What I've found is that country doesn't refer to where you grew up as much as where your heart grows down, where it takes root. Country is a state of mind. I believe what ultimately defines being country is simple: a loving heart, a helping hand, an open mind, poor in spirit.
Clay Walker (2013). “Jesus Was a Country Boy: Life Lessons on Faith, Fishing, and Forgiveness”, p.12, Simon and Schuster
