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I grew up in Northern Virginia so I can speak from experience.
I was born in 1979 so it was a little different then. It seems like NOVA was still trying to hold on to its Old South roots, while Maryland was turning yankee.
Going across the rivah to DC was like crossing the Mason Dixon line
In Loudoun my teachers were all Southern.etc The "Civil War" was still a very sensitive topic, and country music was very big. I don't know what NOVA is like now since I haven't lived there in 10 years.
Many of the original settlers and farmers were still in the region.
We even had some camp meetings up in Purcellville and large church suppers. People didn't have northern accents. Southern Gospel Musicians and Bluegrass was big. They would have Bluegrass shows in Leesburg and Warrenton.
But growing up I always considered myself a Southerner (not to mention my family was from Richmond and points South), and I never thought I was living in a Northeast or "Mid-Atlantic" area
I guess people would argue that Northern Virginia is no longer the South. I really don't care. I am a Southerner.
Well Loudon County was an extreme exurb 10 years ago, and very, very rural. Even now with it's growth, it's still considered the outer limit of the suburbs.
I don't know how you can say that inside the Beltway Virginia was Southern 10 years ago. Maybe a little less developed, but hasn't been southern for a long long time.
Well Loudon County was an extreme exurb 10 years ago, and very, very rural. Even now with it's growth, it's still considered the outer limit of the suburbs.
I don't know how you can say that inside the Beltway Virginia was Southern 10 years ago. Maybe a little less developed, but hasn't been southern for a long long time.
I don't know. We hardly ever went inside the beltway. I do know they have good BBQ in Fairfax. And there's an old Roadhouse called JVs in Springfield that still has some good Southern Rock and Country Music
I grew up in Loudoun.
My daddy worked at the Pentagon back in '57 and D.C. was a lot different then.
There is a big difference between Philly, NY, any city in PA and DC. DC feels south and it is. It's a busy southern city that benefits from being close to the north.
There is a big difference between Philly, NY, any city in PA and DC. DC feels south and it is. It's a busy southern city that benefits from being close to the north.
What in the world "feels south" about DC? There aren't any southern accents, there isn't any southern food, transplants from all over the world, and it has a bustling culture with a brusque attitude -- those are hardly attributes of a Southern city. Coming from the Philly area and currently attending school in DC, I have a good basis of comparison, and I can tell you it's definitely the tail end of the Northeastern megalopolis.
Go down to South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, or Mississippi and you will see a real basis for comparison that makes referring to DC as the "South" pretty laughable.
What in the world "feels south" about DC? There aren't any southern accents, there isn't any southern food, transplants from all over the world, and it has a bustling culture with a brusque attitude -- those are hardly attributes of a Southern city. Coming from the Philly area and currently attending school in DC, I have a good basis of comparison, and I can tell you it's definitely the tail end of the Northeastern megalopolis.
Go down to South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, or Mississippi and you will see a real basis for comparison that makes referring to DC as the "South" pretty laughable.
You are right- the further South you go the more "Northern" D.C. becomes.
I know even a lot of Richmonders who consider D.C. the North. And we're only 2 hours away.
But in comparison to NY and the Northern cities- there definitely is a difference in D.C. Also the way its laid out and the hot/humid climate - they don't call it foggy bottom for nothing.
There is southern food in D.C. I can't remember the place but it gas great BBQ. I think its called "Red Hot and Blue". And also Old Glory All-American Bar-B-Que in Georgetown.
There are some southerh accents--
There is an old D.C. accent that is a kind of southern accent- Radio show host Diane Reems has it. Its almost like Tidewater but not quite as elegant.
Also D.C. was a Country Music capital back in the 50s when Country was still a regional thing. Jimmy Dean had his show there and Patsy Cline got her start singing on his program.
I'm not saying D.C. is "Southern" in the true sense of the word, but I don't consider it in the same category as the Northeastern cities.
You are right- the further South you go the more "Northern" D.C. becomes.
I know even a lot of Richmonders who consider D.C. the North. And we're only 2 hours away.
But in comparison to NY and the Northern cities- there definitely is a difference in D.C. Also the way its laid out and the hot/humid climate - they don't call it foggy bottom for nothing.
There is southern food in D.C. I can't remember the place but it gas great BBQ. I think its called "Red Hot and Blue". And also Old Glory All-American Bar-B-Que in Georgetown.
There are some southerh accents--
There is an old D.C. accent that is a kind of southern accent- Radio show host Diane Reems has it. Its almost like Tidewater but not quite as elegant.
Also D.C. was a Country Music capital back in the 50s when Country was still a regional thing. Jimmy Dean had his show there and Patsy Cline got her start singing on his program.
I'm not saying D.C. is "Southern" in the true sense of the word, but I don't consider it in the same category as the Northeastern cities.
Baltimore is the end of the North to me.
Well, with regard to the layout, I agree that it doesn't follow the "big city" model like the rest of the Northeast, but that's because it was actually designed by French architect Pierre L'Enfant, hence why a lot of Europeans find the city attractive -- it reminds them of home.
Also, I'm not saying DC never had any Southern attributes, but today they're virtually non-existent. Interesting about the country music, however, and I'll have to check out those couple remaining Southern restaurants you mentioned.
By the way, humidity is certainly no stranger to anywhere on the East Coast -- even New England does not escape the humidity during the summer months. Granted, there is more of it in the South, but besides an ever-so-slightly milder winter, DC's climate is comparable to Pennsylvania's or New Jersey's.
What in the world "feels south" about DC? There aren't any southern accents, there isn't any southern food, transplants from all over the world, and it has a bustling culture with a brusque attitude -- those are hardly attributes of a Southern city. Coming from the Philly area and currently attending school in DC, I have a good basis of comparison, and I can tell you it's definitely the tail end of the Northeastern megalopolis.
Born and bred in DC boy here- Georgetown U Hospital 1965.
Anyway, I think you are correct. Its funny when I went to college in New York, lots of people asked me why I did not have a Southern accent. I always explained that DC was pretty much on the border- you have to draw the line somewhere. Personally, I always thought it was southern Fairfax County where the accents started and grits were on the menu. I read a book that said it was the Rhappahanock River.
Now, the funny thing is that I have met some old time folks i.e. DC natives who were here in the city before the white flight of the 60s. They invariably have something resembling a southern accent. Add to that the fact that DC was segregated at one point- the old "Reno Colored School" is next to my junior high although its been a long time since it was used for that purpose.
So I have always theorized that DC was more southern in the past but has simply morphed away from it. It was probably never as southern as a place like Charleston or Atlanta- it was the capital of the Union after all. And the fact of the matter is most people here are from elsewhere, whether elsewhere is another part of the US or another country.
Well, with regard to the layout, I agree that it doesn't follow the "big city" model like the rest of the Northeast, but that's because it was actually designed by French architect Pierre L'Enfant, hence why a lot of Europeans find the city attractive -- it reminds them of home.
Also, I'm not saying DC never had any Southern attributes, but today they're virtually non-existent. Interesting about the country music, however, and I'll have to check out those couple remaining Southern restaurants you mentioned.
By the way, humidity is certainly no stranger to anywhere on the East Coast -- even New England does not escape the humidity during the summer months. Granted, there is more of it in the South, but besides an ever-so-slightly milder winter, DC's climate is comparable to Pennsylvania's or New Jersey's.
They have humidity in the North, however the South has heat and humidity longer and its more Extreme.
D.C. is not part of the Northeast. It may not be the South anymore. But its not the North, IMO. Look at the map.
The summers in D.C. are much more humid than New York or Phialdelphia even, and it lasts longer.
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DC is southern
