Is virginia southern? (Richmond, Hampton, Lynchburg: fit in, activities, area)

[e2ksj3]

The whole state of Virginia is southern to me, including NoVa. It's hard not to associate it with the south when you have road and subdivision names like Jeff Davis Hwy, Robert E. Lee Hwy, or Stonewall Plantation. As far as the people that live there, no since most are transplants from all over the world, so they bring their own "culture" with them.

[virginia33]

Originally Posted by VA85

Yea to most it is considered Mid Atlantic, but theres a few old timers that wont except the pass 4 what it is, the PASS!

Sorry, but what support can you provide for the claim that "to most it is considered Mid Atlantic"?

I think there are more than "a few old timers" who consider it Southern and it's Southern PAST is not very long ago considering, outside NoVa, a good portion of the state considers itself Southern today. (Edit - realized I didn't back up my own claim!): I make this claim having been to different regions across the state, knowing people from all over, hearing the accents, eating the food and reading about the places. Take Charlottesville, for example. Why would a place that doesn't consider itself Southern be referred to as Southern by magazines, historians, restaurants and music venues?

http://www.waysidechicken.com/ - "Wayside Takeout & Catering, featuring Ole Virginia Fried Chicken...Listed in Southern Living’s
“Best of the South”..."

http://www.virginianrestaurant.com/thevirginian/ - "The Virginian Restaurant is lauded as “one of the south’s most famous eateries” in Coy Barefoot’s book, The Corner..." Coy Barefoot is a local historian.

http://www.thesoutherncville.com/ - Small music venue

http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat...02203103857150 - About Bluegrass Grill and Bakery, a good ol' Southern breakfast joint. (End edit)

In the North Carolina thread, it's interesting to see some people write that they find few differences between their former home in New Jersey (not the house itself, the area) and their new home in North Carolina. Thus, they consider NC Mid-Atlantic and not Southern!

I think that when people do not encounter whatever perception of the South they have, they conclude that, "Well, this must not be the South!" There is such a skewed perception of what the South is, which is compounded by antiquated stereotypes that simply do not exist anymore in many places.

The South varies heavily from state to state. NC doesn't equal SC doesn't equal Tennessee doesn't equal Alabama doesn't equal Virginia doesn't equal Louisiana. The states are DIFFERENT. They have different histories and different influences. There are cultural similarities - not equivalencies - that make them each uniquely Southern.

Somebody, in either this thread or another - I can't remember, wrote that "local flavor" is a GOOD thing that is sadly disappearing. While it is good for places to be diverse and welcoming to all, there is definitely a sadness and sense of loss when the identity of a place is diluted and the things that made it unique to begin with are no longer there (e.g., Northern Virginia).

For some reason humans have a need to compartmentalize, categorize and generalize. We all see things differently and we approach subjects with different biases and preconceptions. From my experience and from the kinds of things people say on these forums, it's my opinion that when someone's preconceptions aren't met, instead of changing their view of something, they simply assume that the subject isn't what they thought it was (this is also a legitimate part of psychology that has a name, but unfortunately my last psych class was a long time go).

I guess I associate the term "Mid-Atlantic" with being "cultureless." And I know Virginia doesn't lack culture in any way. So, I'm resistant to the Mid-Atlantic classification, especially when there are so many places in Virginia with bonafide Southern culture, and statewide history. It's frustrating to see those things ignored.

(And, no, considering history does not mean Texas and California are Mexican today. I can't exactly tell if that was a serious comment or not, but it isn't even remotely close to being an analogous argument to what I'm saying. For starters, I didn't say Virginia was British.)

[Virginian1984]

I see everybody in here trying to change the subject to North Carolina... This OP was about virginia being southern not NC.

[VA85]

By most considering it to be Mid Atlantic im saying Wiki,news and other sources just google it. And how would u say that the Mid Atlantic has no culture u sound silly Penn all the way down to Va= no culture you gota b kidding me!

[VA85]

50 yrs ago Northern Va was rural now its urban, does that mean its still rural no things change just like Va is get use to it virginia33!

[Kbank007]

Originally Posted by VA85

50 yrs ago Northern Va was rural now its urban, does that mean its still rural no things change just like Va is get use to it virginia33!

VA is culturally both, and can't honestly be considered purely midatlantic like Dc, Maryland, or Pennsylvania because the culture is drastically different. You can't honestly go to Lynchburg, Appomatox, Danville, Roanoke, Big Stone Gap, Martinsville, South Boston, Emporia, etc (southside, central, and southwestern VA)and say these places are culturally not purely southern. NOVA is purely midatlantic (mainly due to transplants), Hampton Roads is a mixture of both and everything else due to military, and Richmond is a mixture but is still overwhelmingly southern.
I think one reason many southerners born in VA will never consider VA culturally midatlantic now or ever in the future is because if you acknowledge VA as only midatlantic then its basically like saying that northerners entered the state and completely changed the culture (I believe southside and southwest VA will remain culturally southern in the future). Traditionally southerners are resistant to northerners trying to take over.

[VA85]

You do have a valid point ill admit but modern soures dont say only part of Va is Mid Atlantic they say all of it so who am i gona go wit documents or opinons?

[suffolkhr]

Originally Posted by VA85

You do have a valid point ill admit but modern soures dont say only part of Va is Mid Atlantic they say all of it so who am i gona go wit documents or opinons?

Not only that, but by calling it a mid-atlantic state says that the state has a mixture of southern and northern cultures. This should make those who live in rural or more southern areas of the state feel included, and those who live in other areas included without debate. It lets others know Virginia has a wide variety of diversity and culture from all areas.

Just today the Virginia Beach Amphitheater in Hampton Roads got a name change that sounds like it would attract a massive southern crowd to come out and listen to blue grass and Hank Williams. If this was truly a southern state, everyone should feel fine about the change right? Look at the reponses in the comment section of the article: Va. Beach amphitheater gets new name: Farm Bureau Live | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com So that you know, some of these comments may offened some, but it goes to show that not all of Virginia is the same.

[VA85]

Well put suffolkhr hour its not a bad thing being Mid Atlantic its a very unique thing having diffrent cultures in 1

[Johnny Vanderburgh]

I've never experienced Virginia as anything other than Southern during my several trips there. *shrug*

Of course, I remember years ago reading an article claiming Indiana to be the northernmost southern state. Yeah. Let that one sit on your brain for a few minutes.