Why is Missouri so southern? (Kansas City, St. Louis: how much, centers, agriculture)

[ShadowCaver]

Originally Posted by OA 5599

Well put. I grew up about 40 miles north of the Arkansas border in south central Missouri and I really don't consider that part to be southern, but it definitely has some southern influences. A lot of people do fly rebel flags, wear rebel flag belt buckles, ect, in that part of MO though, but it is nothing like Mississippi or Alabama, which is definitely the south. Southern Midwest is a good way to put it.

Yeap, definitely agree... just as this fine lady said [for 2nd time ] just ~1.2 months ago: http://www.city-data.com/forum/3566721-post328.html

[Northwoods Voyager]

Thank you....////I was going to post this myself, but thought, no, I knew what I had posted. And even way before then...

[kshe95girl]

, thanks, Shadow and Northwoods!

[Missourigal]

I think you have to get down towards the bootheel for it to feel southern. I live south of Cape Girardeau and our accent is total southern compared to the people in Cape.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Missourigal

I think you have to get down towards the bootheel for it to feel southern. I live south of Cape Girardeau and our accent is total southern compared to the people in Cape.

I agree completely. Missouri is not "so Southern." I think it should be classified as Midwestern. Yes it has a part that feels Southern (the part you live in), but overall it definitely is a decidely Midwestern state. Not to say that I have anything against the South, given my ancestors on my dad's side were originally from Georgia.

[northbound74]

I think a lot of the counties in the southern part of the state have a bit of southern culture in them, especially the ones right along state line. The bootheel region is easily the most southern in culture, though. I hear southern accents all the time in KC, probably because a large portion of the population came from the south.
Someone joked one time that if it weren't for Oklahoma, Arkansas, and southern Missouri, KC would only have about 25k people. So thanks to the 1.975 million southerners who made us into a big city.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by northbound74

I think a lot of the counties in the southern part of the state have a bit of southern culture in them, especially the ones right along state line. The bootheel region is easily the most southern in culture, though. I hear southern accents all the time in KC, probably because a large portion of the population came from the south.
Someone joked one time that if it weren't for Oklahoma, Arkansas, and southern Missouri, KC would only have about 25k people. So thanks to the 1.975 million southerners who made us into a big city.

Southern Missouri I would say is as southern as Southern Illinois and Southern Indiana. Both show the same Southern influence that I've seen in Southern Missouri. Missouri is not the only state in the Midwest that has a bit of Southern culture to it. I know several people from Kansas City and they've told me the opposite you are telling me about KC. I've yet to hear a Southern accent in Kansas City myself. Most of the counties in the Southern part of the state, if you're talking about the Southern half of the state, have some Southern influences, but I would not say the influences are strong enough in most areas to be lumped in with the South. Southwest Missouri I think is not easy to classify, as my dad grew up in the region and I've been there myself and it actually did not really seem that Southern to me. Southeast Missouri below Cape Girardeau and the bootheel and South Central Missouri around Poplar Bluff, however, are definitely the South.

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by ajf131

Southern Missouri I would say is as southern as Southern Illinois and Southern Indiana. Both show the same Southern influence that I've seen in Southern Missouri. Missouri is not the only state in the Midwest that has a bit of Southern culture to it. I know several people from Kansas City and they've told me the opposite you are telling me about KC. I've yet to hear a Southern accent in Kansas City myself. Most of the counties in the Southern part of the state, if you're talking about the Southern half of the state, have some Southern influences, but I would not say the influences are strong enough in most areas to be lumped in with the South. Southwest Missouri I think is not easy to classify, as my dad grew up in the region and I've been there myself and it actually did not really seem that Southern to me. Southeast Missouri below Cape Girardeau and the bootheel and South Central Missouri around Poplar Bluff, however, are definitely the South.

I live/work in the eastern suburbs, and hear it all the time. Not everyone has the accent, of course, but it's much more prevalent than I thought it would be. Keep in mind that I moved here from Arkansas, so I expected to hear more in the way of some sort of midwestern accent. There's plenty of that, too. A lot of what I hear in the way of southern accents isn't quite as strong as it down there, obviously, but it's certainly there.
I agree that Missouri, being a border state, has southern influences, yet I also very much consider the whole state to be midwestern. I spend a good deal of time in southwest Missouri. There's certainly a strong southern feel to it... in certain places, anyway. I won't confuse that part of Missouri with Alabama, though.
I spent a good deal of my life less than ten miles from the bootheel. It's very southern, but even it seems a bit different than just across the border in Arkansas. I can't quite put my finger on what that difference was, it was just there. Funny how different things are just across state lines.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by northbound74

I live/work in the eastern suburbs, and hear it all the time. Not everyone has the accent, of course, but it's much more prevalent than I thought it would be. Keep in mind that I moved here from Arkansas, so I expected to hear more in the way of some sort of midwestern accent. There's plenty of that, too. A lot of what I hear in the way of southern accents isn't quite as strong as it down there, obviously, but it's certainly there.
I agree that Missouri, being a border state, has southern influences, yet I also very much consider the whole state to be midwestern. I spend a good deal of time in southwest Missouri. There's certainly a strong southern feel to it... in certain places, anyway. I won't confuse that part of Missouri with Alabama, though.
I spent a good deal of my life less than ten miles from the bootheel. It's very southern, but even it seems a bit different than just across the border in Arkansas. I can't quite put my finger on what that difference was, it was just there. Funny how different things are just across state lines.

That I can agree with northbound74 there is definitely something about state lines that just makes things change, anywhere in the country you are at least I think. And I've been to 40 states, all driven to and visited by car, within the past 3 years.

[oscottscotto]

Being from Alabama, I'll confirm (at least in my opinion) that Missouri is not "southern" in feel. Good try though. Stuck with being "midwest" for now.