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When I think Mid Atlantic I've always thought of the coastal towns of New Jersey down to Chesapeake Bay as the epicenter of it. Sure NYC is on the northern portion of it, and NoVa is on the southern portion of it... but I definitely wouldn't call NYC part of New England either. Picking between the two, I'd pick Mid Atlantic. NYC if anything could just be it's own region, like Ile de France.
In contrast, Baltimoreans and Washingtonians label themselves as "Mid-Atlantic" to indicate they're not southern. But at the same time, there's a recognition that they're not northern either. They view themselves as a transitional region that's sandwiched in between the North and South, hence why the "Mid-Atlantic" label is more prominent there. That's why I've always associated the Mid-Atlantic with DC and Baltimore. They seem to claim this as their region--to the exclusion of all other regions--rather than a subregion.
That's been my perception as well--areas that were more historically aligned with the South and still have a few traces of that historical Southern influence, but are now more culturally, politically, etc. aligned with the Northeast. A true mix of both regions, not purely one or the other.
There aren't many rural blacks in the DC area (in the exurbs of DC in MD, at least). No one here says Y'all (except the people who have come from the south). Most people in the DC area (especially in the MD suburbs) are not baptist (check this map: File:Church or synagogue attendance by state GFDL.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ). DC does not have a slow pace of life. Living in the DC area, I had never had sweet tea in my entire life until my trip to New Orleans last year. Here, it's "iced" tea like in the rest of the Northeast. There is plenty of attitude in DC. And no one talks about religion too much. I agree that the DC area isn't exactly "Northern" or "Northeastern" but it's definitely not "Lower Mid-Atlantic" in your definition of it. I'd shift the definition of the Lower Mid-Atlantic down to below Fredericksburg, VA. That's when the Tidewater culture starts to kick in.
Hmm... How about from VA Beach to NYC... VA Beach and NYC are the border areas where you are entering a different region? I.E. "the south" and "new england" going into CT.
There aren't many rural blacks in the DC area (in the exurbs of DC in MD, at least).
I don't think he was talking about the exurbs of Maryland. He was talking more or less about Southern MD, the Eastern Shore and Southern DE. Besides, I don't see rural blacks in the exurbs of Atlanta or Charlotte either.
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Originally Posted by wisvishr0
No one here says Y'all (except the people who have come from the south)
Yes they do. Some people say "y'all" and some people say "you guys." It really depends on where they're from. It's hard to say it's only "the people who have come from the south" because people in DC come from everywhere. One of my friends went to Richard Montgomery and he alternates between "y'all" and "you guys" all the time. And he's Asian. Never do you hear "youse" in the DC area.
I already did a post on this in a different thread. Nearly half of the Catholics in Maryland are of Hispanic or Filipino descent. If we just look at white Catholics vis-a-vis white Baptists, there are more of the latter. If you excluded Hispanics and Filipinos in Philadelphia, New York or Boston, there would still be more white Catholics than Baptists. And by a very wide margin.
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Originally Posted by wisvishr0
DC does not have a slow pace of life.
I believe he said "slower."
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Originally Posted by wisvishr0
There is plenty of attitude in DC.
Not imho. People in DC are rather formal and polite for the most part (even if it's phony). You don't get too many aggressive, confrontational, loud-mouthed characters like Angel Garcia or Frank Rizzo. And you don't see a relentless, remorseless media and sensationalist tabloids that publish headline like this.
Here is classic Philadelphia "attytood" btw. I want to put Angel Garcia and Roger Mayweather in a room together. That would be far more entertaining than anything we'd see in a ring between Danny and Money Mayweather. He's now at the top of my list for favorite Philadelphians. He still ranks below Mike Tyson, however, who I consider to be the funniest man who ever lived.
I wonder if Puerto Ricans are the largest Hispanic ethnic group in Baltimore like it is in New York City, Philadelphia and Boston.
Well, all we have to do is look it up. Here are the stats for Baltimore City:
Central American: 8,437
Mexican: 7,786 Puerto Rican: 3,120
Allentown, PA, which has about 1/6 of Baltimore's population, has 29,822 Puerto Ricans alone. That's larger than the total number of Hispanics in Baltimore City and nearly as many Hispanics as all of Baltimore County.
For me, the northeast begins north of Trenton and east of the Delaware River. South of Trenton and west of the Delaware River is Mid-Atlantic. Philly and the surround areas have much more in common with DC, Delaware, and Maryland. In North Jersey and NYC, people are just different. The similarities between Philadelphians and New Yorkers are way overstated. I know many people from Philadelphia as much of my extended family grew up there, and they are nothing like New Yorkers. Blame the media for always portraying Philadelphia and New York as if they were the same. The changes in accent and attitude are most drastic between Philadelphia and New York, while there is less significant difference in this as you go from Philly to DC. When my cousin, from Philadelphia, moved to New York City, a bit deal was made about how different people there are and how much of an adjustment it would be--the attitudes, accents, etc. Certainly not the same as if he'd just moved to Baltimore or DC.
I agree with this for the most part. However, I feel that there are some subregions of the country that people identify with as strongly as they do their "region." New England is the most obvious example. Someone in Boston may actually identify with New England over the Northeast. The Pacific Northwest, I suppose, would be another. But the "Mid-Atlantic" simply does not have as strong an identity (at least outside of NoVA/DC/MD). The "Northeast" certainly takes precedence in NYC and Philly. That's usually the first response you'll get from people living in these cities. I would say "East Coast" probably comes in second.
In contrast, Baltimoreans and Washingtonians label themselves as "Mid-Atlantic" to indicate they're not southern. But at the same time, there's a recognition that they're not northern either. They view themselves as a transitional region that's sandwiched in between the North and South, hence why the "Mid-Atlantic" label is more prominent there. That's why I've always associated the Mid-Atlantic with DC and Baltimore. They seem to claim this as their region--to the exclusion of all other regions--rather than a subregion.
As you said, New York and Pennsylvania were the "Middle Colonies" during colonial times, but I'm not sure if too many people really group states that way anymore.
I agree with the bolded - personally I would say Northeast before Mid Atlantic - but to me it doesnt have to be an either or and I still see the Northeast as the combo of the Mid Atlantic and New England
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