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Do you even comprehend that you just compared one city in two states to THREE in another state? Are you aware of the land area difference with what you just said?
Yes, the metros of Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and even down to Naples are defining of Florida because it covers most of the states landmass and almost all of the states population.
Florida has a population that is very spread out, unlike Georgia or Illinois, where the bulk of their population is in one metro.
I am extremely familiar with Florida. Let's say that there are no southern influences or characteristics in those metros.
Tampa MSA- 2,554.5 sq m
Orlando MSA- 4,012 sq mi
Miami MSA- 5,178 sq m sq mi
Lee County + Collier County- 2,783 sq mile
Monroe County- 983 sq mi
Total = 15510.5 sq miles out of Florida's total land area (53,624.7) aka roughly 28% of Florida's land area...
I am extremely familiar with Florida. Let's say that there are no southern influences or characteristics in those metros.
Tampa MSA- 2,554.5 sq m
Orlando MSA- 4,012 sq mi
Miami MSA- 5,178 sq m sq mi
Lee County + Collier County- 2,783 sq mile
Monroe County- 983 sq mi
Total = 15510.5 sq miles out of Florida's total land area (53,624.7) aka roughly 28% of Florida's land area...
That is WAAYYY more than Atlanta or Chicago's areas makes up of their states land area. You are also missing areas between Miami and Orlando on the coast, as well as the area between Fort Myers and Tampa Bay.
Not to mention that the Florida peninsula would divorce the panhandle if it could.
New Hampshire. It's a pretty conservative state right in the middle of the Northeast, and even borders Vermont and Massachusetts which are some of the most liberal states out there.
Indiana has a strong Baptist influence compared to other parts of the Midwest and the Southern parts of the state are similar to Kentucky.
You could say the same thing about southern Illinois. And parts of Ohio are similar to parts of West Virginia.
I really don't think Indiana is all that out of place in the Midwest. Most of Indiana is indistinguishable from most of Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, those other states just have a higher urban and suburban population that help offset the politics somewhat. Most of the rural (and a lot of suburban) Midwest is Republican like the South. Indiana just has more of that mentality than surrounding states. It's definitely the Rust Belt, its poor areas are just a bit more neglected/ignored than other states.
If anything, I'd say Minnesota is the outlier of the Midwest region.
Missouri is a weird state too but I don't think it's out of place for where it's located. It's part Iowa, part Arkansas, and part Rust Belt.
I am extremely familiar with Florida. Let's say that there are no southern influences or characteristics in those metros.
Tampa MSA- 2,554.5 sq m
Orlando MSA- 4,012 sq mi
Miami MSA- 5,178 sq m sq mi
Lee County + Collier County- 2,783 sq mile
Monroe County- 983 sq mi
Total = 15510.5 sq miles out of Florida's total land area (53,624.7) aka roughly 28% of Florida's land area...
Anyone arguing that Tampa, Orlando, even Miami don't have Southern influences needs to get their head examined. Is it Deep Fried Southern like Atlanta or Charlotte....nope....but there are some REALLY Southern areas in all of these MSAs. Miami's Southerness is debatable and it is the least stereotypically Southern, but Tampa and Orlando have plenty of very Southern and very swampy, and very Confederate flag waving areas, especially some of the older areas and outskirt areas of the MSAs. The newer areas of Florida try to project that Latin influenced, cosmopolitan, Sunbelt vibe, but all you have to do is make the wrong turn and it's back to a very Deep Southern vibe.
Anyone arguing that Tampa, Orlando, even Miami don't have Southern influences needs to get their head examined. Is it Deep Fried Southern like Atlanta or Charlotte....nope....but there are some REALLY Southern areas in all of these MSAs. Miami's Southerness is debatable and it is the least stereotypically Southern, but Tampa and Orlando have plenty of very Southern and very swampy, and very Confederate flag waving areas, especially some of the older areas and outskirt areas of the MSAs. The newer areas of Florida try to project that Latin influenced, cosmopolitan, Sunbelt vibe, but all you have to do is make the wrong turn and it's back to a very Deep Southern vibe.
The south is diverse, there's Miami,Cajun Country, New Orleans, Austin (if you count it), Savannah, Gullah culture, etc.
Miami is southern due to the fact that it's in the geographic south. Seattle is still in the west despite it's lack of saloons and droughts.
Anyone arguing that Tampa, Orlando, even Miami don't have Southern influences needs to get their head examined. Is it Deep Fried Southern like Atlanta or Charlotte....nope....but there are some REALLY Southern areas in all of these MSAs. Miami's Southerness is debatable and it is the least stereotypically Southern, but Tampa and Orlando have plenty of very Southern and very swampy, and very Confederate flag waving areas, especially some of the older areas and outskirt areas of the MSAs. The newer areas of Florida try to project that Latin influenced, cosmopolitan, Sunbelt vibe, but all you have to do is make the wrong turn and it's back to a very Deep Southern vibe.
I'll just say you defeated your own point when you said you need to go to the "outskirts" of Florida's major population centers to find your Southern culture. "outskirts" define anything since when exactly?
That confederate flag is waved everywhere these days. The smaller percentage Southerners become in a Florida metro the more they scream about that flag. And it is only economically disenfranchised white males waving it around (many of whom might not even have Southern ancestry), which kind of lends credit to the stereotypes a lot of Floridians and Northerners have about Southerners.
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