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Old 09-24-2010, 08:08 AM
 
6 posts, read 10,338 times
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There are several different Southern accents, Kentuckians speak with the Highland South. Same as Texas, Oklahoma, parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Southern Missouri, Southern Illinois and Southern Indiana. Kentucky on the whole is Southern but there are a few pockets in the state that have a high proportion of transplants. I think the river is used as the boundary because it's easily definable. Truly, the Southern/Midwest line is somewhere well north of Louisville in Indiana. Ask anyone from Indianapolis, there city is divided in half from north to south. Anyone north of downtown thinks everyone south of downtown is Southern. I think on this topic Southern Living Magazine nails it. All of the areas in the states listed above are known as the Upper South.

Finally, I don't think you'll read one response from anyone from Kentucky that say's, they're Midwestern. I most certainly consider myself a Southerner. Anyone from the Deep South that says otherwise, well, y'all can kiss my...

Last edited by letrfly; 09-24-2010 at 08:30 AM..
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Old 09-24-2010, 12:21 PM
 
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
4,409 posts, read 6,486,139 times
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Sorry, I just cannot consider Illinois or Indiana southern based just off of accents and heresay. I've been to both states and the people still thought and acted like northerners for the most part.

When I lived in New York I lived in the Appalachian region, the southern tier. People on the Ontario low-land considered it southern because it was extremely rural and back-woodsy, and south of them. Some people even had weird Alabama-Pennsylvanian mix accents.

Does that mean the southern tier of New York is southern?

No.
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Old 11-17-2010, 10:11 PM
 
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I grew up in Kentucky (Nelson County) and never identified myself as southern because I had relatives that were from Birmingham and Atlanta and they were CLEARLY different. I now live in Northern Kentucky (Boone County- Burlington) and proudly consider myself as one of the midwestern Kentuckians. Move north of Dry Ridge and you will be made fun of if you have a thick southern accent or drawl out certain words. People in this area say "Please?" instead of "pardon me", "come again", or "excuse me" if they dont understand what you are saying, and everyone in Northern KY knows its not a insult if you're asked if you want a "3-way" because they are talking about food at Skyline Chili.

Cincinnati is spreading out in all directions, and its growing south rapidly in Northern KY so watch out! :-)

In this area there are only slight hints of some of the culture I grew up with in central KY, and its primarily with really old people that lived out in rural areas before the suburbs took over. Those people are now rapidly outnumbered and being pushed out by sprawl up here.
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Old 11-17-2010, 10:27 PM
 
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
4,409 posts, read 6,486,139 times
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Perhaps Kentucky belongs to both regions rather than one.
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Old 11-18-2010, 11:12 PM
 
871 posts, read 2,236,882 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CookieSkoon View Post
Perhaps Kentucky belongs to both regions rather than one.
northern kentucky could arguably belong with the lower midwest, but thats it. to say the state belongs in both regions when only 3 counties in the far northern portion belong with one of them is foolish.

kentucky has never been part of the midwest. there are things about the state that differentiate it from the south, but there is really no context in which the state itself can be grouped with the midwest, and there are multiple contexts in which it can be grouped with the south. and the list of things differentiating it from the midwest is nearly endless. there are even contexts in which kentucky is more different from the midwest than the rest of the south is.

in the academic setting, the only regional classifications ive ever heard are "south", "southeast", "appalachia", "bible belt", and "border south/border state", all referring to different contexts.

and i know it may be hard for you to believe, but the southern portions of indiana and illinois do have southern cultural influence. going to the middle or northern portions of those states and making conclusions about the far southern portions of them is not wise.

to answer the topic of the thread's two questions:

Is Kentucky part of the Midwest? No, it never has been, and there really is no context in which the state could be grouped that way (other than arbritary groupings not based upon cultural and historical contexts). there is some lower midwest influence along various portions of the river though.

Is Kentucky part of the south? In most contexts, yes. not all though. but it is accurate enough to refer to it as a "southern state", and that is done frequently. thats its official classification, and for most of the state, it holds true culturally.

Last edited by JimmyJohnWilson; 11-19-2010 at 12:09 AM..
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Old 11-19-2010, 01:49 AM
 
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
4,409 posts, read 6,486,139 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyJohnWilson View Post
northern kentucky could arguably belong with the lower midwest, but thats it. to say the state belongs in both regions when only 3 counties in the far northern portion belong with one of them is foolish.

kentucky has never been part of the midwest. there are things about the state that differentiate it from the south, but there is really no context in which the state itself can be grouped with the midwest, and there are multiple contexts in which it can be grouped with the south. and the list of things differentiating it from the midwest is nearly endless. there are even contexts in which kentucky is more different from the midwest than the rest of the south is.

in the academic setting, the only regional classifications ive ever heard are "south", "southeast", "appalachia", "bible belt", and "border south/border state", all referring to different contexts.

and i know it may be hard for you to believe, but the southern portions of indiana and illinois do have southern cultural influence. going to the middle or northern portions of those states and making conclusions about the far southern portions of them is not wise.

to answer the topic of the thread's two questions:

Is Kentucky part of the Midwest? No, it never has been, and there really is no context in which the state could be grouped that way (other than arbritary groupings not based upon cultural and historical contexts). there is some lower midwest influence along various portions of the river though.

Is Kentucky part of the south? In most contexts, yes. not all though. but it is accurate enough to refer to it as a "southern state", and that is done frequently. thats its official classification, and for most of the state, it holds true culturally.
But all weather maps claim Kentucky as Mid-western.

Look, it was a simple statement. Why has it ruffled your feathers so much? I'm not looking for a fight here. :/

And I know Illinois and Indiana have southern influence. Doesn't make them southern states though.

New York has New England influence. It is not a New England state.

Florida is culturally northern, but its not a northern state.

What I meant by my words was maybe Kentucky fits into the same category as Missouri and Kansas and West Virginia and Texas and Nebraska and the Dakotas and Oklahoma and Delaware. A multi-regional state.

Why would that be taken as insulting?
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Old 11-19-2010, 07:16 AM
 
871 posts, read 2,236,882 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CookieSkoon View Post
But all weather maps claim Kentucky as Mid-western.

Look, it was a simple statement. Why has it ruffled your feathers so much? I'm not looking for a fight here. :/

And I know Illinois and Indiana have southern influence. Doesn't make them southern states though.

New York has New England influence. It is not a New England state.

Florida is culturally northern, but its not a northern state.

What I meant by my words was maybe Kentucky fits into the same category as Missouri and Kansas and West Virginia and Texas and Nebraska and the Dakotas and Oklahoma and Delaware. A multi-regional state.

Why would that be taken as insulting?
wouldnt weather maps count as arbritary groupings not based upon cultural and historical contexts? yes they would.

ive never claimed indiana to be a southern state, im simply telling you that claiming that parts of far southern indiana or illinois are not southern based upon going to northern parts of the state makes no sense

i know what you meant, although youve waffled every other post on here. you are confusing me being insulted with me thinking that you are wrong. why would someone post something on an internet forum if they didnt want it to be challenged?

i dont think that it is a multi-regional state. like i said, there is no context in which the state as a whole can be part of the midwest. if you can actually tell me otherwise (other than some random weather site grouping which also usually places virginia with maine and kansas with missisippi than go ahead). but, especially in an academic setting, that grouping is never made.

i dont think you know very much about the state's culture and history, because as ive said, its never been part of the midwest. there are things about it that make it different from the south, yes, but "not south" and "midwest" are not the same thing.
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Old 11-19-2010, 12:13 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
1,342 posts, read 3,229,717 times
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Old 11-19-2010, 01:06 PM
 
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
4,409 posts, read 6,486,139 times
Reputation: 6253
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyJohnWilson View Post
wouldnt weather maps count as arbritary groupings not based upon cultural and historical contexts? yes they would.

ive never claimed indiana to be a southern state, im simply telling you that claiming that parts of far southern indiana or illinois are not southern based upon going to northern parts of the state makes no sense

i know what you meant, although youve waffled every other post on here. you are confusing me being insulted with me thinking that you are wrong. why would someone post something on an internet forum if they didnt want it to be challenged?

i dont think that it is a multi-regional state. like i said, there is no context in which the state as a whole can be part of the midwest. if you can actually tell me otherwise (other than some random weather site grouping which also usually places virginia with maine and kansas with missisippi than go ahead). but, especially in an academic setting, that grouping is never made.

i dont think you know very much about the state's culture and history, because as ive said, its never been part of the midwest. there are things about it that make it different from the south, yes, but "not south" and "midwest" are not the same thing.
Look, it doesn't matter what I say you will pick a fight with me until I give up and pat you on the back. So as far as I'm concerned, our portion of this debate has become pointless.

I haven't "waffled" so much as tried to offer different points of view. Different ways to look at it. That's the point of these things isn't it?

I've also been proven wrong about certain things. When that happens my opinion changes. You yourself have taught me things I didn't know, but now you've just gone into hunting me down like some enemy and throwing "nuh-uhs" in my direction.

I mentioned weather maps because you claimed that no maps ever put Kentucky into the Mid-west. There was no deeper meaning to it. I wasn't trying to say that weather maps are the one true God or anything.

I know a lot more about Kentucky than you wish to believe. To you I'm apparently just some annoying prick who won't go away. Sometimes I think you have something against me.

This is such a sore spot for you that you've even taken into private message. Which by the way, you seemed to disregard my answer entirely for a chance to show more aggression toward me. :/

This is starting to bug me, if you want to challenge me, if you want to look intelligent and correct, then please start using capital letters and punctuation. It will add to your over-all credence.
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Old 11-19-2010, 01:19 PM
 
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
4,409 posts, read 6,486,139 times
Reputation: 6253
Wow. Maryland and Delaware aren't in that seal. But neither are Arkansas or Louisiana.
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