[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by latunafish

small town rural life in the delta is different, it is just not a "bad" different.

luvvarkansas, i respect your opinion, i am a little overprotective of an area that raised me, my kids and now raising my grandkids. (and we are all still here by choice)

latunafish, I respect yours also. You are correct, there are positive aspects and beauty to be found in the delta, but I've had 50-something years of it and I'm done with it. I was born to live in the mountains! I like cool, clear waters, not warm, muddy, brown sludge, which is what the majority of our creeks, rivers, and lakes are around here.

One positive of the delta is the ability to see the sunset without having to find a mountain top. I don't personally enjoy watching cotton grow, though. I do enjoy looking at live oaks, though. Beautiful, beautiful trees.

Oh, another positive is the straight roads. It does take longer to drive a mile in the mountains than in the delta!

AND the topsoil....rich, black, earthy.

To each his own!

[latunafish]

^^^ 10-4 my friend!

if i had to say what my biggest complaint of the delta is, it would be mosquitoes. but, at least you can see them, those pesky ticks and chiggers (in them thar hills) are sneaky.

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by kdb05f

The difference is that rice fields are flooded most of the summer and mosquitoes breed in that stagnant water. If you live in the country next to the fields you definitely noticed the difference when there is rice next to your house vs another crop.

My wife grew up with cotton fields less than 200 feet from her house. As the sun goes down you can hear a faint buzz as the insects make their way out of the fields.

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by latunafish

^^^ 10-4 my friend!

if i had to say what my biggest complaint of the delta is, it would be mosquitoes. but, at least you can see them, those pesky ticks and chiggers (in them thar hills) are sneaky.

I was eaten up with chiggers this past summer. The first time in Eudora and then the outskirts of Portland about 2 weeks later.

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by Luvvarkansas

latunafish, I respect yours also. You are correct, there are positive aspects and beauty to be found in the delta, but I've had 50-something years of it and I'm done with it. I was born to live in the mountains! I like cool, clear waters, not warm, muddy, brown sludge, which is what the majority of our creeks, rivers, and lakes are around here.

One positive of the delta is the ability to see the sunset without having to find a mountain top. I don't personally enjoy watching cotton grow, though. I do enjoy looking at live oaks, though. Beautiful, beautiful trees.

Oh, another positive is the straight roads. It does take longer to drive a mile in the mountains than in the delta!

AND the topsoil....rich, black, earthy.

To each his own!

About 10 years ago my mother-in-law was helping my wife with landscaping our yard. After seeing how well some special Crepe Myrtles looked in our front yard, my mother-in-law bought some as well. Our house is about 15 miles east of the delta in northwest MS. I'd say we are about even with Conway on a map. My mother-in-law lives very close to the Ashley / Chicot county line in the middle of the delta. Our trees are about 8 feet tall now. Hers are about 20 feet tall. We constantly fertilize them to help them grow. My mother-in-law hasn't touched them since they were planted.

If you can't grow something in the rich, delta soil then you definitely have a brown thumb.

[bjrush]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Granted, I only drove through Arkansas, many of the backroads as well. But, Western Arkansas felt like a completely different world. Few people, lots of hills and mountains, very 'out there' in an almost 'Out West USA' kind of way. Sort of, I mean, the driving along major highways for awhile without seeing much stuff all over the sides of the road.

But when I entered into Eastern Arkansas, it felt much more Missisippi Delta through and through.

They felt like really different places, but I've never heard or had a sense from anyone from Arkansas that they were like that. What dyall think?

the state is essentialy split in half from southwest to northeast. the nw part is "upland", including ozarks and ouachitas and se is lowland or delta

[Dutchman01]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Granted, I only drove through Arkansas, many of the backroads as well. But, Western Arkansas felt like a completely different world. Few people, lots of hills and mountains, very 'out there' in an almost 'Out West USA' kind of way. Sort of, I mean, the driving along major highways for awhile without seeing much stuff all over the sides of the road.

But when I entered into Eastern Arkansas, it felt much more Missisippi Delta through and through.

They felt like really different places, but I've never heard or had a sense from anyone from Arkansas that they were like that. What dyall think?

You would be correct. They are completely different. The Ozarks and Ouachita mountain regions are culturally more closely aligned with the Appalachians regions. Southern Arkansas and the Delta region is more "deep south." You'll even notice a difference in the accents if you listen carefully.

[Dutchman01]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Does the rice get in any local cuisines? I would imagine that rice farmers have got to be making rice dishes for their families, for example?

Or is it mostly for export?

Not so much in the traditional ozarks dishes.

[Rock Climber]

I think Arkansas is almost like two different states. The western side identifies more with Texas and the west, while the eastern side is very much "deep south" in culture. I'm not exactly sure where the dividing line is, though.