What is the true Divide Line between the North and the South? (neighborhood, elementary school)
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I would say the Rappahannock River and the Ohio River (apart from West Virginia) are good dividing lines.
Maryland has more in common with the Northeast in this day and age, especially Baltimore and the D.C. suburbs. There are some areas in southern Maryland that have a slight southern feel ("Tidewater"), but the Mason-Dixon Line is truly outdated. Therefore, I would say the Rappahannock River in Virginia is a new Mason-Dixon Line, which places the D.C. area in the Northeast and Richmond in the South.
It is hard to pinpoint a divide between the North and South in West Virginia. Coming from North Carolina, most of West Virginia doesn't feel "southern" to me, specifically industrial areas along the Ohio River or areas near Pittsburgh. I've driven through the state a few times, and there's a point south of Charleston that feels like a transition between the Rust Belt and the South. Southern West Virginia (Beckley, etc.) is in the South, while northern West Virginia (Wheeling, etc.) is in the Rust Belt. Charleston and Huntington feel similar to Ohio so I would not place those two cities in the South.
For Kentucky, I would use the Ohio River as a border. Kentucky feels a lot more southern to me than West Virginia, with the exception of the Cincinnati suburbs in the northern part of the state. Louisville is borderline Midwestern, but I think the Kentucky Derby enhances Louisville's reputation as a southern city. I've been to the Frankfort area ("Bluegrass") and it had a southern feel, IMO.
I have no problem placing the Missouri Ozarks in the South, but I would not include any area in Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio. Those three states are quite Midwestern and it would be a stretch to place any part of them in the South. Just my two cents, though.
Delaware south of Newark has a lot of southern qualities.
A large majority of the Eastern Shore of Maryland have a southern accent as does southern Delaware.
Dover feels like you are definitely in the south.
Maryland once you get south of Baltimore also feels southern in portions of its suburbs. It feels no different than suburban Atlanta to me, and same goes with the NOVA portion.
I will say though Baltimore feels more Northern than Southern.
I think it's truly relative depending on one's perspective.
For instance, as a Minnesotan, I start detecting noticeable Southern-ish vibes right about at I-70 (basically halfway through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio). This is where you start seeing Waffle Houses and subtle Southern drawls start to creep into the accents of the locals. Everything feels just a little bit "different" once you get this far south.
Meanwhile, someone from Jackson, Mississippi may very well perceive Kentuckians as thoroughly and wholly Midwestern.
Delaware south of Newark has a lot of southern qualities.
A large majority of the Eastern Shore of Maryland have a southern accent as does southern Delaware.
Dover feels like you are definitely in the south.
Maryland once you get south of Baltimore also feels southern in portions of its suburbs. It feels no different than suburban Atlanta to me, and same goes with the NOVA portion.
I will say though Baltimore feels more Northern than Southern.
I wish Baltimore suburbs did look like Atlanta and NOVA.
What is the best possible Divide Line between the North and the South?
I disagree that the Mason-Dixie Line and the Ohio River is a good indication of the boundary between the North and the South. The U.S. Government only used it to plan out the statehood while trying to admit both free and slave states equally.
My Reasons:
Maryland and Delaware are just below the Mason-Dixie Line making them part of the South while they are absolutely not southern culturally with the exception of rural areas.
There are southern parts of several northern states, such as Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio that feel more southern culturally.
In my own definition, the best Divide Line between the North and the South is U.S. Route 50.
U.S. Route 50 runs several miles south along I-70. Therefore, it runs south of most cities, such as Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, south around Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Missouri cities of St. Louis and Kansas City (cities that are not southern at all or in a transitional zone like Cincinnati).
What do you think of mine? If you beg to differ, what is your Divide Line?
The purpose of this is to be a fun thread for all of us geography buffs.
Interstate 20, works for me, although I would consider Interstate 10, too.
Prince William County, VA, about 30 miles from DC, used to have a lot more Southern accents, and about 20 years ago I'd say the Fairfax/Prince William line was sort of a boundary. But I'd agree now it's the Rappahannock. The demographics change quickly south of Stafford County. Northern Kentucky feels way more Southern than Northern VA so the Ohio probably works as a line west of the mountains.
One thing that's changed overall is the reduction of Southern accents. I used to go to Charlotte, Charleston SC, Richmond, and New Orleans and people would ask where I was from in the North. Now large parts of those cities have under 30s with no discernable Southern accents. A friend moved to Nashville, his kids were born there, and they have no accent whatsoever. Another friend is from Birmingham, AL and also has no accent. Increasingly I find that in the Metro parts of the South, the only way I know I'm in the South is the haphazard urban planning, chain restaurants, fashion - dudes with golf shirts tucked into khakis, certain trees, brick architecture, or other markers like that. Pedal pubs/party bikes too, Southern sorority girls love those things.
I think answers may also vary by race and roots, shall we say: for people deeply rooted in a place, the advent of a significant number of transplants may change the cultural complexion and feel of a place for the transplants more than the folks whose culture is deeply rooted there.
There have always been regional culture blended zones in the USA, but migration has intensified that in other ways.
I'm from North Carolina and I don't necessarily view Maryland, Missouri, or Oklahoma as "southern," for the most part. There are some areas in each state that could be included (Ozarks, etc.), but it's a slight stretch. Even Texas is more of a Great Plains state IMO (Dallas/Fort Worth doesn't strike me as "southern"), although east Texas is Deep South.
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