Do You guys include Maryland as a Southern State (Baltimore: high school, college)

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Jay F

The Census considers Maryland a Southern State but those designations were made a long time ago. Just look at voting patterns, Maryland is a deep blue state that has more in common with New York or Massachusetts than any true Southern state.

Massachusetts is not as "blue" as people think. Live in Mass. for a while and you will see what I mean.

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Really? Most transplants seem to "get" the nuances between Baltimore and D.C. and ID with one region or the other. What is so much harder about understanding that places outside the Baltimore and D.C. metro regions are unique and different too?

I would say, that it isn't so much that transplants don't understand, it is that many don't care to understand since recognizing difference most often means having to account for it.

I am a transplant, if you will. I am from the West Coast, lived throughout the MidWest and New England and have family in Tennessee and South Carolina. There are areas of Maryland that do feel Southern, sure, but I wouldn't exactly say there are areas of Maryland that are Northern. Midwestern, yes, definitely. There are even parts of the Eastern Shore and all of Western Maryland that could be straight-up New England. Baltimore is its own thing, but definitely and East Coast city. Dundalk could very well be a northern suburb of Boston....it reminds me of Saugus. Or Dorchester, which is in Boston. Ironically, DC feels Southern to me. Here in Howard County, where I live...might as well be a suburb of a MidWestern city.

Maryland is a small State, yet has many distinct identities. Based on my familiarity with SC and Tenn., Maryland is not a Southern State. Even if the State goes Red, it still wouldn't be. Given all that Maryland is, I never really understood why locals cannot seem content to label Maryland as its own thing...which in my humble opinion it is. To me, Maryland will always be Mid-Atlantic, no matter how many "Is Maryland a Southern State?" pop up in a week.

[KeyserSoze]

Considering its consistent past and present ties to the region, whatever those ties may be, I'm going to say yes and leave it at that.

Originally Posted by K-Luv

To me, Maryland will always be Mid-Atlantic

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm wondering what does Mid-Atlantic mean and what states (or parts of them) are included, since there seems to be several conflicting definitions of the region.

[Infinite_heights77]

"Dundalk could very well be a northern suburb of Boston....it reminds me of Saugus.."

*There is truth in your words. Dundalk reminds me of a second rate Boston or Tauton, MA.

Originally Posted by K-Luv

Massachusetts is not as "blue" as people think. Live in Mass. for a while and you will see what I mean.

I am a transplant, if you will. I am from the West Coast, lived throughout the MidWest and New England and have family in Tennessee and South Carolina. There are areas of Maryland that do feel Southern, sure, but I wouldn't exactly say there are areas of Maryland that are Northern. Midwestern, yes, definitely. There are even parts of the Eastern Shore and all of Western Maryland that could be straight-up New England. Baltimore is its own thing, but definitely and East Coast city. Dundalk could very well be a northern suburb of Boston....it reminds me of Saugus. Or Dorchester, which is in Boston. Ironically, DC feels Southern to me. Here in Howard County, where I live...might as well be a suburb of a MidWestern city.

Maryland is a small State, yet has many distinct identities. Based on my familiarity with SC and Tenn., Maryland is not a Southern State. Even if the State goes Red, it still wouldn't be. Given all that Maryland is, I never really understood why locals cannot seem content to label Maryland as its own thing...which in my humble opinion it is. To me, Maryland will always be Mid-Atlantic, no matter how many "Is Maryland a Southern State?" pop up in a week.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

Massachusetts is not as "blue" as people think. Live in Mass. for a while and you will see what I mean.

I am a transplant, if you will. I am from the West Coast, lived throughout the MidWest and New England and have family in Tennessee and South Carolina. There are areas of Maryland that do feel Southern, sure, but I wouldn't exactly say there are areas of Maryland that are Northern. Midwestern, yes, definitely. There are even parts of the Eastern Shore and all of Western Maryland that could be straight-up New England. Baltimore is its own thing, but definitely and East Coast city. Dundalk could very well be a northern suburb of Boston....it reminds me of Saugus. Or Dorchester, which is in Boston. Ironically, DC feels Southern to me. Here in Howard County, where I live...might as well be a suburb of a MidWestern city.

Maryland is a small State, yet has many distinct identities. Based on my familiarity with SC and Tenn., Maryland is not a Southern State. Even if the State goes Red, it still wouldn't be. Given all that Maryland is, I never really understood why locals cannot seem content to label Maryland as its own thing...which in my humble opinion it is. To me, Maryland will always be Mid-Atlantic, no matter how many "Is Maryland a Southern State?" pop up in a week.

Interesting. I have never been to New England, although a friend who visited what he called "the old timber towns" of New Hampshire said it reminded him a bit of home. Do you mind describing what you mean?

[wisvishr0]

At least in my community in suburban Montgomery County, Maryland is "Northeastern," believe it or not. I've grown up here, and I've always thought that we were in the same region as Philadelphia, New York and Boston, because that's the impression we got as kids. After growing up and visiting/living in other parts of the country, I've realized that not many people associate this region with the rest of the Northeast, and that's always stumped me.

Possibly one of the things that influenced me was The Weather Channel, which has always placed Washington with the rest of the Northeast cities. We also have that "coffeeshop" culture -- everyone drinks coffee and we drink "iced tea," not sweet tea. When I did go down to the Tidewater region pretty late in my life, I realized that I'd been completely wrong about most of the state (in terms of surface area) -- that was very "Southern" to me. Western Maryland actually seems very Northern though, because I've always associated it with Southern Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh area (and indeed, Garrett County is part of the Pittsburgh media market). For me, it's been Northern and definitely not Southern.

I quite agree with this map: They Said It: Beyond Red and Blue: This Far and No Further

Montgomery County, in suburban Maryland, is part of the "Northeast Corridor", but places southeast are in the Southern Lowlands and places Northwest are in "Appalachia." I agree completely.

[Moth]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

"Dundalk could very well be a northern suburb of Boston....it reminds me of Saugus.."

*There is truth in your words. Dundalk reminds me of a second rate Boston or Tauton, MA.

I went to Sparrow Point once and it looked a lot like the place in Mystic River.

[averysgore]

No, I've always thought of it as northeastern. I've lived in Vermont, Ohio, and Massachusetts, so no real ties to the region.

This is the first I've ever heard of Tidewater.

[North Beach Person]

Tidewater is most commonly applied to Virginia but also includes the Eastern Shore and SoMD sometimes.

[Qwerty20912]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

Yes! It's very southern in mannerism.

Depends on the person.......

[Qwerty20912]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

Massachusetts is not as "blue" as people think. Live in Mass. for a while and you will see what I mean.

I am a transplant, if you will. I am from the West Coast, lived throughout the MidWest and New England and have family in Tennessee and South Carolina. There are areas of Maryland that do feel Southern, sure, but I wouldn't exactly say there are areas of Maryland that are Northern. Midwestern, yes, definitely. There are even parts of the Eastern Shore and all of Western Maryland that could be straight-up New England. Baltimore is its own thing, but definitely and East Coast city. Dundalk could very well be a northern suburb of Boston....it reminds me of Saugus. Or Dorchester, which is in Boston. Ironically, DC feels Southern to me. Here in Howard County, where I live...might as well be a suburb of a MidWestern city.

Maryland is a small State, yet has many distinct identities. Based on my familiarity with SC and Tenn., Maryland is not a Southern State. Even if the State goes Red, it still wouldn't be. Given all that Maryland is, I never really understood why locals cannot seem content to label Maryland as its own thing...which in my humble opinion it is. To me, Maryland will always be Mid-Atlantic, no matter how many "Is Maryland a Southern State?" pop up in a week.

Elaborate on how DC feels southern.....