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It's funny how one person considered Maryland and Delaware Southeastern States, even though both of them are geographically Northeastern States. The problem is that the Southeast would have encompass 2/3 of the East Coast rather than 1/2 of the East Coast should MD, DE, DC, WV (except the northern panhandle), Northern 1/2 of VA and Southern 1/4 of NJ were included in the Southeast. The Southeastern Coast should start at Virginia Beach, VA not Atlantic City, NJ. This is why I consider all of these areas Northeastern.
Last edited by muppethammer26; 05-12-2014 at 05:08 PM..
I live in RVA right now actually, and have been here for the last 14 years. I think that the people in Virginia think that there state is southern, but people outside of Virginia assume that it is northern because of northern Virginia and how it has changed.
I am originally from Nova, began my schooling there. I left home in 2005, two months before I turned 16. I spent my adolescence between Woodbridge (Nova) and Prince George (Tri - Cities region of Greater RVA). Back and forth. I never lived in Richmond City but have been to the city probably over 200 times: church, Braves games, wrestling matches, high school football games, restaurants, shopping, list goes on and on. While we were living in Prince George, my mother was a nail stylist at a salon on Iron Bridge Rd on the Southside. I was friends with kids from Meadowbrook and the East End/Highland Springs/Varina areas, and my mother had acquaintances all over the city. In Nova, we really didn't leave Prince William except to go to the City. My sister (my father's daughter) grew up in Kenilworth NE DC, and we briefly (about 3 months) lived in Southwest. And i went to go see my sister 1-2 times a year...
I say all this to illustrate my pov and what I base my opinions on. I'm probably younger than you, and I'm a native Virginian. People in VA definitely think they're Southern, but I'm 100% honest when I tell you we never saw ourselves as relatable to anywhere else in the South. Obviously, these aren't everyday conversations, but I'm going off of our general attitude and view of other Southern states. This is difficult for me to explain, but I'm sure Virginians in my age range could understand what I'm talking about...
@bigcity, while you may be correct to a point, I gotta say this. Growing up (again, in MY generation, people the same age as me, natives) partly in Nova, I'm telling you firsthand nobody looked as RICHMOND as much different. Northern Virginia obviously has a different aura than the rest of the State, but when we frowned upon other areas, it was West VA and the western/mountainous regions of VA. People damn near always spoke highly of Richmond and Hampton Roads, and the reverse was true when I lived in Central Virginia. This angst between Nova - rest of VA is largely political only, and the actual humans who have a negative view of other VA areas are likely majority transplants. This is my personal experience, not what I've heard from someone else or read somewhere. This is a firsthand account from a native Virginian with ties to both Nova and Richmond. While Nova most definitely is different in a multitude of areas from the rest of Virginia, native Northerners do NOT "View themselves as seperate"...
In the nine years since I've left VA, I've lived in NY, NC, and GA. No one in any of those states really look at Nova as seperate either. This city data crap is not truly reflective of reality in this case. City - data will have people with no personal knowledge forming all kind of false opinions...
Because most people on the East Coast are very provincial/parochial, don't travel much, and don't stray too far from home. Believe it or not, most people in the Northeast have never really left, esp. in the smaller cities and rural communities, save, perhaps, a trip or two to the theme parks in Florida. Eek.
Nice blanket statement(s) right there. I see in many of your posts over time you have this odd negative bias and strong dislike for the Northeast, you're nearly hostile towards the region. What gives? What happened to you here?
It's funny how one person considered Maryland and Delaware Southeastern States, even though both of them are geographically Northeastern States. The problem is that the Southeast would have encompass 2/3 of the East Coast rather than 1/2 of the East Coast should MD, DE, DC, WV (except the northern panhandle), Northern 1/2 of VA and Southern 1/4 of NJ were included in the Southeast. The Southeastern Coast should start at Virginia Beach, VA not Atlantic City, NJ. This is why I consider all of these areas Northeastern.
The southeast coast doesn't start in Atlantic City…
And no part of NJ is considered southern or southeastern. NJ is solidly Northeastern, and is also defined as Mid-Atlantic but again, the Mid-Atlantic is not a region, it is more like a subregion encompassing both the southern Northeastern states and the northern Southeastern states.
Has anyone noticed that the North seems to be defined by absence (of southern culture) rather than by it's own distinctions? For example the "Midland dialect" which originated in central PA and is dominant in the lower midwest is not a variant of the Northern dialect as is commonly believed, it's just as distinct from Southern American English as it is from Northern.
@bigcity, while you may be correct to a point, I gotta say this. Growing up (again, in MY generation, people the same age as me, natives) partly in Nova, I'm telling you firsthand nobody looked as RICHMOND as much different. Northern Virginia obviously has a different aura than the rest of the State, but when we frowned upon other areas, it was West VA and the western/mountainous regions of VA. People damn near always spoke highly of Richmond and Hampton Roads, and the reverse was true when I lived in Central Virginia. This angst between Nova - rest of VA is largely political only, and the actual humans who have a negative view of other VA areas are likely majority transplants. This is my personal experience, not what I've heard from someone else or read somewhere. This is a firsthand account from a native Virginian with ties to both Nova and Richmond. While Nova most definitely is different in a multitude of areas from the rest of Virginia, native Northerners do NOT "View themselves as seperate"...
In the nine years since I've left VA, I've lived in NY, NC, and GA. No one in any of those states really look at Nova as seperate either. This city data crap is not truly reflective of reality in this case. City - data will have people with no personal knowledge forming all kind of false opinions...
I get what you're saying but we'll have to disagree on this point. Most of Virginia outside of NOVA is conservative, has a large baptist population and is rural with smaller cities and a lower COL. Political conservatism is really at odds with the thinking in the northeast, for the most part.
These factors and others make most of Virginia still different from the northeast in my mind, even though it is changing like I mentioned. Hampton Roads, for example, has more Mid-Atlantic characteristics compared with most other parts of Virginia. And of course, everybody likes to go to Virginia Beach, Colonial Williamsburg and all those places.
Has anyone noticed that the North seems to be defined by absence (of southern culture) rather than by it's own distinctions? For example the "Midland dialect" which originated in central PA and is dominant in the lower midwest is not a variant of the Northern dialect as is commonly believed, it's just as distinct from Southern American English as it is from Northern.
That's true on C-D. I was once told (on here) that anyone who's not from the South is a "Yankee" and therefore brings northern culture with them. So if someone moves from, say, Arizona to Atlanta, the culture in the latter has become more "Yankee."
I think the Northeast has common general demographic characteristics. Both coastal and interior cities tend to have large Irish and Italian populations. In the Midwest, German and Polish (and Scandinavian ancestry in some parts) seem to be predominate. In Chicago, for example, the combined German and Polish population is significantly larger than the combined Irish and Italian population. In Philadelphia, it's the reverse.
"Border" cities tend to have demographic characteristics of more than one region. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are good examples of this.
I consider the Mid Atlantic to be NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC and WV. What I consider the Northeast is the New England states (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT) plus the Mid Atlantic states (NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, WV, DC) plus the Great Lakes states (OH, IN, IL, WI, MI). Anything south of IL, IN, OH, WV, MD and DC are considered southeastern. Anything west of IL and WI are considered Midwestern or North Central.
Last edited by muppethammer26; 05-13-2014 at 08:50 PM..
I consider the Mid Atlantic to be NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC and WV. What I consider the Northeast is the New England states (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT) plus the Mid Atlantic states (NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, WV, DC) plus the Great Lakes states (OH, IN, IL, WI, MI). Anything south of IL, IN, OH, WV, MD and DC are considered southeastern. Anything west of IL and WI are considered Midwestern or North Central.
So you divide the country into fourths, it sounds like.
I have a hard time considering Wisconsin, not too far from being smack in the middle of the country, even slightly Eastern.
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