You know what I noticed about TN, WV, KY?

[Reaganfan]

All my childhood, I would often go on fishing trips to the Ohio River with my dad...and we would drive down to West Virginia/Ohio border area which is only 4 hrs away. In 2005, we drove down to Florida...including Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. In 2006, we had to drive to my cousin's wedding in North Carolina. This past January, I joined Keystone Phil and Nixon Now in a road trip to Iowa for the Caucus...with stops through Indiana, and Illinois.

What I noticed about many areas (especially WV, TN and KY) was how much I liked them. To me, driving on the highway, taking a scenic route, stopping at Waffle Houses and grabbing snacks and coffee at random gas stations was only part of it. While driving, listening to talk radio shows like Art Bell and George Noory late at night...finding new radio stations once the signal was lost from the old ones...random Classic Rock and Country stations...just good old fashioned music.

Then, the people you meet are so friendly and decent...it screams Heartland America. To me...these areas almost make me feel like time isn't moving as fast as it seems up here near Cleveland. Areas like Tennessee and West Virginia and Kentucky....with the green hills of Appalachica almost seem like they are a brief respite of these fast paced times.

Anyone concur? Know what I'm talking about?

[dead0man]

People have been saying the same things since ancient Athens.  Things seem to move slower in the country and faster in the city.  Country is calm, city is hectic.  Hopefully you can enjoy both, some people can't.

[memphis]

We do have cities too, you know. Louisville, in particular, is a really cool town.

[AndrewTX]

I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Person Man]

People there sorta freak me out. Just look at my mom's sister's family.

[Хahar 🤔]

I've never gotten that myself.

[Torie]

The area is gorgeous, particularly the eastern two thirds of Kentucky and Tennessee. The rolling hills of Al Gore country in Middle Tennessee east of Nashville is particularly scenic to me.  Some of the towns in Kentucky and Eastern Tennessee are so cute that you want to kiss them, like Georgetown, Kentucky. Outside of the Nashville area however, the economy is pretty somnolent.

By the way,  you are in the Lexington area, be sure to go see Henry Clay's home. The neighborhood around it the the boulevard running past it from downtown to the interstate, is one of the most gorgeous in the United States. It sports large yards, and beautiful architecture and trees. 

[Ban my account ffs!]

I've never been there.

I did take a drive through rural Utah though.. and the people weren't very friendly.  It wasn't until we got to Nebraska that they got friendly again.

[YRABNNRM]

You know what, Naso? I know what you're talking about.

[Ban my account ffs!]

And yet... nothing is more "Americana" than Iowa.

[Reaganfan]

And yet... nothing is more "Americana" than Iowa.

Let me say...the differences between West Virginia/Kentucky/Tennessee and Iowa were large. To me, Iowa...while filled with many farmland areas...didn't come across as "folksy" to me as you would think.

[The Mikado]

I've been to WV and KY exactly once, and TN never.  WV is gorgeous, except when it isn't.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The pace of life in genuinely rural areas (and in towns outside major metropolitan influence) has often seemed to people from metropolitan areas to be curiously slow (whether this is deemed to be a good thing and "serene" or a bad thing and "lazy" depends on the traveller) but, especially historically, is mostly an illusion (ie; a great deal of activity simply happend at times and in places that no outsider saw or was interested in; during the harvest, down mines, inside cottages (thinking of homeworking in the textile industry here) and so on and so forth). As is the feeling that things must have always been the same because of the apparently slow pace of life.

Though... I still do get slightly bemused at the way some people in large cities rush around for no reason.

[Хahar 🤔]

I've never been there.

I did take a drive through rural Utah though.. and the people weren't very friendly.  It wasn't until we got to Nebraska that they got friendly again.

Really? My dad went to school in Utah and he says Mormons are very friendly.

[Keystone Phil]

And yet... nothing is more "Americana" than Iowa.

Let me say...the differences between West Virginia/Kentucky/Tennessee and Iowa were large. To me, Iowa...while filled with many farmland areas...didn't come across as "folksy" to me as you would think.

We spent our time in Iowa in and around Des Moines almost all the time. Almost every interaction we had with Iowans happened in and around Des Moines. That's probably why you feel this way.

[Ban my account ffs!]

And yet... nothing is more "Americana" than Iowa.

Let me say...the differences between West Virginia/Kentucky/Tennessee and Iowa were large. To me, Iowa...while filled with many farmland areas...didn't come across as "folksy" to me as you would think.

Folksy?  No.  Iowa is about as far from folksy as you can get for a "farm" state.  I'm talking about the warmth and friendliness of the people among other things.  When you take a good, long look at Iowa and Iowans and their history and culture, you'll find that many of the very things we associate with Americana come from that part of the country.

Kentucky and Tennessee have a mountain/hillbilly/southern folksy feel to it.  Iowa is Americana.  We're talking Spamburgers and mashed rutabagas on fancy paper plates Americana... okay?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Meh. I wouldn't associate farmers with being all folksy anyway. Miserable buggers for the most part.

[Хahar 🤔]

Meh. I wouldn't associate farmers with being all folksy anyway. Miserable buggers for the most part.

You're descended from them, no?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Meh. I wouldn't associate farmers with being all folksy anyway. Miserable buggers for the most part.

You're descended from them, no?

Not really, though you might have a broader definition of "farmer" than I do.

[Хahar 🤔]

Meh. I wouldn't associate farmers with being all folksy anyway. Miserable buggers for the most part.

You're descended from them, no?

Not really, though you might have a broader definition of "farmer" than I do.

Did they vote Whig?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Meh. I wouldn't associate farmers with being all folksy anyway. Miserable buggers for the most part.

You're descended from them, no?

Not really, though you might have a broader definition of "farmer" than I do.

Did they vote Whig?

No. Back then they couldn't vote (or at least none that I'm aware of). As far as I know most voted Liberal as soon as they could vote, being largely Nonconformists and all that.

[Хahar 🤔]

Meh. I wouldn't associate farmers with being all folksy anyway. Miserable buggers for the most part.

You're descended from them, no?

Not really, though you might have a broader definition of "farmer" than I do.

Did they vote Whig?

No. Back then they couldn't vote (or at least none that I'm aware of). As far as I know most voted Liberal as soon as they could vote, being largely Nonconformists and all that.

So they were tenants?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Meh. I wouldn't associate farmers with being all folksy anyway. Miserable buggers for the most part.

You're descended from them, no?

Not really, though you might have a broader definition of "farmer" than I do.

Did they vote Whig?

No. Back then they couldn't vote (or at least none that I'm aware of). As far as I know most voted Liberal as soon as they could vote, being largely Nonconformists and all that.

So they were tenants?

Yes. Just about everyone was back then.

[War on Want]

Meh. I wouldn't associate farmers with being all folksy anyway. Miserable buggers for the most part.

You're descended from them, no?

Not really, though you might have a broader definition of "farmer" than I do.

Did they vote Whig?

No. Back then they couldn't vote (or at least none that I'm aware of). As far as I know most voted Liberal as soon as they could vote, being largely Nonconformists and all that.

That makes perfect sense, most farmers/rural people around here are definatley non-conformists. Now of course some are completley different and are just hippies that vote for Democrats but others were huge Ron Paul supporters, and have been Liberitarian voters to an extent along with huge suspicion of the government.

[Хahar 🤔]

Meh. I wouldn't associate farmers with being all folksy anyway. Miserable buggers for the most part.

You're descended from them, no?

Not really, though you might have a broader definition of "farmer" than I do.

Did they vote Whig?

No. Back then they couldn't vote (or at least none that I'm aware of). As far as I know most voted Liberal as soon as they could vote, being largely Nonconformists and all that.

That makes perfect sense, most farmers/rural people around here are definatley non-conformists. Now of course some are completley different and are just hippies that vote for Democrats but others were huge Ron Paul supporters, and have been Liberitarian voters to an extent along with huge suspicion of the government.

Non-conformist means something very specific in Wales.

Yes. Just about everyone was back then.

So I'd call them farmers.