Where is Most Northly Subtropical Microclimate in Central USA

[veeman55]

Trying to pinpoint the most northerly subtropical non ocean  location East of the Rockies and West of the Appalachians Where figs palms evergreen magnolias cactil liveoaks and maybe citrus can grow easily without protection.

Edited September 2, 2018 by veeman55

[veeman55]

Sorry the place can also be in the Appalachians but not on the eastern seaboard

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

You will be very disappointed by the answers you received.  Citrus in general can't be reliable grown very far inland in this region, especially commercially. However some VERY cold tolerant Citrus will survive all in the Zone 8 USDA regions which will also provide the palm and live oak line that you are inquiring about.   That most northern line is going to put you around Dallas to Shreveport to Monroe, LA and down to Jackson, MS. 

[veeman55]

What about the protected mountain coves of Tennessee or Memphis? 

Isnt there any protected pockets in Knoxville or Southern Tenessee?

[PalmatierMeg]

In the US mountains and subtropics are mutually exclusive. Mountain coves might actually be colder because of cold draining downhill. I'm not aware of any portion of TN that would classify as "subtropical" either. You would have to go much further south to the Gulf Coast. The central US is wide open to bitter cold fronts pushing down from the Arctic. Those flat plains provide no barrier to a Siberian Express.

[NC_Palms]

The Missouri Boot has to be the northernmost subtropical climate in the Midwestern United States. Live oaks, sabal minors, magnolias, and other iconically subtropical southern plants should be able to grow here without any problems. 

[NC_Palms]

On 9/3/2018, 3:04:05, PalmatierMeg said:

In the US mountains and subtropics are mutually exclusive. Mountain coves might actually be colder because of cold draining downhill. I'm not aware of any portion of TN that would classify as "subtropical" either. You would have to go much further south to the Gulf Coast. The central US is wide open to bitter cold fronts pushing down from the Arctic. Those flat plains provide no barrier to a Siberian Express.

Could extreme Western Tennesee and maybe extreme Western Kentucky classify as Subtropical? The lower Mississippi bottomland forest dominates this region. 

[PalmatierMeg]

9 hours ago, NC_Palms said:

Could extreme Western Tennesee and maybe extreme Western Kentucky classify as Subtropical? The lower Mississippi bottomland forest dominates this region. 

I am not familiar enough with those areas to say for sure but I really doubt it. They verge on the Mid-West and those winter cold fronts blasting down from Canada should preclude any designation as "subtropical".