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This essential thread topic is about "degrees of southerness." Otherwise why are we ranking cities on a scale in terms of most to least southern?
Yes but Jacksonville is not one of the cities under consideration here. If it was, it would most likely tally the most votes for most Southern or at least be essentially tied with Atlanta.
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I don't understand why people on these forums feel the need to label a place as southern, especially if they never lived or been to these places. Jax is Jax, Miami is Miami, Florida is Florida, Texas is Texas, DC is DC, etc. I see similar threads in regards to people claiming Missouri and Oklahoma as southern. It's quite ridiculous in my opinion. But to each his own I guess.
Because regional designations are the most basic. From there, one can talk about other cultural influences.
Based on the criteria, Miami and DC would probably be tied for least Southern. I would probably put Dallas next, followed by Houston, and consider Atlanta the most Southern. The only reason that I put Houston as slightly less Southern than ATL is that I always think of Texas as having "Western" culture given its history.
Because regional designations are the most basic. From there, one can talk about other cultural influences.
Maybe on CD, but not in reality. People tend to identify where they are from based on city and/or state as opposed than region. My friends and I tell people were from Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami or Florida, never the we are from the south or that were southerners. Same with my cousin in Dallas, she and her husband (who is a native) never have refer to themselves as southerners but rather that they are "from Texas." To add to that I have former classmates from Atlanta, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama - never did they call themselves southerners but would identify by which city or state they were from.
In contrast I grew up in NY. Never once did myself, my family, or my friends would always refer to ourselves as from NY or New Yorkers, but it never thought to refer to ourselves as northerners.
I alived in AZ, where there are also a ton of people from the midwest including my supervisor. Again, never once did they refer to themselves as midwesterners but rather "from Chicago, from Michigan, from Minnesota, etc."
I imagine it's the same with people in California, Oregon, Washington. I doubt they refer to themselves as "west coasters" when asked about where they live.
Sorry but this regional identifying of people and places is just not my experience. Either everyone I happen to met and know in life doesn't identify by region, or it's a CD phenomena and obsession to label people, places, states by region.
Maybe on CD, but not in reality. People tend to identify where they are from based on city and/or state as opposed than region. My friends and I tell people were from Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami or Florida, never the we are from the south or that were southerners. Same with my cousin in Dallas, she and her husband (who is a native) never have refer to themselves as southerners but rather that they are "from Texas." To add to that I have former classmates from Atlanta, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama - never did they call themselves southerners but would identify by which city or state they were from.
In contrast I grew up in NY. Never once did myself, my family, or my friends would always refer to ourselves as from NY or New Yorkers, but it never thought to refer to ourselves as northerners.
I alived in AZ, where there are also a ton of people from the midwest including my supervisor. Again, never once did they refer to themselves as midwesterners but rather "from Chicago, from Michigan, from Minnesota, etc."
I imagine it's the same with people in California, Oregon, Washington. I doubt they refer to themselves as "west coasters" when asked about where they live.
Sorry but this regional identifying of people and places is just not my experience. Either everyone I happen to met and know in life doesn't identify by region, or it's a CD phenomena and obsession to label people, places, states by region.
I agree with all of that, but the topic of this discussion is also one that most people don't have in real life.
Maybe on CD, but not in reality. People tend to identify where they are from based on city and/or state as opposed than region. My friends and I tell people were from Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami or Florida, never the we are from the south or that were southerners. Same with my cousin in Dallas, she and her husband (who is a native) never have refer to themselves as southerners but rather that they are "from Texas." To add to that I have former classmates from Atlanta, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama - never did they call themselves southerners but would identify by which city or state they were from.
In contrast I grew up in NY. Never once did myself, my family, or my friends would always refer to ourselves as from NY or New Yorkers, but it never thought to refer to ourselves as northerners.
I alived in AZ, where there are also a ton of people from the midwest including my supervisor. Again, never once did they refer to themselves as midwesterners but rather "from Chicago, from Michigan, from Minnesota, etc."
I imagine it's the same with people in California, Oregon, Washington. I doubt they refer to themselves as "west coasters" when asked about where they live.
Sorry but this regional identifying of people and places is just not my experience. Either everyone I happen to met and know in life doesn't identify by region, or it's a CD phenomena and obsession to label people, places, states by region.
I don't know man. I just got finish reading a weather report and while they did use specific states and cities, they began by speaking of the broader region first. Midwest before keying in on Chicago's, Milwaukee,
and Michigan's weather; South before talking New Orleans and Atlanta; and they mentioned New England.
Some people get specific if they're from a well known place and some people use the broader region. I knew a Boston couple who'd claim New England, then Boston metro, then whatever town they're actually from. It's all relative though.
None of these are classic Southern cities in any stretch and I don't consider any of them to feel "hugely" Southern. I'm going to take a slightly contrarian view from many others here and put Houston in as #1 and Atlanta as #2. These were close, but I think the Southern influence is currently larger in Houston than in Atlanta by a bit.
For the other three, it's tricky to rank as they are really not Southern cities, but are at most, Southern influenced. I suppose I'd rank in this way (from most to least): Dallas, D.C., Miami. But Miami is fundamentally different from anywhere else in the U.S. (I say the same for NYC by the way as well), and I think trying to even think of Miami as Southern at all is a fool's errand.
Having lived in TX the majority of my life, I have always considered D.C. as part of the Northeast, lol.
Atlanta and Houston are interchangeable.
*Atlanta
*Houston
Dallas
Miama
Washington D.C.
I agree with this.
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