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From my casual observation of the area, I always perceived Raleigh-Durham to be mostly pines, pines and more pines. There seem to be very few deciduous species compared to the dominant pine species of the area. I know that Western Tennessee has many pines with a heavy mixture of deciduous trees as well. And I also noticed that pines in Louisiana dont really start until west of Monroe as another poster noted.
From my casual observation of the area, I always perceived Raleigh-Durham to be mostly pines, pines and more pines. There seem to be very few deciduous species compared to the dominant pine species of the area. I know that Western Tennessee has many pines with a heavy mixture of deciduous trees as well. And I also noticed that pines in Louisiana dont really start until west of Monroe as another poster noted.
"Longleaf pine forests once covered vast areas of central, southwestern and southeastern Louisiana north of Lake Pontchartrain. About 4 million acres were once longleaf pine forest in Louisiana."
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?
A long time ago, I posted a map of "psychographic" regions of the U.S., and I had the South divided up as follows...
Atlantic South: Far southern Maryland, eastern Virginia, eastern North Carolina, downstate South Carolina, southeast Georgia, northeastern Florida.
Capital: Charleston.
Largest city: Jacksonville.
Largest MSA: Virginia Beach/Norfolk.
Deep South: Southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, most of Mississippi, most of Alabama, west and middle Georgia.
Capital: Jackson.
Largest city: Columbus.
Largest MSA: Jackson.
Gulf South: Far southeastern Texas, southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, the Florida panhandle, southwest Georgia.
Capital: New Orleans.
Largest city: New Orleans.
Largest MSA: New Orleans.
Mid-South: Northeastern Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, far southern Illinois, most of Kentucky, most of Tennessee, northern Mississippi, northwestern Alabama.
Capital: Nashville.
Largest city: Memphis.
Largest MSA: Nashville.
Ozark Mountains: Far eastern Oklahoma, northwestern Arkansas, southwestern Missouri.
Capital: Fayetteville.
Largest city: Springfield.
Largest MSA: Fayetteville.
Piedmont: Central Virginia, central North Carolina, upstate South Carolina, northeast and east Georgia.
Capital: Charlotte.
Largest city: Charlotte.
Largest MSA: Atlanta.
South Appalachia: Southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, western Virginia, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, far upstate South Carolina, northwest and far northeast Georgia, northeastern Alabama.
Capital: Knoxville.
Largest city: Birmingham.
Largest MSA: Birmingham.
From my casual observation of the area, I always perceived Raleigh-Durham to be mostly pines, pines and more pines. There seem to be very few deciduous species compared to the dominant pine species of the area. I know that Western Tennessee has many pines with a heavy mixture of deciduous trees as well. And I also noticed that pines in Louisiana dont really start until west of Monroe as another poster noted.
People who generally perceive an area to be mostly pine, even when that area is about 60-65% deciduous, with a few isolated areas that are mostly pine, generally come from areas that are entirely deciduous. Not used to seeing pine trees, they perceive the minority of trees as a majority, because they are not what they are used to seeing and they stand out or "pop", have you.
Western Tennessee is nearly completely deciduous. Northern Mississippi is also mostly deciduous. I wonder if you've even been to these areas. Pines in Mississippi are heavy in central and southern Mississippi, just north of the immediate coast. Tennessee is almost completely deciduous. You may find a stray pine or two mixing in in and around the Chattanooga area, as well as white pines in the highest elevations of the Appalachians, say around Clingman's Dome, but that's about it.
People who generally perceive an area to be mostly pine, even when that area is about 60-65% deciduous, with a few isolated areas that are mostly pine, generally come from areas that are entirely deciduous. Not used to seeing pine trees, they perceive the minority of trees as a majority, because they are not what they are used to seeing and they stand out or "pop", have you.
Western Tennessee is nearly completely deciduous. Northern Mississippi is also mostly deciduous. I wonder if you've even been to these areas. Pines in Mississippi are heavy in central and southern Mississippi, just north of the immediate coast. Tennessee is almost completely deciduous. You may find a stray pine or two mixing in in and around the Chattanooga area, as well as white pines in the highest elevations of the Appalachians, say around Clingman's Dome, but that's about it.
How can you tell what the balance is between conifers and deciduous trees? Are you estimating?
All I know is that the 1-95 stretch of North Carolina does not look much different from the 1-95 stretch of South Carolina (with the exception that the road maintenance is a bit better in NC). In Raleigh, I saw as many if not more pine trees as I saw in Columbia. The one thing that stood out about NC was the ridiculous number of trailer parks off 95. North Carolina might be the trailer park capital of the world.
How can you tell what the balance is between conifers and deciduous trees? Are you estimating?
All I know is that the 1-95 stretch of North Carolina does not look much different from the 1-95 stretch of South Carolina (with the exception that the road maintenance is a bit better in NC). In Raleigh, I saw as many if not more pine trees as I saw in Columbia. The one thing that stood out about NC was the ridiculous number of trailer parks off 95. North Carolina might be the trailer park capital of the world.
Of course you saw trailer parks off I-95. Who would want to build a nice home right next to the Interstate? Especially I-95.
People who generally perceive an area to be mostly pine, even when that area is about 60-65% deciduous, with a few isolated areas that are mostly pine, generally come from areas that are entirely deciduous. Not used to seeing pine trees, they perceive the minority of trees as a majority, because they are not what they are used to seeing and they stand out or "pop", have you.
Western Tennessee is nearly completely deciduous. Northern Mississippi is also mostly deciduous. I wonder if you've even been to these areas. Pines in Mississippi are heavy in central and southern Mississippi, just north of the immediate coast. Tennessee is almost completely deciduous. You may find a stray pine or two mixing in in and around the Chattanooga area, as well as white pines in the highest elevations of the Appalachians, say around Clingman's Dome, but that's about it.
I have my doubts about your travels to these areas as well, but just to put my perspective into context for you, Im from an area of East Texas called the "Piney Woods". You can make of that what you will. However, Ive heard native Raleigh Durham residents state that not only is the area predominated by pines, but they purposely keep it that way.
But you may be right in that I havent been to Northern Mississippi. I always stay on I-20 and Ive found the presence of pine trees increase as I approach Jackson heading west. I just drove through western Tennessee and from Jackson through the area around Memphis has virtually an even mixture of pine trees and deciduous trees. They didnt seem stray at all. But we all have different perceptions I guess.
Last edited by solytaire; 09-21-2011 at 11:10 AM..
LOL don't argue with the 'experts' that know all about a state because of what they saw of it off of an interstate!
How much you wanna bet I know more about those two states than you do?
North Carolina has a ton of trailer parks. As do Pennsylvania and West Virginia. To say otherwise is like me saying, "Leave it to the 'experts' that know all about Philadelphia to say that the city has a lot of slums based off what they saw off of an interstate." Well, I'm from Philly, and I can tell you we have a lot of slums. That's not all we have, as the city's pretty big, but to say that Philly has a lot of slums is an accurate statement. Just like saying North Carolina has a lot of trailer parks is an accurate statement.
Let's be real. North Carolina is not that far removed from Jesse Helms, NASCAR, and guys named Rusty who rock pony tails out of the back of their Mountain Dew caps. Just because the state went for Obama does not mean that it's suddenly transformed into San Francisco.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolinablue
Of course you saw trailer parks off I-95. Who would want to build a nice home right next to the Interstate? Especially I-95.
I saw waaaaaaaay more and I mean waaaaaaay more trailer homes in NC than in SC and VA. The only two places where I've seen more trailer parks are West Virginia and western PA.
I saw waaaaaaaay more and I mean waaaaaaay more trailer homes in NC than in SC and VA. The only two places where I've seen more trailer parks are West Virginia and western PA.
Okay. And? I was just wondering how you went from trees to trailer parks. For the record, where I live is mostly deciduous tree coverage.
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