Coming from the North, where does the Southern Culture start in VA? (Virginia Beach: buyers, live in)

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by terrence81

I'm from Georgia and I would say that the Shenandoah Valley is solidly southern just different from Georgia. I'd say that the south starts in Virginia once one is past Manassas to the west and Fredericksburg to the south. I knew a Warrenton native with the deepest southern accent. Although Fredericksburg itself definitely feels different from Springfield.

That's a common misconception in my opinion. The Shenandoah Valley is much closer culturally and historically to Appalachia than to the South. I don't see a whole of differnce between them and West Virginians, who are definitely not Southerners. The two regions were settled by peoples from very different places.

[Kreutz]

Originally Posted by j1n

hey...
it also depends on how you come into the state from "up north". The two main arteries are I-95 and I-81. On the I-95 corridor, "southern" would begin around Richmond, if you turn off there. On I-81, you hit Pennsyl-tucky first, which has it's own unique brand of...something. But when I-81 enters VA, you are in the south.

I'd have to disagree, along the 1-81 corridor most of the cities (Winchester, Staunton, Roanoke, Salem, Blacksburg, Christiansburg) didnt strike me as truly Southern.

I'd have to say heading west that way unmistakable Southern begins in Floyd. I've never been east of Bedford so i cant say anything about Richmond or further south than Rocky Mount (moderately Southern).

This is based on my experience of being in Georgia for a bit, which is the bar to which I compare Southern.

[NCN]

Originally Posted by total_genius

I had an interesting argument with someone recently. They insisted that Alexandria VA was a truly southern town in appearance and culture. I told her that Northern VA had the same southern culture as New Jersey.

In my opinion one has to go to Richmond south to get into the south culture wise. What parts of VA are truly southern in culture?

My daughter's first statement when she moved to the Charlottesville area was "Mom, they say they are Southern, but they are not." My grandchild recently told me she is not Southern and by the way she said it I got the feeling she does not want to be. She had blue fingernail polish and lives with a cell phone in one hand and a computer in the other and instead of dances, she lives for the next fast pitch game. This grandma went ballistic when she got a tattoo on her foot. All Southern grandma's have their limits and the tattoo was it. Luckily it was temporary. The entire ball team did it together for unity. You don't want to hear what I think of that. Fire the coach would be my suggestion. It should not have been allowed. True Southern girls are taught to be as natural as possible and not to show that anything on the body is artificial. In other words, no one should know for sure you have on any make-up or tattoos for that matter.

The people in the areas above Richmond are holding true to their traditions, but Washington has come to visit and stayed. It is a fact that cannot be denied. I would say Lynchburg would be the starting place for Southern culture. Above that is just a mixture of many cultures.

[Diff1]

Technically the south starts in Maryland but to experience true southern culture without a doubt my opinion is you would have to be a little south of Richmond

[912]

Originally Posted by Kreutz

I'd have to disagree, along the 1-81 corridor most of the cities (Winchester, Staunton, Roanoke, Salem, Blacksburg, Christiansburg) didnt strike me as truly Southern.

I'd have to say heading west that way unmistakable Southern begins in Floyd. I've never been east of Bedford so i cant say anything about Richmond or further south than Rocky Mount (moderately Southern).

This is based on my experience of being in Georgia for a bit, which is the bar to which I compare Southern.

People in GA, I have found, are super ignorant about the south. I was once told that anyone from north of the Savannah River was a yankee!

Virginia, the Capital of the Confederacy, clearly is Southern! Peanuts, ham, tobacco, pecans, cotton, peaches, NASCAR, grits, biscuits & gravy... you can't get more Southern than that!

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by 912

People in GA, I have found, are super ignorant about the south. I was once told that anyone from north of the Savannah River was a yankee!

Virginia, the Capital of the Confederacy, clearly is Southern! Peanuts, ham, tobacco, pecans, cotton, peaches, NASCAR, grits, biscuits & gravy... you can't get more Southern than that!

Have you even been to Virginia or at least come through in the past 20 years? We grow very few pecans and no cotton that I'm aware of. That's deep South stuff. Traditional foods like grits, biscuits and gray are consumed mainly by older people while the younger ones as in most other places are more interested in pizza, burgers, and Mexican. We do have some decent barbecue, although we stole that from our neighbors to the South.

You seem to have a rather outdated perception of our commonweatlh.

[Archguy]

The consensus in Virginia is that there's a line running through Culpeper east to Fredericksburg.

Someone upthread said "Route 17" and that's definitely not far off.

The line is permeable though, and surely advancing ever southward.

Larger cities tend to be less 'southern' than smaller towns.

Towns with prominent universities (well, one or two) are less southern
because they draw students & faculty from all over.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Archguy

The consensus in Virginia is that there's a line running through Culpeper east to Fredericksburg.

Someone upthread said "Route 17" and that's definitely not far off. .

The Rappahannock was what I considered that dividing line. I used to imagine I was entering the mythical South when I'd cross over the old metal river bridge on 211 between Warrenton and Washington, VA. I was sad when they replaced it with a concrete one as it kind of lost its symbolism.

[Archguy]

Originally Posted by Kreutz

This is based on my experience of being in Georgia for a bit, which is the bar to which I compare Southern.

Deep South is different from Old South which is different from South which is different from New South etc etc etc. The Gulf States are decidedly different from the Mid-Atlantic South, but some of these phenomena co-exist. For example, Duke Univ. and Charlotte are "New South" while exhibiting some "Old South" as well.... well, not much anymore. There's a lot of "Old South" in Richmond still, but it's a metro of 1.2 million and inevitably that means a tremendous mix. Charleston seems like Old South in the historic district but is also a bit touristy.

For many people, the Bible Belt (yet another descriptor) is synonymous with Southern, and that's the angle which annoyed me the most when I lived in Georgia. Yet there are Bible-thumpers all over. Fortunately, fewer in the major metropolitan areas.

[Scotty011]

I think it is funny that many Northerners try to make places of the South into the North. Virginia is a Southern state and will always be a Southern state. Why do people want to change facts? Virginia was part of the Confederacy. Tell R.E. Lee that Virginia is not Southern.