Maryland and Delaware - the SOUTH? (Wilmington, Lewes: house, school, gated)

[MimzyMusic]

In school I learned the Census considers these states the SOUTH! How can a state north of Washington, D.C. be southern?

These states are more like New Jersey, not South Carolina.

[Joe84323]

I agree. The true transition of the south is Virginia. Go Figure!

[mackinac81]

It goes back to colonial times. At that time, all colonies south of Pennsylvania were deemed as southern--for some reason. The fact that Delaware and Maryland were slave states before the civil war cemented that notion. Remember also, that Maryland had strong confederate sympathies. Lincoln had to use federal troops to keep order so that D.C wasn't surrounded.

Personally, I never think of Delaware as "the south" or even "the upper south". But then I've only been to the chesapeake once--and I was nine!

[newleaseonlife]

Its called the Mason-Dixon Line.

[Joe84323]

The Mason-Dixon line is Delaware's southern and western border, so according to that, newlease, we would still be in the north.

I guess they just had to cut it off somewhere.

[jdoll]

Get away from I-95. You'll find the parking lot of the local Waffle House is parking lot filled with pick-ups all displaying the number of a favorite NASCAR driver and your eggs come with grits. At lunch all the local diners will serve you sweet tea unless you request otherwise and the waitress will not have the same accent as anyone you know in Wilmington. Screw the map .... it sounds like the south to me.

[elizamary]

and DE was segregated back in the 60"s. Friends of ours almost moved to Lewis in the 60's. Kind of made them uncomfortable so they ended up in PA.

[jdoll]

Lewes

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by mackinac81

It goes back to colonial times. At that time, all colonies south of Pennsylvania were deemed as southern--for some reason. The fact that Delaware and Maryland were slave states before the civil war cemented that notion. Remember also, that Maryland had strong confederate sympathies. Lincoln had to use federal troops to keep order so that D.C wasn't surrounded.

Personally, I never think of Delaware as "the south" or even "the upper south". But then I've only been to the chesapeake once--and I was nine!

There were still slaves in NJ at the time of the 1860 census.

If you extend the Mason Dixon line to the ocean, a lot of South Jersey is below it.

[goozer]

I agree that Delaware does not come to mind when you think of "the South," but there are a lot of parts of Delaware that feel southern. A lot of farmland and sleepy towns where people like to sip iced tea and look forward to seeing the weekend's NASCAR race.