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

[Big J_05]

I would say that Virginia, south of Fredericksburg can be considered southern. VA may be part of the historical south but culturally, modern day Northern VA has much more in common with North Eastern cities than it does with any place in the South.

[Peripateticshutin]

Originally Posted by Big J_05

I would say that Virginia, south of Fredericksburg can be considered southern.

Or west of Leesburg in many regards.

[KeyserSoze]

Originally Posted by cityhopper

What I always loved about VA is that is was neither wholly Southern or Northern. It rather grabs some good qualities of nothern states and maintains the history of southern pride.

I wish Maryland was more like that. They seem to dilute their southern heritage as much as possible in favor of a more Northern one.

[eyeball]

Originally Posted by KeyserSoze

I wish Maryland was more like that. They seem to dilute their southern heritage as much as possible in favor of a more Northern one.

Go to the Eastern Shore. I wouldn't say it's exactly "Southern" over there, but it's certainly not Northern.

[KeyserSoze]

I have. What I was trying to say is that the state of Maryland has a southern past to it. But by and large, they seem to ignore it, or relegate it to rural areas only. But I guess that's to be expected when two large metros, one being the capital of this nation, dominate a fairly small state.

[eyeball]

Originally Posted by KeyserSoze

I have. What I was trying to say is that the state of Maryland has a southern past to it. But by and large, they seem to ignore it, or relegate it to rural areas only. But I guess that's to be expected when two large metros, one being the capital of this nation, dominate a fairly small state.

Location of the Mason-Dixon Line notwithstanding, Maryland has been divided on the north/south thing for a very long time. The yellow/black of the state flag is representative of the Union/North part of the state; the red/white represents the secessionist/South part. Those from the Eastern Shore fought for the South, while most of the rest of the state fought for the North (I don't claim to be a Civil War expert, but I believe this is essentially correct).

[Bobilee]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

To say there aren't some significant differences between the Appalachia portion of Virginia (and basically all of West Virginia) and the portion of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge Mountains is simplistic.

And when did I say that? I said there is a difference between WV/VA and OH/PA. Not only in accent, but self-identity, religion, ethnicity, etc. As one example, this is the Telsur dialect map from the Univ. of PA.

[KeyserSoze]

Originally Posted by eyeball

Location of the Mason-Dixon Line notwithstanding, Maryland has been divided on the north/south thing for a very long time. The yellow/black of the state flag is representative of the Union/North part of the state; the red/white represents the secessionist/South part. Those from the Eastern Shore fought for the South, while most of the rest of the state fought for the North (I don't claim to be a Civil War expert, but I believe this is essentially correct).

Most of the state was divided, with Southern sympathizers strongest on the Shore and the southern region. The war had a tremendous impact on the state, but I think it goes beyond that. Either way, Southern pride is not confined exclusively to the Civil War or Confederate flags, and Maryland just seems to downplay that part of its heritage it as much as possible. But it shares history from both sides (North & South), which is just fine.

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

And central and western Pennsylvania west of those mountains is quite different than eastern Pennsylvania; the same is true with eastern/southeastern portion of Ohio being distinctly different than the rest of Ohio. To say there aren't some significant differences between the Appalachia portion of Virginia (and basically all of West Virginia) and the portion of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge Mountains is simplistic.

Originally Posted by Bobilee

And when did I say that? I said there is a difference between WV/VA and OH/PA. Not only in accent, but self-identity, religion, ethnicity, etc.

This is what you said Bobilee:

Originally Posted by Bobilee

It's funny how lately (by lately, I mean the past few decades) people have tried to pry the Southern Highlands out of the South, calling it 'country' or 'rural'. There is no historical or geographical reason for it. West Virginia and Virginia are quite different from Ohio and Pennsylvania.

What I'm saying is the rural mountain (Appalachia) areas in ALL of the aforementioned states are different than the rest of their respective states and have a degree of similarity to one another. Areas in the northern Shenandoah Valley aren't really dramatically different than areas further north in the same valley in Pennsylvania (in some areas the locations are literally less than 1 hour apart). Many areas in West Virginia, especially the northern half of the state, aren't that different than western Pennsylvania or southeastern Ohio. That isn't to say the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia doesn't have some similarities to the areas in Virginia east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but there are also some differences along with the similarities.

[Bobilee]

I grouped the two Virginias against OH/PA. I made no remarks about differences between WV/VA. In the broader view, speech, history, religion and self-identity OH/PA and WV/VA are different.