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Okay well until you can point to me what you think a typical Richmonder or Norfolkian accent is then this probably isn't going to go anywhere. Norfolk and Hampton Roads has a large population of transients and transplants from all over the US as does Richmond with northern transplants.
Please go on then or agree to disagree. I've lived in back and forth between Richmond and Hampton Roads my whole life. I've been to the northern cities described and the southern ones on multiple occasions because I have familiy in them. Before my parents moved to Virginia they lived in DC. My mom always tells me that she likes Richmond because it reminds her a lot of DC. For me, both Richmond and Norfolk remind me of it, but they feel more like smaller Baltimores. Until this topic, I had never equated Richmond or Norfolk with cities like Charleston, Savannah, or New Orleans since they feel a lot different. I'm not blowing smoke or trying to be a contrian. Those are my experiences and from my experiences they feel a lot more like mid-atlantic cities than they do southern ones.
And to go off on a tangent right quick about my exaggeration: I've had some bad experiences in the deep south from people who fit in under the stereotypical description of a southerner.
I'm not trying to argue with you up and down about your hometown. I'm trying to gain knowledge on why you think Richmond and Norfolk has lost its Southern qualities compared to cities like Houston or Nashville. In the case of Houston, you mentioned something about Richmond and Norfolk transient nature in addition to the location on why it's not Southern, but Mid-Atlantic. Well Houston is far far FAR more transient than Richmond or Norfolk ever could be. I've heard many born and raised people from Richmond and Hampton Roads that does not sound much different than people from Raliegh-Durham. That's my experience. But of course, you know more about it. I didn't say Richmond or Norfolk were like Charleston or Savannah entirely. I only commented on its built environment concerning homes because there are similarities between these cities. I don't get a Philly, DC, or Baltimore feel in Norfolk though. I'm sorry. Not even close. Richmond has an argument. Not Norfolk.
I'm not trying to argue with you up and down about your hometown. I'm trying to gain knowledge on why you think Richmond and Norfolk has lost its Southern qualities compared to cities like Houston or Nashville. In the case of Houston, you mentioned something about Richmond and Norfolk transient nature in addition to the location on why it's not Southern, but Mid-Atlantic. Well Houston is far far FAR more transient than Richmond or Norfolk ever could be. I've heard many born and raised people from Richmond and Hampton Roads that does not sound much different than people from Raliegh-Durham. That's my experience. But of course, you know more about it. I didn't say Richmond or Norfolk were like Charleston or Savannah entirely. I only commented on its built environment concerning homes because there are similarities between these cities. I don't get a Philly, DC, or Baltimore feel in Norfolk though. I'm sorry. Not even close. Richmond has an argument. Not Norfolk.
Alright fair enough. And I get a Baltimore feel from Norfolk when I look at its waterfront skyline which reminds me of Baltimore though with military ships everywhere. My first impression of going to Baltimore when I was a kid was thinking I was in Norfolk again. The port and industrial park also reminds me of Baltimores as do some of the bad areas even though they lack the rowhomes found in Baltimore. Norfolk as a city in general is pretty barebones, but that's because they tore a lot of down a long time ago and the rest of the HR area is suburban.
I think the confusion about Bmore and DC being either northern or southern has to do with the history of Maryland/DC. Maryland and DC were historically a part of the south, being that they were below the mason dixie line and both held African Americans in slavery. But they were not a part of the Confederacy and did not secede from the US. Also, Maryland, especially the Baltimore region, had more in common with colonial port towns like Philly and Boston then the southern, antebellum towns like Savannah, Charleston, or Mobile. Culturally, Baltimore and DC share a lot of characteristics with northeastern cities like Baltimore and Philly (strong industrial history, large working class populations, ties to unions, similar political blocs).
It's funny because I always thought of bmore and dc as northern cities and was surprised when people from new england (mass, vermont, ct, etc.) and even ny considered dc and bmore southern. but they would say its like a buffer to the deep south. But I think this is becuase both cities have very large African American populations and people have historically viewed this as a southern trait.
then people from the deep south (Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, fl) would tell me both bmore and dc are northern. I guess it's all relative to where you're at. But I think if you look at the country as a whole, DC and Bmore are more aligned with the big northeastern cities than they are with southern cities.
Alright fair enough. And I get a Baltimore feel from Norfolk when I look at its waterfront skyline which reminds me of Baltimore though with military ships everywhere. My first impression of going to Baltimore when I was a kid was thinking I was in Norfolk again. The port and industrial park also reminds me of Baltimores as do some of the bad areas even though they lack the rowhomes found in Baltimore. Norfolk as a city in general is pretty barebones, but that's because they tore a lot of down a long time ago and the rest of the HR area is suburban.
What do ya'll call small little towns that are conservative in New England????? They aren't Northern????? Ya'll always try to discredit a SOUTHERN City...Miami is as southern as you're going to get people it's in the south.
What do ya'll call small little towns that are conservative in New England????? They aren't Northern????? Ya'll always try to discredit a SOUTHERN City...Miami is as southern as you're going to get people it's in the south.
Hold your horses. Miami is in the south, much of it isn't culturally southern but I still call it southern. Trick Daddy and Plies are definitely southern.
Interesting because I'm from the north and no one where I come from considers DC the north. I am from the NYS and New England border region and even south in NYC you will be pressed to find native New Yorkers claiming DC is northern.
I've met native New Yorkers who call South Jersey "the South," so I'll take what native New Yorkers believe with a grain of salt. However, I've never met someone from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland or D.C. who considers D.C. to be a part of the South.
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