Which city is truly the Gateway To The South? (cost, people, cons)
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From my experience, Nashville is where it really starts feeling southern (traveling from NYC.)
I agree that Western Texas starts not to feel so Southern anymore. I think there's a difference between Texas & the wrest of the southern states. Texas has more old fronteer characteristics than say Alabama.
From my experience, Nashville is where it really starts feeling southern (traveling from NYC.)
I agree that Western Texas starts not to feel so Southern anymore. I think there's a difference between Texas & the wrest of the southern states. Texas has more old fronteer characteristics than say Alabama.
Very true! Which is why the application of "Western South" fits very well. A sub-region of the "Greater South" which combines basic Southern history and culture with distinct qualities of the post-bellum frontier "west." Same as, say, Kansas is essentially Midwestern in history and culture...yet contains qualities that are "western frontier" in a way that differentiates from Ohio.
Yet, neither are part of a "West" which is made up of the Interior Southwest nor Rocky Mountain states.
Makes real good sense, Westerner! Good post and good points!
I think the most important point to be made is that there is a Southeast, SOUTHwest (Western South), and southWEST. The former two make up the South. The latter is a completely different sub-region of the West.
Certainly, as you say, given a choice, most in your part of west Texas would choose "southwest" over "southeast". The consideration and qualification would be what does one mean by "southwest"? And what states are included?
Most of west Texas and Oklahoma is "western South". Old Southwest that is; where the essential qualities of the South become blended with the frontier west. Not the same as the southWEST of New Mexico and Arizona where there is not anything "Southern" about them.
I was just about to ask about the designation of South for Lubbock. I would say there is Southeastern, Southern, and Southwestern. I think geographically a good indicator would be where the tumbleweeds start appearing.
For Texas, I would actually say Abilene now. I just met somebody from Lubbock that moved out here to Texas last month and we had a conversation. I asked him the random question does he consider himself a Southerner and he quickly said no.
He considers himself Southern in relation to being in the South Plains but nothing like the Southeast. He felt they had more in common with Kansas and Nebraska than Mississippi or Alabama. Now maybe it's just one person but it was very interesting to hear. So I would say Abilene or maybe, just maybe, even Fort Worth.
For Florida, again, it's just hard for me to say that Orlando, Clewiston, Belle Glade, Pahokee, Ft. Myers, and more aren't Southern and they are all South of Gainsville.
These cities are WAAAAAAAAAAAY too small and insignificant to trigger any cultural impact on the waaay LARGER cities in that region of Florida. Those cities are an exception, not the norm. You can't ignore the LARGER cities and the urbanized areas where 95% of SoFla's population lives.
How about you get excited when your city wins in real life. I'm not calling Richmond a loser by any means, but you're taking this a little too seriously.
To me - Richmond is a very northeast-centric response.
By that I mean that driving from the northeast, you pass through Richmond and that is where you culturally enter the south.
But living in knoxville, if i go on a road trip, most likely I stay within the south so there is no gateway involved. Or on the rare occasion i drive a bit further afield I might reenter at any number of points so there is no clear gateway.
But if i get on a plane - it is quite likely I will enter the south by way of Atlanta Hartsfield. So to me - Atlanta is the gateway city, even though that makes no sense on the map.
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