Maybe but it’s still cold. More temperate? It’s Knoxville not Miami. Lol
Why so few Americans live in Kentucky compared to Tennessee
- Thread starter KAB Cats
- Start date
I would never live in Nashville simply because of the traffic. But we go there on occasion for events and drive through there to Alabama a few times a year. Its booming. We used to laugh at the number of construction cranes downtown.
The tax thing should not be overlooked.
The decline of Louisville and the boom of Nashville, and other cities that was considered on level ground at one point, is due to piss poor leadership over a number of years, imo. But I digress.
I love visiting Tennessee. The only downside to the place is that ugly orange stain in Knoxville.
The tax thing should not be overlooked.
The decline of Louisville and the boom of Nashville, and other cities that was considered on level ground at one point, is due to piss poor leadership over a number of years, imo. But I digress.
I love visiting Tennessee. The only downside to the place is that ugly orange stain in Knoxville.
Same here. Some people just choose bad company and want to paint everyone else with the brush of their poor choices. It makes them feel better about themselves because they didn't make any kind of effort to change those peopke and things around them.
Kentucky has 64 and 75, plus that one that runs from Indiana south through New Albany, and one that runs from Cincy down through KY near Bardstown somewhere.
It's not about highways, just like it's no longer about rivers.
It's about revenue and airports. It's about taxes and jobs. It's about destinations and production.
KY hurt itself getting rid of tobacco and also by not going full steam ahead with hemp decades ago. Horse industry just isn't what it once was. Too much else competing with it now. Gambling will likely finish off the state. Instead of producing, we've gone to just consuming.
This state could produce and process enough hemp to put paper and cotton out of business. Same for hemp based fiberglass/plastics. Instead, we've let the land go fallow and don't grow anything on it. Part of that is on the govt both federal and state but some of that was in our hands for a long time and we did nothing to take control of it.
This is one of THE greatest states in this country, but we've let mediocre people run it for far too long because they look nice or say the nice things. We needed people that can make you uncomfortable by telling you the truth, not askissers and back stabbers like Mitch and the like.
Always thought of TN as our sister state. My family came from Middle TN to Southern KY in 1893. So I guess TN is kinda my ''2nd home state''. I love both, minus the vols. But to answer the video. It's because we don't have Nashville and Memphis. And the tourism of the smokey mountains. I mean let's be honest. Nobody is going to Eastern Kentucky. Hell, I don't even go to Eastern Kentucky.
Always found it weird we don't grow cotton here either. Missouri grows it and so does Virginia. Why don't we?
Always found it weird we don't grow cotton here either. Missouri grows it and so does Virginia. Why don't we?
Last edited:
I had a "retirement job" in 2017 as a driver for a company that shuttled military recruits out of Eastern KY, Southwest VA and upper East TN from the recruiting depots in the Tri Cities to the MEPS building in Knoxville, and sometimes to Fort Jackson and Parris Island. The overwhelming majority of the kids and young adults from EKY and SWVA were joining because of the lack of economic opportunities in that region. Most were working in fast food or retail. Nothing you could build a career on or barely even support yourself without other assistance. One of the Army liaisons at MEPS was either from Phelps or Feds Creek and did as much as he could to help those kids get out of there.
Last edited:
Missouri grows it in the bootheel. That lines up with northern Tennessee.
That’s traditionally as far north as you can grow it. There might be varieties out now that could be grown a little further north, but who are you going to sell it to?
Fifty miles is the general limit for travel to the gin. Same as grain crops to an elevator.
The infrastructure has to be there.
I think some of the biggest differences are in the Appalachian areas. Kentucky focused on coal and the real returns from it got sent out of state. I remember grandparents talking about the Great Depression and how, for them, it never ended.
As a side note, I really enjoyed this video and it gives some extra insight to the hardships Appalachians have faced. I remember the same grandparents talking about the mountains “covered in skeletons” and most of their cabinets and furniture being made out of a wood I never saw growing wild. The environmental impact also explains why their ancestors could successfully live off the land but it’s virtually impossible now.
As a side note, I really enjoyed this video and it gives some extra insight to the hardships Appalachians have faced. I remember the same grandparents talking about the mountains “covered in skeletons” and most of their cabinets and furniture being made out of a wood I never saw growing wild. The environmental impact also explains why their ancestors could successfully live off the land but it’s virtually impossible now.
Besides hemp is a better fiber that requires less irrigation and doesn't deplete the soil. Can grow more than one crop per year with higher yield of fibers. Has many uses
Don't know how well known it is, but western KY and western TN almost formed a new state prior to the war between the states. Meetings were held and plans were being made. It folded when TN seceded.
Kne
Kentucky has I75, I65, and I64 as major cross country interstates, so I don't really see much difference there.
You see where 64 goes? lol.
40 can get you basically to Los Angeles.
Big difference.
I knew a little before posting. You are making me study.
Cotton requires a minimum of 160 frost free days plus heat. We are just a little too far north.
Virginia cotton is also just operating in the margins.
1.3 million acres hay, 1.2 million acres grain, 80,000 acres cotton. It looks like it’s all grown on the NC border.
Still, as I said before, you have to be able to sell your crop. You have a local gin to deliver to. Your local gin can’t operate without x amount of acres within a radius delivered to it. Kentuckys growing season is to risky.
If there was a demand for it, it would be grown in a country where labor is cheap. I know two farmers that lost their asses when Mitch gave the green light to grow hemp. In the end, there weren’t buyers for the crop.
Hemp has been legal for about a decade in ky. There’s no money in it. I just read 2019 had 60000 acres and 2023 had 5000.
Last edited:
This is an old article but it explains that cotton was grown in KY.
Cotton Making Comeback in Western Kentucky
Few people think of Kentucky when they think about cotton farming. But cotton was grown in the far western part of the state for many years and, recently, it has begun making a comeback of sorts. A handful of farmers have returned to the crop for a second year with nearly 3,000 acres planted in...
news.ca.uky.edu
Even as recent as 10 years ago Nashville and Louisville were pretty similar. Leadership made all the difference. Governor and mayor wise, Nashville had much better leadership during the span and it shows.
Another key turning point was getting Google fiber. Something Louisville massively whiffed on.
Since 1970, Tennessee has had better governors. Kentucky has had a good ole boy approach to leadership in this state forever. Tennessee has had better leadership over the past 50 years.
Downtown Nashville is a little over 30 miles from the KY border as the crow flies, downtown Clarksville is less than 10 and is growing right up to the KY border. These are the boom areas of TN, there is nothing special about the weather or anything like that makes these places more desirable to live than KY. Nashville has had a major flood, a tornado hit downtown, and had snow/ice storms shut the city down, it is actually probably one of the worst boom towns in the country when it comes to weather if we are being honest.
Its all about leadership and perception, we have had multiple people in this thread mention Memphis as reason TN is better off than KY. For one you cant find a more similar metro than Louisville when it comes to size, income, corporate base, etc... And on top of that its one of the most dangerous metros in the country, the city had almost 400 murders last year and that doesnt include the Arkansas side of the river which is also a shithole. Only place in the Memphis area seeing growth is in MS if that tells you anything about how desirable that part of TN is.
Its all about leadership and perception, we have had multiple people in this thread mention Memphis as reason TN is better off than KY. For one you cant find a more similar metro than Louisville when it comes to size, income, corporate base, etc... And on top of that its one of the most dangerous metros in the country, the city had almost 400 murders last year and that doesnt include the Arkansas side of the river which is also a shithole. Only place in the Memphis area seeing growth is in MS if that tells you anything about how desirable that part of TN is.
Last edited:
Years ago I read a lengthy article on this very topic. One idea not mentioned so far in this thread is that for many decades, Tennessee had pretty much a divided government, sometimes Democrat, sometimes Republican, whereas Kentucky always was dominated by 1 party - for most of the last 150 years, Democrats. Recently it's Republican but still a one party state.
The article argued that because Tennessee had changes back and forth between parties, it had better government and grew faster and more prosperous. Don't know if that's true, just remember that was the main point of the article
The article argued that because Tennessee had changes back and forth between parties, it had better government and grew faster and more prosperous. Don't know if that's true, just remember that was the main point of the article
I have an absolutely brilliant colleague from Manchester, Richie Farmer accent and all.
One day we were talking about where we’re from (I’m from the Lexington area) and he said his only options at 18 were to: Stay home and either mine coal or work retail/sell pills/collect welfare or leave immediately in pursuit of an education and career outside of the region. He worked in Louisville for several years and said his family wouldn’t come visit him because they were overwhelmed by the “big city.” He also mentioned a lot of his high school classmates never left and several are no longer alive thanks to the opioid epidemic. He’s 39.
I’ve heard that similar tale many times. Either get out or be trapped forever with limited economic resources.
I knew a little before posting. You are making me study.
Cotton requires a minimum of 160 frost free days plus heat. We are just a little too far north.
Virginia cotton is also just operating in the margins.
1.3 million acres hay, 1.2 million acres grain, 80,000 acres cotton. It looks like it’s all grown on the NC border.
Still, as I said before, you have to be able to sell your crop. You have a local gin to deliver to. Your local gin can’t operate without x amount of acres within a radius delivered to it. Kentuckys growing season is to risky.
If there was a demand for it, it would be grown in a country where labor is cheap. I know two farmers that lost their asses when Mitch gave the green light to grow hemp. In the end, there weren’t buyers for the crop.
Hemp has been legal for about a decade in ky. There’s no money in it. I just read 2019 had 60000 acres and 2023 had 5000.
That's why I was saying you have to process it as well. The whole system, which I think was your point also, has to be there or built. THAT'S investing in something. Throwing money at farmers to grow it isn't investment. It's buying votes and virtue signaling.
Ford invested in hemp and the other industries buried him for it. That's the only true reason hemp was outlawed. It was gonna take money out of the pockets of a BUNCH of VERY rich people.
You're right. It has to have people behind it, committed to it, and a govt that wants to pay its own way as a state.
I don't what town you are from, but I don't know anyone who thinks like that. I grew up in Southeastern, Ky and have lived in the Louisville area for the last 35 years.
People not from Kentucky brother, that’s who. Of course people in Kentucky see Louisville as some mega city but the rest of the country it’s an afterthought and another Bible Belt city. If you lived outside of Kentucky you would probably see what I’m saying more.
For example, when I tell almost anyone here in Florida I’m from Kentucky they look at me funny and say what happened to your accent? I joke and say we’ll see sir I’m educated…
But the majority of people that haven’t been to Kentucky think we’re the cartoon prototype of no shoes and chewing straws of hay with super thick accents.
They sure as TOUCH don’t see Louisville as some bastion of higher society. They do think the Derby is fun though.
And to answer your question, I was born in Maysville, grew up in Etown, lived in Lex the last 11 years before moving to the Keys for 11 years and now St Pete. GMA lived off Hurstbourne Lane and Westport Road in Creekside in Louisville my whole life who I visited all the time.
I guess I'm confused. I thought you were saying all those things about being married, etc., are things Kentuckians think. I don't know anyone that that thinks twice about those kinds of things. Based on your reply, I think I may have completely misunderstood you.
Oh well to answer that you’d have to be in your 40s never married and no kids I guess, if you are lucky you, I found it to be very strange how worried people were about me having kids and getting married asap.
Plus, dating at my age there is stupid and impossible unless you want to deal with Stacy’s kids and ex. I couldn’t name but 3-5 people I know my age in KY that never married and no kids and at least 2 of those are guys.
That’s completely fine for them, just not what I’m about man.
Our state settles for mediocrity. There's not an attitude of wanting better. Louisville got Topgolf and citizens complained. There's two major music festivals and neighborhoods complain yearly because the music is "too loud." The local government chose Pitino, Jurich, and UofL over professional sports teams. Our idea of excitement was Fourth Street Live. As Louisville goes, so does the state, and Louisville has always been content being a smaller version of Indianapolis, and even they passed us years ago. A majority of Kentuckians don't like any sort of change and what change could happen get stalled for years because of a handful of politicians (sports gambling, weed). Nashville fully embraced being the Music City and made it cool. We're still trying to hang onto horse racing and act like that's cool as if it's 1965. What's our tourist attractions? You can stare at some bourbon barrels, go to the Ali Museum, buy a Louisville Slugger, see some corvettes, and visit an ark where dinosaur props are next to human props as if The Flintstones actually happened. Could be worse I guess. We could be Arkansas.
Tax policy plays a huge part. They closed lots of manufacturing over the years and moved them to OH, Indy, Mich, Pa... I knew lots of people growing up who had family move to those states to follow their job. I've noticed more people from those states moving here now. I have neighbors from Indy and OH and work with several people from Mich.
People tend to follow jobs and we've never kept pace on attracting business. UPS and Ford get stuff done but that's about it. LOL.
People tend to follow jobs and we've never kept pace on attracting business. UPS and Ford get stuff done but that's about it. LOL.
Real kentuckians know Louisville is a yankee town. *wink*
A sizable chunk of East Tennessee's population migrated from the coalfields of Eastern KY and Southwest VA because of better job opportunities. I was one of them.
My family came from North Middle TN in 1901 to work in the southern KY lumber mills.
I've always thought that Kentucky's dependence on coal and tobacco held it back.
We're also more anti-education than Tennessee. We had a great chance to change that (KERA) but curb-stomped it to insignificance. At one point, we had raised our educational achievement to middle of the pack -- don't mock; the state motto used to be Thank God for Mississippi -- but we've fallen back.
We're also more anti-education than Tennessee. We had a great chance to change that (KERA) but curb-stomped it to insignificance. At one point, we had raised our educational achievement to middle of the pack -- don't mock; the state motto used to be Thank God for Mississippi -- but we've fallen back.
I don’t know that everyone outside of Kentucky considers Louisville the Bible Belt or that everyone thinks KY is a bunch of rednecks. Work with people all over the country / world, including NY annd LA, and it’s typically associated with bourbon and horse racing. If they know sports, they know about Kentucky vs Louisville, Muhammad Ali, etc etc.
But Im not sure I can name a state where residents don’t have to deal with some negative stereotype that they suspect the whole country thinks about them…Florida Man, etc etc etc
Louisville and NKY are outliers in the state. Weird gray areas where the south meets the midwest.
We only outspend Tenn by 14% per pupil. Maybe if we outspend them by 20% we could catch up.
Spending ahs little to do with education results if you look at national numbers. There are some very fine programs spending half as much on students and getting much better results. KEA has been in charge of our states education for decades and they've failed. Every attempt to go around them is met with fear mongering and crying children.We only outspend Tenn by 14% per pupil. Maybe if we outspend them by 20% we could catch up.
Similar threads
