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Detroit is full of Southerners, especially Appalachia, who went there for auto industry jobs. Meanwhilr, Detroit natives consider Ohio a southern state.
My first thought was Michigan, particularly the smaller towns and more rural areas. During my brief time of living there (a small town in South Central Michigan close to 20 years ago), I was surprised at the number of southern transplants; particularly one family of three generations who had all relocated there from Tennessee.
Anecdotally, I visited southern Michigan again this summer and was shocked at all the Confederate flags I saw while driving along US 12. I don’t know if they were transplanted southerners or just native Michiganders trying to send a message, but there were more stars and bars there than I see here in Alabama.
I agree with this and so does 20th century history. Michigan drew hundreds of thousands of southerners north for jobs building cars. Much of the southern culture was concentrated near the places the auto industry was centered. (Detroit, Flint, Saginaw and Lansing) Of course those families have spread out now but still those areas have a large percentage of their populations that trace back a southern lineage. There are even country songs about this experience ....Detroit City being the most famous. The rural outlying areas of Michigan are far more traditional Midwest with a very German heritage obvious. Still these two cultures have mixed and now coexist in Michigan since it has been 80-100 years since most of these southern families arrived. You can have some wiener schnitzel and wash it down with sweet tea
I do agree with you......southern culture is not alien to Michigan, it would likely be the place with the least culture shock to a southerner. (At least until their very real far upper Midwest winter starts) Very few modern southerners could deal with the brutality of a Michigan winter.
Missouri isn’t northern. It isn’t southern. It’s just midwestern.
It would be a good stepping stone for later movement north for those nervous about the idea.
Southerners moved to Michigan in large numbers once upon a time. That vibe still seems to be there somewhat.
I would say some of Missouri is southern, some Midwestern. This is why they had their own civil war over the civil war. This issue of Missouri’s status as southern or Midwestern has never been no will it be resolved. The best answer is that it’s a bit of both. Kentucky also has a bit of this issue but it’s southern identity is a lot stronger than its Midwestern identity. Most people see Kentucky as southernish, while Missouri is split even on people’s perception of its identity.
I would say some of Missouri is southern, some Midwestern. This is why they had their own civil war over the civil war. This issue of Missouri’s status as southern or Midwestern has never been no will it be resolved. The best answer is that it’s a bit of both. Kentucky also has a bit of this issue but it’s southern identity is a lot stronger than its Midwestern identity. Most people see Kentucky as southernish, while Missouri is split even on people’s perception of its identity.
My perceptions come from growing up in Arkansas near the Missouri border. Also, much of my adult life has been spent in Missouri. Add to that a background in a particular Christian denomination that split during/around the Civil War where northern churches maintained a stronger presence in Missouri.
While I can understand why people might think parts of Missouri are southern, I've never thought of it as being southern. South of U.S. 60, okay, sort of, but it's nuanced.
Arkansas is without question very southern. As soon as you cross the border into Missouri, things start to look and feel midwestern almost immediately. While Tennessee and Mississippi also feel somewhat different, their southern aspect feels the same.
To me, Missouri is midwestern with a healthy dose of southern flavor. I've always got a similar impression from southern portions of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Kentucky is the opposite, and its southernness has never been in question to me.
At any rate, if a person is apprehensive about a south-to-north move, these areas are good in-between places to get their feet wet before they fully commit, at least if they have that luxury.
Honestly though, once a person's lived in various regions, the Big Deal factor goes away before long.
Southern Indiana...basically the South.
A lot of Ohio, Portsmouth, Ironton, Middletown, Steubenville, Ashtabula come to mind.
Parts of Central PA
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