Do you consider Virginia to be part of "The South"? (Richmond: university, to live in)

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by VARelocated

Northern VA does not appear to be a part of the South. Very progressive feeling from my visits. Quite a diverse population.

I am sure as you get out into the sticks...they are more Southern. Probably still less than my neck of the woods though.

Well I do wanna say that a city can be progressive adn southern. Look at Atlanta. Very progressive and happening. Also very diverse and southern. Now I will grant you that Atlanta can sometimes feel like an island of its own compared to the rest of the state. Also younger people from Atlanta tend not to have thick accents I've noticed.

And here in Northern Virginia they dont' have accents at all. Not northern or southern. I think this comes from being such a transient city. Look at Baltimore they're just 40 miles up the road and they have accents. However again I would say younger folks in my limited experience have shed the Baltimore accents.

I think this all makes the area unique. It's not super northern like Philly and NYC. Yet it certainly isn't southern by any stretch of the imagination. It's just here. You know? Not neccesarily a bad thing.

[janeannwho]

I just assume we "Yankees" are part of the great reconstruction of the South and have migrated this far, but as you go too far South, the mosquitoes and the roaches get bigger and air gets thicker and it keeps us out! Hehe. Very American down here in VA Beach too. Not too much sectionalism.

[citydweller]

Funny is VB is 'southern' yet I know few natives. Very few.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

Virginia in general - yes; Northern Virginia - no. It may be more of a recent development, but Northern Virginia and DC do not feel "Southern" to me at all. I'd agree with the "Mid-Atlantic" description, since there are differences from places further north. I've always felt that Fredericksburg was the northernmost border of the "South". It definitely has a bit of southern charm, you hear accents, and there's plenty Confederate memorabilia to go around.

A lot of it, I think, is based on where you're from. If you're from further South, Virginia will feel much more northern to you. I know people in North Carolina who complain it's not southern enough, and express a desire to go to Georgia. On the flip side, I have a friend from NY who (after college in F'burg) now refuses to live anywhere further south than Philadelphia because it's all too "southern" for her (to her, "southern" is not a complement). To each their own. I really like Virginia, it's different enough for me to feel like I'm "away" from where I grew up, but not so much so that I feel like an outsider.

So Northern Virginia is filled with Yankee transplants. Well in 10 years would Raleigh or Charlotte still be considered Southern with all the Yankees and illegals moving in?

[juniperbleu]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

Well in 10 years would Raleigh or Charlotte still be considered Southern with all the Yankees and illegals moving in?

The people I know who complain about North Carolina not being "Southern enough" already think so (probably worth noting that most of them are from California, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or abroad...)

[janie01]

I am a "yankee" transplant living in NOVA. While I don't get a southern feeling here, I definately did in Richmond when I saw the huge Robert E. Lee statue on Monument avenue placed with his back to the north. (deliberately placed that way according to the tour guide)

[colton1819]

Originally Posted by janie01

I am a "yankee" transplant living in NOVA. While I don't get a southern feeling here, I definately did in Richmond when I saw the huge Robert E. Lee statue on Monument avenue placed with his back to the north. (deliberately placed that way according to the tour guide)

I believe your tour guide is mistaken. The statues of the confederate veterans on monument ave face different directions depending on whether they died from battlefield injuries.

[VRE332]

Originally Posted by janie01

I am a "yankee" transplant living in NOVA. While I don't get a southern feeling here, I definately did in Richmond when I saw the huge Robert E. Lee statue on Monument avenue placed with his back to the north. (deliberately placed that way according to the tour guide)

I am also a transplanted Yankee, and I definitely felt the Southernness of the Virginia from the native Virginians in Nova. Like my neighbor who collects guns and wife is from Roanoke. They're really nice people.

[jmking]

Originally Posted by janie01

I am a "yankee" transplant living in NOVA. While I don't get a southern feeling here, I definately did in Richmond when I saw the huge Robert E. Lee statue on Monument avenue placed with his back to the north. (deliberately placed that way according to the tour guide)

I believe there are confederate statues in public squares in Oldtown, Alexandria.

[homeschoolmama]

Originally Posted by colton1819

I believe your tour guide is mistaken. The statues of the confederate veterans on monument ave face different directions depending on whether they died from battlefield injuries.

About-face on Monument Avenue | Discover Richmond

Apparantly, there isn't any known significance for the position of statues on Monument Ave. I lived in the Richmond area for most of my life. I did hear the rumors of Lee facing with back to the north being deliberate--quite possible.

As for VA being part of the south. I agree it is South of the Mason-Dixon line therefore, southern by those standards. Outside the Northern VA area, which is transient, and Richmond, which is becoming quite transient, I believe the majority of VA to be "southern"--to me (and I think this topic is highly based on opinion) there are many areas that are more small-town, maybe even considered more hospitable and living a bit in the slow lane--even holding onto the Civil War as a part of their identity.

If you've ever visited south-west Virginia, Blue Ridge Mt. Area, areas west of Richmond and East of Norfolk/Va Beach, and anything South of Richmond--it's pretty Southern. The Civil War History runs deep in VA--Appomattox is proof of that.

Also, moving from MD to Richmond as a child--I thought it was very Southern, as the majority of children were required by their families to attend Cotillion (you know-manners/etiquette/formal dance lessons)--and that was when I attended public school. And even though it was twenty+ years ago, I found the children to have thick accents. When I went to Private School, I met the families that live on the James River in VA and belong to the VA Country Club--that is OLD money (prestigious southerners)--that's when I met John Hancock's direct descendants. So, yes, I'd call VA "the south".