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The Southern states that the lower parts of Virginia resemble are more or less North Carolina and Tennessee. I would not compare any parts of Virginia to South Carolina and Georgia.
NOVA is a firm part of the Mid-Atlantic and almost completely connected to places north of it, yet it still carries a south-liteness about it in certain pockets.
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Originally Posted by Mutiny77
Not even Charleston and Savannah?
I've been to both once, but it was a long time ago. I do not recall getting any type of "Virginia feel". Savannah may have been slightly akin to Old Town Alexandria and that's about it, definitely not enough to sway me into thinking the entire two states are "similar".
When I visited Nashville, in multiple areas it felt/resembled Richmond's area and surrounding suburbs. I was surprised actually, because I thought Tennessee was "deep south" but at least the Nashville area didn't feel like it.
I don't think VA has anything like Charleston or Savannah..... perhaps Alexandria is a bit like Charleston. I love Savannah, I wish we had something like it closer by.
I don't think VA has anything like Charleston or Savannah..... perhaps Alexandria is a bit like Charleston. I love Savannah, I wish we had something like it closer by.
People might sometimes say that Richmond's Fan District has some resemblance to Savannah, but in reality the Fan is closer to NW DC, like Logan Circle or Dupont. It doesn't have that same Savannah magic, if you will. It's still a lovely neighborhood.
People might sometimes say that Richmond's Fan District has some resemblance to Savannah, but in reality the Fan is closer to NW DC, like Logan Circle or Dupont. It doesn't have that same Savannah magic, if you will. It's still a lovely neighborhood.
Love the fan district but it reminds more of Mt Vernon in Bmore then Savannah h.
I've been to both once, but it was a long time ago. I do not recall getting any type of "Virginia feel". Savannah may have been slightly akin to Old Town Alexandria and that's about it, definitely not enough to sway me into thinking the entire two states are "similar".
When I visited Nashville, in multiple areas it felt/resembled Richmond's area and surrounding suburbs. I was surprised actually, because I thought Tennessee was "deep south" but at least the Nashville area didn't feel like it.
The only part of Tennessee that is Deep South in culture is Memphis/West Tennessee. Nashville/Middle Tennessee are more Upland South in culture and characteristics.
As for the OP's question, NOVA is obviously tied into DC and Maryland, and even some elements of Delaware and PA are there too (moreso Southeast PA and New Castle County/Northern Delaware). But there is still a southern lite feel to the NOVA suburbs...sort of like the Northern Suburbs of Atlanta but more yankeeish, if that makes any sense. That feel is a lot more pronounced the further west and south you are from DC. Parts of Ashburn/Aldie remind me of further out parts of North Fulton or Cherokee County down near Atlanta. Prince William County reminds me a lot of Gwinnett County in terms of diversity and vibe. But with much worse traffic.
Richmond is an odd animal to me. I know it was the capital of the confederacy and whatnot, but the older neighborhoods like The Fan were more reminiscent of Baltimore and Wilmington, and the neighborhoods to the immediate east of downtown have that "feel" to them too. The suburban areas like Stony Point feel more like New South suburbs you'd see in North Carolina or Suburban Atlanta moreso than anywhere up north. They definitely had a different feel versus say, the area around Waugh Chapel in Odenton, MD or Cristiana Mall up in Northern Delaware.
Hampton Roads - I can tell there are southern elements there, but due to the strong military presence, there's a transient, unsettled feel to the area, especially outside of the older cities like Norfolk or Portsmouth, which have an old-school, quasi mid-atlantic feel. Virginia Beach is a weird combination of 1960s-1980s suburban New Jersey with some Coastal New South development, but denser due to land restrictions. Virginia Beach Blvd reminded me of Veterans Blvd in Metairie, Louisiana (suburb of New Orleans) of all places, just without the drainage canal. Maybe it's the slightly-worn, widely-dispersed 1960s-1970s development along a wide boulevard that's on flat land and straight that made me compare the two. But that development pattern is prevalent in a lot of places...
Southside Virginia is pretty much an extension of North Carolina. As for Southwest VA, it has the Upland South/Appalachia feel of East Tennessee.
Last edited by biscuit_head; 06-29-2017 at 01:38 PM..
I would say that Virginia has more in common with it's Northern neighbors. I moved down to Richmond from Baltimore and I have never felt out of place here. It's hard to explain but there is a 'feeling' or an atmosphere in Richmond that I find similar to the DC and Maryland area. I guess that would be the 'Mid-Atlantic' feeling. Before I moved to Richmond I remember that whenever I would travel back to Baltimore from points south, once I entered Petersburg, where 85 and 95 merge, there was always a sense of "Thank God, back home" that would come over me and make the rest of the drive a little more bearable. I also think that the Architecture in Richmond is similar to points North such as DC and Baltimore. The fan in Richmond could easily be a neighborhood in Wilmington and would not stick out one bit and parts of Shockoe remind me of Baltimore. The rural areas of Southwest Virginia are essentially Tennessee and a lot of Southside Virginia reminds me of North Carolina but the most populated parts of Virginia remind me of Northern areas. From talking to people here in Richmond I've found that a lot of the residents have either lived in the DC area at some point or have family/friends that do, especially in the younger generation. People in Richmond are also more prone to travel North to DC for a day/weekend trip than south to Raleigh. It's also quicker to reach Northern cities from Virginia than southern ones. You can be to Philly from Richmond in less time than it would take to get Charlotte, New York in less time than Charleston ect.
Last edited by mpier015; 06-29-2017 at 02:20 PM..
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