Missouri...Southern or Midwestern? (Kansas City, Cape Girardeau: law, eat, vacation)

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by ajf131

The industry of St. Louis, KC, and Cincy are not southern at all, definitely midwestern. Louisville's industry is distinctly Southern.

Well, even the major airport in the Cincy metro is located in Kentucky and not Ohio! You would think if they would want to appear more midwestern that they would at least locate the airport in Ohio

[Ittybitty24]

I'm not going to say anything except that great barbecue is found elsewhere besides the South and Missouri, and that culturally this state is never dominated by the South until the Southern quarter.

Nothing is better than southern bbq and I don't think anyone else knows how to do it. Memphis BBQ is the BEST!! Born and raised in Arkansas and I've spent the last 5 years living and visiting many different areas of the US. Do you know that there are some people who don't know what bbq sauce is - they put vinegar and that only over the BBQ. Ugh. I found one good BBQ chain in the North and it was named after a southern city. So - BBQ is everywhere, but the best bbq is in the south imo!!

[ShadowCaver]

As mentioned earlier, Missouri is blessed/cursed with having a multitude of influences that over its time have given it certain flavors. That, along with its geographic location, its climate, and so forth, make it a quite unique state. There are significant parts of the state that are predominately 'this' and others that are 'that', with the balance of the state carrying various percentages, depending on location. Also, keep in mind that the majority of the early settlers were from 'southern' states: KY, Carolinas, TN, etc. The influx of Europeans [esp. the Germans] into St Louis and other areas during the CW time period played a large role thereafter, providing a different feel in those areas that they settled across the state. All this gives, IMHO, Missouri a very interesting feel, one that at times can be a tad confusing when trying to describe it as a whole - and makes it maybe more of a transition state, more than just one or the other.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Plains10

Well, even the major airport in the Cincy metro is located in Kentucky and not Ohio! You would think if they would want to appear more midwestern that they would at least locate the airport in Ohio

That part of Kentucky is more Midwestern and honestly they don't have room on the Ohio side for it that's a convenient location to put it. i've been through the city, there's not enough open space from what I've observed on the Ohio side. I dunno..this whole argument is getting ridiculous. What I can say with absolute certainty is that St. Louis and Kansas and Cincinnati are midwestern. They are completely different cities from Louisville...well Cincinnati kind of is a little strange because of it's being right on the Mason-Dixon. But honestly in appearance it resembles Columbus far more than Louisville. And it feels more Midwestern than it does Southern. Also, despite what the stereotype is, it's very arguable that Indianapolis has some southern features to it. Number one, they say coke...and there are some southern accents around there....and number two, in terms of attitude, Cincy and Indy are both conservative...anomalies for midwestern cities. However, that's about as good a case as can be made. i would never call Indy southern. In any case, except for the southern quarter of Missouri, I wouldn't consider Missouri southern. But St. Louis, KC, Columbia, and Jefferson City are definitely Midwestern. THese parts of rural Missouri seem no different to me than rural Illinois or rural Ohio.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Ittybitty24

Nothing is better than southern bbq and I don't think anyone else knows how to do it. Memphis BBQ is the BEST!! Born and raised in Arkansas and I've spent the last 5 years living and visiting many different areas of the US. Do you know that there are some people who don't know what bbq sauce is - they put vinegar and that only over the BBQ. Ugh. I found one good BBQ chain in the North and it was named after a southern city. So - BBQ is everywhere, but the best bbq is in the south imo!!

I agree. North Carolina and Tennessee have the best barbeque although Texas is quite good too. KC has pretty good barbecue I guess, I still think it's nothing compared to Nashville. St. Louis' barbecue is crap. That much I can say for sure. And yes I think Memphis BBQ kicks major rear! I think it might be safe to say too that the best food is in the south. Southern Illinois in Carbondale has food that resembles most of the Midwest apart from sweet tea. But cross the Ohio river into Paducah and the food is just so rich and delicious. Here's what I'm going to say regarding Missouri. Yes it does blend in with the states it touches. In the areas around Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and kentucky missouri is more southern. But in general, the parts of Missouri that touch Illinois and Kansas are either plains, midwestern, or something other than Dixie. Missouri really does begin I've noticed to lose its Dixie feel north of Cape Girardeau.

[Ozarks21]

Originally Posted by Ittybitty24

Nothing is better than southern bbq and I don't think anyone else knows how to do it. Memphis BBQ is the BEST!! Born and raised in Arkansas and I've spent the last 5 years living and visiting many different areas of the US. Do you know that there are some people who don't know what bbq sauce is - they put vinegar and that only over the BBQ. Ugh. I found one good BBQ chain in the North and it was named after a southern city. So - BBQ is everywhere, but the best bbq is in the south imo!!

I agree. So long as you agree that Missouri is in the South.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Ozarks21

I agree. So long as you agree that Missouri is in the South.

Again, I would agree the Southern quarter of Missouri qualifies as Southern. The northern half is Midwestern, and the rest is a transition.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by wowimsouthern

well, i think most people in missouri, can trace their roots back to ky.

So could many in Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana

Missouri may have had less Northern transplants than these three states but people came from all over to here. My family's routes before Little Dixie were New York and they wound up in Little Dixie. this wasn't as freak of an occurence as you might think Kentuckians and Virginians settled large portions of the lower midwestern states, including Missouri. Missouri was a melting pot as far as settlers were concerned.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by wowimsouthern

Well, i agree this thing about putting people in a box is crap! if you feel like you're southern, well you're southern! as said from a southern boy from KY.

If you feel like you are midwestern, well, you are midwestern...said a midwestern boy from Missouri. I'm a midwesterner from Missouri, therefore, Missouri must be midwestern...that's logical, sure anyways, while Ozarks21 may think he is Southern, which I agree with considering he's from a Southern part of Missouri and his family favored Dixie, the part of Missouri i am from, and my family roots, are definitely not southern. Little Dixie, Missouri might as well be called "Little Midwest" today because it's not Dixie anymore. Farthest thing from it i'd say.

[ajf131]

IMO, you could never classify Missouri as Southern without classifying it as Northern. Too much overlap. Any case, since the U.S. Census Bureau considers Missouri part of the Midwest and part of the Great Plains along with Iowa and Minnesota, (Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, MISSOURI, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan)...i consider Missouri (in general, not everywhere) by today's standards more Northern and midwestern. if in modern standards, I were forced to choose between North or South, i'd say north, given the part where I'm from. Look to the Mason Dixon line to answer this question. The Southern quarter of Missouri seems to me to be predominately southern. No other part of the state exhibits this. It's either transitional, or in the northern half midwestern. I have no clue how the northern half of Missouri cannot be considered midwestern/northern by today's standards, especially when it is included in the Midwest core. Midwest and northern may not mean the same thing exactly but they certainly mean "NOT predominantly southern" and "more northern than southern" In terms of history, before the Civil War, Missouri was a state in turmoil...best way i'd describe it, divided into many Northern and Southern sympathizers, neighbor against neighbor. Border states during the Civil War IMO shouldn't be classified as what they were before the Civil WAr, clearly there are distinct differences between them afterwards.