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Of course - my post wasn't intended to be a puzzle or a riddle. I omitted Lexington's name as the points I attempted to make do not apply solely to my city, although the examples I gave are specific to Lexington.
Just to interject......don't associate nova with the rest of va...those pricks should have seceded into dc already. They have single handedly minimized my states historical southern significance. I know it's off topic and I apologize but I just hate that place.
I have many Virginians as friends who feel the same way. Virginia is one of our most important, historic, scenic and "Southern" Southern states, yet most of the nation simply associates it with DC. Of course, the same could be said to some degree about Atlanta and Georgia, Miami and Florida, Charlotte and North Carolina, the Texas metropli and Texas -- that the reputations and influence of the major metros overshadow or deminish the "native" feel and traditions of the rest of the state. But at least in all those other examples, there remains decidedly native elements that define the soul of a place. Not so in NOVA. There's nothing at all resembling tradional Virginia left.
Louisiana is in your list of "good" southern states? Last time I checked they're in worse shape than some of the "bad" southern states, especially after Katrina. Hate to say it but most people don't see Louisiana as a hub of economic growth or "the new south". And their politicians are a joke, from "Mr. Chocolate City" Ray Nagin to diaper fetish perv David Vitter. Bobby Jindal is about the only politician there who holds a degree of respect from people.
I would agree that the rest of the states are sort of "the A team" in the south (at least in the mind of outsiders). Although I'd argue that folks in Louisiana or Alabama could really give a flying crap about what the yankees think of them. In fact, they probably welcome their hatred.
Last thing: Outsiders still view all of the south as redneck, ghetto and backwards, but now they'll make a few exceptions. For instance, I think someone from New York who was moving down to Atlanta would definitely stress that he is moving to ATLANTA and not GEORGIA. People still view the state as a whole as redneck and exclude Atlanta, kind of like how NoVA is considered separate from Virginia.
To answer your question, those states didn't invest or change their image in time so it'll be hard to create any new boomtowns there.
Actually, there are several cities in Louisiana starting to make yearly lists of good places to start business, find jobs, and raise a family. Louisiana isn't as backwards as you might think it is. Not by a longshot.
I do agree about not having "boomtowns" at least not for the foreseeable future. Louisiana isnt ideally situated due to climate and hurricanes. Most people look elsewhere.
I have many Virginians as friends who feel the same way. Virginia is one of our most important, historic, scenic and "Southern" Southern states, yet most of the nation simply associates it with DC. Of course, the same could be said to some degree about Atlanta and Georgia, Miami and Florida, Charlotte and North Carolina, the Texas metropli and Texas -- that the reputations and influence of the major metros overshadow or deminish the "native" feel and traditions of the rest of the state. But at least in all those other examples, there remains decidedly native elements that define the soul of a place. Not so in NOVA. There's nothing at all resembling tradional Virginia left.
Exactly! Most of the people that I know that are from Virginia resent the fact that some Northerners want to classify them as not being Southern. They are as southern as anyone else in the Southern states and are very proud of that fact.
Exactly! Most of the people that I know that are from Virginia resent the fact that some Northerners want to classify them as not being Southern. They are as southern as anyone else in the Southern states and are very proud of that fact.
No major cities. No pro sports teams. No major population growth. Always the center of negative stereotypes in the media and in the minds of northerners. Will Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Kentucky ever gain the same popularity as Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas?
Let me fix that for you...
"No major cities. No pro sports teams. No major population growth. Always the center of negative stereotypes in the media and in the minds of northerners. Will Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Kentucky ever gain the same popularity as Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas?"
In the case of Kentucky and West Virginia, I'd have to say that the Midwestern/Rust Belt phenomenon has hit many parts of those states. Also, historically neither are the same type of agriculture nor politics that one would find in more "traditional" parts of the south. With that said, I'll address Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama.
Mississippi
In many ways, Memphis is the major city of Mississippi. Memphis doesn't have the high growth, but it does have a pro sports team as well as a decent sports university. I won't get into Jackson Miss. However, coastal Mississippi is by far one of the prettiest coast lines in America. There's also the casinos down near Biloxi so that does help out the local economy. IMO, Mississippi (a state with just under 3 million people) is having a tough time competing against southern states with relatively large MSAs. Many of the so called "New South" states have MSAs/CSAs with nearly half of Mississippi's total population. In the case of metro Atl, that CSA is almost double the population of the entire state of Mississippi. Moreso than anything, Mississippi's relatively small population makes it difficult to compete for major employers who are looking for a large talent pool.
Arkansas
Memphis serves as the "big city" for this state as well. Some of the best pics of downtown Memphis are taken from West Memphis, Arkansas. With the exception of a coast line, I see Arkansas in the same exact boat as Mississippi. Though Little Rock is some what on "the come-up" as of late, the state as a whole still has a ways to go to catch up to the likes of GA, Florida, NC, VA, and even SC.
Alabama
IMO, Alabama probably has the most potential of the three. Birmingham used to rival Atlanta in population back in the 1940s and 1950s, so the history is certainly there. Also, present day Birmingham is NOT "small". IMO, Birmingham could easily do what OKC is now doing; all Birmingham needs are some truly forward thinking elected officials. Huntsville is certainly a place worth mentioning due to the US Space and Rocket center being there alone. Also, Alabama is a beautiful state. The northern central portion of the state has tons of nice looking green rolling hills that looks like something out of a movie. The coastline in Alabama is worth a visit too. Moreso than anything else, geography is what really helps Alabama. I honesly don't think that a US state (that borders GA, Florida, and Tenn) will stay down forever. Eventually, the "spill-over" effect from over populated neighboring states will hit Alabama within the next 20 years. So for Alabama, there's actually hope. Arkansas and Mississippi on the other hand, I just don't see light at the end of the tunnel for those two at the moment.
Why are big cities and lots of people moving here good? Do professional sports teams and a Starbucks on every block signify that a place finally has value? Why do we have to assimilate into this plastic consumer culture? Get rid of our own culture so we can talk and dress the same and have the same music as everywhere else? All so Northerners will stop making fun of us? Is that it? Because I really don't care what other people think about my state. I'll take the Ozark mountains over some circus like Atlanta any day. Cutting down the trees and forests to build a big, boring suburban sprawl identical to anywhere else in the country isn't appealing to me. I would rather see Arkansas with its natural beauty in tact for the next fifty years than seeing it turn into a a giant retirement home for rich Yankees (which parts of Arkansas already are) like Florida or some of the other states mentioned.
ARK90 I TOTALLY AGREE! When people come to my half of Virginia (Appalachian Coal Country) they tell me how awful it is. The Ozarks and Appalachia are very similar these days. They've both retained their mountain culture and even have similar accents. I will take my coal mines, ma and pa shops, and four-wheelers over whiny liberal yankees complaining about how terrible Appalachia is because we don't have the same trashy ammenities they have in Crooklyn.
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However, coastal Mississippi is by far one of the prettiest coast lines in America. There's also the casinos down near Biloxi so that does help out the local economy. IMO, Mississippi (a state with just under 3 million people) is having a tough time competing against southern states with relatively large MSAs. Many of the so called "New South" states have MSAs/CSAs with nearly half of Mississippi's total population. In the case of metro Atl, that CSA is almost double the population of the entire state of Mississippi. Moreso than anything, Mississippi's relatively small population makes it difficult to compete for major employers who are looking for a large talent pool.
