Similarities and differences between the Southern States historically and in terms of being rural? (live in)

[JayJayCB]

I'm currently very interested in the South, Southern history, and geography. I'm a Southerner (NC Native) but I think it's very interesting to hear other opinions. So, what do ya think?

[IDS30]

I've been taught that the south has lots of different sub-regions. There's the mountain/Appalachia which consists of parts of Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. There's the Old South/Piedmont region in parts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and some of Georgia. Then there's the Deep South, which is South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and parts of Arkansas and Texas.

In terms of History, 11 states were part of the original Confederacy (VA, NC, SC, TN, AR, GA, AL, FL, MS, LA, and TX) These states are always considered the south. Kentucky did not secede into the Confederacy, but is now considered a southern state.

Several of the southern states were original colonies; VA, SC, NC, and GA. They produced lots of cotton and tobacco on plantations. You can still see these plantation farms in parts of these states. They are like stepping back in time!

If you are interested in history and still live in NC I would recommend taking a day trip to Richmond. There are a lot of traditional Southern culture there, and plenty of Civil War battlefields around Richmond. Also, I would visit Charleston. Visiting these two cities would provide a lot of traditional southern culture!

[fezzador]

If you really wanted to, you could probably write a thesis on just the differences between Mississippi and Alabama. The two states are invariably tied together, but if you spent time in both states, not only would you spot many differences, some of them can be quite stark.

First of all, the topography. Alabama is much more rugged, while Mississippi is one of the flattest states in the country. While Alabama is rural at heart, it's far more industrialized and urban than its western neighbor, while Mississippi has some very fertile soil, especially in the west (the Delta is some prime farmland). Mississippi has a different history, as it's generally seen as the birthplace of the blues (again in the Delta region) and probably has a bit more familiarity to the rest of the country as a whole as it probably has more well-known writers and musicians.

Mississippi is more like Louisiana, eastern Arkansas and southeastern Texas - it's wet, flat, and there's hints of Cajun culture, especially in the southern portion of the state, while Alabama is more like Georgia, central and eastern Tennessee and portions of the Carolinas and Kentucky.

And that's just scratching the surface.