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University of Kentucky is no slouch. Also, a large portion of metro Cincinnati dips into northern Kentucky. Tennessee and Kentucky combined has around 11.3 million people; NC is 10.4 million by itself. NC also voted for Obama in 2008 and hosted Obama's Democratic National convention in 2012. Coincidentally, North Carolina will be the site of the Republican National convention this year. Politically speaking, North Carolina has become a true swing state. For these reasons and many others, Tennessee and Kentucky are definitely closer twins than either of them are to NC.
Compared to Duke or Vanderbilt?
From my point of view, TN and NC have an enlightened region anchored by a world class university. Kentucky doesn't have that.
I think he is saying that Kentucky doesn't have a famous elite private university. But that would be way down on my list of things to compare states with.
As was mentioned before, Tennessee's slender shape makes it a lot like a lot of other states as you go east to west. But as has been stated, Kentucky shares the most border by quite a number of miles.
The only thing I see comprable are the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina and the fact that Tennessee and North Carolina have the same four professional sports teams (no Major League Baseball)
Western NC is generally more affluent and attracts more transplants than east TN outside of the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge tourist areas. People are piling into Asheville, Boone, and many of the WNC mountain towns. East TN doesn't have any areas like that.
Louisville and Memphis correspond rather well. So do Nashville and Raleigh. Knoxville and Lexington (though smaller) compare fairly well. Still, TN has nothing as large as Charlotte nor anything that really corresponds well to the NC Triad.
Most of small town and rural TN is very similar to KY. The areas don't have very bright futures.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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The only difference between Kentucky and Tennessee are Nashville and TN's history of a much more functional state government. Otherwise both states are very similar. Memphis and Louisville are nearly identical in metro population and growth rate, Lexington is similar in size to Knoxville and Chattanooga is similar in size to the KY side of the Cincinnati metro. Beyond that are a lot of economically depressed rural areas.
Western NC is generally more affluent and attracts more transplants than east TN outside of the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge tourist areas. People are piling into Asheville, Boone, and many of the WNC mountain towns. East TN doesn't have any areas like that.
Louisville and Memphis correspond rather well. So do Nashville and Raleigh. Knoxville and Lexington (though smaller) compare fairly well. Still, TN has nothing as large as Charlotte nor anything that really corresponds well to the NC Triad.
Most of small town and rural TN is very similar to KY. The areas don't have very bright futures.
I agree with this. What town, if any, do you think compares to Chattanooga, Serious?
Kentucky is a fairly rural state, with beautiful countryside near Lexington and rolling farmland in the west. The Eastern part of Kentucky can be pretty, but is impoverished and that overshadows the area unfortunately. North Carolina has rural areas too, but larger cities in between, higher peaks to the west and a beautiful coastline.
Tennessee's eastern ranges are similiar to North Carolina. Eastern Kentucky aligns with West Virginia, southeast Ohio and southwest Virginia moreso, topographically.
The cities in Tennessee are more in line with some of North Carolina's.
Kentucky has just 2 large cities, compared to 6 with Tennessee and 9 with North Carolina.
The rolling plains west of Nashville to Memphis are like Kentucky's western area.
So, I'd say it's a hybrid. Geographically more similar really to North Carolina in the east, Kentucky to the west, and cities more North Carolina similar.
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