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Southern Indiana
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Southern Indiana, in the United States, is notable because it is culturally distinct from the rest of the state. The area's geography has led to a blend of Northern and Southern culture that is not found in the rest of Indiana.
Culturally, there are many distinctive characteristics. Southern Indiana speech patterns (know as Hoosier Twang) gravitate toward a Southern drawl, though the accent is considerably less pronounced than in points further south in the Upland South or in the Deep South. The Roman Catholic Church has a significant presence in the region. Noteworthy Catholic institutions in Southern Indiana include St. Meinrad Archabbey, one of two Catholic archabbies/seminaries in the United States and Mount St. Francis, a large retreat center in Floyd County.
Southern Indiana's topography is considerably more varied and complex than central and northern Indiana, including large tracts of forest (e.g., Hoosier National Forest), rolling fields, and a chain of low mountains/high hills (800-1,000 ft.) called the Knobstone Escarpment, or simply "Knobs." The region also includes the oldest exposed Devonian fossil beds in the world at the Falls of the Ohio state park in Clarksville.
Southern Indiana was the first area of the state to be settled, and the first state capital was located in Corydon in Harrison County near the Ohio River. In particular, the south-central portion of the region is part of the greater Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area, and many people living in Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties work, attend school, and shop in Louisville.
The definition of Southern Indiana is usually at least composed of three county "tiers": The first tier would be the southernmost, all of which border the Ohio River. North of it is the second tier, and north of that is the third tier. The first three tiers are geographically within the Golden Circle as proposed in the 1850s (see Golden Circle (Slavery)}.
Counties included in the Southern Indiana region by "tier" going west to east are below.
- First Tier: Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Spencer, Perry, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Clark.
- Second Tier: Gibson, Pike, Dubois, Orange, Washington, Scott, Jefferson, Switzerland, Ohio.
- Third Tier: Knox, Daviess, Martin, Lawrence, Jackson, Jennings, Ripley, Dearborn
- Fourth Tier (only counties commonly included are listed): Sullivan, Greene, Monroe, Brown.
The region's largest city is Evansville, in the southwest corner of the state. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 121,582, and a metropolitan population of 342,815.
See also
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