[Bishwhat]

Does it exist? I'm interested in thoughts and opinions regarding this topic.

[StreetSmarts]

there arent very many "large" cities in north FL. all the small towns are going to be pretty southern. only big city is Jax.

[Bishwhat]

Originally Posted by ComSense

there arent very many "large" cities in north FL. all the small towns are going to be pretty southern. only big city is Jax.

Does Jacksonville have a southern feel to it? Accents, food, etc?

[EscAlaMike]

I would say there are only 3 "large" cities in North Florida. Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Pensacola, and two of them are not really large by most people's standards.

Neither Jacksonville nor Pensacola are particularly Southern culturally. Both have a large military presence and both have plenty of retirees from northern states. They also have the more beachy feel.

Tallahassee is probably the most Southern of the three, but it is also what I would consider the most uniquely Floridian. Being the capital and a college town gives it a more eclectic feel. It is Deep South meets South Florida in many ways. There is a significant amount of South Florida influence in Tallahassee, and not as much northern influence as Jax and Pcola.

My background: I have experience with all 3 cities. I grew up an hour south of Jacksonville, went to college in Tallahassee and lived there for a little while as a non-student after college, and I currently live an hour north of Pensacola. If you meet someone in Jacksonville who is not from Jacksonville, they are just as likely to be from New England as from Georgia. If you meet someone in Pensacola who is not from Pensacola, they are just as likely to be from Iowa or the Midwest as they are from Alabama. However, if you meet someone in Tallahassee who is not from there, it's most likely that they are from South Florida as opposed to being from another state.

[OpinionInOcala]

I'm not sure that there are "culturally southern" cities in Florida, at least not in the good sense.

[Fl1150]

You got to remember Florida is a transplant state so very few cities are going to have extreme southern elements to them. But Jax is probably your best choice because it is home to people from all over the US a lot from New England an Southern states as stated. Don't worry about it being too prevalent cuz it becomes very diluted as times moves on.

[Bishwhat]

Thanks for the responses everyone. If you have any further comments, please do share.

[sware2cod]

Tallahassee, IMO, is the only major city in FL that has a true "southern" feel.

[StreetSmarts]

is southern bad? i assume you dont want to be around it. :/

[jghorton]

"Culturally Southern" conjures images of Plantations, mint juleps and top hats and hoop skirts (perhaps like Savannah or Charleston around the time of the Civil War). While Florida has been influenced by 'Southern culture' in the Panhandle (Tallahassee) and North Central Florida, its 'melting pot' culture has been more heavily influenced by Native American and Hispanic and 'military' heritages.

In the context of 'Large', Northern Florida cities include Jacksonville (1M), Pensacola (.5M) and Tallahassee (.2M). These are smaller than what are commonly thought of as 'large traditional Southern' metropolitan areas (Atlanta (6M), Charlotte (2.5M) and perhaps Birmingham or New Orleans (1Me).