LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) --It's a question that has Kentuckiana divided. A geographical conundrum about the city we call home.
Is Louisville in the Midwest or the South?
"Midwest," said one walker on the Big Four Bridge.
"South," said another.
There's legit regional rationale behind each answer given.
The debates and arguments can be put to a halt.
Peter Galvin has made knowing everything about maps, lands, and regions his livelihood.
He's an IU Southeast Professor of Geography, who says there's no Mason Dixon line that clearly shows where the regions separate.
Instead, just theories and opinions.
"My opinion would be to put it in the South," said Galvin.
Galvin has thought a lot about this in his 20 plus years of teaching in southern Indiana.
Historically, he says, it makes sense to draw the line between the South and Midwest at the Ohio River.
"This is largely a legacy of the Civil War and the Confederacy. But, Kentucky was a slave state. In many people's mind-- that puts it firmly in the south," Galvin explained.
But, he says you should also consider what he calls the "Ya'll line."
A cultural line of distinction that separates the following:
-Those who say "Ya'll" instead of "You Guys."
-Watering holes, where patrons prefer bourbon over beer.
-Restaurants that serve grits with most dishes versus those that don't.
"It (the Y'all line) really doesn't diminish until you get to about Seymour," he said.
That means cities like Jeffersonville, Clarksville, and New Albany would also be considered southern.
Now there are all of kinds of different disagreements that have started, right?
Maybe we should just call it all Kentuckiana, and leave it at that.
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