Do people in Maryland consider themselves North, Southern, or in Between? (Baltimore: neighborhood, schools)

[sundaze]

Terrapin2212, where do you want to live when you graduate from college? Reading your descriptions of Montgomery County I hardly recognize the place where I have lived for 36 years. My daughter graduated from Blair, the largest number of students there are black (I don't say African American because many African or from the Carribean, but I imagine the African American ones were originally SOUTHERN). My son graduated from Churchill which is at least 1/3 Asian. I think Montgomery County is now about 30% people born outside of the United States and here legally. It is pretty international and I don't pick up a northeastern vibe (and I have lived in the Northeast, have you?) FWIW I am from Washington State and went to high school and college there. No Maryland is not Southern, it is not Northern, it is itself, it is mid-Atlantic. It has grown and grown, especially from new biotech and computer companies. I think the first big change came when DC schools were integrated, and whites fled from DC into the suburbs. The first house I bought, in Silver Spring, had in the deed "no negroes or jews" (of course that is not enforceable.) I remember when only white people were allowed to try on clothes in department stores. Was that more southern? I think the nature of Maryland now is that there are many transplants from all over, and I do know people who have come here from the south, including white people if that matters. I have friends who are democrats and friends who are republican.
In my opinion wherever you go you will find people you like and people you don't like, but if you approach people in a friendly manner most people are nice everywhere. I hope though, you will find a place but you will find congenial because it must be awful living somewhere you dislike so much. I wouldn't go by the music though, you can download whatever you like on your mp3 player.

[Cookey mith]

Marylanders have their own accent. It isn't northern like Pa. or Boston and it isn't southern like Alabama. But, everywhere I go people talking to me ask, "Are you from Baltimore?" Baltimore must have it's own accent, hon.

[sundaze]

Originally Posted by Cookey mith

Marylanders have their own accent. It isn't northern like Pa. or Boston and it isn't southern like Alabama. But, everywhere I go people talking to me ask, "Are you from Baltimore?" Baltimore must have it's own accent, hon.

Don't forget the "hon" hairdo!

[Billiam]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

There is definitely a Sonic in Frederick and I think there is a Waffle House.

Wafle house, yes
Sonic, NO!

I live here, i would know

Originally Posted by westsideboy

In Western Maryland it is a split. You see Confederate flags and find people that are staunch Unionists. I think most Western Marylanders would choose to self identify with Appalachia over either of the other regions if given a choice.

never seen a confederate flag in wm. I go there at least every month

[vasinger]

Originally Posted by JDinBalt

I'm from the Baltimore suburbs. I grew up thinking I was Mid-Atlantic, but when I was little I got so confused by our social studies textbooks. They talked about different regions of the country. Our third grade text lumped Maryland with the North, and our fourth grade text lumped us with the South! Talk about an identity crisis! Compounding the confusion: the fact that the very first thing I remember learning in my first grade elementary school social studies was where the Mason-Dixon line was; the second thing was which side of it we were on. Note that this was in the late 1970's!

If given a choice, most Marylanders - native-born Marylanders, I mean, not folks fleeing from New York or North Carolina - will say "Mid-Atlantic". But if forced to choose between "North" or "South" it depends on the region. In Southern MD, the Eastern Shore, perhaps Annapolis, or right along the Mason-Dixon line (and going by what most people in this forum have said), most people would probably say they were Southerners. In Baltimore or the DC suburbs, many people would say they were Northerners. In Frederick or Western MD - which, incidentally, was where you found the most support for the Union during the Civil War - I have no idea; it'd probably be a mix.

As for me, I identify as a Southerner, and I'd probably get pretty defensive and irritated if someone called me a Yankee (We don't like the Yankees here in Bawlmer anyway.) But I take it all in stride - Maryland has quite an identity crisis! Our food is more Southern than Northern, and yet most of our favorite chain restaurants are Northern ones (no Sonics or Piggly Wigglys, and Dunkin' Donuts abound). I've heard and used "y'all" more than "youse" but I still hear both. And despite our fast-paced lifestyle around DC, things seem pretty laid back to me, even (to some extent) in Baltimore. And in some places I hear folks make fun of Southerners while down the street a person (who would probably smack 'em) flies a Confederate flag from his porch.

I don't know how much of this could be attributed to the influx of folks from above the Mason-Dixon line or below the Potomac. If pressed to put it all in a pie chart, I'd say Maryland was about 60% Southern, 40% Northern.

Because of what you described, I call Maryland a "border" state- that has both northern and southern much like West VA, Missouri, and Deleware.

Thats why I guess "Mid-Atlantic" really does work well- because it can incorporate both sides of those cultures.

But I have met a lot more Marylanders that seem like fellow Southerners to me, than yankees. Especially Southern Maryland.

As for Virginia, since we all went with the Confederacy, have cotton, peanuts, and kudzu, and Richmond was the Capital, our identity isn't quite as "iffy" about being in the South and Southern.

[Billiam]

Originally Posted by JDinBalt

If given a choice, most Marylanders - native-born Marylanders, I mean, not folks fleeing from New York or North Carolina - will say "Mid-Atlantic". But if forced to choose between "North" or "South" it depends on the region. In Southern MD, the Eastern Shore, perhaps Annapolis, or right along the Mason-Dixon line (and going by what most people in this forum have said), most people would probably say they were Southerners. In Baltimore or the DC suburbs, many people would say they were Northerners. In Frederick or Western MD - which, incidentally, was where you found the most support for the Union during the Civil War - I have no idea; it'd probably be a mix.

I would say mid atlantic, but I lean towards North, not south.

talk about identity crisis, I live in Frederick County! People don't even know weather to consider us western or central MD! let alone north or south. I consider us central because we don't have the culture of Washington CO. on. We consider ourselves Northern, but I think in some towns , they consider themselves southern. Its even worse with the identity of noth or south in fred co., but most here consider ourselves north

[Merlander]

If there is a Sonic in Frederick pls let me know! Best daggone burger around plus it's a drive-thru.

I'd agree Fredericksburg southwards is the "south." Once you get north of there and across most of MD the southern accent starts to disappear quickly. The new M-D line is just south of NoVa.

[Billiam]

^ there is no sconic in Frederick. I've never even seen one in the mid atlantic region

[vasinger]

Originally Posted by m_r2z0

^ there is no sconic in Frederick. I've never even seen one in the mid atlantic region

We have Sonics in Virginia. So we qualify

[emsgoof]

Eating crabs IS a social function... You could probably loose weight on a diet of crab alone, with all the work you need to do just to get a *()&% small amount of meat!