Oklahoma: Does it lean Southern, Midwestern, or Western?

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Tenn82

not by us, it ain't.


and neither is Oklahoma

neither culturally nor geographically



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

Oklahoma and Texas are more southern than you think…………………. and way less southern than the people that think they are southern think.

[KayneMo]

Having lived in Oklahoma all of my life, I feel like the state can't be associated with just one region. Oklahoma is a crossroads, a conglomerate of geography and cultures. Western and eastern Oklahoma are very different from each other, as is northern and southern Oklahoma from each other.

[CurlyFries]

Originally Posted by KayneMo

Having lived in Oklahoma all of my life, I feel like the state can't be associated with just one region. Oklahoma is a crossroads, a conglomerate of geography and cultures. Western and eastern Oklahoma are very different from each other, as is northern and southern Oklahoma from each other.

Alot of states could fit in 2 or more different regions.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by CurlyFries

Alot of states could fit in 2 or more different regions.

Oklahoma is a bit distinct in that each of the four quadrants of the state reflect cultures somewhat similar to the direction that they are attached to.

NW Oklahoma is great plains/high plains.

SW Oklahoma is southwestern or western south (for Texas Reb)

SE Oklahoma is southern in a Arkansas Mountain way/Deep south Red River corridor way.

NE Oklahoma is a different type type of southern. Upland Ozark Plateau and is distinctive than even SE Oklahoma.

Tulsa has some midwestern and even eastern influence due to it's oil baron history.



Even Central Oklahoma is distinct in quadrants in terms of how it was settled.

Northern aspects by Kansas Republicans. Southern aspects by Texas Democrats.

The eastern aspects by hardscrabble stick subsistence farmers. The western aspects by cattlemen and wheat farmers.

While these distinctions are less obvious than they were 60 or 70 years ago, they did play a huge role in the early part of statehood.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by LordHomunculus

Does Oklahoma lean towards being a Southern, Midwestern or Western state? This is something that I've always been puzzled about. I want to hear what Oklahoma residents and people outside of OK think.

I'd say that it's more like the bottom of a funnel with all three swirling together to a certain extent.