[DailyJournalist]

Originally Posted by The Floridian

Come to florida !!! Make me richer !!!

I'm a big nasty racist -- I love only one color... GREEN ($$$) !!!!

What is wrong with you? You post the same comment on every thread?

[sfcacique]

Florida is unique, definitely Southern with a little Yankee icing too.

Not too many of the respondents have five generations of Central FL in their family. Heck the northern part of my family are from across the GA/FL border. Too many respondents seem to take the opinion that Southern or Northern is bad. We all have our foibles, as in any cultural group. I was raised to be proud of being Southern, with all the positive aspects acquainted with that. I remember the arrogance of "Snow Birds" that thought we were uneducated (at the time Central Florida secondary education led the nation), talked too slow, and had "quaint" notions of service to God, Country and family. When I call someone Redneck, Cracker, Bubba or Good Ole Boy, it is usually a sign of respectn or equality, hard workers that have made the best of what they have and are proud of it. I would be just as reticient of using those same terms in a negative manner as I would be to use the "N" word.

I was also raised that you shouldn't have an accent, but that y'all was totally acceptable (What other language than English would have You Singular and not You Plural?) Non Sequitur?

At the time, the only Northerners I knew came down only in the Winter. The ones that stayed immediately became Floridians, and got acquainted with our culture. The ones that did not deign to accept our way of life, returned to theirs.

I've travelled the world and have a Master's in International Relations. No matter where you come from, what culture, ethnicity or color, be proud of where you come from and try to better the negative aspects. Trash is trash, doesn't matter how much money or any heritage.

BTW _ My Grandaddy used to say he was 14 before he found out the rest of the world treated Da#@Yankee as two words...It's gotten a lot better since then.

[skinny]

I love when idiots say "Florida is not southern". LMAO you must not be from here and only visited Southeastern FL or something. For starters, North Florida and much of Central Florida is still as Southern/country as you can get. Secondly, there's towns like Clewiston, Okeechobee,Belle Glade,etc. in South Florida that are also extremely southern. Plus, Southern blacks havent gone anywhere. The only people who say Florida aint the South have probably never been to the hood. All of the Southern states have people from other regions, just cuz alot of Yankees move to Florida doesn't mean its not the "real South". New York has people from all over the world. Is NY not the "real East Coast" Lmao? Let me give you a list of characteristics that make FLA Southern:

(these are strictly examples of Southern culture)
Swamps everywhere
Alligators,airboats,mudding
Football is the most popular sport
College and high school football are HUGE here (best state for high school football)
Permanent gold teeth everywhere (this is only found in Southern states)
dreadlocks (very common in the Southeast)
Old Luxury cars on enormous rims
People from the hood in S. FL have southern drawls (Ever heard a Trick Daddy or Plies song?)
Lots of rednecks
The history of our state can never be changed (Confederate flag is one of the 5 flags of FLA)
Florida natives rep the South to the fullest
Names like Dixie HWY,Yeehaw Junction,Florida Cracker Trail,Redneck Riviera,etc.
Southern slang

These are just a few examples. So I better not see nann one of you misinformed folks talk down on my state from now on.

[Gator198745]

Depends on which part of the state.

Northwest Florida is Dixie, without questions. So is greater Jacksonville and 90% of North Central Florida. Tampa/St. Pete and Orlando are (largely) not Southern, too many immigrants and retirees. Rural Central Florida and inland South Florida are Dixie. And there are absolutely no vestiges at all of Southern-ness in urban/suburban Southwest and Southeast Florida, and the Keys. If I'm not mistaken, I think I remember reading that 89.5% of the residents of Charlotte County were born in the Northeast. Even for Florida that's an extreme example, but still.

But overall, the state isn't Southern. I live in the state's most populous county and don't think I've ever, even once, heard a Southern accent here. My neighbors are fellow Northeastern transplants, Cubans, Venezuelans, French Canadians, and Californians. This is not to say that it is uniformly "non-Dixie", but the residents in the Southern-oriented regions of the state are outnumbered by enormous, almost comical, margins. The culture of a place is defined by the majority group, not the minority. There are many people in the far southern tip of Illinois who are essentially Southern in history, heritage and everything else (even many whose ancestors owned slaves), but this does not alter the fact that Illinois is a Midwestern state.

[th3vault]

Originally Posted by Gator198745

Depends on which part of the state.

Northwest Florida is Dixie, without questions. So is greater Jacksonville and 90% of North Central Florida. Tampa/St. Pete and Orlando are (largely) not Southern, too many immigrants and retirees. Rural Central Florida and inland South Florida are Dixie. And there are absolutely no vestiges at all of Southern-ness in urban/suburban Southwest and Southeast Florida, and the Keys. If I'm not mistaken, I think I remember reading that 89.5% of the residents of Charlotte County were born in the Northeast. Even for Florida that's an extreme example, but still.

But overall, the state isn't Southern. I live in the state's most populous county and don't think I've ever, even once, heard a Southern accent here. My neighbors are fellow Northeastern transplants, Cubans, Venezuelans, French Canadians, and Californians. This is not to say that it is uniformly "non-Dixie", but the residents in the Southern-oriented regions of the state are outnumbered by enormous, almost comical, margins. The culture of a place is defined by the majority group, not the minority. There are many people in the far southern tip of Illinois who are essentially Southern in history, heritage and everything else (even many whose ancestors owned slaves), but this does not alter the fact that Illinois is a Midwestern state.

Yes but non-Southern is the exception, Southern is the rule. If you were to take a map of Florida and pick any random area, there is a much greater probability that it will be Southern than non-Southern. The non-Southern areas are confined to the metro areas, while the South is everywhere else.

By the way, Lee County in SW Florida is still somewhat Southern once you're away from the retirement communities, especially inland.

I agree with you on Monroe, Palm Beach, Dade, Charlotte, Collier and Broward. Very hard to find much Southern heritage there.

I do have a very distinct Southern accent, but that's because I was born in Texas. Not every transplant in FL is from the North!

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by Mr. Answers

I think Florida's problem is that it retains the worst of both Dixie and Yankee culture. So you have the cranky, old, snobby northern sentiments combined with a uniquely Dixie redneck, trailer-park mentality which gives you......Florida.

That might be a little harsh.

It is. You've denigrated both cultures, and presented yourself as the presumptious ass you appear to be.

[Alatex]

My older brother was born in Florida while my father went to UF, and when my parents were living in Florida, it was definitely considered a southern state, even though there are areas like Miami that were dominated by non-southerners even then. The state has changed tremendously since then, though. Back then, Florida had a smaller population than Alabama. Now, Florida's population is several times as large, and most of that growth is from non-southern areas, to the point that I'd say the state overall is more non-southern than southern.

[TMAN24]

If I'm not mistaken, I think I remember reading that 89.5% of the residents of Charlotte County were born in the Northeast. Even for Florida that's an extreme example, but still.
.[/quote]


That is completely false and total B.S and I have to wonder where you got that figure.

[deborahev]

I am a 7th generation Floridian who grew up in the Keys. My family came to Florida out of the Carolinas over 150 years ago. We are definately Southern. There is a lot of the south that still exists in Florida. I could take you to places where I would have to translate for nonsoutherners (not Spanish to English but Cracker to English).

[bugguy]

I think Florida is just a suburb of New Jersey