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Agree with you that the South is improving at a tremendous rate, but lets not gloss over the negatives, the South also falls below the belt in almost all metrics.. Noone is holding onto the past, the current statistics still show it being in a poor state (not the worst always but in the bottom half) compared to other regions when it comes to public transportation, wealth, walkability, education attainment, poverty, health, high income jobs etc.. etc.. etc.. and the fact that it's very politically conservative and religious could be a turn off to alot of folks especially with the millineal bracket. And the weird thing is that the things that are quintessential Southern slowly disappear as more transplants take advantage of the cheap cost of living.
And.. no, I do not include DC and Bmore in the South.
The state with the highest income is Maryland, a southern state.
As far as the other items listed, if there were as much of a hindrance and people make them seem, then the south wouldn't be growing as fast as it is.
The state with the highest income is Maryland, a southern state.
As far as the other items listed, if there were as much of a hindrance and people make them seem, then the south wouldn't be growing as fast as it is.
Like I said i agree with the tremendous growth and towards the end of my post I said with transplants moving in, the quintessential Southern things will be lost because people are taking advantage of the lower cost of living at a very fast rate, California with Texas and the Northeast with the Southeast. They will change the character and growth patterns of the these places.
And I don't consider Maryland the South. I grew up in MD, VA and Northern FL and lived in Atlanta and visited almost every major city in the South. Noway is MD Southern culturally, just look at voting patterns as a state and education attainment levels, it clearly is influenced by it's Northeast neighbor. We are at a empass, you will use MD to lift up the South and I won't give up MD from the North because it's only improved and is currently where it is due to the influence from the North.
Like I said i agree with the tremendous growth and towards the end of my post I said with transplants moving in, the quintessential Southern things will be lost because people are taking advantage of the lower cost of living at a very fast rate, California with Texas and the Northeast with the Southeast. They will change the character and growth patterns of the these places.
And I don't consider Maryland the South. I grew up in MD, VA and Northern FL and lived in Atlanta and visited almost every major city in the South. Noway is MD Southern culturally, just look at voting patterns as a state and education attainment levels, it clearly is influenced by it's Northeast neighbor. We are at a empass, you will use MD to lift up the South and I won't give up MD from the North because it's only improved and is currently where it is due to the influence from the North.
Sounds like you're giving the north too much credit. MD is culturally southern as well, but most people have a very narrow view of the south; steroetypes die hard. MD voting patterns, again, indicate that the south has liberal areas as well. Also, with so many people moving to the south, I doubt that it loses it's southern aura, just as places in the Northeast don't become less northeastern because people from other areas of the country move there.
Sounds like you're giving the north too much credit. MD is culturally southern as well, but most people have a very narrow view of the south; steroetypes die hard. MD voting patterns, again, indicate that the south has liberal areas as well. Also, with so many people moving to the south, I doubt that it loses it's southern aura, just as places in the Northeast don't become less northeastern because people from other areas of the country move there.
You gotta give the south more credit than that.
I think the South is amazing, I want to retire in the South because it's slower, warm and cheap. But let's get real the South has a very strong culture that Maryland does not reflect at the moment. Seriously, the simplest things like what they call soda don't even align. And yes, I do give the North credit, the North encompasses the best things America stands for (at the moment, this can change), the North also houses our most prosperous areas as well as our best institutions and the influence has definitely played a part in how Maryland is today. This is not a North vs South, I'm speaking in terms of how Maryland has evolved and changed over the years. It's definitely Northern influence and not Southern.
And, the northeast won't lose its northeastern"ness" because Americans are not moving there like the South from other regions. The Northeast is mostly gaining population from immigrants.
When I consider something Southern, I like to see most of the following bulleted points checked.
- Scotish-Irish, English, or African (in the case of the Deep South) heritage being predominant
- Humid subtropical climate
- Part of the Bible Belt
- Coal, tobacco, or cotton being a major part of a communities story.
- Southern dialect from the non-transplants
- A Confederate State or a Border State during the Civil War
- Plant hardness zone of 7 or greater
- Southern cuisine (e.g. fried foods, hushpuppies, coleslaw, okra, black-eyed peas are very common)
I would be careful that you are not confusing rural with Southern. A lot of rural traits (e.g. conservative, everyone knows everyone, small town gossip, really resistant to change, etc.) are more rural and not specifically Southern.
When I look at my list I would agree that MD and most of DE is Mid-Atlantic with influences from both North and South. The southern portions of DE are probably the most Southern according to my list.
Funny how a Northeast city like Baltimore has several Confederate memorials. I guess the other ones have them too. Or not , because they're not Southern.
Kansas City has Confederate memorials, so I think that blows up your arguement.
Like I said i agree with the tremendous growth and towards the end of my post I said with transplants moving in, the quintessential Southern things will be lost because people are taking advantage of the lower cost of living at a very fast rate, California with Texas and the Northeast with the Southeast. They will change the character and growth patterns of the these places.
And I don't consider Maryland the South. I grew up in MD, VA and Northern FL and lived in Atlanta and visited almost every major city in the South. Noway is MD Southern culturally, just look at voting patterns as a state and education attainment levels, it clearly is influenced by it's Northeast neighbor. We are at a empass, you will use MD to lift up the South and I won't give up MD from the North because it's only improved and is currently where it is due to the influence from the North.
MD is where it is due to DC's influence in large part and as the nation's capital, it attracts people from all over.
None of the states listed are the same everywhere inside the state, especially Missouri. I would group Missouri with the midwest but the bootheel is 100% the south in terms of culture. The Ozarks are a mix and St. Louis is as midwestern as Chicago.
MD is where it is due to DC's influence in large part and as the nation's capital, it attracts people from all over.
Exactly my point. DC is very Northern in terms of today's cultural boundaries. Let's just look at the simplest things to start with like what license plates you see here and if sweet tea is offered at restaurants? Do you see chains here that exist more dominantly in Northern states or the south? Also, where does density numbers, housing costs, and average income salaries align with.... I don't disagree with the fact that the area has southern influences but it's definitely not "Southern".
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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Quote:
Originally Posted by North Beach Person
Funny how a Northeast city like Baltimore has several Confederate memorials. I guess the other ones have them too. Or not , because they're not Southern.
Except that despite some confederate soldiers being from Maryland, Maryland was a pro-union state by majority. You might notice that Maryland also has monuments to northern soldiers.
The southern soldiers who died in the prison camp of Elmira NY have since been honored with a monument to their service and suffering on behalf of NY state. While under different circumstances, there does exist confederate monuments in the north as well.
I think at this point most intelligent people see them all as American soldiers, not northern or southern men.
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