Would you consider Tampa "Southern?" (Gainesville, Plantation: construction, legal)

[NativeFloridan]

Chesterfield Smith...


Great Floridians Film Series - Chesterfield Smith, Part 1 - YouTube

[NativeFloridan]

Also on the above video is Sam Gibbons, born and raised and still resides in Tampa...notice his accent Southern accent even after goin back and forth up North to Washington DC all those times.

[movinaround1]

Cant get any further south than Florida,, Tampa is southern but Jacksonville is country

[aeneas73]

Tampa = Jersey Shore

[NativeFloridan]

Confederate Event Tampa #2 - YouTube

[NativeFloridan]

The 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee has this very nice write up about the Tampa Bay Area.

"Tampa Bay is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the Southeastern United States with an interesting mix of communities that range from urban chic, to easy beach living, to traditional southern hospitality.

Hillsborough County, with the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, and Plant City contained within its borders, boasts areas like the chic Hyde Park village shopping area, beautiful Bayshore Boulevard, golf course communities nestled in Temple Terrace and Northwest Tampa and historic areas like Seminole Heights and West Tampa. The eastern portion of the county brings with it a southern feel including areas like charming and historic downtown Plant City, untouched Lake Thonotosassa, the bustling Brandon, Riverview and Lithia communities.

Pinellas County is the gateway to the pristine beaches of the west coast of Florida. Stunning beaches line Pinellas’ thirty-five miles of Gulf Coast from the north in Clearwater through Honeymoon Island, Redington Shores, Maderia Beach and down south to Ft. Desoto and Pass-A-Grille. The City of St. Petersburg has experienced a revitalization of its downtown core which now radiates an eclectic vibe through its restaurants, shops and waterfront park. A little further north, the City of Tarpon Springs is famous for its old-world Sponge Dock District. With historic appeal and immense Greek influence, this seaside community is a gem of Pinellas County."

[NativeFloridan]

The following is taken from Open Letter News, an independent journalism site. It explains why 1887 is the year on the city seal rather than the founding year of 1849 or an earlier date when Fort Brooke was built.

"Tampa Bay History remembers when the city of Tampa was dissolved. That’s right, first there was a Tampa, then there was no Tampa, then there was."

“Lesley ran for mayor on the platform that if was elected he would abolish Tampa’s city government. He won in a landslide and, true to his word, he saw that the city’s charter lapsed, therefore ensuring that it would not fall into the hands of Carpetbaggers (Northerners) and Scalawags (Southerners aiding the Carpetbaggers). Tampa would not become a city again until July 1887.”

[powellmacaque]

To me the Gulf Coast is its own geographic region. I've been to New Orleans, and the city's feel is very much like Tampa's. I lived in Pensacola and near Mobile, and downtown Pensacola is a lot like St. Pete, and Pensacola has more in common with St. Pete than it does Birmingham or Atlanta.

I would divide the south up into these distinct regions:

Appalachia: Tennessee, W. North Carolina, N. Georgia, N. Alabama, Kentucky (even if it's not a "Southern" state), etc.

Lowlands: Southern Virginia, Coastal Carolinas, Research Triangle, Costal Georgia, Jacksonville

Deep South: Atlanta Metro, Alabama, Mississippi, Western South Carolina, North Florida/Parts of the Panhandle

Gulf Coast: Sarasota, Tampa Bay, Pensacola, Mobile, Biloxi, New Orleans, Houston

Floribbean: Orlando and the Atlantic coast, Miami, the Keys.

[thethinktank]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

Deep South: Atlanta Metro, Alabama, Mississippi, Western South Carolina, North Florida/Parts of the Panhandle

Totally off the central topic (and I say this because I'm in agreement with your qualifications here), Athens, GA is an awesome little hamlet in the deep south. I've got a good friend there, and if Athens were in Florida, I would probably already have moved there by now. Awesome town, IMO.

[powellmacaque]

Originally Posted by thethinktank

Totally off the central topic (and I say this because I'm in agreement with your qualifications here), Athens, GA is an awesome little hamlet in the deep south. I've got a good friend there, and if Athens were in Florida, I would probably already have moved there by now. Awesome town, IMO.

Yea, I would consider pretty much any Southeast Conference town part of the "Deep South," (except for maybe Lexington and Nashville).