re: Missouri doesn't get the respect it should

quote:

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Missouri is somewhat southern to me. I definitely consider the southern portion of that state to be a part of the South.

To me, St. Louis and KC are Midwest, but anything south of I-70 is fair game. I'd say Cape Girardeau is a part of the South, for example.

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^^^This guy gets it.

This whole Southern/Midwestern debate was discussed ad nauseum when we joined and I've tried not to get wrapped up in it after the first couple of years. That being said, this thread is discussing it so...

The answer is really simple but people turn a blind eye because they just want to see things through an "all or nothing" standpoint. Simple fact is, Missouri is a blend of Midwestern and Southern. Just look at a map. Iowa and Minnesota to our north. Arkansas and Louisiana to our south. Obviously Arkansas culture doesn't immediately turn into Iowa culture. We are quite literally where north transitions to south.

I-70 is a decent dividing line as starkvingrad pointed out. North of that, you're going to start getting Midwestern vibes. South of that, you're going to start getting Southern vibes. It also matters if you're in the east or west part of the state too. As I noted in an earlier post, Missouri marks where "Eastern culture" moves to "Western culture", along with dividing North and South. The farthest Southwestern portion of the state I'd call more "Oklahoman" than Southern. With that said, if you're below I-70 on the central/western portion, it's a very Ozark/"mountain southern" vibe. But if you head east, it's a lot more Kentucky/Northern Tennessee vibe.

Once again, starkvingrad is correct in saying that Cape Girardeau and anything below is Southern. Go north from Cape, and you're not in the South anymore. It should be noted that this is the one portion of Missouri that is undisputedly Southern. South of Cape Girardeau through the Bootheel is 100% "The South" and, while I know this is tRant and people here will still try to disagree, it's not even debatable. Go see for yourself (there's not much there). It is rice and cotton growing, swampland and water tupelos, and the folks from there have thick Southern drawls you'd never associate with Missouri even though that's where you're at. People forget that Southeastern Missouri is only 69 (nice) miles from the state of Mississippi. LESS THAN 70 MILES between Missouri and MISSISSIPPI. I highly doubt 70 miles turns Mississippi culture into Yankee culture.

All of this to say, I will admit that Kansas City, St. Louis, and Columbia are more Midwestern than Southern in present times. In the 1800's and early 1900's, it was a different story, but the industrial revolution has pushed the middle third of the state towards more Midwestern culture. But the Southern third of the state still very much fits in with the South even today, especially the farther east you go.

Wow...now I'll step off my soapbox. This is why I try not to get started in these "Missouri culture" threads. I could go on for hours with the nuances and how the different parts of the state fit with different regions.

I'm done