Oklahoma: Does it lean Southern, Midwestern, or Western? (fit in, live)

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Oklahoma is part of the Southwest, the culture is southern, and it has nothing in common with the Midwest. The state is geographically mostly part of the south-central Plains with the West beginning along and west of I-35 and the southeast beginning southeast of Tulsa. The climate has nothing in common with the Midwest. Tulsa likes to think they are an island claiming more northern or Midwest influences but that is exclusively due to old money related to oil company financiers who were mostly not from the region. Oklahoma is also Native America with a significant First Nation populace and is also one of the top states in the US with persons claiming to be of more than one race, or biracial.

True on all counts.

Good to hear another tried and true Midwesterner put us South-Centralers (Okies) in our place.

[Ralph_Kirk]

I've spent a lot of young years in Oklahoma, and in cultural and economic terms, I'd call it southern and western with a tilt toward southern. Not midwestern at all. My last cowboy relative sold his cattle and retired about 30 years ago, just died two months ago in Lawton.

I'd point out, though, that "Midwest" actually stops on the eastern shore of the Mississippi River, and that the Great Plains is not the Midwest...which is why those states aren't really like Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

[southernmomshan]

Culturally, Oklahoma is very southern. At least the southern and eastern parts of the state. I do feel like the north and west parts are more like west Texas, Colorado and New Mexico.
I'm from Tulsa and I definitely consider myself southern. Southern is a state of mind. LOL

[CurlyFries]

Southern

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk

I'd point out, though, that "Midwest" actually stops on the eastern shore of the Mississippi River, and that the Great Plains is not the Midwest...which is why those states aren't really like Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

What? So MN, IA, etc, arent the Midwest? Youre crazy.

States like KS definitely feel Midwestern from the center Eastwards. From the center Westwards, not so much, but definitely has Midwestern feel.

Back on topic, I think OK feels more western than southern. Treeless plains, oil fields, red mesas, ranches, cacti, etc, feels definitely western, not southern. The far SE corner of OK feels southern, but thats about it.

[ABQConvict]

I would say dominantly Southern, with Midwestern and Western influences in the northern and western parts of the state.

I would never describe Oklahoma as a Southwestern state.

[CurlyFries]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

What? So MN, IA, etc, arent the Midwest? Youre crazy.

States like KS definitely feel Midwestern from the center Eastwards. From the center Westwards, not so much, but definitely has Midwestern feel.

Back on topic, I think OK feels more western than southern. Treeless plains, oil fields, red mesas, ranches, cacti, etc, feels definitely western, not southern. The far SE corner of OK feels southern, but thats about it.

I think the Great Plains would be more deserving of the "Midwest" than the Great Lakes, the Great Plains have the actual central point of the country while the Great Lakes have states that are in the Eastern Time Zone.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by CurlyFries

I think the Great Plains would be more deserving of the "Midwest" than the Great Lakes, the Great Plains have the actual central point of the country while the Great Lakes have states that are in the Eastern Time Zone.

The median geographical location of overall population within the Midwest is the Great Lakes region as Chicago is the largest metro area. The Great Plains region, while large in land area, are the periphery.

[Tenn82]

Originally Posted by NorthernMidwesterner

and Texas is considered part of the South.

not by us, it ain't.


and neither is Oklahoma

neither culturally nor geographically



only in very subtle ways...............maybe.

[CurlyFries]

Originally Posted by Tenn82

not by us, it ain't.


and neither is Oklahoma

neither culturally nor geographically



only in very subtle ways...............maybe.

I'm not sure about calling the Great Lakes states Midwestern but the official census calls both Texas and Oklahoma Southern and calls all the Great Lakes states except for Pennsylvania and New York Midwestern.