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There's nothing really southern about it, I mean yeah, there are people from the south that live there, but even those people told me that there's nothing southern about DC..
GF, DC is obviously a unique city, bcuz of all the international & domestic transplants there, working with & for the Federal government. But DC is still within the South (below the Mason-Dixon). And DC is demographically within the American Black Belt. I'd say by both a geographic & demographic metric, DC is Southern. But I get why it's often viewed as not-Southern, etc.
Also if an historical standard is utilized, DC was a slave-holding society at the start of the Civil War. And Lincoln recognized DC's place within the South, which underwrote his intense effort to hold Maryland; so DC wasn't fully enveloped by the Confederacy. Peace
Whether you consider it a southern city today or not, one probative reality of DC's ongoing southern heritage is the fact that it has two big HBCUs (Howard and UDC). Maryland has four and Virginia has six. The only states outside the South to have them have palpable historic ties to the south, Pennsylvania and Ohio with two each. So, that says a lot. DC is or was the south depending on how you look at it. Does it really matter though? Hardly any one is a native and natives have some embarrassment about being associated with the south when their forebears would probably have felt differently about the whole thing.
Whether you consider it a southern city today or not, one probative reality of DC's ongoing southern heritage is the fact that it has two big HBCUs (Howard and UDC). Maryland has four and Virginia has six. The only states outside the South to have them have palpable historic ties to the south, Pennsylvania and Ohio with two each. So, that says a lot. DC is or was the south depending on how you look at it.
I've never denied DC's history as I've stated before that I'm going off of the current population and culture of the city. DC in noway resembles anything I've seen in the South. Besides just the Black community's ties to the South, the Asian population is more reminiscent of non Southern cities i.e. NYC @9.9% of total and DC @9.3% of total. The only thing I've heard anyone say clearly that ties DC to the South is the Black population. What about the numerous other categories i.e walk scores, ivy league alumni, available retail chains, transit use, health measures, density, never ending commuting patterns bw NYC/DC. Things like these play a huge role into the local everyday culture.
Do you know how many articles stated that the "Northeast" won Amazon w/ NYC and DC landing the HQ2 instead of any of them stating a win for the South? Watch the national news or weather and you'll notice DC being lumped in with the NE and never with the South. Besides a few antiquated minds out there, it's clear the deviation DC took from being a part of the South to being a "East" coast city. And, again, I reiterate, I specifically mean culturally only. In the general psyche of the general masses DC is just another "NE" city..
Quote:
Originally Posted by aquest1
Hardly any one is a native and natives have some embarrassment about being associated with the south when their forebears would probably have felt differently about the whole thing.
So do you think you're in a Southern city when walking around in DC? Besides the Black population, what about it comes off as Southern to you? I see the history argument but it would be odd for anyone that can see the distinction bw whats considered northern vs southern culture to think they are in the South when key components of what make the South are absent in DC i.e. accents.
GF, DC is obviously a unique city, bcuz of all the international & domestic transplants there, working with & for the Federal government. But DC is still within the South (below the Mason-Dixon). And DC is demographically within the American Black Belt. I'd say by both a geographic & demographic metric, DC is Southern. But I get why it's often viewed as not-Southern, etc.
Also if an historical standard is utilized, DC was a slave-holding society at the start of the Civil War. And Lincoln recognized DC's place within the South, which underwrote his intense effort to hold Maryland; so DC wasn't fully enveloped by the Confederacy. Peace
Thanks for your post. Wasn't all of us America a slave holding society? IDK about the geographic perspective, but demographically, I don't think DC is southern at all.
I've never denied DC's history as I've stated before that I'm going off of the current population and culture of the city. DC in noway resembles anything I've seen in the South. Besides just the Black community's ties to the South, the Asian population is more reminiscent of non Southern cities i.e. NYC @9.9% of total and DC @9.3% of total. The only thing I've heard anyone say clearly that ties DC to the South is the Black population. What about the numerous other categories i.e walk scores, ivy league alumni, available retail chains, transit use, health measures, density, never ending commuting patterns bw NYC/DC. Things like these play a huge role into the local everyday culture.
Do you know how many articles stated that the "Northeast" won Amazon w/ NYC and DC landing the HQ2 instead of any of them stating a win for the South? Watch the national news or weather and you'll notice DC being lumped in with the NE and never with the South. Besides a few antiquated minds out there, it's clear the deviation DC took from being a part of the South to being a "East" coast city. And, again, I reiterate, I specifically mean culturally only. In the general psyche of the general masses DC is just another "NE" city..
So do you think you're in a Southern city when walking around in DC? Besides the Black population, what about it comes off as Southern to you? I see the history argument but it would be odd for anyone that can see the distinction bw whats considered northern vs southern culture to think they are in the South when key components of what make the South are absent in DC i.e. accents.
Exactly. Nobody crowed that DC landing Amazon was a victory for the south.
D.C. didn't snag Amazon, Virginia did. Virginia is still in the South, and always will be.
These denials and the desperation on display prove my point.
And there are plenty of Ivy League grads here. I guess that means Atlanta is no longer Southern as well? What a ridiculous attempt by some pretty insecure people to 'prove' they are somehow superior to the rest of the region.
yes, Virginia is southern. NOVA isn't. Crystal City is literally two miles from DC. It's in the DC metro area.
This is getting hilarious. Nobody has said being southern is inferior. But I'm not gonna call an elephant a hippo if it's not a hippo.
Actually Crystal City is like 1 mile from DC. You can find it in that county named after Rober E Lee’s plantation. But yeah, nothing Southern about it lol.
I've never denied DC's history as I've stated before that I'm going off of the current population and culture of the city. DC in noway resembles anything I've seen in the South. Besides just the Black community's ties to the South, the Asian population is more reminiscent of non Southern cities i.e. NYC @9.9% of total and DC @9.3% of total. The only thing I've heard anyone say clearly that ties DC to the South is the Black population. What about the numerous other categories i.e walk scores, ivy league alumni, available retail chains, transit use, health measures, density, never ending commuting patterns bw NYC/DC. Things like these play a huge role into the local everyday culture.
Do you know how many articles stated that the "Northeast" won Amazon w/ NYC and DC landing the HQ2 instead of any of them stating a win for the South? Watch the national news or weather and you'll notice DC being lumped in with the NE and never with the South. Besides a few antiquated minds out there, it's clear the deviation DC took from being a part of the South to being a "East" coast city. And, again, I reiterate, I specifically mean culturally only. In the general psyche of the general masses DC is just another "NE" city..
So do you think you're in a Southern city when walking around in DC? Besides the Black population, what about it comes off as Southern to you? I see the history argument but it would be odd for anyone that can see the distinction bw whats considered northern vs southern culture to think they are in the South when key components of what make the South are absent in DC i.e. accents.
The architecture, painted brick, magnolias, crepe myrtles, street names .
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