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I classify the deep south by states and not so much region, but southeastern NC does give off deep south vibes. As someone who grew up in the sandhills of NC, it felt very southern especially compared to places like Raleigh. People down there don't refer to every soft drink as coke as they do in the states further south, but it's still very stereotypically southern. They drink sweet tea, say ma'am and sir, love football, churches are everywhere, hunting deer is a sport, etc. I remember Youtuber Nick Johnson said NC wasn't a southern state when I'm like "have you been outside of Raleigh?" NC is very southern outside the big cities. Even here in Clayton gives a southern vibe.
I would actually say St. Louis. I know most of its residents would strongly object to my characterization, but I've lived there, along with multiple places in TN, NC, and GA. And of every place I've lived, the one with the most laws that seemed to be religiously-based was there. Like all the strip clubs at the time were in Illinois due to restrictive laws in Missouri. That is the most prominent example of weird religious-based laws. Also, I can't recall exactly, but I believe video rental stores at the time were not allowed to have X-rated videos.
It's probably due to a super-conservative state government, and for all the talk about 'local control,' they can't stand it when the locals disagree. So St. Louis was under their thumb.
So I consider St. Louis to be part of the Bible Belt, and I consider 'Deep South' and 'Bible Belt' essentially synonymous. Atlanta, where I am now, is technically in the Deep South but seems far more out of place in it than St. Louis.
I'd also say plenty of areas in Ohio outside the big metros. I recall visiting my wife's family there (small town between Cincinnati and Columbus) and the top stories in the local paper always had something to do with religion. Everyone went to church. It was very much what I consider Bible Belt/Deep South. Columbus was an hour away but had a totally different vibe, and felt more stereo-typically Midwestern.
I've also lived in Memphis, which some people have mentioned. I've always thought of it as strongly Bible-Belt Deep South.
Conservative values doesn't mean a place is southern. New Orleans has always been pretty progressive and its always been a culturally southern city. Plenty of rural counties exist in the west, Midwest, and northeast of the country with those same values as in Missouri.
People keep putting this silly ideology on the south that it has to be just one idea, Atlanta is definitely more deep south than frickin St. Louis.
Far East Texas cities like Tyler, Texarkana, Port Arthur, and Beaumont. I don't consider most of Texas to be Southern, and overall its not a Southern state, but I do consider East Texas part of the South. But Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Midland, Amarillo, Abilene, Laredo, El Paso, and San Antonio are all NOT Southern to me .
Baltimore is a Northeast city. The Maryland Eastern Shore may be considered Southern-lite or Upper South but definitely not Deep South. Anything north of South Carolina is not Deep South. Many places on the Eastern Shore still don't have sweet tea actually, and religiously its still more Methodist and Catholic than Baptist or Pentecostal.
Baltimore is a Northeast city. The Maryland Eastern Shore may be considered Southern-lite or Upper South but definitely not Deep South. Anything north of South Carolina is not Deep South. Many places on the Eastern Shore still don't have sweet tea actually, and religiously its still more Methodist and Catholic than Baptist or Pentecostal.
Not true. A good portion of Eastern NC is Deep South.
Jacksonville, Florida can sometimes be classified as deep south especially when you compare it to the other Florida metros, but it's much more cosmopolitan than given credit for.
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