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And North Florida is not Lower Alabama or Lower Georgia! That makes about as much sense as calling South Alabama and South Georgia, North Florida! Or how about calling East Alabama, West Georgia, or East Mississippi, West Alabama? That's totally ridiculous and ignorant or just plain stupid! Florida's Southern culture and heritage is her own and doesn't have to live in neighboring state's shadows! Each Southern state is her own and that includes Florida whether you like it or not! Educate yourself before you spout off total and utter nonsense before the world!
That's interesting, because my boss grew up in Tallahassee, and I've heard her call her part of the state "Georgia South." To differentiate it from the rest of the state further south, which isn't really all that "south" in culture ...
if anything, western Maryland is 10x more southern.
I agree with that. Once you get out into the Cumberland area, it's kind of like being in the deep south, in terms of culture and topography.
I haven't been farther south that Tennessee, but I'd definitely include KY, WV, parts of MD, and most of VA outside the DC metro area as part of the South.
I agree with that. Once you get out into the Cumberland area, it's kind of like being in the deep south, in terms of culture and topography.
I haven't been farther south that Tennessee, but I'd definitely include KY, WV, parts of MD, and most of VA outside the DC metro area as part of the South.
Cumberland the deep South? No way!! I spent the night there when driving back to St. Louis from D.C. on I-68 (was avoiding PA turnpike)....Cumberland feels a lot like Southern Pennsylvania to me. It doesn't feel Southern at all, not to me at least.
Cumberland the deep South? No way!! I spent the night there when driving back to St. Louis from D.C. on I-68 (was avoiding PA turnpike)....Cumberland feels a lot like Southern Pennsylvania to me. It doesn't feel Southern at all, not to me at least.
Well, since I admittedly haven't been to the deep south, I'm probably wrong. But it does remind me of the rolling hills in Kentucky. And I spent a lot of time vacationing with my family in Kentucky back in the day ... which is probably why I always associate KY with "the South."
i go to Cumberland once a month, and its not the deep south really, much more appalachia than south, but like i said IF ANYTHING, Western Maryland is more south
I love That area though
I always thought the Eastern shore of Maryland was more southern in character than western Maryland. But, then again, I never really considered West Virginia to be a southern state either so maybe I am way off-base.
That's interesting, because my boss grew up in Tallahassee, and I've heard her call her part of the state "Georgia South." To differentiate it from the rest of the state further south, which isn't really all that "south" in culture ...
Interesting? It's ignorance and stupidity actually! Forty years ago and back nobody ever referred to one part of Florida with monikers of neighboring states! Your boss, as many Floridians, and as many Southerners today in general are extremely ignorant on their own state and regional histories! I'm not being this blunt for the sake of being irritating or rude. I'm just flabbergasted at the insanity and ludacrisy of statements by people today that in times past one never heard!
North Florida is no more South GA or South AL than Tennessee is North GA or North AL! Tennessee was once part of western NC. Do people, both Tennesseans and others nowadays refer to Tennessee as "really western North Carolina? Of course not! It's ridiculous! "Well TN is Southern because it's next to NC!" You'll never hear such utterings from a normal, sane individual! North Florida today from Pensacola to Jacksonville to around Ocala is what South Florida from Orlando to Key West was once like 40 years ago and back! South Florida is what's changed. And it's not all of South Florida either. Only the big cities, such as Miami, Tampa, and West Palm beach, et. al. have lost most or all but their entire Southern cultures! One has to only travel to any small South FL town in the Everglades or around Lake Okeechobee to be back in the true cultural Deep South! People forget this fact and think Miami is all there is in South FL!
Too many people out there for some odd ignorant reason seem to think that Florida was historically a Northern state in the South, that, over time, became more Southern in culture and accent in the areas that border Alabama and Georgia! I reckon people surmise that the Southern culture "spilled over" the state boundaries and "infected" a small portion of North FL! That's total foolishness! All of Florida, North, Central, and South Florida; Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Ft. Myers, Port Charlotte, West Palm Beach, Miami, Key West, and every city and town across the entire state including coastal towns and cities was once very uniformly Southern in culture, accent, lifestyle, etc., much like present-day Mississippi or Arkansas from corner to corner to interior! One cannot logically or with common sense declare that North Florida is Southern because it lies close to GA or AL! Again, to reiterate. That would be like calling Dothan, AL, and Valdosta, GA and the whole of the Southern portions of those states to be North Florida! I doubt you'd ever hear anybody from Dothan or Valdosta shout, "Hey y'all! We're from Upper Florida! Huh huh huh huh!" How stupid! (Incidentally, most of Georgia and Alabama were in fact once part of Florida well before statehood!) By the same logic, one from Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee, Lake City, or Jacksonville should never refer to their respective areas as Lower GA or Lower AL! It really makes you look dumb to a person with any degree of intelligence and common sense! But then again, we're dealing with modern day Idiot America where common sense and intelligence are giving way to grunts, burps, and snorts as society perpetually dumbs down itself!
Back when everybody from Miami and Key West spoke with the same or similar Southern drawls found in Tallahassee or Lake City, do you seriously think that people said, "Well uh uh uh uh, we talk Southern because we're close to Central FL, that's close to North FL, that's close to GA and AL!"? I seriously doubt it! Once, when Florida was uniform all over pretty much, it was expected for a Floridian to speak with a Southern drawl no matter where in the state you were from. It simply wasn't in question. It's identical to people today who expect a Southern drawl from Alabamans or Mississippians! But since the great Northern migration to Florida, people somehow, over time, began to think the Southern speech patterns are odd or out of place in Florida, "except for areas close to GA or AL" of course! Total and utter idiocy!
The Southern accent and cultures are what's actually normal for Florida! Whether you like, agree, or accept this fact or not does not change it in the least! South Florida (namely Miami, Key West to a lesser degree, Tampa, St. Pete, Ft. Myers, West Palm Beach, Port Charlotte, et. al. have changed demographically due to large Northern and foreign influxes of people over the last 40 years! They have distanced themselves from rural Florida which is what Northern Florida largely is! Atlanta and a few other North GA cities have become increasingly Northernized, but do people declare North GA to be non-Southern? No! Atlanta maybe, but not all of North GA! North Florida hasn't broken away and neither has South FL! Certain cities have changed so much it's as if they've broken away. But you can't say that for the whole region of South Florida, only certain cities! I, personally have heard Northwest FL called Lower Alabama a few times, but not much. When I do hear it, I'm quick to correct them unapologetically! This business of trying to divide Florida in the manner above is so unquestionably erroneous and foolish it saddens and appalls me that it's even discussed! But someone has to show people the error of their ways!
When did it become a mid-atlantic state? Virginia has always been a southern state. NOVA may be northern culturally but the southern part of Virginia is still as South as ever.
Upper South
Delaware
Maryland
West Virginia
Virginia
Kentucky
North Carolina
Tennesee
Arkansas
Deep South
South Carolina
Georgia
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
Florida
If I could include parts of states, then I'd put the southern half of Missouri, southeast Texas, and Cape May county NJ as well.
I totally agree with you
When people say South it doesn't just refer to DEEP SOUTH it refers to just plain South. Different parts of a state can have different culturs. I am from virginia and from where I come from it has a great deal of southern culture. Alot of people (not all) that have been to VAcan say that VA is not Southern because they've only visited NOVA - nothern VA such as the DC area. If you go down to more the more southern part of Virginia, you will see what I mean.
BTW in my opinion, Southern can have different meanings. Different states have different versions of southern.
See things like this could be avoided if we just went by what makes the most sense: if a state cannot be described as southern in every single sense of the word, don't include it.
Almost every state has suburbs, cities, and rural areas. Just because a state has SOME suburbs and cities doesn't mean it can't be southern. There is actually non such thing as Completely southern. Every state has its own version of Southern...thats just in my opinion
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To differentiate it from the rest of the state further south, which isn't really all that "south" in culture ...