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Fayetteville, AR is near the Oklahoma and Missouri borders. It is only 90 miles from the Kansas border.
How is that Mid-South? Only if your definition of the South includes Oklahoma, Kansas, and most of Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Texas. Otherwise, it is the edge of the South.
I know where it is, I went to college there. What does Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, ect. have to do with the South or Arkansas? It's completely Midsouth. There are businesses there with "Midsouth" in the title. Most people there call it Midsouth. And at least part of Oklahoma is Southern.
I doubt there is a formal definition of "midsouth" anywhere, I label the northern - maybe limit it to the northeastern region as mid south because of it's relation to the Memphis metropolitan area which of course overlaps into Northern MS. And if you listen to TV, Radio, advertising, etc. the label of "Mid-South" (as in "Midsouth's best news reporting", "Midsouths best BBQ) is prevelant in describing the Memphis metro area, seriously. Someone should copyright the term because every mom and pop company here is called "Midsouth...". Maybe we should only limit it to Desoto County, but the common label is there, and it's still Mississipp.
-people from Desoto County, help me out here.
And then Wikepedia has a more variable description: The Deep South: various definitions, usually including Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina. Occasionally, parts of adjoining states are included (sections of East Texas, delta areas of Arkansas and Tennessee, and parts of Florida such as the Panhandle and the north-central part of the state).[27] The Mid-South: Various definitions, including that of the Census Bureau of the East and West South Central United States;[29] in another informal definition, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and sometimes adjoining areas of other states.[30][31][32][33] Southern United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Since they describe MS as both "deep" and "mid" south maybe the best compromise is to say the northern part is "mid-south", southern part is deep south. Hey, isn't that what I said?
I think the Mid South and Deep South overlap, though. There are sources that place the western Tennessee/Memphis area as both Deep South and Mid South, so I don't disagree with you. I was just saying that Mississippi is generally thought of as the archetype of a Southern state.
I know where it is, I went to college there. What does Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, ect. have to do with the South or Arkansas? It's completely Midsouth. There are businesses there with "Midsouth" in the title. Most people there call it Midsouth. And at least part of Oklahoma is Southern.
Fayetteville isn't remotely near the middle of the south. Memphis and North MS is, yet you think Fayetteville is Mid-South and North MS isn't.
My point was, for Fayetteville to be "Mid-South" it would need to be closer to the middle of the south. That would only happen if Fayetteville were picked up and moved, or we redefine the south to include the states I mentioned.
There are many businesses in North MS with "Mid-South" in the title. We call our area the "Mid-South" too. In addition, we are closer to the middle of the south. Why do you get to call Fayetteville Mid-South, yet we don't again?
Fayetteville isn't remotely near the middle of the south. Memphis and North MS is, yet you think Fayetteville is Mid-South and North MS isn't.
My point was, for Fayetteville to be "Mid-South" it would need to be closer to the middle of the south. That would only happen if Fayetteville were picked up and moved, or we redefine the south to include the states I mentioned.
There are many businesses in North MS with "Mid-South" in the title. We call our area the "Mid-South" too. In addition, we are closer to the middle of the south. Why do you get to call Fayetteville Mid-South, yet we don't again?
As I said before, the Mid South and Deep South overlap. Mississippi can be in both places. The earlier post where I said Mississippi wasn't "Mid" anything was a poor choice of words, because I was mainly replying to the part of the post where it was implied that northern Mississippi had Midwestern influences, which I think most us agree that it does not.
...Fayetteville, Arkansas, is "Mid South". All of Mississippi is 180% Deep South.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ark90
...I was mainly replying to the part of the post where it was implied that northern Mississippi had Midwestern influences, which I think most us agree that it does not.
I think the term "Mid-South" is more of a moniker, much like "Tri-City Area", or "Golden Triangle". I agree that Mississippi has more of a deep south feel than some other states, but the accepted definition of the Memphis/North MS area is "Mid-South".
North Carolina is not often referred to as a Mid-Atlantic state. We were in the Confederacy, we are located in the Southeastern region of the United States, and our culture is 100% Southern. Sure, we have a big problem with the never ending stream of Yankees moving in, trying to change things, and diluting our culture. I won't deny that. However, to say that we're anything but Southern is absolutely untrue. Come down here, tell a native he's not Southern, and watch him laugh you all the way back to Indiana.
By the way, is there any need for this thread to even exist?
A couple of years ago I created a map of what I consider the "psychographic" regions of the United States:
(NOTE: Boundaries are approximate.)
I do believe that there's a mid-South, and it shares cultural aspects with all of its bordering regions while not resembling any of them very much.
It's similar to the Appalachian and Ozark Mountains because it's part of the interior South, which was never heavily dependent upon slavery, and, thus, has less of a wealth divide and less aristocratic flair. It's dissimilar to the Appalachian and Ozark Mountains because the land is relatively flat and arable, and it's not as isolated.
It's similar to the deep South because it's socially conservative and has some distinct struggles related to quality of life and the general welfare of the people. It's dissimilar to the deep South because the black population is relatively sparse, with the exception of Memphis area and adjacent parts of the Mississippi Embayment.
It's similar to the Midwest because the climate and agriculture are more temperate. It's dissimilar to the Midwest because it's still part of the South when it's all said and done.
Having traveled throughout the South, I get a different vibe from different areas. Places like Vicksburg, Jackson, Meridian, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery are unquestionably deep South, as is Columbus, GA. Birmingham is where the deep South and southern Appalachia intersect; Hattiesburg is where the deep South and the Gulf South intersect, and Huntsville and Tupelo are where the deep South and mid-South intersect.
I doubt there is a formal definition of "midsouth" anywhere, I label the northern - maybe limit it to the northeastern region as mid south because of it's relation to the Memphis metropolitan area which of course overlaps into Northern MS. And if you listen to TV, Radio, advertising, etc. the label of "Mid-South" (as in "Midsouth's best news reporting", "Midsouths best BBQ) is prevelant in describing the Memphis metro area, seriously. Someone should copyright the term because every mom and pop company here is called "Midsouth...". Maybe we should only limit it to Desoto County, but the common label is there, and it's still Mississipp.
-people from Desoto County, help me out here.
And then Wikepedia has a more variable description: The Deep South: various definitions, usually including Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina. Occasionally, parts of adjoining states are included (sections of East Texas, delta areas of Arkansas and Tennessee, and parts of Florida such as the Panhandle and the north-central part of the state).[27]
The Mid-South: Various definitions, including that of the Census Bureau of the East and West South Central United States;[29] in another informal definition, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and sometimes adjoining areas of other states.[30][31][32][33] Southern United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Since they describe MS as both "deep" and "mid" south maybe the best compromise is to say the northern part is "mid-south", southern part is deep south. Hey, isn't that what I said?
Hm. I think Mississippi is the only Southern state in which 100% of it can be accurately considered "Deep South". To me, in order for a place to truly be considered "Deep South", there has to be a sizeable black population that contributes to the overall culture (there are other criteria I think as well, but I think that's the most important). That is why, to me, North Alabama, North Georgia, the Appalachians, etc, cannot be included with the "Deep South". I would go so far as to say that the Memphis area is the only part of Tennessee that can be considered "Deep South".
The only parts of Mississippi that can be debated about as to whether they are "Deep South" or not would be the Gulf Coast area and maybe the extreme NE corner of the state. But I've been to Corinth, and it's pretty Deep South to me. I would say the Gulf Coast region is Deep South too, but maybe others will disagree.
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