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1. Mississippi and Alabama are tied - Deep South
2. Louisiana - Deep South
3. Georgia - Deep South
4. South Carolina - Deep South
5. Tennessee
6. Virginia
7. North Carolina
8. Texas(the east side would be either 4 or 5 if ranked alone)
9. Florida(panhandle would be either 4 or 5 if ranked alone)
10. Arkansas
Oklahoma, Kentucky, and West Virginia may have some Southern-ness to them, but I wouldn't really consider them true, pure, Southern states. They are not states you automatically think of when you think of South.
For Delaware, Missouri and Maryland to be included in this thread is just plain out RIDICULOUS!!! They're all yankees to me!
Another one that has Never been to Maryland especially the Eastern Shore......
Opinions is all that it is in which the opinions are far less from the Facts that will forever remain that Maryland will always be a Southern State.........
According to people from the Caribbean All Americans are Yankees........
Based on what comes to my mind when I think stereotypical southern culture.
MOST
12. Georgia -> When think of old south, confederacy, etc. I think of GA.
11. Alabama -> The "Heart of Dixie", right?
10. South Carolina -> Not sure, but I assume that it's similar to GA.
09. North Carolina -> Things start getting twangy, but that same southern charm and values exist.
08. Tennessee -> 2/3 of the state have the twanginess going, with the other 1/3 going with the MS/TX vibe.
07. Kentucky -> I have no idea. Just seems like it would have gone with NC and eastern TN.
06. Mississippi -> People claim that MS is the archetype of "the South", but MS is more like TX and LA than GA and AL. It just happens to have all of the negative stereotypes of the south.
05. Virginia -> Good portion of it is southern, then you have NoVA.
04. Florida -> Most of the state is southern.
03. Texas -> The eastern half is definitely southern with a little Midwest and Cajun mixed into some parts.
02. Louisiana -> The northern half is like MS or East TX. The majority of the state isn't like anything in the south period.
01. Oklahoma -> ??? I really don't have a clue. LEAST
what happened to Arkansas?
Maryland -> People in other Southern States tend to ignore due to unexplained hate/jealousy or Bitterness of the Civil War
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The Southern states are Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. All of these states are dominated by Southern speech patterns, southern culture, and southern-type demographics
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Tis truth.
And it is Extreme Southern Ignorance to Ignore the FACT that Maryland is a Southern State located below the Mason/Dixon Line...........
And it is Extreme Southern Ignorance to Ignore the FACT that Maryland is a Southern State located below the Mason/Dixon Line...........
People don't ignore Maryland. They just don't think the majority of the population of Maryland has much in common with the rest of them. It is no slight against Maryland though.
Only parts of Texas have a true "Southern" feel, the Piney Woods region of East/Southeast Texas. The rest of Texas is very much Western/Southwestern in look & feel. Dallas also has a sorta Midwestern-plains states look to it because its classified as prairie grass land.
Looks and topography and even "feel" in some aspects, yes. But then again, really, even the topography of much of western Texas would be limited to resembling only parts of the West. That is, some of the interior SW, definitely not the Mountain West. And much of Texas has a resemblence to the plains (as you noted). But in basic history and culture, Texas shares very little with the true West (i.e. Rocky Mountain, interior SW, Pacific Coast), or Plains Midwest. It is essentially Southern in that realm.
06. Mississippi -> People claim that MS is the archetype of "the South", but MS is more like TX and LA than GA and AL. It just happens to have all of the negative stereotypes of the south.
This is the first time Ive heard anyone else express this...when Im in Mississppi, particularly the Western part, Ive always thought: "This really isnt all that different from East Texas at all. Perhaps not even that different from other parts of Central Texas either. While Mississippi is the southern archetype, I would agree that the differences between Northern Mississippi, Northern Louisiana and the East and rural parts of North Texas really seem negligible. (Meaning from Jackson/Vicksburg, MS - Monroe, LA - Shreveport, LA - About Canton, TX)...Its not as striking a contrast culturally nor topographically as I would have thought.
And surprisingly, there is a noticeable difference between Mississippi and Alabama. Alabama has more hilly and even Mountainous terrain in the Northern half. The accents in Mississippi also sound more akin to North LA and TX than they do like AL and GA accents. It should also noted that not all of Mississippi nor North Louisiana are covered in the stereotypically southern pine forest.
I consider the Western half of Mississippi, the Northern part of Louisiana, Arkansas and East Texas to be more Southland than "Dixie"..Whereas I consider The Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee and Eastern Mississippi to be Dixie
This is the first time Ive heard anyone else express this...when Im in Mississppi, particularly the Western part, Ive always thought: "This really isnt all that different from East Texas at all. Perhaps not even that different from other parts of Central Texas either. While Mississippi is the southern archetype, I would agree that the differences between Northern Mississippi, Northern Louisiana and the East and rural parts of North Texas really seem negligible. (Meaning from Jackson/Vicksburg, MS - Monroe, LA - Shreveport, LA - About Canton, TX)...Its not as striking a contrast culturally nor topographically as I would have thought.
Very interesting observation, Solytaire (and WestbankNola!). It triggered a memory of a comment I once heard by a friend from Mississippi. There are a group of us who write a bit on Southern themes and topics for various and sundry publications, and we get together for an annual "reunion" at Caddo Lake in East Texas (size of the gathering varies each year).
Anyway, several years back some of us were in nearby Jefferson, Texas, and me and another man in the bunch (a retired judge from Mississippi) were sitting on a bench outside one of the stores in the historical district. This was his first time there, and he remarked along the lines of how much the general "feel" of the place, and the looks of the terrain, reminded him very much of "towns in north Mississippi."
Quote:
I consider the Western half of Mississippi, the Northern part of Louisiana, Arkansas and East Texas to be more Southland than "Dixie"..Whereas I consider The Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee and Eastern Mississippi to be Dixie
Funny thing is, on a related tangent, dictionary/encyclopedia definitions are strikingly consistent in defining "Dixie" as being those states which made up the Confederacy during the War Between the States. I mean, the same sources, depending on the publication, often vary on defining "the South" at large. But are fairly rigid in solidifying Dixie as the Old Confederacy...
Very interesting observation, Solytaire (and WestbankNola!). It triggered a memory of a comment I once heard by a friend from Mississippi. There are a group of us who write a bit on Southern themes and topics for various and sundry publications, and we get together for an annual "reunion" at Caddo Lake in East Texas (size of the gathering varies each year).
Anyway, several years back some of us were in nearby Jefferson, Texas, and me and another man in the bunch (a retired judge from Mississippi) were sitting on a bench outside one of the stores in the historical district. This was his first time there, and he remarked along the lines of how much the general "feel" of the place, and the looks of the terrain, reminded him very much of "towns in north Mississippi."
Funny thing is, on a related tangent, dictionary/encyclopedia definitions are strikingly consistent in defining "Dixie" as being those states which made up the Confederacy during the War Between the States. I mean, the same sources, depending on the publication, often vary on defining "the South" at large. But are fairly rigid in solidifying Dixie as the Old Confederacy...
Hmmm..now that I looked into it, I see that Dixie does seem to be a loosely translated synonym for the Confederacy. This was an interesting map I found in the process..and though I dont agree with all of it and cant justify its delineation between "Hillbillies and Mountaineers", it does have some pretty intriguing categorizations of the different southern regions.
Quote:
Where Exactly Is Dixie?
The red-shaded area on the map above is generally inhabited primarily by Southerners. The blue-shaded areas are populated mostly by Yankees. Yes, that includes about 50% of Florida.
The areas shaded in light green, while often thought of by Yankees as "Southern," are actually populated by Hillbilllies. Southerners make a huge distinction between these two cultural groups (think of Rhett Butler as compared to Jedd Clampett of the Beverly Hillbillies...got it now?). While most Hillbillies are geographically situated in the South, this does not make them Southerners by any means. Generations of sharp cultural differences make Hillbillies vividly distinct and separate from their Southern cousins (and yes, there are Hillbillies and Southerners within the same families).
The areas shaded in pink are populated by Southern Wannabes - people who think they're Southern, but who, by their lifestyle choices and heritage, don't make the cut. This is an interesting group, members of which sometimes think of themselves as Yankees, but who secretly (or openly) desire to be labeled as "Southern." Note that these areas include a large portion of Kentucky (about as un-Southern a state as ever existed), plus all of Metro Nashville, the northern suburbs of Atlanta (heavily populated with Yankee transplants), Hilton Head, South Carolina, and a section of central Florida. With only a minor shift, any of these regions could easily become full-fledged blue or orange territories, i.e., Yankee or Midwesterner.
Beyond these areas, we have regions inhabited by Midwesterners, Cowboys, and Mountaineers - all groups that could never under any circumstances be considered "Southern."
Please remember that these boundaries are fluid, and that they wander back and forth from time to time. Areas shrink and grow, and are always subject to change. For example, if Huntsville, Ala., picks up a few more Yankee immigrants, they'll soon probably have to be shaded pink!
With that in mind, these regions shouldn't be considered set in stone, but rather as approximate guidelines for consideration by the student of Southern culture.
Glad to see someone who agrees.
I get so annoyed with people on here, southerns included, who try to label and brand southerness and determin what is. Most know nothing at all about the south or just a particular part.
If East Texas isn't southern then neither is Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana can't be if South Florida isn't.
1. Mississippi - The epitome of the Deep South, in my opinion
2. Alabama - Basically as Southern as MS, but the hill country in the north (which has a less Deep South feel and more Mid-South/Appalachian feel) and Huntsville which is getting more and more transplants each month make it 2nd place.
3. Louisiana - A culture exists in parts that is different from the mainstream South, but still Deep South in its way. Alabama has Mobile, South Carolina has the Gullahs, etc. I consider the Cajun subculture and history of French influence in Louisiana to be a strong Southern culture specific to that region and existing within the context of LA's role in the South, not outside of it.
4. Georgia - Gone With the Wind. Savannah. Georgia is one of the states most rich in Southern culture. Modern Atlanta takes a slight toll however and has rendered a part of Georgia similar to North Carolina in its transplant culture.
5. South Carolina - Low country cooking, beautiful plantations, Charleston, and very proud folks who are patriotic and loyal to South Carolina itself and Dixie. With some of its history, it feels almost more connected to the history of the 13 colonies and the Revolutionary era, but Fort Sumter secures its status.
6. Tennessee - Not much to say here. I consider all of it very Southern, from Memphis in the west (which feels more like MS) to the Great Smoky Mountains in the east (which feels more like the Appalachian South), but it feels separate and distinct from the Deep South.
7. North Carolina - Definately distinguishable from South Carolina and firmly Mid-South, but still indeed strongly a part of the South. Its history of loyalty to the Confederacy, NASCAR's origins in the state, the history of tobacco in the state, pork barbecue, the Southern feel around the beach towns of the Outer Banks, etc.
8. Kentucky - Just visualize Colonel Sanders sipping a mint julip and strolling down from his plantation home to watch the Derby in Louisville. The beauty of bluegrass country and East Kentucky is indeed, Southern beauty. But the state experiences harsh winters not typical in the broader South, and Midwestern influences have taken root for the worse in northern Kentucky.
9. Virginia - Deserves a moderate place on this list and anyone who says Virginia isn't Southern is just being silly. Home of Patsy Cline, bluegrass in southern VA, spoonbread, and Smithfield ham. Richmond was the Confederate capital. Virginia's tobacco industry leaves no room for doubt. On the other hand, Northern Virginia is getting worse by the second, and now yuppies gabbing away on cell phones have become an all too familiar sight in poor old Virginia. It's a divided state in some parts and there is a segment of the populace which looks more toward the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
10. Arkansas - Yes, it's the Upper South, but is about a 180 degree turn from Missouri, in my opinion. The Mountain South at its finest. Great rural culture and history. However, the state kind of feels outcast within the mainstream South, and I feel this leads to its isolation.
11. Florida - Florida takes all the problems of transplants changing the local culture found in the Atlanta area and the NC Research Triangle and magnifies them tenfold, affecting fairly large regions. So much has been overdeveloped in the Orlando and Tampa areas and South Florida has been radically altered (similar to South Texas) by immigration and demographic shifts. Northern Florida is an extension of the Deep South however, Florida does have awesome Southern history and old culture, and inland, even in the central and southern parts, it still maintains a very Southern character.
12. Texas - Certain parts of south Texas and West Texas just couldn't be integrated into the South, and cities like San Antonio stand out. But the Houston area, rural East Texas, the overall culture and attitudes/values, as well as the history, make it feel much closer to the South than the Southwest or Midwest.
13. Oklahoma - Large parts feel too un-Southern, but the cuisine still presides, the mannerisms and demeanor seem similar, and it seems as if a portion of OK really wants to join the Southern league for good, but there are stereotypical parts which people will always associate with Kansas and Nebraska.
Any other state I do not consider to be Southern. Some have Southern influences, but that can range from West Virginia to Indiana and is too broad a classification. There are 13 states of Dixie in my opinion.
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