near Southern Indiana and Ohio too. Check out these numbers.

Jefferson County
713,877 population
385 sq/mi
Jefferson County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Campbell County
87,038 population
152 sq/mi
Campbell County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Kenton County
157,629 population
162 sq/mi
Kenton County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Boone County
115,231 population
246 sq/mi
Boone County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Total for these 4 counties
1,073,775 population
945 sq/mi

Total for the rest of Kentucky
3,195,470 population
38,783 sq/mi

Much of Kentucky's population lives in tight urban/suburban counties on the Ohio River. These counties make up 25% of the total state population yet they only account for 2% of the state's total land area. Being that cities (not farms) set the tone for a state's economy and culture, I'd have to say Kentucky is more midwestern than Southern. In the times I have visited Louisville, I saw a city that was more Midwestern than Southern. The same can be said for the Cincy suburbs. Even though most of Kentucky's land has a southern population, most Kentuckians live near or north of I-64. Kentucky is VERY "top heavy" because it is more in line with the Midwest. If KY were a true "southern" state, the population would be more "bottom heavy" (or spread more evenly) IMO.

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by urbancharlotte

Are you willing to say that KY is more like NC, SC, GA, MISS, ALA than it is like ILL, Indiana, OH?. Are YOU seriously willing to say that?

Geographically, one could certainly argue that Kentucky is "southern". However, we could make the same argument for Maryland and Delaware. Neither of these aforementioned states are truly "southern" and you know it. I laugh everytime someone from "border states" like Kentucky talk about "their southern heritage" LOL. Please!!!

The only thing "southern" about Kentucky is the fried chicken y'all intruduced to the World. Other than that, KY is a "wannabe" Southern state because we all know the midwest refuse to claim Kentucky.

Hey, I lived in Ashland on and off for nearly 4 years. I have also lived near Columbus. I KNOW very well how KY is viewed up that way. KY is the punchline to almost EVERY joke. Even down here, our local radio station has a Kentucky joke as one of their promotional advertisments. In that advertisement, they did call Kentucky a "southern state" though.

Anyway, this is one of those pointless debates that most folks don't care about. Whether KY is southern or not is VERY subjective. However, I WOULD NEVER place Kentucky in the same geographic category as Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Sorry, but I just would not. For starters, it is just too cold up there to be considered "southern", but I'll save that argument for another day.

In short, my logic behind calling KY midwestern is because KY's largest metros (Louisville and Cincy) sit on the Ohio River. Being that cities make up the bulk of a state's economic activity, Kentucky is clearly a midwestern state. Freight traffic between Kentucky and other states like Ohio and Indiana is MUCH heavier than freight traffic between KY and states like Tennessee.

If KY had major cities south of I-64, then I would say that KY is Southern. However, KY's urban centers are located to the north of the state (and the farthest point north at that). This is why KY is not viewed as being southern. I can get to the Ohio state line (from Charlotte) faster than I can get to Lexington (let alone Louisville and Covington). Cities often set the tone for the geographic grouping of states. Most Kentuckians live near the Ohio River (north of I-64). There is NOTHING southern about KY's population distribution. KY is a VERY "top heavy" state. That is because KY is midwestern, not southern.

NC is getting so many NY transplants that very soon it'll be a northern state. Things will change, and that sweet tea will be less important than NY pizza!!!