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I'm from Southern Maryland originally, specifically Calvert County, 40 minutes from downtown Washington, DC, and in my 18 years growing up there I never really identified with Washington, DC at all.
Washington DC to me was the place we visited on field trips once every couple of years. Beyond that, I never grew attached to that city. I never desired to visit there beyond the museums, never called myself a Washingtonian, didn't get the Washington Post, didn't watch Washington news, didn't fly out of either National or Dulles, didn't root for the Redskins (even when they were the only NFL team in the area), Capitals, Bullets/Wizards and wouldn't have rooted for the Nationals.
On the other hand, I identified totally with Baltimore, thought of Baltimore as "my" city, read the Baltimore Sun, watched WJZ news from Baltimore, flew out of Baltimore Washington International Airport, and rooted for the Orioles and Ravens exclusively.
Just a personal preference of mine. I had friends and classmates who identified more with DC, so it's sort of a toss-up in Southern Maryland. It helped that all my extended family lived in Baltimore and not DC.
I've been to D.C. several times - I guess you could say it that's a neutral zone. A person from Atlanta will tell you D.C. is up north, whereas a person from Boston will tell you it's in the South. But at the same time, as a native southerner, I can't imagine D.C. being considered "southern". No part of Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, etc. feels very southern to me. I didn't see much difference between Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and for that matter, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To me Virginia is more like those states than the South. Even North Carolina is a little borderline if you ask me, but I'm a native Alabamaian. I guess compared to Alabama, Virginia is hardly "southern" but for northerners it feels just like the South. I never really understood how Virginia could be considered southern though. I've never met a person from VA with a southern accent. Everyone I know from there talks like they might as well be from Baltimore or Philly. As far as I'm concerned, the Mason-Dixon line is at the VA-NC border, not D.C.
Washington is a northern city now, and quite frankly, so is Richmond. I know at one point, even Baltimore was considered southern (slaves were sold there and Maryland was in fact, a slave state) but that was over 100 years ago. That has nothing to do with today.
I've been to D.C. several times - I guess you could say it that's a neutral zone. A person from Atlanta will tell you D.C. is up north, whereas a person from Boston will tell you it's in the South. But at the same time, as a native southerner, I can't imagine D.C. being considered "southern". No part of Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, etc. feels very southern to me. I didn't see much difference between Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and for that matter, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To me Virginia is more like those states than the South. Even North Carolina is a little borderline if you ask me, but I'm a native Alabamaian. I guess compared to Alabama, Virginia is hardly "southern" but for northerners it feels just like the South. I never really understood how Virginia could be considered southern though. I've never met a person from VA with a southern accent. Everyone I know from there talks like they might as well be from Baltimore or Philly. As far as I'm concerned, the Mason-Dixon line is at the VA-NC border, not D.C.
Washington is a northern city now, and quite frankly, so is Richmond. I know at one point, even Baltimore was considered southern (slaves were sold there and Maryland was in fact, a slave state) but that was over 100 years ago. That has nothing to do with today.
That amounts to fighting words from Vasinger. Prepare for Armageddon.
I've been to D.C. several times - I guess you could say it that's a neutral zone. A person from Atlanta will tell you D.C. is up north, whereas a person from Boston will tell you it's in the South. But at the same time, as a native southerner, I can't imagine D.C. being considered "southern". No part of Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, etc. feels very southern to me. I didn't see much difference between Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and for that matter, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To me Virginia is more like those states than the South. Even North Carolina is a little borderline if you ask me, but I'm a native Alabamaian. I guess compared to Alabama, Virginia is hardly "southern" but for northerners it feels just like the South. I never really understood how Virginia could be considered southern though. I've never met a person from VA with a southern accent. Everyone I know from there talks like they might as well be from Baltimore or Philly. As far as I'm concerned, the Mason-Dixon line is at the VA-NC border, not D.C.
Washington is a northern city now, and quite frankly, so is Richmond. I know at one point, even Baltimore was considered southern (slaves were sold there and Maryland was in fact, a slave state) but that was over 100 years ago. That has nothing to do with today.
I think you just posted this. Virginia is very Southern. I whole heartedly disagree with you.
Richmond is not a northern city. I supposed if you're from Mexico it would be.
Richmond is more in touch with its Old South roots and its Southernness is more like Charleston and Savannah. Richmond is more Southern than Atlanta or Charlotte could ever hope to be.
Also- in Virginia there are lots of Southern accents among native people. The tranpslants of course are from all over.
NOVA and Hampton Roads aren't typically Southern areas because they are so transient,
But to say Virginia is hardly Southern is like saying Canada is hardly Canadian.
The DC metro area is distinct. You could argue that an area like West Virginia would be a better example of the mixing of Northern and Southern cultures than the DC metro.
That's because DC is a mixture of Southern, Northern, Eastern, Western, European, Asian, African, South American, Central American and Caribbean. It's a transient community that has people from all over the country and the world. DC is not really a mixing bowl of North and South anymore. It's a mixing bowl of the world.
That doesn't mean that the DC metro doesn't have culture. It's just that DC doesn't have a dominant culture. Culture is all around.
I know most people from the Deep South, and most all of them do consider Virginia the South- esp. Central Virginia. They aren't keen on NOVA, but 50 years ago they probably would be.
I know that I met a lady from south Georgia and I told her I was from Richmond and she said it was nice to meet a fellow Southerner.
So I don't know where that other poster got this idea about Virginia being non-Southern.
NOVA actually feels more like California or West Coast in attitude than it does Northeast. Lots of people with even surfer dude and valley girl accents. I call them Northern Virginia valley gals and guys.
Whatever the culture is, its a weird mix of southern, northern, and Orange County California.
I can definitely agree w/ you on that. For the most part, NoVA does reflect the positive (and annoying) aspects of the west coast:
Good Aspects:
strong tech job market, liberal mindset, nice and laid-back people (except on the road, lol), socially and racially accepting of all civilized individuals (and not just Asians and Indians), intellectualism is seen as an asset, people who are wealthy but maintain a sense of humbleness and don't let it get over their heads.
Annoying:
High cost of living and massive traffic.
On the other hand, DC and Suburban (Central) Maryland is definitely, at the least, a carbon-copy of the Northeastern US - and that's in all of the negative aspects:
obnoxious, materialistic people who epitomize the rudeness and all-about-me attitude of this age, cliquishness of the likes seen in middle and high school (done by college people and adults), NY, NJ implants (especially college kids) who had EVERYTHING in life handed to them (and still seem to), prejudice and racism that's so sick (from NY and NJ implants as well as native Marylanders) it ranks only as a notch above historical southern bigotry.
I've been to D.C. several times - I guess you could say it that's a neutral zone. A person from Atlanta will tell you D.C. is up north, whereas a person from Boston will tell you it's in the South. But at the same time, as a native southerner, I can't imagine D.C. being considered "southern". No part of Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, etc. feels very southern to me. I didn't see much difference between Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and for that matter, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To me Virginia is more like those states than the South. Even North Carolina is a little borderline if you ask me, but I'm a native Alabamaian. I guess compared to Alabama, Virginia is hardly "southern" but for northerners it feels just like the South. I never really understood how Virginia could be considered southern though. I've never met a person from VA with a southern accent. Everyone I know from there talks like they might as well be from Baltimore or Philly. As far as I'm concerned, the Mason-Dixon line is at the VA-NC border, not D.C.
Washington is a northern city now, and quite frankly, so is Richmond. I know at one point, even Baltimore was considered southern (slaves were sold there and Maryland was in fact, a slave state) but that was over 100 years ago. That has nothing to do with today.
Good Lord, you make Virginia sound like New Jersey. I'm beggining to wonder if you've ever even been to Virginia.
Baltimore was never southern the way Richmond was.
Its nothing like you described. Richmond is nothing like a large Northern city. Its a medium sized Southern town , if that. It makes places like Nashville or Atlanta seem yankee. Because its more in touch with the Old South and it has Southern charm.
Its slow paced. There's a joke in Richmond that people who live here 20 years is 5 minutes in Richmond time.
I was just visiting Nashville recently- and it couldn't compare to Richmond in terms of Southern hospitality. People there in Nashville didn't have southern accents. They were rude and pushy.
Its just like Charleston or Savannah in many ways. Even the local dialect is right similar to Charleston.
It has a history like no other place. Its one of the most beautiful cities. Stroll down Monument Ave with the dogwoods and magnolia trees and statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, and then get a sweet tea at Mint Julep's restaurant in Shockoe Slip and then tell me Richmond isn't Southern....
And when you get down to it- the map doesn't lie. Richmond is pretty close to North Carolina anyway..
I've been to D.C. several times - I guess you could say it that's a neutral zone. A person from Atlanta will tell you D.C. is up north, whereas a person from Boston will tell you it's in the South. But at the same time, as a native southerner, I can't imagine D.C. being considered "southern". No part of Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, etc. feels very southern to me. I didn't see much difference between Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and for that matter, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To me Virginia is more like those states than the South. Even North Carolina is a little borderline if you ask me, but I'm a native Alabamaian. I guess compared to Alabama, Virginia is hardly "southern" but for northerners it feels just like the South. I never really understood how Virginia could be considered southern though. I've never met a person from VA with a southern accent. Everyone I know from there talks like they might as well be from Baltimore or Philly. As far as I'm concerned, the Mason-Dixon line is at the VA-NC border, not D.C.
Washington is a northern city now, and quite frankly, so is Richmond. I know at one point, even Baltimore was considered southern (slaves were sold there and Maryland was in fact, a slave state) but that was over 100 years ago. That has nothing to do with today.
I've heard southern accents around Fredericksburg and Charlottesville in central Virginia. Also, Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy and the home state of Robert E. Lee. Arlington Cemetery was built on land confiscated from the Lee estate I believe. Its just that parts of VA are losing their southern aspect. But Alabama is the DEEP South nobody can argue that.
I've heard southern accents around Fredericksburg and Charlottesville in central Virginia. Also, Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy and the home state of Robert E. Lee. Arlington Cemetery was built on land confiscated from the Lee estate I believe. Its just that parts of VA are losing their southern aspect. But Alabama is the DEEP South nobody can argue that.
Well put. The poster is also forgetting that each Southern state has a different brand of Southern. Its not necessarily less Southern, its just no Alabama. I never claimed Virginia was Deep South either.
I notice that in the Deep South- southern accents are dissapearing too. I was in Georgia and I hardly heard any -even in the rural areas. Yet in Virginia you can drive in rural Powhatan county and hear folks still talking like General Robert E. Lee...
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