Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Kentucky's Black population is less than half of the lowest confederate state's (Tennessee w/ 16%).
Also, people mention that Kentucky is southern OTHER than Louisville & Northern KY, but those areas are home to 40% of the population & 65% of the population growth, and nearly all of the state's major tourist areas.
You bring up a good point despite Kentucky not having the largest black population it does not lack the rural African American population (which characterizes the South) in the every part of the state with the exception of the Eastern (Appalachia) region of the state. This specific pattern is most similar to Tennessee as the Eastern part of that state is Appalachian and with the exception of Knoxville and Chattanooga is sparsely populated by blacks. The central region and Eastern regions of Tennessee are the most similar to the entire state of Kentucky in terms of the rural African American. The only reason there is such a huge difference between Kentucky and Tennessee is because Southwestern Tennessee (the Memphis Delta area) is heavily black (which is again attributed to it being on the Delta region). Not to mention that Kentucky has 33 counties (most of which being rural) with a black population of over 5% while compared to Tennessee's only has 38 counties (the counties near Memphis are the blackest ranging around 30%).
Now this pattern of rural counties with signifigant black populations are almost exclusively limited to state's or areas of state's that had significant slave populations or the Old South (which included Missouri). With the exception of Missouri (a slave state) and Southern Illinois/Little Egypt (a slave holding region of Illinois) the pattern of significant populations of rural blacks are almost unheard of. Now needless to say that Kentucky only having a black population making up 8% of the population is quite different from Mississippi's 37%, but it ultimately stems from slavery.
While state's like South Carolina had slaves making up over half of their populations Kentucky, Tennesee, Arkansas, and Texas had blacks make up only around a quarter of the population (which is why these are the state's in the South with the lowest black populations). Kentucky the decline in Kentucky's black population came from the earliest black migration following the Civil War in which a good percentage of black left the state for the more industrialized and less hostile state's bordering Kentucky to the North.
BTW Texas was apart of the Confederacy and is only 11% black while compared to Kentucky's 8%.
As far as the Golden triangle you're referring to you forgot to include Lexington which only makes up 54% of the population. Regardless I still feel that the only area of the state that is truely more Midwestern than Southern are the counties immediately bording Cincinnati. Even with that said cities in that region like Florence Kentucky had a the word's "Florence Y'all" on their water tower and we all know that Y'all is a decisively Southern word, which could be an attempt by those residence to say welcome to the South.
The reason the Florence water tower went from "Mall" to "Y'all" was because it was determined that public property couldn't be used as free advertising, and making an 'M' into a 'Y' didn't cost that much.
Well, I don't know about other areas of Louisville but mine is becoming more diverse all the time. The neighborhood I grew up in in Shively is also. What used to be practically all-white neighborhoods are not anymore since people are moving out of bad areas and moving to better ones they can afford.
I just found this on the kentucky tourism website :Northern Kentucky River Region
Historically, this is one of Kentucky's most important areas. Located just south of the Ohio River, the actual dividing line between North and South, and the Mason-Dixon Line. The Northern Kentucky River Region was key in the movement of slaves to freedom in Ohio, and many of the region's towns were important stops on the Underground Railroad.
Major Cites: Covington
Major Roads: I-75 & I-71
Interest Finder | Brochures & Maps
Why are this and the Louisville areas promoted as the South if people think they aren't? I don't get it at all! at what point did Louisville and other cities in Kentucky cease to be Southern (not that I agree...)????
Why are this and the Louisville areas promoted as the South if people think they aren't? I don't get it at all! at what point did Louisville and other cities in Kentucky cease to be Southern (not that I agree...)????
That still doesn't make sense. Either we are in the South or we aren't. If you promote all this Southerness that is supposedly not there, wouldn't people quit coming???? If the Midwest is so great, then why aren't we promoting that???? I just don't get it. When did the Mason-Dixon line stop having meaning????
aaaaaaaaaaaaand I work at the zoo seasonally and we get people from all over the country all summer long including the deep south so it is not mostly people from the North.
It's no wonder all of this is confusing. People are being taught this yet there is an argument about where and who we are.
Thing is, most kids probably couldn't pick out all the states on the map and most adults probably couldn't either.
Culturally, I doubt very seriously that every area of the South, Midwest, or anywhere else is the same. As I have stated earlier, even different parts of the COUNTY have different cultures. why can't we be an Upper Southern state that have Midwestern neighbors? Why do we have to be combined with states across the dat-blamed river?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
