Why is Missouri so southern? (St. Louis, Springfield: tornado, cost, vs.)

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Evansville has very strong southern influences. Further east, Kentuckiana region of Indiana (Clark, Scott, Jefferson, Floyd, Jackson, Jennings, Switzerland, Ripley) etc all are a mix of the South and Midwest. Most people who live there have roots in Kentucky and moved north during the Great Migration for jobs in industrial fields and manufacturing.

Well I'll take your word for it. The 4 or 5 people I know from the Evansville area aren't southern at all. They are younger though so maybe thats why?

Come to think of it, I saw a news report from a county in southern Indiana about a crime and the sheriff definitely had a southern accent. When they said Indiana I couldn't believe it.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by GunnerTHB

Well I'll take your word for it. The 4 or 5 people I know from the Evansville area aren't southern at all. They are younger though so maybe thats why?

Come to think of it, I saw a news report from a county in southern Indiana about a crime and the sheriff definitely had a southern accent. When they said Indiana I couldn't believe it.

I may have seen the very same report, which I forget what exactly it was about. I had the same reaction. But come to think of it, for all we know that guy could have moved there from the actual South, especially considering the proximity.

[julian17033]

Whoa!! Hold on..Armpit? Really?!!?!?!?!?

I was raised in Alton, IL outside St. Louis and have many family members in Rolla, Dixon and Springfield.

I love Southern Mo.

The topography is diverse and the people genuine.
There are some problems in the area concerning economic opportunity this I understand but to have people call it the armpit is really an insult.

Originally Posted by tablerocksouth

"Ask somebody from Arkansas, which really is in the south, if they think southern Missourians are southerners and they'd laugh in your face. They'd call people from Springfield a bunch of damn yankees."

That is so not true. I have a friend that I met within the past year and he's from a little town on the Arkansas/Louisiana border. If that's not south then I don't know what is. He moved from there, north to here in Branson, MO on the AR/MO border, if you don't know where that is... considering NO ONE has brought up Branson, unbelievable. Anyway, he considers Branson southern, but not Springfield. I am from Springfield and I totally agree. The city population of Springfield is not anywhere near southern, but definitely are not 'Yankees'. The outer suburbs of Springfield is where all the 'country/southerners' live. Ex: Nixa & Ozark. I'd say south of James River Freeway in Springfield is what you consider 'the Southern part of SW MO'. Nothing near the city of Springfield and north toward I-44 is southern.

I also have a friend from Illinois, and he thinks my accent is "southern country"--not exactly "southern southern" but I have a "country" accent. He sounds like a damn Yankee to me and he went to Carbondale in southern Illi, by everyone's infamous 'SE Missouri and South Illinois are Southern' statements. As far as that goes, not being rude, but no one really considers SE MO apart of Missouri--it's 'the armpit of America' to most around here. So that's all I'm gonna say about that.

I could go on & on & on about this as I do a lot. Basically--30 mi. from MO/ARK border south (south Springfield all the way across MO-yes, including the armpit boothill) is southern and should be considered below the Mason-Dixon line. You cannot forget about Branson and surrounding little towns! STL AND KC ARE NOT SOUTH! NOTHING north of I-44 is south! I won't even go to a Cardinals game in STL because it's too far north and I hate it. I like KC but could never live there because it's too far north. Just my opinions from a Springfield native living in Branson, MO!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

Jefferson county is far more southern than midwestern.
I lived in Louisville for 5 years.

Ah, but there is a Jefferson county, Indiana. The county seat is Madison right on the Ohio River.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by GunnerTHB

Well I'll take your word for it. The 4 or 5 people I know from the Evansville area aren't southern at all. They are younger though so maybe thats why?

Come to think of it, I saw a news report from a county in southern Indiana about a crime and the sheriff definitely had a southern accent. When they said Indiana I couldn't believe it.

It could have been Scott county. Scott County, Indiana is almost 100% Kentucky influenced as most people moved there from eastern Kentucky and got jobs in the numerous plants in Scottsburg. The culture there even today is strongly Appalachian (eastern Kentucky). Some of the things that one notices immediately are the differences in landuse and development. Quite often housing is very numerous/ spread out at low densities on numerous rural roads while the center of town is also fairly low in density. Also, I had numerous dogs chasing my vehicle while traveling on roads in the area. I don't know how common that is though.

[Zach.USCG]

I think its pretty safe to say that everything below Advance is southern. I'm from Bernie, born and raised, I don't think Kennett is any more southern than the rest of the bootheel. I've been in the deep south before and had a harder time finding real southern food than you would in Dexter, MO. Dexter has Fiddlers fish house, Hickory Log, Dexter BBQ, Dexter Queen. Even the bootheel's gas stations sell fried chicken, okra, livers, pulled pork sandwiches etc. For how small of a town Dexter is the southern influence is very evident in the aspect of food. In Bernie which is even smaller, the only food you can even find is southern. In the bootheel, even big chain restaurants have sweet tea, because so many people ask for it! Taco Bell in Dexter has sweet tea for cryin out loud!!!! Yes, Taco Bell! That's unheard of in the midwest! I dont understand how anyone who has visited or lived in the bootheel can say its not southern. When I say the bootheel I mean anything below Stoddard County, with a few slightly more northern exceptions.

[Zach.USCG]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I certainly wouldn't call Mo a So state, what are you basing your feelings on? In fact we live on the Mo/AR border and even NWA isn't very southern. I guess you would have to go into the deep south to see the difference. I think of Mo as being pretty much the middle of America, both in attidtude and region as well as the weather...

Nita

Southeast MO has more of a southern climate than the rest of Missouri, not quite a deep south climate, but pretty much the same as Arkansas, Hot humid summers and moderate winters with a couple of ice storms at the most. I wouldn't call MO a southern state either, but I would definitely call the bootheel area southern.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Ah, but there is a Jefferson county, Indiana. The county seat is Madison right on the Ohio River.

Please.
You got busted, dont backpeddle.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Zach.USCG

Southeast MO has more of a southern climate than the rest of Missouri, not quite a deep south climate, but pretty much the same as Arkansas, Hot humid summers and moderate winters with a couple of ice storms at the most.

Christmas Day 1981 in Poplar Bluff was so cold that my fuel line froze.
Mean temperature is plus or minus 4 degrees from the rest of the state.
Please dont try to suggest that SE MO is a subtropical paradise.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Zach.USCG

I think its pretty safe to say that everything below Advance is southern. I'm from Bernie, born and raised, I don't think Kennett is any more southern than the rest of the bootheel. I've been in the deep south before and had a harder time finding real southern food than you would in Dexter, MO. Dexter has Fiddlers fish house, Hickory Log, Dexter BBQ, Dexter Queen. Even the bootheel's gas stations sell fried chicken, okra, livers, pulled pork sandwiches etc. For how small of a town Dexter is the southern influence is very evident in the aspect of food. In Bernie which is even smaller, the only food you can even find is southern. In the bootheel, even big chain restaurants have sweet tea, because so many people ask for it! Taco Bell in Dexter has sweet tea for cryin out loud!!!! Yes, Taco Bell! That's unheard of in the midwest! I dont understand how anyone who has visited or lived in the bootheel can say its not southern. When I say the bootheel I mean anything below Stoddard County, with a few slightly more northern exceptions.

Well gee, Wally.....maybe the fine folk that purvey food in Bernie know their core customer????
That was really kind of a silly statement, when one considers....
I've actually had decent French food in Quilin, although the folks that owned the restaurant were serving catfish out of my Uncle Johns pond to the public.