[LILRAZORHOG]

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.

Well... that would make it the first midwest state to boarder two deep south states (Mississippi and Louisiana).

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by LILRAZORHOG

Well... that would make it the first midwest state to boarder two deep south states (Mississippi and Louisiana).

I think this boils down more to tradition and culture than actual geographics. To me any state that fought for the confederates is southern, but some do have a certian mid-western or heartland culture about them. This would be the northern part of the state. Though the rest of AR is certainly south. There are other states that can be seen in the same light. WV is not a southern state, but many think of it as one. Of course we are talking about AR not other states, but my comment is just to enphasize border states often are seen as culturally falling in two catagories.
Nita

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I think this boils down more to tradition and culture than actual geographics. To me any state that fought for the confederates is southern, but some do have a certian mid-western or heartland culture about them. This would be the northern part of the state. Though the rest of AR is certainly south. There are other states that can be seen in the same light. WV is not a southern state, but many think of it as one. Of course we are talking about AR not other states, but my comment is just to enphasize border states often are seen as culturally falling in two catagories.
Nita

I don't understand what you mean by "northern" Arkansas. Perhaps northwest primarily? I grew up in northern Arkansas and it's still extremely southern to the core. Just about every place I've seen in the Ozarks are southern. Pockets of transplants are the only exception. Southern in the Ozarks is somewhat different than southern in Alabama, but they're both southern cultures without a doubt.

[mother mammal]

Originally Posted by Rusty23

I have friends from Arkansas. They refer their state "Mid-South".

I see copies of Midsouth Magazine in doctors' waiting rooms here. (How this demographic varies from the Midwest or the South, I truly cannot tell you! It might literally be the same magazine marketed with a different title in different regions. But apparently people here identify enough with the "Midsouth" enough to embrace it.)

Moderator cut: orphaned - responding to edited post

[CraigCreek]

Moderator cut: off topic

Sorry to go off-topic - back in Arkansas, two of my maternal g-uncles, brothers, fought in the Civil War. The elder was in the 1st Arkansas Light Artillery, CSA, was involved in many battles but came home and lived a long and productive life after the war. His younger brother enlisted in the army at eighteen, but died of disease in camp on the day Lincoln was assassinated.

Make that Union camp - he enlisted in the Federal army, a couple of years after his older brother had marched away with the Confederates. The brothers' family home was just outside of Greenwood, Arkansas, about fifteen miles from Fort Smith. They were typical of the farming families who lived in that part of Arkansas during the war.

Regardless of military affiliation, both brothers were Arkansans and Southerners, like the rest of their family.

[Jay F]

The U.S census classifies Arkansas as a Southern state. Every state Arkansas borders except for Missouri is also Southern according to the census.

When I visited it very much felt like a Southern state. I have very fond memories of my visit 20 years ago. Beautiful scenery and friendly people. Sometimes I wish I would have relocated there.

[DesertFoxFan]

Originally Posted by GunnerTHB

Where the Moderator cut: crude does this stuff come from? How in the Moderator cut: crude could Arkansas not be southern? You can go to the farthest north part of Northeast Arkansas and it will be southern and then go another 70 miles into Missouri and you will still be in the south for crying out loud.

Oh and by the way Moderator cut: crudeabout the Arkansas not having swamps comment. It most certainly does and they are filled with cypress trees just like any other swamp in the south.

Agree!

Arkansas while it is a southern state, it does have different versions of the south. Such as NE AR like you mentioned, that is southern delta style, and southern arkansas especially SE AR is the deep south!!

Now the arkansas Ozarks are upper south, hickish as is southern Missouri in the ozarks little ways north of hwy 60 and below. It's southern, BUT it is not the same southern as the MO bootheel and further south down into the deep south. I guess you can say the AR ozarks, and those parts of southern MO are a lighter version of Dixie. It's still dixie, BUT it's not as strong as the deep south where cotton is King. Like you can't compare dixie of central MS, to Mountain Home, AR for example. Dixie presence is much more in your face in MS for example.

[Newsboy]

OK, so I'm I'm scrolling through C-D and I see this thread topic and I think "What the ...?!" How could anybody think Arkansas is "midwestern"?! It's as Southern as Alabama and Mississippi, and more rural to boot!

MIDWESTERN?! Good lord almighty ... NO!

[linicx]

Geographically, according to the US Census Bureau, the Midwest is 12 states that encompasses an area that begins with the eastern most border of Ohio and ends at the western most borders of North and South Dakota.

Arkansas is not a Northern State; never was! I lived very near her and spent as much time in NW AR as I did at home. It is a beautiful state with large forests of mature trees and a lot of surprises. It is the only state where I saw a mountain 'cry'.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Jay F

The U.S census classifies Arkansas as a Southern state. Every state Arkansas borders except for Missouri is also Southern according to the census.

When I visited it very much felt like a Southern state. I have very fond memories of my visit 20 years ago. Beautiful scenery and friendly people. Sometimes I wish I would have relocated there.

you can, we would welcome you: yes, it is beautiful, especially the nowest part of the state, but all the state is nice...As for southern, the NW part is so mixed with people from other parts of the country it isn't as sounthern as the central and soeast part of the state and has changed in the past 20 years. This holds true with some other parts of Northern AR, including places like Mountain home. Not the number of re-los as we have here, but more and more people from the nothern mid-west are moving to that part of the state...

Nita