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Here are some comments from the blog about this very thing:
Great question and one that I, as a native South Carolinian and one who spent years in Georgia would answer as: YES. Of course Kentucky is southern. Now, is it southern like SC, AL or other deep south states? No. But, frankly, we shouldn’t want to be. Look, Louisiana is different from Virginia. SC is different from Arkansas. However, they are all southern.
My thoughts exactly...the South, like every other region, is not a homogenous place. It is very different from state to state and city to city.
Quote:
Originally Posted by missymomof3
I agree with others that the South and Southerners are different in every state in Dixie. I was born and raised in southern Georgia near Savannah, one of the symbolistic cities of the South and I believe that Kentucky is southern. In fact I believe that the South in general consists of Kentucky, Tennessee, The Carolinas, Mississippi, Georgia (sans-ATL), Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, northern Florida, West Virginia, Virginia and eastern Texas. And yes I’ve been to each of those states. Also most magazines or publications about the South that I’ve read always included Kentucky. If the Confederacy considered Kentucky southern, and they did based on the their intentions of wanting to acquire the Bluegrass badly for the C.S.A., then by goodness it’s a Southern state.As John Carroll told KCRW recently, the south begins outside the Waterson Expressway (in Louisville).
I believe the Confederacy considered Atlanta to be a southern city much the same as it considered Kentucky to be a southern state. So Atlanta is very much part of the South in 2009 - at least by the above logic - and should not be excluded.
Ha ha. That really is an interesting article with some good points. That Daniel Boone quote reminded me of a quote from a European visitor to Arkansas: "Arkansas...Is not apart of the Kingdom for which Christ died for..." Guess he couldn't hold his white lighting very well!
Why would you want to deny people who consider themselves southern in the states right above the solid south states (NC,TN)? Many people in VA, Kentucky, and southern WV consider themselves southerners, have southern accents/lifestyle/etc, so why deny them the right to claim it if they believe they are and there areas have been traditionally considered the south(well below the mason-dixon, and a dominant southern culture). There is strength in numbers right? Also we are taught in school that these areas are southern. Also most of VA, and KY lie below the central latitude point of America which would officially put the areas in the top of the southern region. Many people argue against Texas being the true south so you already should know how this debate routine goes.
Well they're more than welcome to call themselves southerners, but they aren't to me. I'm not trying to be a stubborn *******, just honest in my views.
And some might argue that only the Deep South states are solidly southern.
You are right about Texas being debated, but the difference is, TX is connected to the Deep South..VA, KY, and WV are not.
You can say what you want, Kentucky is a Southern state, always has been and always will be.
If Kentucky is southern, than so are Ohio and Indiana.
If anything, I'd call Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia "the South of the North". These states are country and do have a lot of qualities that are often attributed to the south...but they just aren't a part of The South.
Just because many will cluster big metropolitan areas like DC and Baltimore with Philly and New York because of their proximity doesn't mean that Maryland is not traditionally a southern state. Lol!
I didn't say it wasn't, because some parts were, not all though, even traditionally
What people need to understand is that the South is more than just Confederate memorials, cotton, pork, grits, magnolia trees, sweet tea, Bible thumpers, and country music. In fact, The South is just one part of a very large region in America that has all these things.
People also need to get out of their heads that Confederate states=South. The South was the South before the Confederacy so you can't just place imaginary barriers on something that is already distinct on its own.
What people need to understand is that the South is more than just Confederate memorials, cotton, pork, grits, magnolia trees, sweet tea, Bible thumpers, and country music. In fact, The South is just one part of a very large region in America that has all these things.
People also need to get out of their heads that Confederate states=South. The South was the South before the Confederacy so you can't just place imaginary barriers on something that is already distinct on its own.
If a state's status as Southern is not defined by Confederate membership, magnolia trees, Bible Belt membership, sweet tea, country music, cotton, people who consider themselves Southerners within the state, and other cultural foods and customs, then, sir, how do you determine what a Southern state IS? Is it an exclusive club whose inclusion in soley determined by your personal preferences?
If a state's status as Southern is not defined by Confederate membership, magnolia trees, Bible Belt membership, sweet tea, country music, cotton, people who consider themselves Southerners within the state, and other cultural foods and customs, then, sir, how do you determine what a Southern state IS? Is it an exclusive club whose inclusion in soley determined by your personal preferences?
If Kentucky is southern, than so are Ohio and Indiana.
If anything, I'd call Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia "the South of the North". These states are country and do have a lot of qualities that are often attributed to the south...but they just aren't a part of The South.
The South is a group of states that share a similar Southern culture and other characteristics. Okay, here's where all the disputed states lie in a nutshell:
-Kentucky is undeniably Southern. Not being part of the Confederacy is probably the only reason that KY could be considered Northern. I can't even believe this is being debated. Even Cincinnati across the border from Kentucky, was pro-Conferederate during the Civil War, and has Southern influences although I don't consider it a Southern city by any means.
-Texas is Southern, but divided between Southeast and Southwest, although most people probably identify with the Southeast. Anyway Texas is so large it's almost its own region and has a distinct cultural identity.
-Delaware is Northern, although the lower two counties have some Southern influences.
-Maryland is Northern. It seems there can never be a topic about this state without deviation to a discussion of whether the state is in the Northeast or South. The lower Eastern Shore has a Southern history and influences are still there, but the rest of the state is strongly Northeastern. The state shares much more in common with states like New Jersey and Massachusetts (eg. education, economy, density, wealth, politics etc.) than it does with say North Carolina, Virginia, or Tennessee. Some people say Southern MD has Southern influences in it's culture, but the rapid devlopment and change in demographics has wiped away nearly all traces of "Southerness," in my opinion.
-Washington DC is as easy as DE and MD. It's a very unique city, but the characteristics that aren't make it definitely Northern.
-Virginia is Southern. I don't think anyone would call it Northern anyway, but whatever. A large part of Northern Virginia could be called Northeastern, but everywhere else in the state is Southern. The true South starts in Fredericksburg.
-Florida is Southern...geographically. Culturally it's not, but you obviously can't call it Northern. Like Texas, South and Central Florida have their own culture that is totally different from the rest of the South. Isolation from the rest of the South and the continuing migration of very large numbers of Northerners to the state. North Florida, especially the Panhandle, is decidedly Southern. The South ends in Jacksonville.
-Missouri is another split state. Historically it was a Southern slave state but even then it wasn't that "Southern," and it was Union during the Civil War. Today it is divided between Midwestern and Southern cultures. I would say St. Louis is more Southern while Kansas City is more Midwestern.
-West Virginia is an anomaly, and probably the hardest state to place, not that anyone cares since I've hardly seen it under dispute. To me it's "Appalachia." Calling it entirely Southern or Northern wouldn't be approriate, although the northern part of the state, including the Panhandle, is more Northern (like Southwest PA, OH, Western MD) and the southern part of the state (which is more like Virginia) is more Southern (which makes sense).
Okay, I think I got all of them . In case anyone missed my post earlier on, a poll of 17,000 people carried out by the University of North Carolina’s Center for the South found that the following percentages of state residents view their state as Southern:
Washington DC-7%
Delaware-14%
Maryland-40%
West Virginia-45%
Texans-84%
Virginia-82%
Kentucky-79%
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My thoughts exactly...the South, like every other region, is not a homogenous place. It is very different from state to state and city to city.
. In case anyone missed my post earlier on, a poll of 17,000 people carried out by the University of North Carolina’s Center for the South found that the following percentages of state residents view their state as Southern:
