Is Florida "Truly" A southern state? (transplants, apartment)

[iwantyall2know]

How many people consider Florida to be "Southern" by any means other then being geographically located in the south. Examples would be the culture, the food, the people, the lifestyle, the atmosphere etc... (And Why)

[Lovely95]

I consider northern Florida southern. The rest is up to debate.

[Spade]

Yes, I do consider it a Southern state.

[johnatl]

Yes, very much so. Some in South Florida don't think so, but it doesn't really matter........

[Bass&Catfish2008]

When I lived there I personally felt that the northern panhandle could pass for the Deep South, for sure. It wasn't worlds apart from where I grew up in Oklahoma although the accent was distinctly more "drawly" compared to the Oklahoma "twang" I was familiar with. Nonetheless, there were similarities.

However, the rest of the state....starting south of Gainsville, is so heavily infiltrated by Yankees/transplants it would only be Southern in the mid to southern half of the state in the towns where there has been little transplantation. That's just my experience.

[TANaples]

One third of the population of Florida is from someplace else. Look up the statistics. Florida also has a very large Hispanic population, who may or may not have been born in Florida. Do they keep a Hispanic culture and customs, or a Southern culture and customs?

The northern and central parts are probably the most southern. I lived in Gainesvile in 1971. It is nothing like it was then. I was there this past May and went roaming around looking for my old haunts. Back then it was rural and southern. I used to walk on dirt roads then. The apartment building where I lived is now a gated development, along with many other ones. Back then there was one very tiny Mc"D's. Now it is huge and in a Mall, along with other malls. There used to be small farms where I bought produce. They are gone now, along with those dirt roads. Development, along with more transplants, would lessen the southern culture of the place. I am talking about 40 years ago, so unless you are old enough to remember what this place was like that many years ago, please don't try to debate it.

Generally, although SOME maybe not like this fact, there isn't much "southern coulture" in Florida in 2010. With so many transplants, and Hispanics, how can it be?

[kidphilly]

Mostly, though there are parts South of Orlando that feel a little out of place

But as a state - definately

[GLS2010]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

Mostly, though there are parts South of Orlando that feel a little out of place

But as a state - definately

The majority of the state, Orlando included isn't southern in culture.

[SacalaitWhisperer]

I lived in Florida for eight years.

The answer to your question varies from household to household.

I've never met so many snow birds in my life, even in Colorado.
Yea I've lived there too.

[WestbankNOLA]

Overall, I think that Florida is nothing other than southern. Orange County and everything below is arguable, but I consider it a variation of whatever southern is supposed to be IMO.