My bathroom, that is until Mrs.Lawnboy got fed up with me being in there for 30 minutes at a time. :lol2: One bathroom in house with 4 women is not a good thing.

 

Love looking at maps/atlas. :thumb:

 

So, sitting on the toilet for 30 minutes at a time looking at an atlas, we now know 2 things about LB13 for certain.

 

1. He has a good knowledge of geography.

 

2. He has a raging case of hemorrhoids.:lol2:

That's because some East Kentuckians have a lot of pride in where they're from and they hate the fact they are always getting hated on. I realize there are some folks in EKY that give the state and the region a bad name, I realize that. However, the overblown stereotypes and the refusal to accept anything positive could come from EKY is what drives some east Kentuckians insane. Growing up in the Pike County area and spending four or five years around the Lexington/Louisville area I learned to appreciate where I was from even more. Pike County and EKY in general is a very unique place (positive and negative), the type of place that's almost fiction in today's society. A place where most people are friendly and hospitable and a place where communities stick together. A place where morals and values are still praised and hard work is still praised. There is so much beauty here in the mountains and so many beautiful people it is disturbing that most think it is a stink hole. Outside of your stereotypical hillbillies, hilljacks, rednecks, whatever you want to call us, there are some very well educated and dignified people. If you spend enough time around the Pikeville area and come to know the interworkings of the county you would be amazed. There is so much power and wealth in the area you cannot even wrap your head around it. For a long time Pike County was the wealthiest county per capita in the United States. The coal industry is down, but Pikeville and the county are still on the rise. If you haven't been to the area in twenty years it would blow you away to see the progress it has made. Eventually it can become a top notch city and a top notch place to live (if it isn't already) but the job market will determine that. There are plenty of influential and powerful thinkers in the area and they will eventually see the community prosper even more. People like Pike County Judge Executive Wayne Rutherford (big time player who used to know George W. Bush personally and is responsible for getting a lot of funds pumped into the area from DC and Frankfort), Represenative Keith Hall, Ray Jones, former Governor Patton, and PMC President Walter May. Individuals like that are going to continue to push our area in the right direction. As Keith Hall stated during a previous Bill Clinton visit, he said that Clinton said "You guys could be the Saudia Arabia of the world if you could figure out a way to maximize all these resources". He was obviously talking about coal, natural gas and things of that nature which is true, there is an abundance hence why it is referred to as "America's Engery Capitol". With the reclaimed mining sites the plan is to eventually grow industrial hemp once the US legalizes it federally (which may never happen) which would obviously pump millions into the state economy (as well as our own). Also most of these strip mining sites are reclaimed and use to build schools, golf courses, industrial sites, and all other things we do not have the room to build because of the mountainous terrain.

 

 

So I guess what I'm trying to say is there is a lot more about this part of the state to offer than most of you all could ever imagine. Believe me, when you travel the country the fact you're from Kentucky makes you a hick anyway, just face it. Just because you're from Louisville, Central KY, or NKY doesn't make a difference to them. Kentucky is Kentucky, and unfortunately that caries a lot of false stereotypes (much like EKY). In general you are going to have those who give your area a bad name no matter what, Louisville has them, Lexington has them, NKY has them, we all have them. Unfortunately EKY gets judged more harshly because people mostly only see the negative. If they ever got the chance to see the positive they would be amazed because it is so much different from what they've always thought. Believe it or not there is an abundance of wealth, influence, and a quality of life rivaling anything the rest of the state has to offer. It is a special place, and I am thankful to grow up here. It has made me the person I am today, stronger, more determined, but also a peaceful mind.

 

The country's view of EKY is perpetuated by the media. Movies like "Next of Kin", TV shows like "Justified", and documentaries like ESPN's 30-for-30 expose on basketball in Kentucky a few years back contribute heavily to the perception of the region.

 

It doesn't help when the corruption depicted in Harlan County on "Justified", played out in real life in Whitley County a couple of years ago. I don't know about Pike County, but I will admit that the "politics" at the county level in the rest of the region has changed little since I was young. The people are different, but the "politics" are the same.

 

Ask anybody who knows me, where I am from. My pride of heritage shows in abundance, and it has nothing to do with my girth.

 

You are right about the perception of being a hick. It doesn't bother me, though. I love being underestimated.

The country's view of EKY is perpetuated by the media. Movies like "Next of Kin", TV shows like "Justified", and documentaries like ESPN's 30-for-30 expose on basketball in Kentucky a few years back contribute heavily to the perception of the region.

 

It doesn't help when the corruption depicted in Harlan County on "Justified", played out in real life in Whitley County a couple of years ago. I don't know about Pike County, but I will admit that the "politics" at the county level in the rest of the region has changed little since I was young. The people are different, but the "politics" are the same.

 

Ask anybody who knows me, where I am from. My pride of heritage shows in abundance, and it has nothing to do with my girth.

 

You are right about the perception of being a hick. It doesn't bother me, though. I love being underestimated.

 

That's kind of what I was trying to say. The national media has only shown the negative sides if EKY, that is usually the only thing on display to the rest of the state and country. If people got a glimpse of some of the positive it may help skew the perception. Until then the stereotypes will only continue to be reinforced thanks to the bias presentation the rest of the world gets in regards to EKY.

I offered up a trade with Indiana, Louisville for Evansville, straight up. They wouldn't do it. lol

Going to UK, when I'd ask someone where they were from, these are some of the common cities:

 

Louisville

Lexington

 

Northern Kentucky (never specific, only Northern Kentucky, so it could be quite a few towns... if you ask them "what part" you are just as likely to get "beside Cincinnati" as you are Erlanger, Newport, Covington, Alexandria, Florence, etc.)

 

Bowling Green

Owensboro

Paducah

Hop-town (most likely said "Hop-town", or maybe "Hopkinsville")

Campbellsville

Murray (could go in the next list too depending on Murray State or Murray High, but probably here)

Winchester

Richmond

Georgetown (may say Scott County too though)

Frankfort

Ashland

 

 

Smaller towns you'll likely get the name of (probably because of the association with the High School in many cases):

 

Danville (if they went to Danville; "Boyle County" is an ~50/50 shot otherwise)

Harrodsburg

Corbin

Harlan

Hazard

Pikeville

Williamsburg

 

 

Anything else is a county name.

 

 

If you ever meet anyone from Mayfield, you will know it. The county name is not used here.

I see a lot different image for WKY than EKY though both are rural. EKY seems more clannish than WKY for whatever reason. I also do not recall anyone having a dislike for Louisville out this way.

I see a lot different image for WKY than EKY though both are rural. EKY seems more clannish than WKY for whatever reason. I also do not recall anyone having a dislike for Louisville out this way.

 

 

Ain't no 'seems' to it. It is extremely clannish and hostile toward outsiders. I'm not saying I blame those folks, because given the history it's totally understandable. But that hostility doesn't help much if folks from EKy are serious about killing bad stereotypes.

Within my first 10 posts on BGP, I made the giant mistake of posting about my team's running back in a "Best Running Backs in NKY" thread or something to that nature. I had no idea that NKY was reserved for Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties. I thought that my team fit there better than any of the other geographic areas that were mentioned. The comments that ensued almost made me decide to quit posting here.

 

That was over 7 years and 14,000 posts ago. I'm glad that I stayed. But I'll never make the mistake of thinking that I live in NKY again. :lol2:

Within my first 10 posts on BGP, I made the giant mistake of posting about my team's running back in a "Best Running Backs in NKY" thread or something to that nature. I had no idea that NKY was reserved for Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties. I thought that my team fit there better than any of the other geographic areas that were mentioned. The comments that ensued almost made me decide to quit posting here.

 

That was over 7 years and 14,000 posts ago. I'm glad that I stayed. But I'll never make the mistake of thinking that I live in NKY again. :lol2:

 

It's OK. They all wanna be from Ohio anyway …

A branch to this discussion, if you are abroad and ask where someone is from, they will say China, Kenya, Brazil, etc. However, if you are an American, you just simply say what state you are from, people find that more interesting. So I would always say, "I am from Kentucky." The response was always, "oh, Kentucky Fried Chicken; I bet you eat a lot of it." I then proceed to vomit.

 

Silly to say when you think of it in terms of other industries, but KFC has pretty significant global reach considering some of their competitors. Lots of KFCs in populous places like China and India. McDonald's is a competitor, but Popeyes is more of a direct competitor. When you think of fast food franchises that cross international borders, you are probably thinking of McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, and now Subway. Even successful domestic franchises like Wendy's, Arby's, Papa Johns, etc. aren't really that prominent in international markets.

 

 

The American Fast Food the World Loves: Top Global Brands - Forbes

 

 

If the above article is accurate, the one US franchise I wouldn't have really guessed was so successful in non-domestic markets: Dunkin' Donuts.

Yeah I've never understood the fear of Downtown.

 

Can confirm. Live downtown in San Antonio. Walk alone all the time.

 

Would never think of doing that in the Medical Center (place I used to live where all the hospitals are and apartment complexes housing students are dotted around).

 

Turn on the news and hear: "Student killed near River Walk" and it doesn't have the same ring as "Student killed near Med Center". San Antonio is a huge tourist destination though, so that probably has something to do with our downtown being like it is.

I gotta be honest...there're are just as many misconceptions from people "out in the state" about Louisville and Louisvillian's. You'd think this was the most dangerous city on Earth, that it's entirely unnavigable (is that a word?), that we're all uppity, that we're all doomed to an after-life in hell...I've heard a lot.

 

I mean this nicely when I say that it probably doesn't help that U of L's campus has the kind of crime rate for things like having your car broken into than most anywhere else in Kentucky. Kids from out in the state who don't lock the doors on their homes go to U of L and end up getting a car window broken and it kind of warps perspective.

 

Same thing kind of happened to me in San Antonio (the kind of thing that just really wouldn't happen in Lexington in my experiences there) and it took awhile to get over.

If you ever meet anyone from Mayfield, you will know it. The county name is not used here.

 

Only Graves County. And they were all Eagles. And they all played basketball. Literally. All three of them.

I offered up a trade with Indiana, Louisville for Evansville, straight up. They wouldn't do it. lol

 

Evansville doesn't hold a candle to Louisville. :lol2:

If you ever meet anyone from Mayfield, you will know it. The county name is not used here.

 

He is right. It got so bad here that Graves County put up bill boards on roads entering the county saying " You are now entering Eagle's Country" or something to that extent. Mayfield people just laughed and went on with their business. They hate that Mayfield is known more than the county.