Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is a tough one based on Texas' size and Florida's unusual shape and migration patterns.
I don't think there is any question that the Florida panhandle down to about Ocala is the MOST southern followed by east Texas.
It can be argued that neither region(East Texas/Florida Panhandle) is more Southern than the other. Deep East Texas is as culturally Southern as any other Confederate state. The arguments I've heard for Houston not being all that Southern, are Houston's Hispanic population. Well, there are hardly any cities in the US more Hispanic than Miami. And Tampa has a DEEP long, Spanish/Cuban history, that is rooted in everything from food, architecture, festivals, etc. There are White-Hispanics in Gulf-Coastal Florida with Castillian ancestry. The Hispanic culture in Tampa, is hardly imported, and can be compared to the Historic Mexican populations in cities like Houston. There's still plenty of Spanish Missions and place-names all over the state of Florida.
You have a definite point with what you say about extreme western Texas as in being the "least Southern" (if such terms can be used)...but that is the operative term. Extreme western Texas is defined as the "trans-pecos" region (which is a comparatively small area of Texas). And even there?Well, there is a Confederate monument in El Paso (the country voted overwhelmingly for secession in 1861)
And in the same intra-state region? Gosh, who else could Jeff Davis County, be named for?
Having a monument doesn't make an area southern. The vibe, the food, the way people talk, and dress are what makes a region southern. El Paso has more in common with New Mexico, and Arizona than Georgia or Alabama.
I'm quite sure Houston has a democratic lesbian mayor. Dallas and Atlanta are the same city essentially, big center-left cities surrounded by red counties. Austin being conservative? No way in hell. San Antonio you have an argument and then El Paso and Fort Worth are probably the 2 biggest conservative cities in America. Overall Texas cities as a whole are not those uber conservative Regan era cities you might see in the media
Fort Worth itself is more moderate. El Paso, I think, isn't all that conservative, either.
It's really the smaller cities that are truly conservative.
Even though Miami had tons of people from the Northeast, it had tons of others from the South and the Black population up until very recently, was still majority Black Americans from Georgia, the Carolinas, and North Florida. El Paso pretty much is the opposite. Never really had a Southern history to begin with. Has always been overwhelmingly Mexican which is the opposite of the history of the South, and virtually has NOTHING in common with the rest of Texas, let alone the Southeast.
Sure, I bet one out of a hundred people have a southern accent in those areas. You are more likely to find a Brooklyn accent in Ft. Myers or Broward county than you are a Southern one. Going by that standard you can probably find a similar percentage of Southern accents in San Francisco. Doesn't mean the accent defines the local culture.
Texas on the other hand does indeed have the Southern twang around every corner. If you aren't looking you will trip over it. It isn't that way in Florida anymore. I have a hard time believing Leon county, Florida is Southern now to. 20% of the county at any given time are students of Florida State. Many students stay in Tallahassee after graduation. Those students primarily come from south of I-4. I bet the capital has a waning southern culture as well.
You have a hard time believing Tallahassee is hardcore Southern too? Because transplants from people coming from South and Central Florida are moving there. Do you have this same opinion of Gainesville. I'm going to say the same thing you said about one out of a hundred people in those areas is probably the same thing you encountered in Dallas going by what you're saying. Tallahassee is straight Southern. Beats most Texas cities as a matter of fact. A skip and a hop from Georgia and Alabama and you couldn't tell the difference between it and Thomasville other than size. Texas doesn't have Southern twang all over. You're not going to find much of a Southern Twang in Pharr, or El Paso, or Dalhart (anymore I bet). The Southern twang has been diluted heavily in places like San Antonio and Austin. Just like it has been diluted in Orlando and Tampa.
Alert my cousins and friends in Miami gardens and Miramar that their accent may sound like a Brooklyn accent. Pronouncing huh for here when giving something to someone. Saying mane for man, hang for here, screets for streets, or saying "Great day in the morning" when something crazy or weird happens to them. Southern mannerisms are there though I would admit Miamians are a bit ruder than most Southerners.
El Paso is the least Southern metro. You know, there's hundreds of miles of Texas land West of Dallas. Dallas is not the Western edge of Texas, and doesn't represent the whole state culturally.
Of course. I should have stated major metros I suppose. I never really thought of El Paso as being one of Texas' major metros because it still has less than a million people. Of the major metros I always thought Dallas would be the least Southern because it has the most northern transplants compared to other Texas metros. Austin is very liberal but I think it is still mostly true and blue Texans that mostly live there. They go to university and then stay in the city.
You have a hard time believing Tallahassee is hardcore Southern too? Because transplants from people coming from South and Central Florida are moving there. Do you have this same opinion of Gainesville. I'm going to say the same thing you said about one out of a hundred people in those areas is probably the same thing you encountered in Dallas going by what you're saying. Tallahassee is straight Southern. Beats most Texas cities as a matter of fact. A skip and a hop from Georgia and Alabama and you couldn't tell the difference between it and Thomasville other than size. Texas doesn't have Southern twang all over. You're not going to find much of a Southern Twang in Pharr, or El Paso, or Dalhart (anymore I bet). The Southern twang has been diluted heavily in places like San Antonio and Austin. Just like it has been diluted in Orlando and Tampa.
Alert my cousins and friends in Miami gardens and Miramar that their accent may sound like a Brooklyn accent. Pronouncing huh for here when giving something to someone. Saying mane for man, hang for here, screets for streets, or saying "Great day in the morning" when something crazy or weird happens to them. Southern mannerisms are there though I would admit Miamians are a bit ruder than most Southerners.
Not a chance. A majority of the people didn't have the Southern accent, but I would say firmly that one out of ten did. Even more had a slight Southern twang to their speech. To say the southern accent isn't very prevalent in Dallas is to just be lying.
Of course. I should have stated major metros I suppose. I never really thought of El Paso as being one of Texas' major metros because it still has less than a million people. Of the major metros I always thought Dallas would be the least Southern because it has the most northern transplants compared to other Texas metros. Austin is very liberal but I think it is still mostly true and blue Texans that mostly live there. They go to university and then stay in the city.
El Paso's lack of Southern culture, has nothing to do with Northern Transplants. It has everything to do with the city historically having very little ties the South. It was settled by Southerners, but the city was never culturally Southern. It even has a Spanish place-name. They didn't even bother changing the name after some Texas Independence hero, or changing it to the name of some famous noteworthy Southerner. It's like they knew El Paso's place and purpose, and recognized it's location. El Paso isn't a city that became UN-Southern, it's a city that never was Southern. Austin does it's own thing. I wouldn't necessarily say Austin isn't Southern, but it kinda feels "UN-Southern". It feels(to me at least) and will always feel, different from the rest of the South. Same with San Antonio. Buuuuut, then again, you can make the same arguments for Austin and San Antonio being Southern, as you can for Miami. Miami's Black community is heavily culturally Southern, and most of them are still tied to that culture. Same can be said for the Black communities in Austin and San Antonio. They all speak with a Southern drawl, and celebrate Black-Southern holidays(Juneteenth). The Blacks in Ausitn and SA aren't much different than the ones in Miami. The real difference is that there are alot more Blacks in South Florida than in Austin-San Antonio. If you listen to most Underground hip-hop artist from SA or Aus, they sound like Houston artist.
I lived in that state for over 20 years. Tell me where the southern accents are. I couldn't find them. lol.
"Southern Accents"?! That's your basis for winch is more southern or not? Most people in Florida have a Florida Accent the typical American speech. I thought we were basing this of off culture... I doubt you can find any place in Texas that's as conservative as The villages.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You are more likely to find a Brooklyn accent in Ft. Myers or Broward county than you are a Southern one. Going by that standard you can probably find a similar percentage of Southern accents in San Francisco. Doesn't mean the accent defines the local culture. 
Because transplants from people coming from South and Central Florida are moving there. Do you have this same opinion of Gainesville. I'm going to say the same thing you said about one out of a hundred people in those areas is probably the same thing you encountered in Dallas going by what you're saying. Tallahassee is straight Southern. Beats most Texas cities as a matter of fact. A skip and a hop from Georgia and Alabama and you couldn't tell the difference between it and Thomasville other than size. Texas doesn't have Southern twang all over. You're not going to find much of a Southern Twang in Pharr, or El Paso, or Dalhart (anymore I bet). The Southern twang has been diluted heavily in places like San Antonio and Austin. Just like it has been diluted in Orlando and Tampa.