Where does the south end and the north begin in the state of Kentucky?
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1) The triangle of Louisville, Covington, and Lexington is the bluegrass region. It's relatively upscale (compared to most of Kentucky), urban, and bent toward an odd mix of agriculture and commerce. I would not call it, culturally, southern.
2) Out east, say from Estill county to the border, is Appalachia. Mountain folk, their attitudes built by their rugged surroundings. Appalachian culture is completely distinct from southern culture. There was no antebellum period in, say, Pike County's history.
3) West Ky (where I currently live) feels like an offshoot of southern Indiana. The topography is totally different from the rest of the country (Corn, soybeans, and flat fields as far as the eye can see). Even the accents are a kind of nasal Southern Illinois accent.
4) The Cumberland Gap region (south central Kentucky) is part of southern culture. The lakes and rivers, the food, the speech, the general feel of the culture are all southern.
There you have it. Kentucky, one of the most culturally diverse states in the union.
Kentucky is an odd place, culturally speaking. I've lived and worked all over Kentucky (and the deep south--mostly Georgia) and I see it as being four different states culturally / geographically.
1) The triangle of Louisville, Covington, and Lexington is the bluegrass region. It's relatively upscale (compared to most of Kentucky), urban, and bent toward an odd mix of agriculture and commerce. I would not call it, culturally, southern.
2) Out east, say from Estill county to the border, is Appalachia. Mountain folk, their attitudes built by their rugged surroundings. Appalachian culture is completely distinct from southern culture. There was no antebellum period in, say, Pike County's history.
3) West Ky (where I currently live) feels like an offshoot of southern Indiana. The topography is totally different from the rest of the country (Corn, soybeans, and flat fields as far as the eye can see). Even the accents are a kind of nasal Southern Illinois accent.
4) The Cumberland Gap region (south central Kentucky) is part of southern culture. The lakes and rivers, the food, the speech, the general feel of the culture are all southern.
There you have it. Kentucky, one of the most culturally diverse states in the union.
Definitely not stereotypically Southern at all (in Lex and Louisville, especially ). Covington and NKY is basically Cincinnati in feel. You forget you live across the state line.
In my opinion, Louisville has a Midwest feel to it. It's where I have lived most of my life. I've always felt more Midwestern than Southern. It changes pretty quickly though as you go South of Louisville. Definitely start to hear a different accent and the culture becomes more Southern.
I think what makes Louisville so hard to figure out is there are transplanted people from places like Chicago and other Midwestern cities to go along with the ones from throughout the state that have moved here. So you bring in both Midwestern and Southern cultures and it just makes this city kinda unique. The state really does have a diverse feel to it as the other poster mentioned.
If I were to just go by geography, I would probably make the Ohio River the dividing point between the Midwest/North and the South. It makes things much simpler, but it still has Louisville as a border city of both cultures.
I think what makes Louisville so hard to figure out is there are transplanted people from places like Chicago and other Midwestern cities to go along with the ones from throughout the state that have moved here. So you bring in both Midwestern and Southern cultures and it just makes this city kinda unique. The state really does have a diverse feel to it as the other poster mentioned.
If I were to just go by geography, I would probably make the Ohio River the dividing point between the Midwest/North and the South. It makes things much simpler, but it still has Louisville as a border city of both cultures.
There are no lines. It's gradual. The further North you go the more it feels like you're in the Midwest. North of Dry Ridge it feels like you're in Ohio. The further South you go the more Southern it feels. In general the whole state of Kentucky has considerably less Southern culture than a state like Tennessee. Honestly, Kentucky is like Florida in that it is a melting pot of cultures.....just not quite as striking.
Very good analysis, except that as a western KY native (Union County) now living in Evansville, I can assure you that most of us would strongly disagree with the characterization that we are like southern IN. The topography of the river counties near Evansville (Union, Henderson, and Daviess) do have a midwestern look but culturally are quite different than Evansville. Growing up and even to this day, there has always been a strong IN/KY rivalry in my part of the world. There's a HUGE difference when you cross the Ohio River. Western Ky BBQ is just another example,Kentucky is an odd place, culturally speaking. I've lived and worked all over Kentucky (and the deep south--mostly Georgia) and I see it as being four different states culturally / geographically.
1) The triangle of Louisville, Covington, and Lexington is the bluegrass region. It's relatively upscale (compared to most of Kentucky), urban, and bent toward an odd mix of agriculture and commerce. I would not call it, culturally, southern.
2) Out east, say from Estill county to the border, is Appalachia. Mountain folk, their attitudes built by their rugged surroundings. Appalachian culture is completely distinct from southern culture. There was no antebellum period in, say, Pike County's history.
3) West Ky (where I currently live) feels like an offshoot of southern Indiana. The topography is totally different from the rest of the country (Corn, soybeans, and flat fields as far as the eye can see). Even the accents are a kind of nasal Southern Illinois accent.
4) The Cumberland Gap region (south central Kentucky) is part of southern culture. The lakes and rivers, the food, the speech, the general feel of the culture are all southern.
There you have it. Kentucky, one of the most culturally diverse states in the union.
The southern part of west Ky (Hopkinsville, Mayfield etc) definitely have a southern feel to them. You'll definitely hear some authentic southern accents in those areas.
I've travelled throughout the eastern US. When I was in the south Iwas regarded and even referred to as a yankee. When I worked up north I was thought of as deep southerner. I think of myself as mostly mid-western. I grew up in Daviess county and most certainly do not think of myself as a southern Indiana person.
Then you are pushing probably 100,000 or more UK fans into Indiana. No thank you on that.
Always thought Ky was unique in that way too OP but without a doubt the border in terms of general divide between North and South is the river if you had to have a landmark and maybe dry ridge for cultural purposes. But KY is definitely a predominantly Southern state and for myself damn proud of it.
When i was a kid(i will be 60 in September) we used to make frequent trips from my hometown of Falmouth to Cincinnati. We used to pass a sign north of Alexandria that said we were crossing the Mason Dixon line. That sign is no longer there
I resist the current trend to divide and label everyone and every place. It is Kentucky and diverse in many ways. I have lived a number of places and know people from all over the Commonwealth. Outside of some people in Louisville, Northern Kentucky, and Lexington the rest of the population identify with the mid-South with moderate southern culture.
I Like Lex and it's not Southern culturally at all. Transplants. Liberal, openly G(r)ay Mayor. UK.
I come to west Ky with an outsider's perspective. I'm fully aware that most of my west Ky friends would chaff at the notion that they aren't sufficiently "southern", but my childhood near the Tennessee border has really defined what I view of southern, and west Ky does not fit that definition. My own opinion, of course. These these are great for debate, but getting definite answers is damn near impossible.
Kentucky is an odd place, culturally speaking. I've lived and worked all over Kentucky (and the deep south--mostly Georgia) and I see it as being four different states culturally / geographically.
1) The triangle of Louisville, Covington, and Lexington is the bluegrass region. It's relatively upscale (compared to most of Kentucky), urban, and bent toward an odd mix of agriculture and commerce. I would not call it, culturally, southern.
2) Out east, say from Estill county to the border, is Appalachia. Mountain folk, their attitudes built by their rugged surroundings. Appalachian culture is completely distinct from southern culture. There was no antebellum period in, say, Pike County's history.
3) West Ky (where I currently live) feels like an offshoot of southern Indiana. The topography is totally different from the rest of the country (Corn, soybeans, and flat fields as far as the eye can see). Even the accents are a kind of nasal Southern Illinois accent.
4) The Cumberland Gap region (south central Kentucky) is part of southern culture. The lakes and rivers, the food, the speech, the general feel of the culture are all southern.
There you have it. Kentucky, one of the most culturally diverse states in the union.
Good post.
Go back to when Kentucky was settled and populated. It wasn't the Cumberland Gap that got folks here, it was the Ohio River and flatboats. Maysville, Covington, Newport, Owensboro, and of course Louisville. Kentucky's population is mostly Lexington and north of that town,by far. Folks came out of New England and Pennsylvania on their way west, and decided to settle here.
So, where does the south become north and the north become south? Winchester east isn't north. More like West Virginia south. Bowling Green is south. Nashville has a big influence on that part of the state. West of 75 and south of Frankfort is small town America south.
I don't think of Kentucky, my state, in terms of north and south. We are Kentucky. It's a mix of a whole lot. We are regionally affected by the bigger cities in surrounding states. There is the agricultural culture of farming, particularly where the land levels out.
Leave you with this. I have been to all 50 states, lived in many of them, and there ain't no prettier country and women than the bluegrass state.
Kentucky is a southern state, even if it is one of the most northern ones. Anywhere south of Louisville or Lexington and you're going to experience much more southern culture than anything else. Hell, even parts of Louisville are really southern as far as culture goes. Same probably goes for Lex.
Definitely agree with your assessment of northern KY. I was born and raised in Covington, about 2 miles south of the Ohio River. Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Dayton and Bellevue are basically the southside of Cincinnati Ohio. Any time I meet someone and they want to know where I'm from, I proudly tell them I'm from Kentucky. They always point out that I have no southern accent, as if that's somehow a requirement. Odd!
The PC culture has changed Louisville a lot. Used to definitely be a Southern city but that has changed due to influx of people from the north. And it's not PC to be from the South.
Lots of people on this board make fun of people from KY with an accent.
Lots of people on this board make fun of people from KY with an accent.
The **** about west kentucky toward the top is absurd. Go to Fulton, mayfield, Murray, cadiz, Princeton, kuttawa, hoptown etc and tell me that feels Like southern Indiana. Jesus.
The only part that matters is central KY. Dry Ridge is the portal to the north. We should build a wall.
Obviously you do because you've gone to great lengths to distance yourself from being considered Southern.
Which is why I don't see why it's s big deal to BE Southern. It's no better than being from the north.
"Hey let's move to Florida and our problems will disappear".
Western is clannish aholes. Central has all the fat girls who wear Drew Carey glasses and homosexuals. Eastern is God's country populated by the most beautiful and kind people on the planet.
Just my personal experience.
Just my personal experience.