Why is New York City and Philadelphia not viewed as Mid-Atlantic cities? (homes, design)

[LauraC]

Because New York is not in the MIDdle of the states on the Atlantic coast, that's why it's not a mid-Atlantic state.

[Dotty19]

I view them as Mid Atlantic cities.

[DeaconJ]

Those are Mid-Atlantic states...from Maryland on down is South Atlantic.

[AdamBpa]

Originally Posted by LINative

Good comment.

I have been wondering at what point did Maryland and some people in Virginia stop saying they were Southern (or even Upper South) and start using the term Mid-Atlantic?

Clearly, at some point people in Maryland began to see the South as unattractive and wanted to start calling their state something else. Maybe during the 1950s-1960s Civil Right Movement? That was not long ago in a historical sense, but alot of younger posters could then easily believe Maryland has always been called a Mid-Atlantic state.

What we do know that is by 1776, and possibly as early as the 1680s when Pennsylvania was established, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware were considered the Middle Colonies.

Delaware may be the key here. She is attached to Maryland on the Delmarva peninsula and oftens appears on the same maps. Perhaps the term Mid-Atlantic spread from Delaware to Maryland, then Virginia and now it appears to North Carolina.

Was Delaware definitely a Middle Colony? I know that original it was considered the lower counties of Pennsylvania, but I think slavery was a lot bigger there because it kept slavery till the Civil War and then had segregation like in the Deep South till the 1950s/60s.

But I just looked it up and the Mason-Dixon Line is goes North-South between Delaware and Maryland as well as East-West between Pennsylvania and Maryland. Interesting.

Originally Posted by nephi215

Yeah of course I know that, but down in baltimore its german, irish, english american (WASP's), but in Philly its mostly Italian, Irish, and german american. Philly, Hartford and Providence (and other cities above the mason dixon line) all have a large Puerto rican and Dominican hispanic population that Baltimore lacks. Also what differentiates Philly from baltimore is Philly's high asian population. Im not saying there aren't any similarities, Im just saying they are different culturally.

Despite that, I'd still say Baltimore and Philly are culturally two of the closest major cities in the U.S., and even the BosWash corridor. Philadelphia is just more a bigger and more of a major city and is thus more diverse. I think Philadelphia is like the geometric mean between Baltimore and New York, if you want to use the math metaphor to describe differences in accent, diversity, size, influence, Southern/Northern-ness, etc., if that makes sense.

Originally Posted by LauraC

Because New York is not in the MIDdle of the states on the Atlantic coast, that's why it's not a mid-Atlantic state.

Well the South is a lot larger than the North. If you want to look at it in those terms, a line dividing the East Coast into strictly North and strictly South with no middle ground would be between North Carolina and Virginia, and it's a little ridiculous to call a state that contained the capital of the Confederacy "Northern." So Virginia on south are all the South Atlantic coast.

Besides, if you exclude Florida, which originally was owned by the Spanish, and look at the coast diagonally (how it actually goes) rather than just looking at the latitude, New York City to Washington, D.C. are the middle.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by VA7cities

You have to keep in mind also that MidAtlantic in this day and age is often used to define where the North meets the South both geographically and culturally. NYC & Philly dont really fit into that definition. Normally when a person refers to the MidAtlantic region or states, theyre referring to the DMV or DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.

Pretty much. That's what I've always thought.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by pbergen

when i was a kid growing up in the nyc metro, we took frequent trips down I-95 south to delaware and maryland - sometimes to baltimore and dc, and other times to the beaches and countryside of the delmarva peninsula. and without fail, i always felt i was entering a different region once we passed wilmington, delaware (the northernmost part of the state) and approached the border of northern delaware (newark, de) and northeastern maryland (elkton, md). there was just a different culture and "feel" that was always perceptible to me. not to mention, the farmers and other locals whom we'd buy produce from in the delmarva peninsula had some very noticeable southern accents - different from what you'd hear in georgia or mississippi, of course, but also completely unlike any country accents i'd ever heard in the rural parts of ny, nj, or pa. basically, they didn't sound like northeasterners.

Great post. Rarely do I agree with a post in its entirety.

You can definitely feel the difference driving between DC and Philly along I-95. You go from newly developed, sprawled out suburbs in the DC Metro area to the denser, older suburbs of Delaware within 90 minutes. By the time you reach Wilmington, you start seeing the first signs of heavy industry. Once you reach Chester, it's pretty clear that that region has very little in common with DC and Baltimore.

[Alicia Bradley]

Because people are wrong? (I know, I know, never happened on C-D before. ) NYC is more borderline, but Philly is most definitely, quintessentially Mid-Atlantic. That said, though, geographic regional terminology is a really messy - and, sadly, often just stupid/near-meaningless - thing.

[soug]

Since when was Philly not mid-atlantic haha? That was basic elementary school geography.

[TMR23]

Originally Posted by nephi215

The Mid-atlantic is such a awkward defined area. Thats why I always think of Philly and New York as the Northeast. Philly and New York have more cultural similarities with cities in CT, NH, MA, RI and ME, than cities in the south mid-atlantic such as cities located in MD, VA, and WV.

Do u honestly think Philly has more in common with some where in Rhode island than it does with Baltimore.... I highly doubt that.

[jm02]

Originally Posted by TMR23

Do u honestly think Philly has more in common with some where in Rhode island than it does with Baltimore.... I highly doubt that.

I'd probably ask the same question of Boston or NYC.