[Caleb0]

Originally Posted by Bass&Catfish2008

>>>>>
I was born and raised in Lawton, OK and I currently live in Columbus, OH. Let me tell you this, if you were to tell anybody up here that OK is the MIDWEST they would laugh in your face.
<<<<<

That is true. Sorry to hear a born&bred Okie doesn't live here anymore.

Your right. The best way to avoid confusion is to call Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, ect, the Great Plains, and the Ohio, Indiana, ect area, the Midwest.

[GraniteStater]

Oklahoma is much too far south in latitude to be considered the Midwest.

[Goodpasture]

Is there something wrong with calling Oklahoma "Oklahoma"? Do you say NYC is like Chicago except its on the ocean? Miami is like LA except for the Cubans?

The south is frequently defined by its history of slavery, tobacco, and cotton. New England is defined by the ocean, fishing, dairy, industrialization. West Virginia is often defined by its coal mines. These are called roots. Oklahoma's roots are a waste land where NDNs hung out plus part of the "Great American Desert" that has become a bread basket. Wanna define Oklahoma, look no further than John Ross, Euchee, Quanah Parker, Elias Boudinot.....and the great men of wisdom and vision and willingness to die for their people found among all the Nations........look no further than the middle aged man with a wife and kids trying to prove up their 160. Look no further than the wildcatter who brings in another gusher..........does Texas try to be someone else? of course not. So why should Okies try to be someone else........I'm an Okie......my roots are Tsa La Ghi and Sooner.........100% American.....I'm not an Ohioan with a funny accent.

[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Is there something wrong with calling Oklahoma "Oklahoma"? Do you say NYC is like Chicago except its on the ocean? Miami is like LA except for the Cubans?

The south is frequently defined by its history of slavery, tobacco, and cotton. New England is defined by the ocean, fishing, dairy, industrialization. West Virginia is often defined by its coal mines. These are called roots. Oklahoma's roots are a waste land where NDNs hung out plus part of the "Great American Desert" that has become a bread basket. Wanna define Oklahoma, look no further than John Ross, Euchee, Quanah Parker, Elias Boudinot.....and the great men of wisdom and vision and willingness to die for their people found among all the Nations........look no further than the middle aged man with a wife and kids trying to prove up their 160. Look no further than the wildcatter who brings in another gusher..........does Texas try to be someone else? of course not. So why should Okies try to be someone else........I'm an Okie......my roots are Tsa La Ghi and Sooner.........100% American.....

.

No, your an Okie with a funny accent.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by mkfarnam

No, your an Okie with a funny accent.

No the Yankees are the ones with an accent. We speak perfect American English....well, ok, perfect American Okie.

[Mike McCoy]

Really neither, but it is a lot more western than southern.

[Dee in Oklahoma]

I have lived all my life in Oklahoma, we are not south, but we are a little southern we are not west, but we are a little western, we are a melting pot of so many cultures, and nationalitys ( American Indian, Mexican, Asian, African American, ect....) I personaly think we are a State and a People in a class all our own,......(we are too uppidy to be sothern, we are too laided back to be mid-west, we are too urban to be west.....LOL)......we are a state like no other....we are Oklahoma......Oklahomans.....Okies, and proud of it.....just my opinion

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by Dee in Oklahoma

I have lived all my life in Oklahoma, we are not south, but we are a little southern we are not west, but we are a little western, we are a melting pot of so many cultures, and nationalitys ( American Indian, Mexican, Asian, African American, ect....) I personaly think we are a State and a People in a class all our own,......(we are too uppidy to be sothern, we are too laided back to be mid-west, we are too urban to be west.....LOL)......we are a state like no other....we are Oklahoma......Oklahomans.....Okies, and proud of it.....just my opinion

I agree that Oklahoma is a state like no other, much like Texas.

For me, the effect clashing of regions has on Oklahoma isn't that difficult to understand. Oklahoma is simply a mixture of Southern, Midwestern, Western, Southwestern, and Texas. Each one of those regions tapers out into Oklahoma in terms of culture, primary ancestries, Christian denominations, economics and natural resources, geography, and architecture. Looking up maps of ancestry, denominations, and geographic features really helps visualize it all.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Good insights from the recent posters.

I think this thread is a much more legitimate inquiry based on obvious cultural, historical, and geographical indicators than the other one about the Midwest.

I actually see Oklahoma as the perfect mixture of Southern and Southwestern designators like Texas. Based on culture, history, and geography whatever region Oklahoma situates in so goes Texas and vice-a-verse. So, along with Southern semblances it obviously carries some Western (and Southwestern) traits, IMO. The culture and mentality of the people of Oklahoma is a lot like Texas except without all the arrogance. Okies have TONS of state pride, but not the myopic pride that you might see in some of the few bad apples from Tejas.

Just like Texas, you can make a good argument that Oklahoma is a part of the Southwest/West/South given official regional maps, etc. Using the same criteria you cannot include Oklahoma as a part of the Midwest (unless we're talking about a different "Midwest" than the Missouri/Kansas/Nebraska/Dakotas/Iowa/Whiskey/Meechigan/Minnesota/Ohio/Illinois/Indiana). Just a few thoughts in passing.

[thepastorsson]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

[/b]

This is ironic because I think SE Oklahoma is the MOST distinctive region in this regard. They call it "Little Dixie" for instance. Places like Idabel and Broken Bow are literally cut off by the mountains and have way more in common with Arkansas/NE Texas/Louisiana. Poteau is basically a suburb of Ft. Smith.

Maybe the panhandle is more great plains (the most like the surrounding states) but to me SE Oklahoma.......McAlester and further seem pretty southern.

My mom is from SE Oklahoma, and I still have family that lives there. I also lived in Tulsa for many years.

SE OK truly is very southern, and Tulsa seems a world away! People I know that were born and raised in Tulsa don't even have an accent, while my mom's family sound way southern!