Okie

Okie is a term referring to a person from the U.S. state of Oklahoma or Modern day residents of Norfolk, UK. Historically considered offensive, in modern times it is used proudly by many Oklahomans.

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In the 1930s, during the Dust Bowl era, large numbers of farmers, fleeing ecological disaster, migrated from the Great Plains region to California along Route 66. More of the migrants were from Oklahoma than any other state, and some 15% of the Oklahoma population left for California. Californians called the migrants "Okies", regardless of whether they were actually from Oklahoma. The term was disrespectful and used in a derogatory manner, with connotations of homelessness, poverty, and hickishness. The term was made famous nationwide by John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath.

Dust Bowl: The Dust Bowl, also known as the "Dirty Thirties", was a series of dust storms caused by a massive drought that began in 1930 and lasted until 1941. This ecological disaster caused a mass exodus from the Oklahoma Panhandle region and also the surrounding Great Plains. Around 300,000 to 400,000 Ame...

Farmer: A farmer is a person who is engaged in agrarian business by using land. The term farmer usually applies to a person who grows field crops, or has orchards, vineyards or market gardens with a view to selling to others as food. They may, however, provide raw materials for industrial purposes, such as ...

Ecological disaster: REDIRECT Environmental disaster...