[Dawn.Davenport]

In terms of culture, geography, and identity, would you consider Oklahoma to be part of the Southwest (along with Arizona and New Mexico), part of the South (with Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee), or part of the Midwest (with Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska)?

[eddie gein]

The south is probably the most dominant but the southwestern part of the state is somewhat southwestern and the northwest part of the state has more in common with the plains parts of Texas, Kansas. Tulsa has a hint of midwestern and even a touch of east coast aristocracy.

Oklahoma, probably more than any other state doesn't fit a category very well as it transitions toward the culture, climate and topography of the state you are heading toward.

[Yn0hTnA]

Oklahoma and Texas, in my opinion, form their own unique region; a transition between the south and the southwest. Both states contain elements of the south, but don't fit squarely in the region, and both states contain elements of the southwest but don't fit squarely in that region.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

South X Southwest.

Midwest? No way. Look on the General Forum which has a plethora of threads about the Midwest. Oklahoma is virtually never mentioned in such threads.

[ironhorseherb]

Hasn't this horse been beat to death many times?

[okie1962]

Originally Posted by ironhorseherb

Hasn't this horse been beat to death many times?

Yes it has!

[okie1962]

Originally Posted by Bass&Catfish2008

South X Southwest.

Midwest? No way. Look on the General Forum which has a plethora of threads about the Midwest. Oklahoma is virtually never mentioned in such threads.

I have seen a lot of threads where folks think Oklahoma is a midwest state. Go to the search feature on City Data and type "Oklahoma Midwest" a ton of post will come up. I work all over the country and a lot of folks think we are a midwest state.

I think Eastern Oklahoma is a lot more like the South, but anything pretty much west of HY 75 has very little in common with the South. OKC, Enid, Stillwater, Lawton, Clinton... have a lot more in common with Kansas, Nebraska or Iowa than any Southern State. For the life of me I can't see where anyone would think a city that sits on the edge of the Great Plains could be anything remotely Southern.

[dvxhd]

I would throw California and Nevada into the Southwest definition, arguably Utah and Colorado too. In any case, that's my home turf, and I can say Oklahoma is definitely NOT Southwestern. There's more of an emphasis on individuality there, church attendance is generally lower, Spain and Mexico had more influence and people are all around just different there from here. Even that "cowboy" association in Oklahoma is misleading in regards to the Southwest, as they weren't unique to that region. A lot of states outside the Southwest have had cowboys, or still do.

[okie1962]

Originally Posted by dvxhd

I would throw California and Nevada into the Southwest definition, arguably Utah and Colorado too. In any case, that's my home turf, and I can say Oklahoma is definitely NOT Southwestern. There's more of an emphasis on individuality there, church attendance is generally lower, Spain and Mexico had more influence and people are all around just different there from here. Even that "cowboy" association in Oklahoma is misleading in regards to the Southwest, as they weren't unique to that region. A lot of states outside the Southwest have had cowboys, or still do.

I totally agree, also the SW tends to be Catholic were Oklahoma is strongly evangelical fundamentalist.

[dvxhd]

Originally Posted by okie1962

I totally agree, also the SW tends to be Catholic were Oklahoma is strongly evangelical fundamentalist.

It's hard to describe. At home, self-expression wasn't really a big deal, but conformity and cultural norms seem to be more encouraged here. No one has the Okie or Southern accents there, unless they moved from those areas. There are also speech patterns and words used in those areas that aren't here. A good example people have pointed out is when I use "the" in front of a freeway number, which is common in the Southwest. I would say "take the 40 to the 35" but people here put "I-" or "Highway" in front of the numbers. Questions can be taken as greetings there, not questions. My friend can say "what's up" and I can respond "how's it going" and both just mean "hello." Okies usually take offense when they say "how are you" and I respond with a greeting. In that regard, I would say we're less formal. Spanish words also tend to trickle into your vocabulary when you live out there. People are more aggressive in those areas too, especially on the road. The drinking culture (namely bar scene) in Oklahoma was mentioned in another recent thread, in that it isn't that big here. There, bars and clubs have to be creative to survive or people will go elsewhere. You can generally find several pockets in town with heavy concentrations of nightlife. In my experience, people there are more respectful of privacy and personal space than they are here. Social relationships are a bit more lax there too, and people generally don't take offense to insinuated rejections. People here have asked to hang out with me and get upset if I don't jump all over it, even if I have plans or just don't feel like hanging out. Regionally, I think LA has a tremendous cultural impact/influence over the region, whereas (and I could be wrong) Dallas seems to have more cultural influence over OKC.

A HUGE difference I've seen is regarding "outsiders". They are far more welcome and accepted in the Southwest than they are here. That doesn't exactly help me to feel at home, and makes me resist Oklahoma even more. It just snowballs into more. There's also a "make your own family" mentality in the Southwest, where people create close(r) bonds with friends over relatives. Physically, I would add that people tend to take better care of themselves in the Southwest, through diet, exercise, grooming, etc. There's also more emphasis on fiscal conservatism over social. Sure, you'll find social conservatives there, but generally most people don't seem to get so hostile regarding civil liberties. Some state politics would suggest otherwise... but many of those states also have low voter turnout.

Those are just some examples, but there are so many to list. I just don't see Oklahoma as Southwestern in any way, and there are very, very few cultural similarities.