[schneid75]

Originally Posted by stlouisan

If Arkansas isn't the south, then Iowa isn't the Midwest. Simply put...Arkansas is in every way southern...it lacks nothing and has everything about it. Oklahoma and Texas are also southern.

As a native Iowan, I could not agree more with this statement. I have lived in Jonesboro for the past 7 months and I have visited 43 states during my 26 years.

Arkansas is absolutely the south and Iowa is quintessentially Midwestern. But I find that people from both Iowa and Arkansas have a misconception about one another. Iowa and Arkansas are essentially the same state. Similar size geographically, population, agricultural, centralized capitals of similar size, river towns along the Mississippi, and some the the friendliest and down-to-earth people you will ever meet.

I think the profound cultural differences between the NON-Big-City Midwest (Chicago, Detroit, Ohio cities) and most of the south is overblown by people of both regions. I have been amazed at how easy my transition has seemed because the two cultures' differences are largely a matter of minor details rather than fundamental differences.

FWIW
Ultimately, I feel that it is not a matter of accent or geography, but a matter of work-ethic that only rural-centric cultures can understand. I have always lived in or very near cities, but the rural work-ethic spills into the culture of the cities in a way that many of the coastal regions of the US does not. That is why places like Jonesboro and NW Ark (I am sure many others) and Des Moines, Iowa are doing well. Employers want to employ the people of these states.

I just wanted to present my experience, it seemed quasi-relevant.

[imbored198824]

Originally Posted by nmnita

As has been discussed before and I thought this thrad was dead and burried: most of us know, geographically AR is southern, most of the culture is southern, but not deep south, NWA is more mid sest in attitude and culture. Probably do to so many transplants. At least 50%, probably closer to 70% who live here are from other regions. Here is just a small sampling: I belong to a bridge group of 8: 2 are from Texas, one from NJ, one from Ca, 1 from Ct, 1 from kansas and 2 from Il. I don't think, in our chruch groups there is one family born and raised in AR.

I can go out on a limb and guess your church is not a baptist church. If I had to GUESS you go to a catholic or lutheran church, am I right? What you don't realize is that your church may be filled with transplants from up north, and you may associate yourself with other northerners....but if you actually open up your eyes and get out of Bella Vista, you are SURROUNDED by southerners. Drive 10 miles any way from bella vista and you will be out of the little buffer zone of yankee land. I don't know anyone from the Ozarks that plays bridge...

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by imbored198824

I can go out on a limb and guess your church is not a baptist church. If I had to GUESS you go to a catholic or lutheran church, am I right? What you don't realize is that your church may be filled with transplants from up north, and you may associate yourself with other northerners....but if you actually open up your eyes and get out of Bella Vista, you are SURROUNDED by southerners. Drive 10 miles any way from bella vista and you will be out of the little buffer zone of yankee land. I don't know anyone from the Ozarks that plays bridge...

wow, is this attack time or what? I have said over and over, NWA is very different. I have never said AR wasn't southern...Not only BellaVista but visit Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville, they are all anything but southern becaus of the influx from other states. BTW, yes, I am Lutheran and most of our friends are either Lutheran or Methodist. Our grandson in law is Pres (thery live in Fayetteville, well West Fork) oh and btw I play bridge with a group of ladines (about 20) that are from all over. Many are Baptists and many are Episcopalians. I don't even think hubby and I have any doctors that are from AR. Thus, I stand by my comments about NWA being a little different. but this doesn't mean the rest of the state isn't southern. I guess the next question is: what do you know about NWA, how many times have you visited and have you ever lived in AR?

[fightforlove]

Originally Posted by ShanField

Although I sometimes work in Michigan, I don't have much experience in the rest of mid-America. I was talking to a colleague of mine the other day, who made some kind of statement about Arkansas being a part of the Southwest (Like Texas). This confused me, because when I think of Arkansas, I think of the Midwest/Great Plains area (Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma). This may have been discussed before, but isn't Arkansas considered to be in the Midwest as far as geography, accents, culture, ect? Not Southern like Tennessee or North Carolina, but a little redneck, like Nebraska.

People from Wisconsin and Illinois would be sickened if you tried to include Arkansas and Oklahoma into the Midwest, lol!

[Rubi3]

Originally Posted by fightforlove

People from Wisconsin and Illinois would be sickened if you tried to include Arkansas and Oklahoma into the Midwest, lol!

You are the spokesperson for Wisconsin and Illinois? So unusual. Perhaps you are delusional?

[northbound74]

Not sickened, but would find it hilarious or baffling.

The post comparing it to Iowa was interesting to me. I've always noticed some similarities. Iowa is decidedly more affluent overall, and all the things that go along with that.

[taydigga]

It's funny when thinking of southern states I don't think of AR or OK as the same "southern" I do say Mississippi and Georgia. I always considered it one of those hybrid states that was part midwest part southern, as well as Nebraska and couple others. As far as accents go, plenty of people in the midwest have some southernesque accents, go to the southern part of Illinois and you'll see what I mean. I'm from WI and I think it mostly depends on where you are from. I don't think it's considered southern by a map but culturally it probably is. But for you people that are getting all butthurt and upset because someone has a different opinion about this--grow the hell up!

[wnewberry22]

I grew up in Southwestern Virginia in a small town close to the Tennessee border which I think most people would consider Southern or Appalachian Southern. My mothers family is from Conway, Arkansas and I used to visit there quite a bit as a kid. To me...the areas felt very similar. The accents in VA and AR were similar, the food is similar, the people are similar, the music is similar.....overall it felt Southern to me. I currently live in the Midwest (Nebraska) and I can say without question that Southwest Virginia and Eastern Arkansas (which is my only experience in AR) are NOTHING like the Midwest.

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by imbored198824

I can go out on a limb and guess your church is not a baptist church. If I had to GUESS you go to a catholic or lutheran church, am I right? What you don't realize is that your church may be filled with transplants from up north, and you may associate yourself with other northerners....but if you actually open up your eyes and get out of Bella Vista, you are SURROUNDED by southerners. Drive 10 miles any way from bella vista and you will be out of the little buffer zone of yankee land. I don't know anyone from the Ozarks that plays bridge...

And you've lived for years in Northwest Arkansas, right?

There is no Yankee Land in Northwest Arkansas. There is a large influx of people from all over the world, really, that has changed the demographics, and had a profound broadening effect on the Northwest Arkansas natives. This perception you have, that Pea Ridge is Southern and Bella Vista is not, is a misperception. Pea Ridge's population has more than doubled, and even ten years ago, there were a lot of people from outside the state moving into the area. Which is just as true of Gravette, Decatur, Garfield, Avoca, Gateway, Hindsville and Siloam Springs.

Signed by someone who's lived in Benton County for 41 years.

[imbored198824]

Originally Posted by nmnita

wow, is this attack time or what? I have said over and over, NWA is very different. I have never said AR wasn't southern...Not only BellaVista but visit Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville, they are all anything but southern becaus of the influx from other states. BTW, yes, I am Lutheran and most of our friends are either Lutheran or Methodist. Our grandson in law is Pres (thery live in Fayetteville, well West Fork) oh and btw I play bridge with a group of ladines (about 20) that are from all over. Many are Baptists and many are Episcopalians. I don't even think hubby and I have any doctors that are from AR. Thus, I stand by my comments about NWA being a little different. but this doesn't mean the rest of the state isn't southern. I guess the next question is: what do you know about NWA, how many times have you visited and have you ever lived in AR?

Well I have lived in Branson my entire life...which if you didn't know is 10 minutes from northwest Arkansas. Many of the people that work in Branson drive from Harrison, or even Berryville to work. My mom has a ranch in Jasper, so I am pretty sure I know a bit about northwest Arkansas...I guessing you have never even been to the northwest Arkansas towns I have just listed. Northwest Arkansas is also overwhelmingly baptist....
http://25.media.tumblr.com/534314d14...4bvo1_1280.gif
Just because you go to a Lutheran church and hang around with others that have brought that denomination with them, that does not represent the whole area. Most Baptist churches....which are the majority....are FULL of locals, as well as other southerners that have moved to Arkansas. I have visited the metro area many times, and we also have many tourists from the metro area. Anyone that is born in the metro area does have a southern accent. I have heard it for myself. I think what you are doing is ignoring that and trying to align yourself with other northerners who have moved to the area. You are hoping the culture will change to more of a northern one, or you wouldn't be arguing this. I find it very sad when people move to an area and try to do this.....people do the same thing in Nashville and Atlanta.