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The fact you think that Atlanta is like the Maryland and DC suburbs tells me you've either never been there or have no idea what you're talking about. And Maryland more than feels like a Northern state...culturally, demographically, even industrially in the case of Baltimore, it is. The only part of Virginia that shares any commonality with most of Maryland is Northern Virginia, in the DC suburbs. There are no parts of Virginia I've found outside of that area that bear a resemblance to Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Not a one. And go on, use your Maryland-hating excuse, your last pathetic line of defense besides an irrelevant, outdated line.
Irregardless of what you think; Maryland is a Southern State.....
And don't tell me about outdated lines because every argument you have made against Maryland being Southern is not only irrelevant but also subjectively opinionated....
That's only one solid reason, and really, history does not define Maryland as southern, especially post-Civil War...after the Civil War, finding five solid reasons to call Maryland the South is difficult.
The difference between Maryland and Virginia and North Carolina is that not only is Maryland politically more northern, it's culturally more northern and also more northern in terms of speech patterns, and just about all demographics. Virginia and North Carolina actually seceded in the Civil War, and to this day retain a strong southern identity in terms of culture and in terms of speech-patterns and ideals.
In the past I have presented information to prove that Maryland is a Southern State but due to personal Bias you make Extremist attempts to argue it down which will make one believe that you really hate to accept Maryland as an Southern Equal to the states south and southwest of Maryland........
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
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Quote:
Originally Posted by $mk8795
In the past I have presented information to prove that Maryland is a Southern State but due to personal Bias you make Extremist attempts to argue it down which will make one believe that you really hate to accept Maryland as an Southern Equal to the states south and southwest of Maryland........
Anyone who jumps to the conclusions you jump to either enjoys stirring the pot or can't admit that the Mason-Dixon isn't an accurate boundary of the south.
And the cultural, demographic, and linguistic traits that make up the south are all absent in Maryland, which instead has the components of the Mid-Atlantic.
That isn't personal bias, they're facts, and I refused to group Maryland in with the south, because to do so would be falsely representing the state.
As somebody who lives in Maryland, you should learn to accept your state for what it is today...NOT SOUTHERN, based upon some imaginary line. Take away the Mason Dixon, and your argument becomes baseless.
I lived in NC for 3 years (Durham/Fayetteville) and in SC for 2 years (Columbia/Charleston) but I was born & raised between Asbury Park and Toms River, NJ.
I've never considered MD to be southern and i especially don't after living in the actual south.
I think the South starts somewhere around Fredricksburg, VA but it's important to note that there are 4 distinct regions that have more in common with each other than with different parts of each state.
There's the coastal plain that stretches from the Tidewater area down past Savannah. There are the Sandhills that run the length of Route (excuse me, "highway") 1 from just south of Raleigh down past Augusta. There's the piedmont which roughly parallels I-85 and then there are the mountains which run along I-81.
There are differences from state to state. For instance, there are differences between Wilmington and Charleston but they have more in common culturally than Asheville and Wilmington do.
Also strange that I found SC to be more urban than NC (that is to say that the population was perhaps more concentrated in urban areas) but also found SC to be more conservative.
I have friends and family from the South who make all types of ridiculous claims. For example, I have a friend from Portsmouth, VA who says that Virginia is considered part of the Northeast now. I also know people from Mississippi who say that the Carolinas and Virginia are not the "real" South or the "Dirty South." Then my stepfather, who has set foot outside of Philadelphia maybe 14 times in his entire life, thinks Baltimore and Washington, DC are in the heart of Dixie. As a northerner, here's my perspective on it.
Northern Virginia/Southern Maryland: Here's where the South begins, imo. DC and its northern suburbs, as well as Baltimore, are more or less a transition zone between North and South. But towns like Waldorf or Chantilly are pretty much southern. Anytime you pass more than one Bojangles and see signs for "Dixie's Best BBQ," I think it's fair to say you're in the South.
Southern VA/Eastern NC/Most of SC: I've spent a good bit of time in this part of the country visiting relatives. Honestly, I don't see much of a difference between Hampton, Fayetteville, Raleigh, Richmond and Columbia. If you blindfolded me, and dropped me off in the middle of any of these cities, I don't think I could tell them apart. For the most part, they all look alike. Similar highway system. Similar houses. Malls, etc. They look like your typical suburbia. I also think the vegetation is pretty similar with lots of pine trees (terrible for my allergies). I'd also lump these areas together because they have a fair amount of colonial history. If DC/MD/NOVA is the "Mid Atlantic," I'd probably call this sub-region the "South Atlantic."
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Northern Florida: This is where the "Dirty" South begins. The accents get much stronger. The topography is different...so much clay in Georgia and Alabama. There are Waffle Houses every .5 miles. These states feel very different from the Carolinas to me, and thus, I've put them into their own category.
Louisiana/East Texas: Louisiana could very well be lumped in with Mississippi, but the history is so different that I didn't really think it fit. Texas is the same way. It's so unique. I think La-Tex go together because they probably have more in common with each other than any other southern states.
Arkansas/Tennessee/Western NC: I've been to Opryland and Asheville, NC. When I think of these states, I think of mountains. Not much else comes to mind, honestly. I guess you could throw Kentucky in the mix, too.
Thoughts?
The western part of Tennessee (think Memphis) is not mountainous.
As a former resident of Mayland I would never lump it in with the South however, it is south of the Mason Dixon line. Northern Virginia is full of transients that work for the federal government. It's not the South either.
In the past I have presented information to prove that Maryland is a Southern State but due to personal Bias you make Extremist attempts to argue it down which will make one believe that you really hate to accept Maryland as an Southern Equal to the states south and southwest of Maryland........
Your hatred of Maryland will not change the FACT that it is a mid-atlantic state........
The western part of Tennessee (think Memphis) is not mountainous.
As a former resident of Mayland I would never lump it in with the South however, it is south of the Mason Dixon line. Northern Virginia is full of transients that work for the federal government. It's not the South either.
So for you, the South is only or predominantly a cultural designation and not a geographical one?
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
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Originally Posted by Mutiny77
So for you, the South is only or predominantly a cultural designation and not a geographical one?
The Mason-Dixon makes no sense as a geographic boundary either...topography doesn't change with respect to this line. In any event, maybe to her it is..for me, it's geographic only to the degree that southern culture, demographics, and speech patterns coincide with that line...that's how I view pretty much all regions.
The Mason-Dixon makes no sense as a geographic boundary either...topography doesn't change with respect to this line. In any event, maybe to her it is..for me, it's geographic only to the degree that southern culture, demographics, and speech patterns coincide with that line...that's how I view pretty much all regions.
Every region has its outliers, but it just seems that it's only when it comes to the South that when there's a high level of diversity and a more liberal political landscape (among some other things) that it's deemed to be non-Southern.
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Your hatred of Maryland will not change the FACT that it is a mid-atlantic state........
