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That's all "fine & dandy" but what you are not acknowledging is that very large parts of Florida were developed by Northerners first and the Southerners arrived after many places were already established. They came with their culture and established it in areas that were devoid of population such as S.E. Florida & large parts of S.W. Florida by Southerners.
Florida maybe "Southern" do to it's Geography but the Question was asked ""Do Floridian's identify with the rest of the South? and I bet most Floridians would say "No".
This should have been a Poll!
PS: I didn't know eating Pecan pie is a Southern thing but if it is I can be Southern while eating it!
That answered is skewered though, most people living in Florida aren't even originally from there! Ask people who actually are from there, especially people who never even left Florida or been to the north. California was heavily settled by all kinds of people, people from Oklahoma, people from the east coast, the Midwest. Does that mean it's not part of the West Coast? Yea, a lot of southern Florida was developed by northerners, but so what? Are the developers the majority of the people that lived there for generations?
Pecan pie is totally a southern thing! Pecans are native to Texans and thrive in Georgia as well. I will give northerners the points for apple and pumpkin pie, it's delicious!
Floridians are a different breed of southerners. Why compare them with people from Arkansas or Alabama? (though NW Florida is very similar to Alabama but anyway) I don't see why there should be a shame or rejection to identify as "southern". Why look down on the south? I know it ain't perfect, but it's still a part of this great country. Why look down on folks with southern accents as if they were less educated or cultured? Nothing but discrimination. I never identified as a northerner, and I technically can't at least not until I live up north. What would I be besides that? (Besides a Floridian, and American, those are obvious lol) I don't think Florida deserves it's own separate category. Plus, it's southern roots are too deep. It's the home state of Lynyrd Skynyrd lol. Maryland and Delaware are no longer considered the south, but Florida can't really lose that. You grow up there, you're a southerner. It's not a grey area like West Virginia!
No it's not really that southern. Most people are transplants and immigrants. You might find a few native people but it's not common.
What you also find is a conservative religious culture in smaller towns. Maybe that's southern to some people.
Well reminds me of the time I visited Alabama and we wanted to try the local food and the locals suggested Outback and Chilli's. Most of the culture there was being very religious.
That answered is skewered though, most people living in Florida aren't even originally from there! Ask people who actually are from there, especially people who never even left Florida or been to the north. California was heavily settled by all kinds of people, people from Oklahoma, people from the east coast, the Midwest. Does that mean it's not part of the West Coast? Yea, a lot of southern Florida was developed by northerners, but so what? Are the developers the majority of the people that lived there for generations?
Pecan pie is totally a southern thing! Pecans are native to Texans and thrive in Georgia as well. I will give northerners the points for apple and pumpkin pie, it's delicious!
Floridians are a different breed of southerners. Why compare them with people from Arkansas or Alabama? (though NW Florida is very similar to Alabama but anyway) I don't see why there should be a shame or rejection to identify as "southern". Why look down on the south? I know it ain't perfect, but it's still a part of this great country. Why look down on folks with southern accents as if they were less educated or cultured? Nothing but discrimination. I never identified as a northerner, and I technically can't at least not until I live up north. What would I be besides that? (Besides a Floridian, and American, those are obvious lol) I don't think Florida deserves it's own separate category. Plus, it's southern roots are too deep. It's the home state of Lynyrd Skynyrd lol. Maryland and Delaware are no longer considered the south, but Florida can't really lose that. You grow up there, you're a southerner. It's not a grey area like West Virginia!
I'm born and raised in Florida, and I don't identify as a Southerner. Neither do the vast majority of my friends born and raised here.
Florida is a fringe area of the South that went through profound demographic and cultural change within a very short time period. This is his regional cultures are born and Florida is very much now its own cultural enclave in America.
That answered is skewered though, most people living in Florida aren't even originally from there! Ask people who actually are from there, especially people who never even left Florida or been to the north. California was heavily settled by all kinds of people, people from Oklahoma, people from the east coast, the Midwest. Does that mean it's not part of the West Coast? Yea, a lot of southern Florida was developed by northerners, but so what? Are the developers the majority of the people that lived there for generations?
Pecan pie is totally a southern thing! Pecans are native to Texans and thrive in Georgia as well. I will give northerners the points for apple and pumpkin pie, it's delicious!
Floridians are a different breed of southerners. Why compare them with people from Arkansas or Alabama? (though NW Florida is very similar to Alabama but anyway) I don't see why there should be a shame or rejection to identify as "southern". Why look down on the south? I know it ain't perfect, but it's still a part of this great country. Why look down on folks with southern accents as if they were less educated or cultured? Nothing but discrimination. I never identified as a northerner, and I technically can't at least not until I live up north. What would I be besides that? (Besides a Floridian, and American, those are obvious lol) I don't think Florida deserves it's own separate category. Plus, it's southern roots are too deep. It's the home state of Lynyrd Skynyrd lol. Maryland and Delaware are no longer considered the south, but Florida can't really lose that. You grow up there, you're a southerner. It's not a grey area like West Virginia!
It isn't a rejection of Southern culture but more of the fact that large parts of Florida were "virgin" territory and were absent of any type of Southern culture as the state was being developed by Northerners at the same time. Modern day Florida reflects that which is a eclectic culture.
Florida doesn't really have "deep Southern roots" as you proclaim unless you are in northern Florida or the Panhandle which is called "Lower Alabama" or the "Redneck Riviera " for a reason. There are no "Civil War" battle fields or large cemeteries or monuments to the Confederacy at all across the state.
Florida didn't even have a issue when the Confederate Flag was moved from the Capitol in 2000 by then Governor Bush.
It isn't a rejection of Southern culture but more of the fact that large parts of Florida were "virgin" territory and were absent of any type of Southern culture as the state was being developed by Northerners at the same time. Modern day Florida reflects that which is a eclectic culture.
Florida doesn't really have "deep Southern roots" as you proclaim unless you are in northern Florida or the Panhandle which is called "Lower Alabama" or the "Redneck Riviera " for a reason. There are no "Civil War" battle fields or large cemeteries or monuments to the Confederacy at all across the state.
Florida didn't even have a issue when the Confederate Flag was moved from the Capitol in 2000 by then Governor Bush.
There were 4 battle's in FL. (2 Confederate victory's and 2 Union victory's).
Very little of Florida shares the soil or geography of the south. Most of Florida is a cocina limestone, not at all like the red clay of the south. Florida was only part of the United States for about 20 years before the civil war and never had a similar economy or culture as its neighbors. Sure Florida is below the Mason-Dixon Line, but so is Arizona, New Mexico and Hawaii. But no one asks whether Hawaiians are southerners, even though they are actually farther south than Florida!
Florida did pick up southern carpetbaggers and imported racism from the south (and from Andrew Jackson). And the pan handle is tied to the south more than the rest of the state. But for the most part Florida has been very different from the south in economy, history and geography, so why would it be identified with the south more than say Arizona?
It isn't a rejection of Southern culture but more of the fact that large parts of Florida were "virgin" territory and were absent of any type of Southern culture as the state was being developed by Northerners at the same time. Modern day Florida reflects that which is a eclectic culture.
Florida doesn't really have "deep Southern roots" as you proclaim unless you are in northern Florida or the Panhandle which is called "Lower Alabama" or the "Redneck Riviera " for a reason. There are no "Civil War" battle fields or large cemeteries or monuments to the Confederacy at all across the state.
Florida didn't even have a issue when the Confederate Flag was moved from the Capitol in 2000 by then Governor Bush.
`Was it really, though? Yea, wealthy northerners had lots of business and developments down there, but the common folk is not the same. The common Texan is not an oil or railroad tycoon lol Typical Floridians, who are not from up north and have actual upbringings in Florida, are more culturally southern. In small towns southern accents are common. Coastal cities especially in South Florida are a different story due to demographics with northern or foreign origins but even then, old school Miamians typically have southern accents. In high school I had one teacher who was born in the 50s. Technically born in Japan but raised in Florida (American military family) and she has a very noticeable southern accent. A student asked her about her accent and she said "Back then most people spoke with southern accents, before Spanish became so predominant." Even older Floridians that moved from somewhere else developed southern accents. I had two other high school teachers, one from California who moved to Florida at a young age apparently and studied at UF, has a southern accent. Another one, came from Chicago, sounds as southern as hell.
I remember as a kid going to Disney world. As soon as we left Miami and stopped to get gas in a rural area we saw rednecks and heard all kinds of southern accents. This was still in South Florida, and not even that long ago, I'm talking early 2000s. I don't know if I could say I have a southern accent. Only really on some words, and it's thicker since moving to Texas lol but usually only the sound in words like "down" and "tired." I consider myself southerner though, because I know how to say "New Orleans" and I'd call it a "crawdad" and "crawfish" before I would ever catch myself saying "crayfish." I didn't even hear crayfish until I was in high school and the teacher said we had to dissect one. (She was Puerto Rican) I thought the only word for it was a "crawdad" for the longest time!
I just find it weird to NOT call myself a southerner, though. I know Florida is culturally different from Georgia and Alabama, but besides yankee transplants and rude people in South Florida, nothing about it is that unsouthern. It's hot, most houses are one storey, it's really poor, it's swampy. I've only ever been in the South (all the gulf states, plus Georgia and Tennessee) and Texas (which is Southwest to me, because it's so much drier and different geography and strong Mexican influence) so to not consider myself southerner, is like not considering myself American almost cuz the south is all I know. Also, a high Hispanic population means nothing. Hispanics are just as capable of being southerners as Anglos and Blacks. My ex is Tex-Mex and his aunt's accent is as southern as hell.
`Was it really, though? Yea, wealthy northerners had lots of business and developments down there, but the common folk is not the same. The common Texan is not an oil or railroad tycoon lol Typical Floridians, who are not from up north and have actual upbringings in Florida, are more culturally southern. In small towns southern accents are common. Coastal cities especially in South Florida are a different story due to demographics with northern or foreign origins but even then, old school Miamians typically have southern accents. In high school I had one teacher who was born in the 50s. Technically born in Japan but raised in Florida (American military family) and she has a very noticeable southern accent. A student asked her about her accent and she said "Back then most people spoke with southern accents, before Spanish became so predominant." Even older Floridians that moved from somewhere else developed southern accents. I had two other high school teachers, one from California who moved to Florida at a young age apparently and studied at UF, has a southern accent. Another one, came from Chicago, sounds as southern as hell.
I remember as a kid going to Disney world. As soon as we left Miami and stopped to get gas in a rural area we saw rednecks and heard all kinds of southern accents. This was still in South Florida, and not even that long ago, I'm talking early 2000s. I don't know if I could say I have a southern accent. Only really on some words, and it's thicker since moving to Texas lol but usually only the sound in words like "down" and "tired." I consider myself southerner though, because I know how to say "New Orleans" and I'd call it a "crawdad" and "crawfish" before I would ever catch myself saying "crayfish." I didn't even hear crayfish until I was in high school and the teacher said we had to dissect one. (She was Puerto Rican) I thought the only word for it was a "crawdad" for the longest time!
I just find it weird to NOT call myself a southerner, though. I know Florida is culturally different from Georgia and Alabama, but besides yankee transplants and rude people in South Florida, nothing about it is that unsouthern. It's hot, most houses are one storey, it's really poor, it's swampy. I've only ever been in the South (all the gulf states, plus Georgia and Tennessee) and Texas (which is Southwest to me, because it's so much drier and different geography and strong Mexican influence) so to not consider myself southerner, is like not considering myself American almost cuz the south is all I know. Also, a high Hispanic population means nothing. Hispanics are just as capable of being southerners as Anglos and Blacks. My ex is Tex-Mex and his aunt's accent is as southern as hell.
Accents don't make someone Southern. To be Southern is an entire cultural disposition tied to religion, ancestry, and communication. Wayyyyy down at the bottom of the list of what defines "southern" is accent.
I just had this conversation with two of my friends, one of whom is very southern and is from South Carolina. He asked me and my other friend, since we are florida natives (and he is Hispanic) if we considered ourselves southerners and both of our responses were a resounding "no". And we both gave the consensus that Florida is its own cultural enclave apart from the rest of the South.
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