my friend just moved to Sarasota, Fl , so are there any real southerners there? (Lee: home, schools)

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by Chester Burnett

I lived in the Carolina's and many of my southern neighbors stared at my wife and I like we were aliens.

Do you have green skin and antennae?

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by coastalbum

That's cool your a Native. But, I like my City to have lots of locals and a local culture. I would not like living in a place where very few people are from there.

I've met many native Floridians, but you need to remember that much of Florida wasn't developed 30 years ago, especially on the west coast. Look at population statistics.

Many other areas of the country have also grown. It's good for the economy, even though there are plenty of negatives. It's not just Florida that is transient. We live in a world where people travel to go to college and get a better job. My family is from Boston, but I only have one living relative left in MA. My sister got married and her husband worked (recently retired) in Washington DC, so they built a home in VA. Her 2 daughters found careers in other states and then they also got married and raised families near their in-laws who live in other states. She just moved to Florida after her husband retired. You obviously grew up in a different type of environment, and there's nothing wrong with that, but we live in a world of continuous change.

[url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/26/growth-in-south-florida-i-4-corridor-propelled-pop/?page=all]Growth in South Florida, I-4 corridor propelled population - Washington Times[/url]

[treeboy919]

For the OP, yes most current pop in SRQ area are transplants, but largely seem pleasant and friendly.....from the many times I've visited there. And also, there are still few remnant "southern" areas of Florida along the coast... you just have to go to northern FL to experience "the south". lived there, been there, done that. The Big Bend region of the northwestern Gulf coast is southern. it aint' as pretty looking coast beaches as VA, NC, SC....but it's still more like The South than most anywhere else along the coast of FL - east or west coasts.

Ahhhh yes..... "the video". still hilarious.

[craigiri]

Would it help to mention the Allman Brothers are from Florida and much of the band from the SRQ area?

[Sunshine Rules]

Originally Posted by craigiri

Would it help to mention the Allman Brothers are from Florida and much of the band from the SRQ area?

Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers has lived in Sarasota for years, He was born in south Florida and grew up in Bradenton.

My husband has a friend that is 4th generation Sarasota born and raised. He doesn't consider himself a "Southerner," he calls himself a Florida cracker.

For those who don't know what a FL cracker is, here is probably the definition that best matches the ones I know: Urban Dictionary: Florida Cracker

[SoFLGal]

When my parents were young Gregg, Dickey and the others would play out on Anna Maria Island. Dickey Betts and Great Southern live in Sarasota and he used to be out in Myakka City. Nice guy and a true southern cracker. Great Southern stopped touring early this year when Dickey's brother, Joel, got sick with lung cancer and passed away in early April. Occasionally he's out at local clubs and sometimes makes it out to see local artist, Twinkle.

The term Florida cracker was originally used by the early settlers and came from the sound of the cowboys cracking the whip on the cattle. This specific term was used to describe the early settlers that used the Florida Cracker Trail which runs from Bradenton (the town I was born in) to Fort Pierce. My family was part of the original Florida Cracker Trail.

The term is used as a proud or jocular self-description. Since the huge influx of new residents into Florida from the northern parts of the United States, and Latin America, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, "Florida Cracker" is used informally by some Floridians to indicate that their family has lived there for many generations; and/or that they were born and raised in the state of Florida. It is considered a source of pride to be descended from "frontier people who did not just live but flourished in a time before air conditioning, mosquito repellent, and screens."

Now, your average "cracker" has somewhat of a derogatory connotation. Meaning an unsophisticated, uneducated white person.

I prefer to think of myself as the former and not the later

[Serenity2019]

Originally Posted by treeboy919

For the OP, yes most current pop in SRQ area are transplants, but largely seem pleasant and friendly.....from the many times I've visited there. And also, there are still few remnant "southern" areas of Florida along the coast... you just have to go to northern FL to experience "the south". lived there, been there, done that. The Big Bend region of the northwestern Gulf coast is southern. it aint' as pretty looking coast beaches as VA, NC, SC....but it's still more like The South than most anywhere else along the coast of FL - east or west coasts.

Ahhhh yes..... "the video". still hilarious.

Thanks for this information treeboy, a good post from you here.
And, I really like the Allman Brothers, so thanks to ya'll for posting it!

[dpbarr2000]

Good, we don't need "bums" in the Sarasota area. Stay with the good old crackers in SC. Maybe you don't think you'll cut it in Sarasota because you are poorly educated and can't differentiate between "your" and "you're".

As far as local culture, we have the highest per capita number of locally owned 4 star restaurants, a thriving arts scene, and a ton of art galleries and museums.

Sorry, we don't have mud truck races or community pig roasting.

[DragonflyMom]

I was born at raised in Alabama and spend all my adult life in Atlanta. We moved to Venice in October. I've lost count of how many times some person who talks like Rocky or Tony Soprano has commented on my accent. It's all good.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by dlking58

I was born at raised in Alabama and spend all my adult life in Atlanta. We moved to Venice in October. I've lost count of how many times some person who talks like Rocky or Tony Soprano has commented on my accent. It's all good.

Great post. People who have an accent don't realize they have one! They live in their own little bubble.

When I lived & worked in MA, there was a stereotype that people with Southern accents weren't too bright. I guess Rhodes Scholar Bill Clinton proved them wrong! (and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr before him.) There are stereotypes for every group of people, and not just by region. I get annoyed, but even in SWFL I've heard insulting, antisemitic comments, so I do my best to ignore them. Unfortunately, my temper gets the best of me when provoked.

So whether you're in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Michigan or North Dakota, you're always going to meet people who are hateful racists or nice people who have preconceived ideas from childhood about those who look different, pray differently or come from a different state or country.

I want to add one more thing. Why do people move to Florida and then ask why so many people are from somewhere else?