Missouri...Southern or Midwestern? (St. Louis, Cape Girardeau: Dutch, driving, students)

[brushrunner]

Originally Posted by jackhitts

I like this very much. Good summary.

Now, my question: Is Kentucky Midwest? They seem to have an opposite problem. They (technically...I guess maybe some did, much like in MO it was contentious) never seceded from the Union, but almost always seem to self-identify as Southern and not Midwestern. Interesting.

Yes but if your going by the Civil War some of the worst Battles of the war were fought in Sothern Missouri by Missouri Confederates and won.If they would have had backing by forces from Arkansas Missouri would have been a solid Confederate State.

brushrunner

[imperialmog]

I was thinking about the cultural undertones of Missouri and just realized there is a similar pattern currently appearing in Northern Virginia. My thought is that its a state that switched cultural region but the original base still shows up. Think a layer-cake with a Midwestern culture on top of an earlier Southern culture. This does have modern parallels in Northern Virginia and other Southern metro areas where transplants form a large percentage of people possibly changing the culture but still see the original culture in aspects.

The biggest Southern influences you can see in Missouri that does make it a Midwest variant would be Evangelical Protestant percentage of population being much higher, being more conservative than other Midwest states (could be as much a Great Plains influence there as well which brings in a third cultural component), also having local barbecue traditions. (actually Missouri is one of only a couple of states with more than one indigineous style (KC and StL with North Carolina being the other state) What I wonder is what the trends are in the future, especially considering the SW corner of the state growing faster could make it more culturally and politically powerful.

[R.A.P]

Hey Y'all I'm new to this forum and I would just like to say that I live in Franklin County Missouri. Where I live I think it's half southern my family lives like all other southern people. We deep fry everything theres not a week that goes by that we don't have catfish. My dad makes the best fried okra and catfish. My grandma's cheese grits can blow you away and every june we have our family reunion down in marble Hill Missouri. My last name is parsons I had 57 members of my family die fighting for the grey.

[Smtchll]

Originally Posted by R.A.P

Hey Y'all I'm new to this forum and I would just like to say that I live in Franklin County, Missouri. Where I live I think it's half southern my family lives like all other southern people. We deep fry everything theres not a week that goes by that we don't have catfish. My dad makes the best fried okra and catfish. My grandma's cheese grits can blow you away and every june we have our family reunion down in marble Hill Missouri. My last name is parsons I had 57 members of my family die fighting for the grey.

that's only 50 or so miles outside of St. Louis. Do you feel that the Southern culture fades as you get closer to St. Louis? When I'm in St. Louis, it doesn't feel Southern to me, but when I bring friends from TN to St. Louis they say it still feels like the South.

[R.A.P]

Originally Posted by Smtchll

that's only 50 or so miles outside of St. Louis. Do you feel that the Southern culture fades as you get closer to St. Louis? When I'm in St. Louis, it doesn't feel Southern to me, but when I bring friends from TN to St. Louis they say it still feels like the South.

Well I while I feel that St.Louis as some southern leanings I still don't feel at home there. Not like I do where I live where I firmly believe it's southern. But my family comes from Tennessee and southeast Missouri anyway.

[Alicia Bradley]

I've voted 'Southern' in this little poll, and I'd vote 'Southern' again (and again and again). But that does NOT mean that MO - including the Ozarks - is anything like its recent portrayal in at least one recent exploitative film that shall remain nameless. *angry grumble*

[Atlanta_boi]

Missouri is southern I live in Atlanta and consider missouri a southern state ive been thier and the culture is very southern comparied to the midwest they grow cottion and tabaco in the state it is a former slave state the weather is warmer comparied to rest of midwest etc..

[StanleySnail]

As someone who moved to St. Louis from Auburn, please allow me to emphatically state that Missouri has no connection or correlation with the South. Manners, Courtesy and Class are very rare in Missouri.

[Smtchll]

Originally Posted by StanleySnail

As someone who moved to St. Louis from Auburn, please allow me to emphatically state that Missouri has no connection or correlation with the South. Manners, Courtesy and Class are very rare in Missouri.

Those things are lacking in many big Southern cities, like Memphis for example. There's some very rude, unclassy people there too. I actually found people in St. Louis to be very friendly and classy. Probably moreso than Memphis.

[goat314]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_boi

Missouri is southern I live in Atlanta and consider missouri a southern state ive been thier and the culture is very southern comparied to the midwest they grow cottion and tabaco in the state it is a former slave state the weather is warmer comparied to rest of midwest etc..

Yeah maybe Southern Missouri, but I definitely wouldn't start comparing St. Louis and Atlanta or anything.