Where do the bounderies for The South begin? (design, castle)

[annie_himself]

Coming from south Louisiana, I never considered anything north of North Carolina the south. Missouri, I would have laughed for days on the thought that it was, gasp, southern. Virginia and West Virginia, absolutely NOT southern. I would've done the same for Kentucky. I'm just saying this for a relation to how far south I grew up and what I viewed as culturally southern. My views currently are much more broad, I was younger when I thought the above.

[dhanu86]

Originally Posted by Nafster

I was just wondering where the boundaries for the Southern region of the US begin. My parents tell me southern Indiana and Illinois are the beginning, while Brownsville, TX is the end.

I've also heard boundaries not begin until Memphis and end in North Florida.

Finally, i've heard boundaries begin as far north as Pine Barrens of New Jersey ( that sounds absolutely absurd to me)

So where is it?

Richmond, north of that is washington DC b.s. which is neither the north or south, but I'd say richmond-around west virginia (which is very much southern) to ohio starts the south.

[nashvols]

I would say the box between I-10, I-95, I-40, and I-55 would represent what is the absolute most Southern area.

The I-64 line from Virginia Beach to I-57 would be mostly Southern, and the I-45/1-35 line on the western side, with the I-44 line (not quite all the way to St. Louis would be partially Southern. Same goes for the I-4 line in Florida. It's really hard to define the South simply off of state borders.

Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee are entirely Southern...large parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Louisiana are mostly Southern. Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida have large areas with a Southern influence or feel, and small parts along the Ohio River in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and possibly even Ohio have some Southern influence. Personally, I think the Washington D.C. area has negated most of the Southern influence in historically Southern areas in Maryland and Delaware, as well as parts of Northern Virginia.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by nashvols

I would say the box between I-10, I-95, I-40, and I-55 would represent what is the absolute most Southern area.


Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee are entirely Southern...large parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Louisiana are mostly Southern. Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida have large areas with a Southern influence or feel, and small parts along the Ohio River in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and possibly even Ohio have some Southern influence. Personally, I think the Washington D.C. area has negated most of the Southern influence in historically Southern areas in Maryland and Delaware, as well as parts of Northern Virginia.

I would extend the I-55 border way more west to maybe I-45 or I-59 (which unfortunately excludes Dallas). Louisiana and Arkansas are fully southern. Just because most New Orleanians don't eat pig lips and greens as much as other doesn't mean it isn't southern.

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by brunowildcat

For me, the South has always started at about 1-70, at least in Missouri. Being from nebraska and having driven through Missouri, i can say that south of 1-70 you are in the south, except in KC and St louis since those are midwestern cities. Iwould even consider Southeast Kansas the South but Springfield, and even Columbia i would consider southern. I'd also consider Illinois and Indiana and even Ohio south of 170 as the south. The only part south of that that isn't the South is Florida south of Jacksonville

I-70 isn't a good line for much except topography. In most places you have to be south of I-44 to even be close to the southern culture in Missouri. I would say everything south of US 60 is 100% southern. Places north of that line may still be southern, but the area as a whole typically is not.

The only way that the areas just south of I-70 are Southern is topographically and religiously. South of I-70 is somewhat of a blending area I would say, but it is far from being majorly southern.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

I would extend the I-55 border way more west to maybe I-45 or I-59 (which unfortunately excludes Dallas). Louisiana and Arkansas are fully southern. Just because most New Orleanians don't eat pig lips and greens as much as other doesn't mean it isn't southern.

I agree that New Orleans is definitely Southern. Absolutely.

The box I gave an example of is not absolute...New Orleans and Baton Rouge definitely strike me as very Southern. When including the I-55 line to I-10, I had NOLA in mind.

The exclusion of the rest of Louisiana and Arkansas wasn't as much to say they aren't as Southern....really more of a problem with the interstate system not having a direct connection from Little Rock to, say, Lafayette.

And I did include Dallas, Houston, and Oklahoma City in the periphery South...I think they are Southern...but closer to the border...so they have other influences as well. That's all.

It's really just an example using interstates...of course it cuts out some very Southern areas in Southern Kentucky and Virginia...just sort of an idea of what the "interior" South is.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by nashvols

I agree that New Orleans is definitely Southern. Absolutely.

The box I gave an example of is not absolute...New Orleans and Baton Rouge definitely strike me as very Southern. When including the I-55 line to I-10, I had NOLA in mind.

The exclusion of the rest of Louisiana and Arkansas wasn't as much to say they aren't as Southern....really more of a problem with the interstate system not having a direct connection from Little Rock to, say, Lafayette.

And I did include Dallas, Houston, and Oklahoma City in the periphery South...I think they are Southern...but closer to the border...so they have other influences as well. That's all.

It's really just an example using interstates...of course it cuts out some very Southern areas in Southern Kentucky and Virginia...just sort of an idea of what the "interior" South is.

I was about to say, how can you cut off Texas!
I-49 will connect Little Rock to New Orleans whenever in our lifetimes they try and construct the damned thing.

[Joe84323]

The south starts in Virginia... although you will see some southern mannerisms in pockets of PA, DE, and NJ. The farthest north I've heard southern-esque accents:

A few people in Nottingham, PA
A guy I met from Clayton, NJ
A guy I met from Sussex Co, DE.

However, these people are minorities, even in their areas.

You don't get majority southern until past Washington, D.C.

There is a GRAY transitional area. The area begins, IMHO in Central Virginia, and goes up into the bottom of the southern counties of PA, splits New Castle County, DE, and continues along Rte. 40 in New Jersey.

The bottom of the transition being more southern than northern, and the top of the line being northern, with some southern reminders here and there.

Once you hit Newark, DE/Glassboro, NJ/ Oxford, PA, going north, there is a negligible amount of southern characteristics. Even in Southern DE and Deep South Jersey/Northern MD, you're hard pressed to find southern attitude.

[$mk8795]

Originally Posted by nashvols

I would say the box between I-10, I-95, I-40, and I-55 would represent what is the absolute most Southern area.

The I-64 line from Virginia Beach to I-57 would be mostly Southern, and the I-45/1-35 line on the western side, with the I-44 line (not quite all the way to St. Louis would be partially Southern. Same goes for the I-4 line in Florida. It's really hard to define the South simply off of state borders.

Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee are entirely Southern...large parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Louisiana are mostly Southern. Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida have large areas with a Southern influence or feel, and small parts along the Ohio River in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and possibly even Ohio have some Southern influence. Personally, I think the Washington D.C. area has negated most of the Southern influence in historically Southern areas in Maryland and Delaware, as well as parts of Northern Virginia.

Either way Maryland and Delaware are Southern States........

Forget about what DC and Baltimore look like because they don't Define the Entire state of Maryland and Delaware.........

[$mk8795]

Originally Posted by Joe84323

The south starts in Virginia... although you will see some southern mannerisms in pockets of PA, DE, and NJ. The farthest north I've heard southern-esque accents:

A few people in Nottingham, PA
A guy I met from Clayton, NJ
A guy I met from Sussex Co, DE.

However, these people are minorities, even in their areas.

You don't get majority southern until past Washington, D.C.

There is a GRAY transitional area. The area begins, IMHO in Central Virginia, and goes up into the bottom of the southern counties of PA, splits New Castle County, DE, and continues along Rte. 40 in New Jersey.

The bottom of the transition being more southern than northern, and the top of the line being northern, with some southern reminders here and there.

Once you hit Newark, DE/Glassboro, NJ/ Oxford, PA, going north, there is a negligible amount of southern characteristics. Even in Southern DE and Deep South Jersey/Northern MD, you're hard pressed to find southern attitude.

Unless you have been through the Entire state of Maryland you can not make it a Fact that Maryland is not a Southern State........

BTW if you have ever been to the state of Maryland you would know that Maryland extends further south of Washington, DC.......