Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In my travels to the south it seems like lots of the cities are now full of Yankees and have lost their southern culture.
But what about these mid sized southern cities? (Nashville, Raleigh, Charlotte). Are they still southern in culture? Which of them are least and most southern?
Nashville is the most, IMO, because it became a bigger city when it was Southern. More history as a large southern city. Charlotte grew because of the banks which caused an influx of folks from the NE and midwest. When it was truly southern, it wasn't very big. It's still the South, especially outside the city limits, but it has a corporate vibe that is almost devoid of cultural reference. Raleigh feels more like a conglomeration of business parks and universities than a true "city"- don't get me wrong, it's nice, but I think it lacks a definable identity compared to Nashville (music) or Charlotte ($$$).
^ It does seem like we have a lot of Michiganders and Ohioan transplants in Nashville compared to Northeasterners. Also, while we've had steady and healthy growth for a while, we haven't seen the same explosive growth like Charlotte or Raleigh. This has helped us retain much of what makes Nashville Nashville as we also figure out how to effectively market ourselves.
Nashville by far. I have been to all three in the last year and Nashville easily had the most southern feel. Country music contributed to that of course, but also the food (meat and threes), the sports culture, people's mannerisms, the large number of churches, etc.
I believe that Nashville has had a large influx of people from the midwest, but not as much as Raleigh has had from the northeast. And IMO the cultural differences between the south and midwest are less than those between the south and northeast.
After Nashville, IMO Charlotte feels slightly more Southern than Raleigh. Those two are closer together than they are to Nashville.
What is southern culture? I don't mean this to sound negative but I'm not sure exactly what this is supposed to mean. I grew up in the south and still live in a southern state. What is being destroyed by "yankees"? So, I don't know how to vote in this poll.
Nashville definitely takes this one even though they experience alot of growth as well just not to the degree of Raleigh or Charlotte especially considering where the transplants are coming from. Cary in the Raleigh metro has a nickname containment area for relocated Yankees that should tell you something.
Nashville>>>Charlotte>Raleigh in terms of southern feel imo...Nashville was a bigger more historic city then either before they really took off so its not a surprise really.
These type of threads are humorous to me, I guess because there is really no right answer. People are quick to talk about relocated Northerners in Carolina--but Charlotte and Raleigh dont resemble any northern metro I've been to, physically, linguistically, culturally, not slightly. Not Providence, not Harrisburg, not Albany, not DC. So while they may seem 'less southern' than Nashville, they definitely arent 'more Northern'...
By the way, dont take this as a slight. I love the South. I'm a former Fayetteville resident, I'm not big on Raleigh but I think Charlotte is pretty cool, and am moving there October 2. Just giving my two cents on the areas...
These type of threads are humorous to me, I guess because there is really no right answer. People are quick to talk about relocated Northerners in Carolina--but Charlotte and Raleigh dont resemble any northern metro I've been to, physically, linguistically, culturally, not slightly. Not Providence, not Harrisburg, not Albany, not DC. So while they may seem 'less southern' than Nashville, they definitely arent 'more Northern'...
By the way, dont take this as a slight. I love the South. I'm a former Fayetteville resident, I'm not big on Raleigh but I think Charlotte is pretty cool, and am moving there October 2. Just giving my two cents on the areas...
They aren't officially classified as Northern metros like you seem to think. Majority of the growth has been from Northerners. This obviously is going to have a less "southern charm" affect on the metros.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
