Pennsyltucky

Pennsyltucky is a slang word to refer to the rural part of the state of Pennsylvania outside the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, more specifically applied to the mountainous central region. Less common is the term "Pennsylbama."

Background

At times the term is used to describe all of Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia. The word is a portmanteau constructed from "Pennsylvania" and "Kentucky", implying a similarity between the rural parts of the two states. It can be used in either a pejorative or an affectionate sense.

This term is interchangeable with the slang term, "The T", used primarily in political circles (i.e., "Winning the T"), because of the shape of the area of Pennsylvania when excluding Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. "The T" is considered politically correct over "Pennsyltucky" when referring to potential voters. [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pennsyltucky]

Philadelphia in the southeast corner and Pittsburgh in the southwest corner are urban manufacturing centers, with the "t-shaped" remainder of the state being much more rural; this dichotomy affects state politics as well as the state economy. [ [http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-11042003-190258.html Appeals court races wrap up with focus on voter mobilization] ]

Prior to his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill Clinton, Democratic political consultant James Carville and consulting partner Paul Begala gained other well-known political victories, including the gubernatorial victories of Robert Casey of Pennsylvania in 1986. [http://www.pennlive.com/columns/patriotnews/reeves/index.ssf?/base/columnists/1184034333275580.xml&coll=1] [http://www.fandm.edu/x3817.xml] In 1992 Carville said about Pennsylvania, cquote|Between Paoli and Penn Hills, Pennsylvania is Alabama without the blacks. They didn't film "The Deer Hunter" there for nothing -- the state has the second-highest concentration of NRA members, behind Texas. [http://www.cookpolitical.com/column/1999/051899.php]

References