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Lower Mid-Atlantic (i.e. I don't totally buy it as the South): Delaware, Maryland, (Virginia), (West Virginia)
Appalachia: (Virginia), (West Virginia), Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina
Deep South: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi
Mid-South: Louisiana, Arkansas, (Missouri)
Southern Plains: Texas, Oklahoma, (Kansas sort of)
Southwest: New Mexico, Arizona, southern Nevada, southern California
I actually think the regions of the South match up very poorly with state boundaries. Most southern states are divided into several different regions. IMO, it goes something like this:
Atlantic South: the eastern portions (i.e. those near the Atlantic coast) of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Characterized by an ocean culture and the importance of shipping. Think of places like Norfolk/Va Beach, Charleston, Savannah, and Jacksonville.
Piedmont: the middle portions of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. A lot of the 1-85 corridor. Cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh. Probably the fastest growing part of the south.
Appalachia: The mountainous western parts of Virginia and north Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Maybe some of north Georgia. I don't consider West Virginia southern, but if you did it would be included in this region. It is less developed, more rugged.
Mid-South: Most of Tenn, Kentucky, Arkansas. Maybe the very northern part of Alabama.
Deep South: The "heart" of the south. This contains most of the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. This is what most people think of when they think of the south. Montgomery, Jackson, places like that.
Gulf South: the parts of the south near the Gulf coast: the Florida panhandle, Mobile, Gulfport, Southern Lousiana, and some of southeastern Texas. The Gulf of Mexico is the primary identifier of this region. There is much importance placed on fishing, oysters, the oil industry, and the beaches/tourism.
I actually think the regions of the South match up very poorly with state boundaries. Most southern states are divided into several different regions. IMO, it goes something like this:
Atlantic South: the eastern portions (i.e. those near the Atlantic coast) of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Characterized by an ocean culture and the importance of shipping. Think of places like Norfolk/Va Beach, Charleston, Savannah, and Jacksonville.
Piedmont: the middle portions of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. A lot of the 1-85 corridor. Cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh. Probably the fastest growing part of the south.
Appalachia: The mountainous western parts of Virginia and north Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Maybe some of north Georgia. I don't consider West Virginia southern, but if you did it would be included in this region. It is less developed, more rugged.
Mid-South: Most of Tenn, Kentucky, Arkansas. Maybe the very northern part of Alabama.
Deep South: The "heart" of the south. This contains most of the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. This is what most people think of when they think of the south. Montgomery, Jackson, places like that.
Gulf South: the parts of the south near the Gulf coast: the Florida panhandle, Mobile, Gulfport, Southern Lousiana, and some of southeastern Texas. The Gulf of Mexico is the primary identifier of this region. There is much importance placed on fishing, oysters, the oil industry, and the beaches/tourism.
I was just getting ready to post something very similar to this. The South is better defined by cultural regions as opposed to traditional state boundaries. I grew up in Appalachia (Southwestern Virginia) and to be honest...some of the areas don't even have signs telling when you've crossed into other states. When you go from Grundy, VA into Jenkins, KY or Bradshaw, WV they have no signs......the only way that you can tell is the roads look different. The Virginia roads are pretty good but WV and KY roads are a little.....rougher.
Waaaaaay off. The Carolinas, at least NC, is generally way more closely tied to Virginia and Georgia than Tennessee, Kentucky, or especially WVA.
I was trying to lump the states with a strong Appalachian reputation together. I know the flatlands are more closely related to Virginia, but the Carolinas definitely have the Appalachian reputation which is why I put them with the other Appalachians, rather than with Virginia and Georgia.
I was trying to lump the states with a strong Appalachian reputation together. I know the flatlands are more closely related to Virginia, but the Carolinas definitely have the Appalachian reputation which is why I put them with the other Appalachians, rather than with Virginia and Georgia.
NC has an interesting culturally dichotomy. Western NC, Southwestern VA, and Eastern TN are basically indiscernable from one another. The Boone, NC area gets Tri-Cities TN/VA news and the airport that serves Boone, NC and Appalachian State is Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, TN. The Tri-State area over there is basically one cultural region all served by Channel 5 WCYB news. Obviously eastern NC is different but it more closely parallels the other southern shore areas. Suffolk, Norfolk, Elizabeth City, the OBX, Wilmington NC are all pretty similiar areas as well. It's definitely hard to compare these states to one another because they are so different from end to end.
I actually think the regions of the South match up very poorly with state boundaries. Most southern states are divided into several different regions. IMO, it goes something like this:
Atlantic South: the eastern portions (i.e. those near the Atlantic coast) of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Characterized by an ocean culture and the importance of shipping. Think of places like Norfolk/Va Beach, Charleston, Savannah, and Jacksonville.
Piedmont: the middle portions of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. A lot of the 1-85 corridor. Cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh. Probably the fastest growing part of the south.
Appalachia: The mountainous western parts of Virginia and north Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Maybe some of north Georgia. I don't consider West Virginia southern, but if you did it would be included in this region. It is less developed, more rugged.
Mid-South: Most of Tenn, Kentucky, Arkansas. Maybe the very northern part of Alabama.
Deep South: The "heart" of the south. This contains most of the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. This is what most people think of when they think of the south. Montgomery, Jackson, places like that.
Gulf South: the parts of the south near the Gulf coast: the Florida panhandle, Mobile, Gulfport, Southern Lousiana, and some of southeastern Texas. The Gulf of Mexico is the primary identifier of this region. There is much importance placed on fishing, oysters, the oil industry, and the beaches/tourism.
Best definition on the thread. There are some further nuances that could be pulled out... like the part of Florida south of Orlando... the most southern portion of all on the map but probably the least southern of any area in the South culturally speaking. At least on the main population centers on the coasts.
Texas always stirs up a discussion on its southerness, but it is one of the original confederate states, most of the early settlers came from the south, the accent, the cuisine, the bible belt... all things very southern. But there is a pretty big difference east to west to south in Texas. The western half is very ranch oriented but probably the only part that should be lumped in with southern plains. East Texas is a south as you can get. From north of Houston and East of Dallas, it is very much like the rest of the south eastward... Louisiana (northern at least), MS, AL, GA.... The Rio Grande Valley has a climate almost like southern Florida and the Hispanic infulence gives it another similarity to S. Florida, so it really is a region unto its own.
Far eastern New Mexico (Clovis/Hobbes/Portales and environs) is very much like west Texas and has a distinct southern flair down to the accent, cuisine, and preponderance of the Southern Baptist denomination. So any map of the south should dip into this part of NM.
Here is just about as good as any map of the "boundaries" of the South (north to south, east to west), that I have ever seen. It is based upon where "Southern American English" is spoken.
I was trying to lump the states with a strong Appalachian reputation together. I know the flatlands are more closely related to Virginia, but the Carolinas definitely have the Appalachian reputation which is why I put them with the other Appalachians, rather than with Virginia and Georgia.
Virginia and Georgia have the Appalachian culture too, so why single out NC as having it but not the others?
I agree with po-boy's assessment, but adding coastal Georgia to the Atlantic South...I think you meant to include it since you noted Savannah as one of the cities.
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