[kallenfranchise]

Originally Posted by swake

Again, that is YOUR perspective. If Tulsa is in the Midwest why would anyone from Tulsa post in a thread about cities NOT in the Midwest.

Here are just a few of the CURRENT news articles, all from local news outlets calling Tulsa and Oklahoma the Midwest.

KOTV (Channel 6 in Tulsa), calling Tulsa the Midwest.

Oklahoma Police Departments Compete In SWAT Games - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

Tulsa World, calling the Floral Haven flag display in Broken Arrow

Memorial Day overview: plan your weekend - Tulsa World: Homepagelatest

Miami News Record (Miami, OK) calls a local baseball team that is in fact named the Midwest Express

Midwest Express wins tourney title at BA - Miami News Record: Sports

Tulsa World, talking about a Tulsa based company, no mention of the south:

Arby's to reopen in downtown Tulsa - Tulsa World: Retail

Public Radio Tulsa – KWGS

Latest In Sports: From NBA Drama To World Cup News | Public Radio Tulsa

So, the news media calls it Midwestern...then it's Midwestern? Do you have the "if it's on the news then it must be true" reasoning? If I believed EVERYTHING I heard on the news, oh the trouble that I would be in. Thank God for reason and discernment.

It's ok to be southern. I'm proud to be a Southern boy. The South has some great merits. Does being midwestern make you feel better? Does it help you sleep at night? I have found that people living on the border side of Kansas and Missouri actually consider themselves more southern rather than Midwestern, even though Kansas and Missouri is geographically Midwestern.

Oklahoma is historically southern, geographically southern, and several Okies in this forum and outside this forum have stated that it is also culturally southern. That doesn't mean that cities like Tulsa are without a Midwestern influence. Anytime enough transplants move to one area like Tulsa, it's foolish to say that the city's culture wouldn't be altered a bit. Overall, Oklahoma is still southern and Tulsa is still southern.

Please don't believe EVERYTHING you hear on the news!! God forbid if they tell you to line up to jump off a bridge.....I surely hope you wouldn't go along with it..

[Studying Okie]

Hello all!

Oklahoma's region within the US is a topic I've tried to gain some insight into. I've spent most of my time between Oklahoma City and SW Oklahoma and growing up I thought of Oklahoma as a Southern state. More and more I hear us being labeled as Midwestern and that's what brings me here!

I think the Oklahoma definition of Midwestern refers more to the geographically central states from Texas to the Dakotas and not what people from the "actual" Midwestern states think it is. In this definition Oklahoma could easily be thought of as part of the states that aren't part of the far west but still west of the Mississippi River. The cultural definition of "Midwestern" is a bit different and I (personally) wouldn't include Oklahoma in this region.

There are a million things that have shaped my view of this topic; some big things like history and geography and some small things make me think Oklahoma is a Southern state.

There's a lot of the South left in Oklahoma City. Magnolias and Live Oaks, Southern accents and food, schools named for Confederate officers are all present in OKC.

I don't mean to offend or attack anyone arguing the opposite! I just felt like participating a little in the conversation!

[swake]

Originally Posted by kallenfranchise

So, the news media calls it Midwestern...then it's Midwestern? Do you have the "if it's on the news then it must be true" reasoning? If I believed EVERYTHING I heard on the news, oh the trouble that I would be in. Thank God for reason and discernment.

It's ok to be southern. I'm proud to be a Southern boy. The South has some great merits. Does being midwestern make you feel better? Does it help you sleep at night? I have found that people living on the border side of Kansas and Missouri actually consider themselves more southern rather than Midwestern, even though Kansas and Missouri is geographically Midwestern.

Oklahoma is historically southern, geographically southern, and several Okies in this forum and outside this forum have stated that it is also culturally southern. That doesn't mean that cities like Tulsa are without a Midwestern influence. Anytime enough transplants move to one area like Tulsa, it's foolish to say that the city's culture wouldn't be altered a bit. Overall, Oklahoma is still southern and Tulsa is still southern.

Please don't believe EVERYTHING you hear on the news!! God forbid if they tell you to line up to jump off a bridge.....I surely hope you wouldn't go along with it..

How about a city of Tulsa senior official interviewed on the radio this morning.

Tulsa Transit General Manager Bill Cartwright said if the plan gets council approval, the higher fares will likely stick.

"The new level (of fares) that we're proposing to raise the fares [to] is in line with other transit agencies in the Midwest,"

Tulsa Transit Board Approves Fare Hikes | Public Radio Tulsa

I don't get why people are so offended by this. It's just simply a fact, neither good nor bad, that the people in the Tulsa area generally consider themselves to be in the Midwest. I will also point out that all these posters that are so worried about wanting to label Tulsa as a southern city, are not from Tulsa.

[okie1962]

Originally Posted by kallenfranchise

So, the news media calls it Midwestern...then it's Midwestern? Do you have the "if it's on the news then it must be true" reasoning? If I believed EVERYTHING I heard on the news, oh the trouble that I would be in. Thank God for reason and discernment.

It's ok to be southern. I'm proud to be a Southern boy. The South has some great merits. Does being midwestern make you feel better? Does it help you sleep at night? I have found that people living on the border side of Kansas and Missouri actually consider themselves more southern rather than Midwestern, even though Kansas and Missouri is geographically Midwestern.

Oklahoma is historically southern, geographically southern, and several Okies in this forum and outside this forum have stated that it is also culturally southern. That doesn't mean that cities like Tulsa are without a Midwestern influence. Anytime enough transplants move to one area like Tulsa, it's foolish to say that the city's culture wouldn't be altered a bit. Overall, Oklahoma is still southern and Tulsa is still southern.

Please don't believe EVERYTHING you hear on the news!! God forbid if they tell you to line up to jump off a bridge.....I surely hope you wouldn't go along with it..

Well slap my knee and dip me in buttermilk! I wish I was from Texas so I could know it all.

[Rubi3]

Originally Posted by okie1962

Well slap my knee and dip me in buttermilk! I wish I was from Texas so I could know it all.

What? You think we don't need anyone from Texas (or anywhere else) to explain Oklahoma to us? Hmm... I'm only kidding, of course. LOL It's bad enough that someone insists Oklahoma is the SOUTH, when I know it's The Southwest. It's truly many things, but it simply isn't reasonable to say one part is this and one part is that. One word has to cover it all, but if Tulsa wants to call it's location the Midwest, it's fine with me. Yes, I know someone will soon put in an appearance to once again peat and repeat all that's been posted before; but, I didn't buy it then and won't buy it later. (And after all is said and done, I don't care. Nothing about it is going to change my life in any way.)

[kallenfranchise]

Originally Posted by swake

How about a city of Tulsa senior official interviewed on the radio this morning.


Tulsa Transit Board Approves Fare Hikes | Public Radio Tulsa

I don't get why people are so offended by this. It's just simply a fact, neither good nor bad, that the people in the Tulsa area generally consider themselves to be in the Midwest. I will also point out that all these posters that are so worried about wanting to label Tulsa as a southern city, are not from Tulsa.

Your post proves my point. The Tulsa official could be of the same mindset as you. It doesn't mean that it's true. It appears that you are of the "if I hear it on the news then it must be true." The news can be quite influential if everybody believes what they tell them.

Do you know what a fact is? Gravity is a fact. You can't disprove gravity. The sun rises and the sun sets. No one disagrees with that. There are men and women. There are plants and animals. Do you get the point? Those are facts.

There is one thing that you're right about and that is I am not from Tulsa. I don't need to be from Tulsa. Have you not seen all of the Tulsans that disagree with you? Yeah... they are a few that agree with you and they probably believe everything they hear on the news too.

[kallenfranchise]

Originally Posted by Rubi3

What? You think we don't need anyone from Texas (or anywhere else) to explain Oklahoma to us? Hmm... I'm only kidding, of course. LOL It's bad enough that someone insists Oklahoma is the SOUTH, when I know it's The Southwest. It's truly many things, but it simply isn't reasonable to say one part is this and one part is that. One word has to cover it all, but if Tulsa wants to call it's location the Midwest, it's fine with me. Yes, I know someone will soon put in an appearance to once again peat and repeat all that's been posted before; but, I didn't buy it then and won't buy it later. (And after all is said and done, I don't care. Nothing about it is going to change my life in any way.)

I'm not saying that Tulsa doesn't have a Midwest influence because I believe it does. And you're right.. people are going to say what they want about whatever. But when I think of the Southwest, Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas (El Paso) comes to mind. There is Oklahoma's panhandle that can be labeled as Southwestern but there is a small population that lives there. What makes Oklahoma an overall southwestern state?

[swake]

Originally Posted by kallenfranchise

Your post proves my point. The Tulsa official could be of the same mindset as you. It doesn't mean that it's true. It appears that you are of the "if I hear it on the news then it must be true." The news can be quite influential if everybody believes what they tell them.

Do you know what a fact is? Gravity is a fact. You can't disprove gravity. The sun rises and the sun sets. No one disagrees with that. There are men and women. There are plants and animals. Do you get the point? Those are facts.

There is one thing that you're right about and that is I am not from Tulsa. I don't need to be from Tulsa. Have you not seen all of the Tulsans that disagree with you? Yeah... they are a few that agree with you and they probably believe everything they hear on the news too.

No, you aren't from Tulsa (how many times have you even visited?) while I am and my family has been here for over 100 years. My wife's family has been here almost 200 years. But I don't know what I am talking about and I don't know the "facts".

Oh, and the people that disagree with me? While some are from Oklahoma almost none are from Tulsa.

[kallenfranchise]

Originally Posted by okie1962

Well slap my knee and dip me in buttermilk! I wish I was from Texas so I could know it all.

There are people who lived their whole lives in one state and still don't know much about that state.

There are people who have lived a few years in a state and know more about the state than some natives.

There are people who have never lived in the state and still know more about the state than some natives.

How is that possible? It's called a college degree, an internship, a fellowship, relatives, do I need to keep going on.

That doesn't discount your experiences or knowledge. But you can't discount a person who is highly educated in these subjects either.

I'm not saying that Oklahoma is 100% southern. I'm saying that the majority of the state is Southern. The majority means anything that is over 50%.

[kallenfranchise]

Originally Posted by swake

No, you aren't from Tulsa (how many times have you even visited?) while I am and my family has been here for over 100 years. My wife's family has been here almost 200 years. But I don't know what I am talking about and I don't know the "facts".

Oh, and the people that disagree with me? While some are from Oklahoma almost none are from Tulsa.

I got nothing but love for you. I hope you're not taking it personally. It's ok to disagree. It's called "agree to disagree." You have your opinions and I have mine.

Take 2 owners with successful businesses.

One graduated from college (education) and the other never went to college (experience only) but both of their businesses have the same net worth.

Neither party is better because both have the same net worth.

I hope you understand my point.