do Maryland residents consider themselves as "Southerners?" (Baltimore: how much, live)

[tercel95]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Well I can say that Caulvert County is southern in outlook and folkways and natives have a distinct (and distinctive) accent. My oldest daughter went to college in WPA and was constantly told about her accent.
My misspelling of Calvert was intentional as that is the native pronunciation (and for those of us who have been here a long time).

I hear you on the Culvert County thing but I really only heard old people saying it like that...

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by tercel95

I hear you on the Culvert County thing but I really only heard old people saying it like that...

You should hang out with younger people.

Actually you are somewhat correct-native Calvert has been overwhelmed over the last 20 years by transplants. Hell, I'm one, but most of my friends here were born here and I picked up their patterns. Enough so that people tell stories about things we did in high school. One woman swears we had a hot and heavy thing going and I still lived in PA then. I try to correct them but they say that since most of the activities were embarassing it's no wonder I won't admit to them.

[Outlook]

This is a good question. Do Maryland Residents consider themselves Southerners?

I would think that many Marylanders consider themselves as temporary residents of other places who have moved to Maryland from somewhere else.
The thing that bothers us natives is how people complain that Maryland is this or Maryland is that - except the folks who were born there of course. We want to tell people that if things are so bad here, and they are so wonderful where they came from, why don't they go back to where they came from?

Before the Civil War Maryland was very similar to Virginia in geography and politics. The Northern Army actually invaded Maryland and took over the local government, probably illegally (courts, sheriff's offices etc). At lease the Marylanders believed it was illegal. They don't actually teach it that way in school. This was due to the proximity of Maryland and Washington, DC. So, officially Maryland was a "Union" state, but most of the people had ties to southern cause, which of course is now Gone With The Wind.

So, most people who live in Maryland came from somewhere else. With all these people moving there ... you have to say ... there must be something to it.

[tercel95]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

You should hang out with younger people.

Actually you are somewhat correct-native Calvert has been overwhelmed over the last 20 years by transplants. Hell, I'm one, but most of my friends here were born here and I picked up their patterns. Enough so that people tell stories about things we did in high school. One woman swears we had a hot and heavy thing going and I still lived in PA then. I try to correct them but they say that since most of the activities were embarassing it's no wonder I won't admit to them.

I did mostly hang out with young people... I graduated from PHS in 2005... My friends and I used to make fun of the older people who said "Culvert County"...

[Nebat]

Another north or south thread! Am I the only one who thinks it would be cool to create a region out of the original 13 colonies? It would maybe ease the whole northern and southern aggression. And by the way doesn't MD have, or use to have confederate heritage license plates? Note: That doesn't make you southern or northern it's just history! I think if anything in this modern age that VA through DE including WV and DC should be considered mid-atlantic if nothing else. The region is a perfect blend of the typical northern-southern stereotypes. They all share distinctive geographical and historical traits. Such as-The nations capitol, many government agencies in both VA & MD, Potomac River, Chesapeake Bay, Bay cities(Baltimore-Norfolk), Delmarva peninsula, Edgar Allan Poe(raised and began career in VA, died and buried in MD), mountains in the west cities in the middle and beaches and ocean in the east. Some of these can be included with many other east coast states but I always thought MD and VA shared many more similarities than some might want to admit.

[Kimmers333]

MD's Eastern Shore has a southern feel to it.

[cpterp]

Originally Posted by Nebat

Another north or south thread! Am I the only one who thinks it would be cool to create a region out of the original 13 colonies? It would maybe ease the whole northern and southern aggression. And by the way doesn't MD have, or use to have confederate heritage license plates? Note: That doesn't make you southern or northern it's just history! I think if anything in this modern age that VA through DE including WV and DC should be considered mid-atlantic if nothing else. The region is a perfect blend of the typical northern-southern stereotypes. They all share distinctive geographical and historical traits. Such as-The nations capitol, many government agencies in both VA & MD, Potomac River, Chesapeake Bay, Bay cities(Baltimore-Norfolk), Delmarva peninsula, Edgar Allan Poe(raised and began career in VA, died and buried in MD), mountains in the west cities in the middle and beaches and ocean in the east. Some of these can be included with many other east coast states but I always thought MD and VA shared many more similarities than some might want to admit.

Mid-Atlantic is a more accurate categorization than simply "Northeast," and the media almost exclusively refers to the area as such. The thing is the definition of Mid-Atlantic varies even more widely than "North" or "South" sometimes counting states as far south as North Carolina. Maryland, Delaware, and DC are almost always considered Mid-Atlantic. The most accurate definition of Mid-Atlantic imho are the states between New England and the South: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. Northern Virginia would also be included in the region.

Maryland and Virginia are mainly only mentioned with each other when pertaining to the DC Area. The suburbs are both sides are similar, but there are definitely stark differences. Every state and city in the "Mid-Atlantic" as definted above is unique, but on paper and otherwise, the closest state to Virginia in terms of similarities would be North Carolina and the closest to Maryland would be New Jersey.

[KeyserSoze]

Maryland has a considerable amount of Northern influence, but it's Southern to me. Not Southern to the point where it sticks out like a sore thumb, but Southern nonetheless. Native state history, native state accents, and native state symbols, etc. point in the Southern direction.

[doctorjef]

This same debate has likewise occurred over on the Delaware forum. Fortunately the thread, which was endless, finally went into hibernation. Most agreed that DE is a Mid-Atlantic State, neither Southern nor really Northern. Then there were the tiresome partisans of either Dixie or Yankeeland. Someone else here pointed out that demographics have changed since the Civil War. This has been an issue that has affected the North-South identity of every state that isn't unequivocally within the geographical, historical and cultural heart of one region or the other. The debate has likewise occurred on the Texas forum and on the Austin TX subforum (South vs Southwest). In the case of DE - and I suspect of MD too - most of the state was basically clearly identified with the Upper South prior to WWII. It was an interesting discovery for me to read the propaganda of an early developer of Rehoboth Beach, DE who suggested that Rehoboth Beach was set to become the premier seaside resort of the South. That was circa 1910. IMO the Delmarva is mostly southern. Of DE's three counties, only the northernmost - New Castle - isn't still rather Southern (and even New Castle is different from NJ and PA). The Eastern Shore of MD and the VA bit of the penninsula seem essentially Southern to me, albeit part of the Upper South. Remember, the South isn't a homogenous region -- South doesn't simply mean Alabama or South Carolina.

[bonnielisabeth]

I've recently moved to Montgomery Co. MD after spending most of my life in the south, and would agree that a significant majority of folks in the DC burbs in Maryland fit your description:

""I'll ignore you and be rude to you until you can prove that I should be nice." Which is nearly impossible if they won't give you the time of day - unless, you happen to be a relative of their best buddy or something like that or buying something from them. Of course this is based soley on my personal experience."

we have neighbors who can't even be bothered to say hello. Much more hurried here, not as friendly. I find that being a "southerner" is held against me in some situations, because of people's preconceptions. With that said, when we have traveled to more rural parts of Maryland, folks are much more friendly.