St. Louis' Regional Influences

[Arch City]

Originally Posted by Expat

I cannot believe that Joyce Meyers has suddenly become the voice of St. Louis. I was suprised to hear she is from St. Louis, because I don't recognize her accent. She said her father was a factory worker from the back hills of Kentucky. No doubt, moved to St. Louis for work, like so many southerners did in those days.

St. Louis was and is a port city. And a boomtown for decades. People came from all over. Houston probably has people with Chicago accents, but that doesn't make Houston a midwestern city.

Oh Lord. Meyer is not "the" voice of St. Louis, she is simply "a" voice of St. Louis. Further Expat, SHE was born and raised in St. Louis irrespective of where her father was born. You also help to validate my point by suggesting her father was a migrant to St. Louis from Kentucky. How? All of my family in St. Louis has southern roots too - paternal and maternal. ALL of them......which is why many of them STILL have southern-tinged accents, mores, customs and traditions, which is no different than Joyce Meyer who was born and raised in St. Louis like me and my family. Her unrecognizable accent makes her no less of a St. Louisan than you living in Boston, STLgasm living in S-D or the CWE or Jack Dorsey living in the Silicon Valley.

And where is it written or who here suggested that St. Louis is a southern city? Why is there this desire by y'all to disconnect St. Louis from the obvious? It's kind of condescending. Confederate history is all over that place as well as the Union's. And I've often heard an expression that St. Louis is still fighting the Civil War. Black vs. White, North vs. South. A desire by some to minimize its Southern influences and associate more with northern cities. Maybe it's true.

And if half of Chicagoans moved to Houston, after a while, the Houston Texas twang would change a little, but nobody would ever mistake Houston for a "Midwestern city". It's nowhere near the Midwest like St. Louis is to the South. Face it y'all, St. Louis is southern "influenced", however that doesn't negate other regional influences obvious in St. Louis. And it certainly doesn't negate the fact that St. Louis has cultivated its very own regional culture, which is recognized by outsiders.

Say what you want, many cities in the South are kicking the Midwest's ass (including St. Louis') lately in almost every economic indicator. Cities like Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte are taking care of business. Even in a down economy, they are still kicking the Midwest's butt. Nashville (5 hours from St. Louis) is on the rise too.

I know some St. Louisans want to minimize its southern side, but obviously there are some notes to be taken. It ain't all bad in the South.

[Centropolis]

The southern cooking here still sucks.

Diners Delight is OK.

[Arch City]

Originally Posted by centropolis

the southern cooking here still sucks.

Diners delight is ok.

lol! Lol! Lol!

[Expat]

Arch City, I don't think we are that far apart. I liked what you said earlier about STL being a place where the east, west, north & south collide. There is truth in that.

Collide might be the right word, because it hasn't always been comfortable. A collision could be a better description than a gateway. Old mainline (central corridor) St. Louis vs. various immigrant groups from outside the US and within the US. In that regard, it reminds me of Boston. Proper old Boston had trouble accepting the Irish Catholic Kennedys, for instance. I don't want to bring up class, but St. Louis does have an issue along these lines. And I think that is where some of the quick & harsh denial of southerness comes from. Old St. Louis see southerners as those people that came from the back hills of Kentucky or similar. Hardscrabble people coming for factory jobs.

We need to get past our Victorian era divisions. Honestly, I admit to being guilty of this myself. I think St. Louis is where Boston was a few decades back. We need to move forward.

[masterwood]

I won't even get into this discussion of what regional influences define St. Louis, because really it's stupid. Our unique geography makes us what we are today, who cares what percentage of Southern, Northern, Mid-Atlantic, or Eastern we are. We have a unique culture and dialect and we all should embrace St. Louis for what it is, and that is all that should matter.

The thread was superb, and didn't want it to end! Even with all the decay and problems there is no other place on the planet that I would rather be living in than right here in the STL!

[Expat]

Originally Posted by masterwood

I won't even get into this discussion of what regional influences define St. Louis, because really it's stupid. Are unique geography makes us what we are today, who cares what percentage of Southern, Northern, Mid-Atlantic, or Eastern we are. We have a unique culture and dialect and we all should embrace St. Louis for what it is, and that is all that should matter.

The thread was superb, and didn't want it to end! Even with all the decay and problems there is no other place on the planet that I would rather be living in than right here in the STL!

Thanks, Masterwood. You are correct. Someone brings up the north/south/east/west thing. Someone from KC gets snide. Then my STL buttons are pushed. I really wish I had more discipline.

And yes, this photo thread is superb. My original comment was that St. Louis does it's own thing and these photographs capture it perfectly. Worth repeating, I think.

IWant2BeinSTL, thanks for these great photographs. They are nourishment for my soul and I look at them repeatedly. Like you, I want to be in STL.

[Arch City]

Originally Posted by masterwood

I won't even get into this discussion of what regional influences define St. Louis, because really it's stupid. Are unique geography makes us what we are today, who cares what percentage of Southern, Northern, Mid-Atlantic, or Eastern we are. We have a unique culture and dialect and we all should embrace St. Louis for what it is, and that is all that should matter.

It's funny that you ask, "who cares what percentage of Southern, Northern, Mid-Atlantic, or Eastern we are." Then add, "We have a unique culture and dialect and we all should embrace St. Louis for what it is, and that is all that should matter."

That's the point I have been making all along. The unique culture of metro St. Louis is resultant from all of the regional influences (Southern, Northern, Mid-Atlantic, or Eastern) you mentioned. This has not been a "stupid" discussion. I think that it is great when people enlighten one another with different perspectives - especially when it comes to St. Louis.

Expat, I feel you. I think your assessment is a good one. For me, it is easy to be realistic than to dodge the truth. No offense is taken here. I love St. Louis, but its social dynamics are very complex and ingrained. Although there have been big changes underway, I think with an infusion of new blood and if St. Louis seeks to become more international, it could be the city we all want it to be again. But the mentality there has to continue to change. Out with the old, in with the new. I hate seeing cities such as Atlanta, Houston and Dallas exploding the way they are and St. Louis lags. With the exception of Houston, neither is a coastal city/region but each is doing big things economically and socially. There's no reason St. Louis can't join them.

[masterwood]

Originally Posted by Arch City

This has not been a "stupid" discussion. I think that it is great when people enlighten one another with different perspectives - especially when it comes to St. Louis.

To me it is stupid just for the sheer fact that it has been talked about and discussed on countless threads on various websites way to much. Whenever I see or hear it brought up it just makes me wonder why people actually care about this.

I understand your point because with St. Louis sitting right in the middle of the country chances are St. Louis is going to have a little bit of everything resulting in a unique culture.

[Centropolis]

Bbq

[DeBaliviere]

I don't necessarily feel a northern/southern split living here, but in some ways, I do feel like this metro area has more of a rural feel than it used to - and that's not a good thing.

[dodeca]

Move the "foundry" line west a bit, and St. Louis is border town extraordinaire. In this sense, I'd say that StL has more in common with a place like Indianapolis, Columbus, and particularly, Cincinnati - the old industrial border town on the river with the splendid architecture and German heritage to match.