Southern or Midwestern? (Kansas City, St. Louis, Joplin: homes, tax, airport)

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by LancasterNative

Very valid point. The river is a defining part of St. Louis' identity, as is the case w/the others.

Heck, the similarities b/t St. Louis and Cincinnati are so striking, it's almost uncanny. They're like sister cities...except that in Cincinnati, it's OK to cross the river and hang out in the other state for a day. Covington & Newport KY are pretty nice.

No St. Louisan in his right mind would ever think of going over to "the Illinois side" for fun

Agree about going over to the Illinois side for fun. However, I disagree about it having very much in common with Louisville. Louisville's culture is Southern and it has a much more Southern feel to it than any of the other three cities mentioned, plus it is much smaller than St. Louis, Cincy, or Pittsburgh. St. Louis and Cincinnati are the most similar to one another because they are at virtually the same latitudes, have basically the same weather year round, and both are Midwestern in culture. That is why St. Louis' closest twin is likely Cincinnati. Also, Kansas City is probably St. Louis' next closest twin. It definitely has the most in common with the Midwest anyway the deck is stacked. Pittsburgh I would have to agree though is next in line for the cities with the most similarities to St. Louis, followed by Indianapolis, Columbus, and then further on Cleveland and Detroit and Milwaukee. In fact, Pittsburgh I think is more of a Midwestern city than a Northeastern one. There is no question that it shares more commonalities with Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus than Philadelphia or Baltimore.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Originally Posted by anduarto

I admit, the St. Louis accent is more midwestern than southern but the twang is there.

I think the actor, John Goodman, has a classic St. Louis accent. If you wanna hear the distinct St. Louis sound, listen to him on an old episode of Rosseanne.

Ya. I think Mike Shannon has a good St. Louis accent as well.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by anduarto

I admit, the St. Louis accent is more midwestern than southern but the twang is there.

I think the actor, John Goodman, has a classic St. Louis accent. If you wanna hear the distinct St. Louis sound, listen to him on an old episode of Rosseanne.

I've heard John Goodman and Mike Shannon a lot. I didn't really detect much of a twang at all in their accents. They sound like people from the Midwest to me. St. Louis' accent is a type of Midwestern accent that is unique only to the area. Much like Boston's accent is a type of New England accent unique to the Boston area. St. Louis, like every city, has a bit of its own accent. If you want to call it a twang, that's fine, but I'd say our pronounce of forty as "farty" is about as distinct as it gets, and frankly that it is a pronunciation I've heard everywhere around the Lower Midwest. I don't see how there is anything Southern about it. Here is how it goes. St. Louis is a Midwestern city with a FEW Southern characteristics. The Southern half of Missouri I would say below St. Louis and Jeff City is too difficult to place as either solidly Midwestern or Southern. I would still say Midwestern for most of it except for deep Southeast Missouri. However, St. Louis is unquestionably Midwestern. Cincinnati's story is pretty much no different from St. Louis. Louisville, by contrast, is Southern with a few Midwestern characteristics. None of these cities have such obscured identities that you cannot group them in either the Midwest or the South. Cincy and St. Louis go with the Midwest, Louisville with the South.

[aragx6]

I never have seen many similarities between Kansas City and St. Louis. Kansas City, in my time there, seems much more pure midwestern than rust belt midwestern imo.

[GraniteStater]

The deal with the Kansas City metro area is that it seems like more people are moving in from other areas of the country as well as the West Coast. I hear a lot more California like accents than I used to. The real estate is just so much cheaper in KC compared with other areas of the country that people move from other areas to find more affordable housing.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Kansas City is growing quite a bit, partially because of housing affordability I'm sure, although housing costs are generally low all over the state.

[Cincy-Rise]

Originally Posted by ajf131

... St. Louis and Cincinnati are the most similar to one another because they are at virtually the same latitudes ...

Well, almost, but I see your point!

Nashville: 36°10′00″N
Louisville: 38°15′15″N
St. Louis: 38°38′53″N
Cincinnati: 39°8′10″N
Philadelphia: 39°57′12″N
Pittsburgh: 40°26′30″N
New York City: 40°43′N

[GraniteStater]

Minneapolis: 45N (Upper Midwest)
St. Louis: 38N (Lower Midwest)

[Northwoods Voyager]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

Would you consider St. Louis to be Southern, Midwestern, or both?

In what areas? Speech patterns, architecture, cuisine, agriculture, religion, or what other consideration?

Still think of the state as being a southern midwest state in many respects. However the city of St. Louis has undergone many changes in the decades that I have lived here.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Northwoods Voyager

In what areas? Speech patterns, architecture, cuisine, agriculture, religion, or what other consideration?

Still think of the state as being a southern midwest state in many respects. However the city of St. Louis has undergone many changes in the decades that I have lived here.

In every one of the aforementioned areas and categories that you bring up, St. Louis fits Midwestern. I personally don't see an enormous amount of Southerness to Missouri, and it surprises me why others do. I guess everybody's opinions are different. Regardless of what Missouri is, St. Louis is, has been, and always will be a Midwestern city.