User talk:Floyd314

Definitions of The South
Any definition of "the south" is by nature subjective. Most would agree that Alabama and Georgia are part of this region, but what about the Appalachian region of Ohio or Florida? Miami has little in common with Montgomery. Conversely, the residents of Appalachian Ohio are as "southern" or "Appalachian" as anyone in West Virginia or East Tennessee. But the U.S. Census Bureau defines Ohio as a Midwestern state. Some of Ohio may be "Midwestern" and some may be "Southern". This is why definitions of "The South" that depend rigidly on state boundaries, which are fairly arbitrary in any event, are inherently incomplete and inaccurate. There is a small town in the Ozarks that is partly in Missouri and partly in Arkansas. Does it really make sense to call the Arkansas residents of the town "Southerners" and the Missouri residents "Midwesterners"? Of course not. This sort of thing is why the U.S. Census Bureau definitions of "The South", "The Midwest" etc cannot be taken as the final word. Alternative definitions are needed that attempt the (admittedly impossible) task of subdividing the nation according to cultural factors. This is the sort of definition attempted by authors such as Garreau (The Nine Nations of North America) and Fischer (Albion's Seed).