Kentucky and Indiana Are Placed in Odd Regions on a U.S. Cultural Map

Just like everyone else who attended a school, I learned a great deal about the Civil War when I was a kid. And that, of course, includes Kentucky's role in that conflict. We were considered neutral even though many a battle was fought within the borders of the Commonwealth.

In What Region Would You Place Kentucky?

Most Americans probably consider Kentucky a southern state, and our accents, if nothing else, bear that out. We certainly aren't northern, and midwestern seems like a stretch as well. The fact is, I've never been sure.

In What Region Would You Place Indiana?

Now, what about Indiana? I've always considered it a northern state. In fact, I've always considered the Ohio River sort of an extension of the Mason-Dixon Line which is only OFFICIALLY the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland. (By the way, does ANYONE think of Maryland as a southern state?)

On One Map, Kentucky and Indiana Are Oddly Placed

I bring these points up because of a U.S. cultural map I discovered in a Reddit thread that places both states in unusual regions, as far as I'm concerned--Kentucky's more so than Indiana's.

So, for starters, I probably wouldn't place Indiana in the Great Lakes region, but the Hoosier State DOES touch Lake Michigan. And since I don't think any of the other regional names or regions on this map seem to fit, Great Lakes it is. But I definitely wouldn't put Kentucky in the Ozarks region. We don't have Ozarks in Kentucky; just Appalachia, and that's covered.

The Cultural Region Map That Gets Kentucky and Indiana Right

But then, I discovered this far more ACCURATE map of cultural regions from the Matador Network, and it makes way more sense.

Now...that's more like it. Kentucky in Southern Appalachia and the Upper South. Indiana, still with the Great Lakes designation--but, appropriately, in the northern tier--and the Ohio River Valley, which is also its GEOGRAPHIC designation.

Of course these are sub-regions; Kentucky is in the South, and Indiana is in the Midwest.

Yeah, let's go with that; it's so much easier.