Do people in Maryland consider themselves North, Southern, or in Between? (Baltimore: transplants, gated)

[Tom Lennox 70]

Vivo, when I refer to Yankees or Northerners, its limited to the Northeast and mostly to urban areas....especially New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia. I consider Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana to be solidly Midwestern or "Middle American", including Chicago. Actually Chicago would be a great place if not for the weather. The combination of Northeastern and urban is the worst possible.

I lived in New Orleans until I was 7 years old. I still recall how nice our old neighborhood was. Then my family moved to Rockville, MD for a few years because my uncles settled in the DC area to run their business. At that time, Rockville still had a semi-small town feel, back in the early 90s. If you've seen the movie The Sandlot, its what my childhood in Louisiana and Rockville was like. In middle school we moved to Potomac when my aunt and cousins moved there from Idaho after my uncle passed away. Yes, that was definitely the money corridor. I never fit in that well in high school and neither did my cousins. We were not very ethnic and self-segregating like most of the Asians (who moved there from California and New York) or that rich and preppy like students from all races were, and most of these also came from NY or Boston.

I just graduated from College Park, spending 4 years on the campus with some great friends from elsewhere in the state, and yes, a few rare nicer people from north of here. The nicer people from up north always came from smaller towns in New Jesrey or Pennsylvania, never anywhere bigger than Pittsburgh, which isn't particulalry East Coast. I'm spending a year at home, working as a pharmacy tech in a pharmacy in Potomac, and applying to both pharmacy and dental school. Haven't really decided on which one yet. Part of me says if Univ of MD (both professional schools are in Baltimore) accepts me I should go because of in-state tuition and the prestigiousness of the programs. But the thought of spending 4 more years in this godforsaken state just kills me, especially a decaying, dying city like Baltimore. The fact that Baltimore upholds the Dominos Sugar sign as a landmark is very telling. We're not talking the beautiful plantations of Savannah/Charleston or Victorians in San Francisco. That Dominos sign and the entire building along with 70% of Baltimore needs to be demolished and replaced with glass buildings like Houston.

But people point out the good things are the Baltimore area, not just the city, and say its more laid-back, and actually more southern than Montgomery County. I've heard that strangers actually talk on the light rail and that people are very polite. If Montgomery County is not typical for Maryland, I could give the "Real Maryland" a chance but its still the East Coast, the winters are still so miserable, and what's to say the Yankees won't flood into the Baltimore suburbs next? Some places like Annapolis, the Eastern Shore and Garrett County still give me hope about the state, but even around Deep Creek Lake, one subdiviison after another is being built. The liberal politics is also a big turn-off for me. Like Montgomery County schools is one of the few public systems to teach about birth control which they shouldn't be doing. They should be teaching abstinence only education and promoting moral values. Our state governor openly supporst illegal immigration.

Yes I can always leave later, but especially I choose the dental school and I go into private practice, I'm afraid with the networking and all I might be stuck here for the rest of the my life. I'm also applying to schools out of state, like in Nevada, Ohio, Virgnia, and Texas. Also as an Asian American, I really want to experience the "real U.S." that I see on CMT and GAC. While it was 9-11 that got me into country music, now I listen to it partially to escape this place.

I've considered North Carolina as a place to live, but not anymore because everyone in NJ seems to moving there, its going to be just like here in a few years. I'm looking seriously into the Las Vegas and Dallas-Fort Worth areas. I've heard that in Vegas outside the tourist areas, its actually a relatively conservative and laid-back place. And Dallas of course is Texas

I just have some important decisions to make in the next year about my life and where I want to go. I know staying in Montgomery County just won't work out, not with the people, attitudes, prices, weather, politics, culture, everything. I just need a new beginning somewhere warmer and friendlier and not so snotty and fast-paced. Sometimes I would see pictures of Las Veags or Phoenix or Atlanta and wonder why I coudn't live there. I watch those CMT videos and wonder how my life would have been better if my family never moved here from New Orleans. I know my cousins still miss Idaho to this day. The open spaces of the desert, the endless blue skies, how neighbors looked out for another, goin fishing and hiking. I look back on the South and hear our family stories about weeping willows, old plantations, friendly accents, and the best lemonade in the world, made by little kids in front of white picket fences and flag-draped front porches.

That's the kind of the place I'd like to find again someday.

[vivo]

ah well hope u find what u r looking for.


hmm noone mentioned lacrosse which is popular in bmore (and surrounding suburbs/moco/other parts of md?) that could be a ne trait.

[NoHometoCallMyOwn]

Terrapin, I don't think you'll find the kind of charm and warmth from people that you are longing for in any city of considerable size like, for instance, Dallas. Almost all large cities in the U.S. regardless of geographic location have much the same demeanor about them nowadays. There's getting to be less and less cultural differences between cities in the South and the northeast. At least as far as urban areas are concerned, they are becoming McCities; one big glob of mass produced culture with few fundamental differences. It's the American theme now, for some reason.

The only way you will truly escape it and find some remnant of the lifestyle you are talking about is in a truly small, self-sustaining town far enough removed from a metro. area that it doesn't have any dependence on it.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Sundaze, thanks for the reply. Maybe its just what I'm going through in this stage in my life and how I feel trapped. As for why I feel most people from the north will look down on me is from comments I've heard through high school and college and in the 2004 elections. People talk about "east coast vs. west coast" as if the Midwest and the South didn't exist. This includes yuppies, rappers, politicians, pundits, everyone. This also brings up the term of "flyover country" which is very derogatory and arrogant.

Also, I see the Northeast as the stronghold of the Democrats/Blue America, the side that is weak on terrorism and illegal immigration, wants to take away our right to bear arms and opposes capital punishment. So many liberals and Democrats refer to anyone who doesn't agree with them as stupid, ignorant, or as "hicks" and "rednecks". I just don't think too highly of this kind of mentality.

Oh, both Sundaze and Vasinger, the Dunkin Donuts vs. Krispy Kreme donuts thing.....its said that Krispy Kreme is a southern thing and Dunkin Donuts is a northern thing. Just like Bojangles, Sonic, and Waffle House are considered southern businesses while I've heard Perkins is considered very northern. I've only seen one Perkins in Maryland, near Deep Creek Lake which is very close to Pennsylvania but it was closed when we passed by there.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by vivo

ah well hope u find what u r looking for.


hmm noone mentioned lacrosse which is popular in bmore (and surrounding suburbs/moco/other parts of md?) that could be a ne trait.

Oh yeah lacrosse is very big in Montgomery County, I'm not so sure about Baltimore. Definitely a Yankee sport. And no surprise its just such a snobby culture around it. Like the Duke lacrosse case, I'm not surprised the public wanted to go against those players. Original lacrosse is really a Native American sport and I don't know how much modern lacrosse is based on it, probably not much. I prefer football and basketball and if I have time, NASCAR.

Also the Baltimore accent is more similar to the north than the south. I have some friends from Baltimore County who have an accent (most people don't seem to though) and with certain words like "on" or "walk" or "talk" it kinda sounds like Long Island. No resemblance to Boston though.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Vasinger, the Terrapins are the mascot for the University of Maryland

Its often shortened to "Terps". The Maryland Terrapin is also the state reptile. It lives on the Eastern Shore and around the Bay but its a threatened species because of pollution and overdevelopment in its habitat.

[vasinger]

Originally Posted by JDinBalt

I've heard something similar to Bawlmerese everywhere from Philly to Richmond, believe it or not! On the Philly side, I heard comedienne Cheri Oteri, a native of Philadelphia, launch into a Philly accent and I was hard pressed to tell it apart from Balwmerese. On the other side, less strongly I admit, I was in California and met someone who pronounced a few words like we do in Maryland, especially "home" which he said a bit more like "haome." Turns out he was born and raised outside of Richmond! I'm sure the Richmond accent is not nearly as close to Baltimore's as is Philly's, but it seems to feather out pretty far.

Where in Richmond would you hear a Baltimore type accent? Richmond is actually one of the most distinctly Southern accents that range in the Tidewater area of Virginia and stretch down towards Charleston. Called a Tidewater Virginia accent.

Residents of Baltimore say "Bawlmer" and tend to lump their vowels together. Something Richmonders just aren't accostumed to doing.

I have heard that "home" pronunciation- it seems even stronger though in places in North Carolina.

Its a strong Brit influence. I also remember seeing something about Catholics in Baltimore wanting to see the "Poooope" .

[vasinger]

Originally Posted by NoHometoCallMyOwn

Terrapin, I don't think you'll find the kind of charm and warmth from people that you are longing for in any city of considerable size like, for instance, Dallas. Almost all large cities in the U.S. regardless of geographic location have much the same demeanor about them nowadays. There's getting to be less and less cultural differences between cities in the South and the northeast. At least as far as urban areas are concerned, they are becoming McCities; one big glob of mass produced culture with few fundamental differences. It's the American theme now, for some reason.

The only way you will truly escape it and find some remnant of the lifestyle you are talking about is in a truly small, self-sustaining town far enough removed from a metro. area that it doesn't have any dependence on it.

I agree with that mostly because of how we can travel these days.


The airplane puts Maryland and Virginia at New York's Door step

Over 100 years ago when the car was just getting started and you had to travel by horse or train, the areas of Maryland and Virginia were much more isolated from the North, so they mine have as well been the Deep South.

[vasinger]

Originally Posted by Terrapin2212

Vasinger, the Terrapins are the mascot for the University of Maryland

Its often shortened to "Terps". The Maryland Terrapin is also the state reptile. It lives on the Eastern Shore and around the Bay but its a threatened species because of pollution and overdevelopment in its habitat.

Thanks for clearing that up.

[JDinBalt]

Originally Posted by vasinger

Where in Richmond would you hear a Baltimore type accent? Richmond is actually one of the most distinctly Southern accents that range in the Tidewater area of Virginia and stretch down towards Charleston. Called a Tidewater Virginia accent.

Residents of Baltimore say "Bawlmer" and tend to lump their vowels together. Something Richmonders just aren't accostumed to doing.

I have heard that "home" pronunciation- it seems even stronger though in places in North Carolina.

Its a strong Brit influence. I also remember seeing something about Catholics in Baltimore wanting to see the "Poooope" .

It may be a generalization. I didn't mean that Richmonders sound like Baltimorons at all (I admit - it's easy to make that assumption from what I said). But there are a couple sounds, or at least that one "ao" sound - that were similar. Maybe it's Baltimorese sharing some similarities with a Tidewater accent than the other way around? But my Richmond friend I've noticed sounds more like me than I thought someone from Central Virginia would, and he lived there much of his life. This may necessitate a road trip

As for the Pope, I've never heard it pronounced that way. I've heard lots of people call him the "Paope" but never the "Poope".