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Are there seriously people who believe Delaware is a southern state? I mean, I thought that state was just a giant suburb of Philly, am I right? Only joking, but still. The Potomac is the updated Mason-Dixon line, as far as I'm concerned. I've met folks from Maryland towns like Waldorf and Salisbury and they don't even sound southern. Get up to Baltimore and you're clearly out of the South.
KY and WV haven't been impacted by tons of transplants, and they're nowhere near the BosWash corridor. People in those two states tend to come across as more southern in a stereotypical way, meaning they're more conservative, religious, etc. Also, accents are twangy.
Maryland has been discussed enough on this forum but the elephant in this room is Delaware. Unlike MD, DE never had a claim of being Southern. Middle Colony that has always been joined at PA's hip....Wilmington is Philadelphia's "Nova." I understand that DE may have parts that mirror MD (as it should) but these states have drastically different backgrounds. MD, WV, and KY I understand why the Census lists them as Southern but I genuinely don't understand DE being called Southern.
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Originally Posted by 80s_kid
Maryland has been discussed enough on this forum but the elephant in this room is Delaware. Unlike MD, DE never had a claim of being Southern. Middle Colony that has always been joined at PA's hip....Wilmington is Philadelphia's "Nova." I understand that DE may have parts that mirror MD (as it should) but these states have drastically different backgrounds. MD, WV, and KY I understand why the Census lists them as Southern but I genuinely don't understand DE being called Southern.
I think from a Census perspective, Delaware is considered Southern due to its geography and status as a border state. Culturally, it's most definitely Northern because 77% of its population lives within the Philadelphia CSA and media market (New Castle County, Kent County). But geographically, 47% of the state is Sussex County, which is largely rural and agricultural (and part of the Eastern Shore's metropolitan area). Kent County is the transitional zone between the two, but it's also largely rural and agricultural, save for Dover and its immediate suburbs. And Delaware's history as a border state was largely driven by the very few slaves left in Sussex County. If Sussex County (and to a lesser extent, Kent County) wasn't so geographically large and jutted so far south (Delaware is only ~40 miles from Virginia at their closest points ), I don't think the Census would consider Delaware as Southern.
People, it's obvious Most folks agree Maryland/Baltimore, while having southern traits are in modern day terms Mid atlantic/northeastern except for kodeblue. Delaware? Really... is that even worth a conversation? Shluld we start discussing if its on a coast?
Maryland and Delaware are basically in the same neighborhood, though. You won't find southern culture in Baltimore or Wilmington.
Not everyone defines regions by culture. Some people prefer using history or more concrete demographic data, such as ethnicity, race, or religion. Not saying it is better, but I think both are valid ways to define the South.
Ethnicity and religion seem like terrible ways to describe the south. Houston would be on the west coast and NO would be on the east coast.
I was talking about regions in general, not the South specifically. For instance, "China Proper" is a historic region that was defined by the majority Han Chinese population, as opposed to many other parts of what formed Chin at times. The "Islamic World" is one region defined largely by religious demographics
For the South, I just prefer to do so based on history, considering the Slave States, and Oklahoma, to be the South. Since I don't see there being an actual demographic trait holding together the entire South yet no parts of bordering states.
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