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Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
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What exactly does it mean to be a "country" person and what exactly is "living in the country" to you?
Example? I'm from Macon, Georgia. Of course, it's not close to being like a major city, but it is a small metropolitan area of 200,000+, CSA of 400,000+
I know nothing about living on a farm or in an extremely rural town. I grew used to seeing city buses everywhere, corner stores, traffic (somewhat), public housing, strip malls, etc.
I'm still called "country" or said to "live in the country" by people from larger cities.
Is it just about having a "southern accent?"
Is being "country" relative to where people are from? (i.e. I've been called a "city boy" by someone from Waycross, GA but "country" by people from Atlanta)
I'm just wondering because it's a little confusing to me. In my opinion, if you live in any metropolitan city (even smaller ones with 100,000-300,000 people), I can't really think of you as being a "country" person.
As large as Atlanta is, I've heard people from places like NYC call Atlanta natives "country."
I would define it as living in a rural area and outside city limits. Of course it depends on city size. A small town of 500 may be considered country by the people that live inside of the town, but it may be the city to the folks living 5-10 miles away.
To me, anyone who lives within town or city limits, regardless of size, does not live "in the country." If you live in a town of 200, to me, that means you are experiencing small town living, not country living.
I live on a small hobby farm of 7 acres and I'm 5 miles from the nearest town here in Michigan, which has 5,000 residents. I'm surrounded by farm fields and woods. To me, this is the definition of country living.
Quote:
Example? I'm from Macon, Georgia. Of course, it's not close to being like a
major city, but it is a small metropolitan area of 200,000+, CSA
of 400,000+
I know nothing about living on a farm or in an extremely
rural town. I grew used to seeing city buses everywhere, corner stores, traffic
(somewhat), public housing, strip malls, etc.
I'm still called "country"
or said to "live in the country" by people from larger cities.
I do not consider you to be "country" at all, even though you are from the South. Being "country" has nothing to do with an accent, in my humble opinion. Living in the actual countryside is a requirement. Housing developments in the exurbs don't really count, either.
What exactly does it mean to be a "country" person and what exactly is "living in the country" to you?
Example? I'm from Macon, Georgia. Of course, it's not close to being like a major city, but it is a small metropolitan area of 200,000+, CSA of 400,000+
I know nothing about living on a farm or in an extremely rural town. I grew used to seeing city buses everywhere, corner stores, traffic (somewhat), public housing, strip malls, etc.
I'm still called "country" or said to "live in the country" by people from larger cities.
Is it just about having a "southern accent?" Is being "country" relative to where people are from? (i.e. I've been called a "city boy" by someone from Waycross, GA but "country" by people from Atlanta)
I'm just wondering because it's a little confusing to me. In my opinion, if you live in any metropolitan city (even smaller ones with 100,000-300,000 people), I can't really think of you as being a "country" person.
As large as Atlanta is, I've heard people from places like NYC call Atlanta natives "country."
That is probably what it is. It is a matter of relativity and even what is stereotypically viewed as being country.
I've heard people from NYC say that Upstate NYers sounds "country", even if they are from a city. So, it just depends and can vary.
Whatever it is its a term/phrase thats only used in the Southeast and isnt used where I'm from.
It's used in the Midwest too. But I agree that it doesn't apply in the southwest. There is no such thing as "country" out west, especially in the desert. The term just doesn't quite fit out there.
I agree I wouldn't consider you "country". I grew up in a town of 3500 people (up to 7000 now! LOL), and lived 8 miles outside of that on 18 acres for quite some time. I consider that I grew up in the country.
If you live outside a city, town or even village then you live in the country. If you reside inside a city, town or village then you are not in the country. There are many area near the city that are suburbanized but technically not inside a municipality. These places may technically be rural, but really they are not either. A country person steps out his front door and sees woods, farmland, not miles of subdivisions.
There are some mid sized towns of 50-60 thousand people in the south and midwest that are considered "country towns". Albany georgia, pine bluff arkansas, zanesville ohio, terre haute indiana, springfield missouri to name a few.
There are some mid sized towns of 50-60 thousand people in the south and midwest that are considered "country towns". Albany georgia, pine bluff arkansas, zanesville ohio, terre haute indiana, springfield missouri to name a few.
They would not be considered "country towns" by me. I am sticking to my guns. Anything that is incorporated (town, village, hamlet, city, burg) is not "country."
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Living in the actual countryside is a requirement. Housing developments in the exurbs don't really count, either.
