What does Baltimore and Washington have more in common, New York and Philadelphia or Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta? (Columbia: transplants, houses)

[muppethammer26]

I know Baltimore and Washington are part of the southern end of the Northeast Megalopolis, sometimes extending more southern to Richmond and Hampton Roads (Norfolk-Virginia Beach), but I heard some people saying that Baltimore and Washington are not northern cities and instead some people call them southern. So that means Baltimore and Washington have more in common with Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta, which is more far away than Baltimore and Washington is to New York and Philadelphia? Even when Baltimore and Washington are geographically northern on the US map?

[KeyserSoze]

Baltimore and Washington aren't geographically northern, they're right in the middle of the Eastern Seaboard. People in this area refer to it as the Mid-Atlantic, which in this area tends to mean a mix between Northeast and Southeast, because they really don't consider themselves either (or maybe they consider themselves both) and characteristics of both regions are noticeable, one moreso than the other depending on what part of the state you are in (though I tend to question the "Northeasterness" of the state and if it's really being confused with the "General Standard American" that seems to be so prevalent today in this country).

Some say that Baltimore is like Philadelphia, and there are some similarities, but I wouldn't say they're very similar. Philadelphia is old, larger and has more of a Northeast "urban" wordly feel and mindset. Baltimore is old, large and urban, and in parts it looks Northeastern, but compared to Philadelphia it's smaller and has a "local" feel and mindset and has this very, very subtle Southern undercurrent to it. Philly has the "local" feel too, but it doesn't define the city or the feel of it the way it seems to do for Baltimore. Some say it's a big town with a small-town mindset -- "Smalltimore" -- and I certainly get that feeling. More than its look, Philadelphia feels Northeastern while Baltimore is dubious. I think Baltimore is just very quintessentially Maryland or Mid-Atlantic -- whatever that may be. I don't know if you could or couldn't say if Baltimore's suburbs are like the Philly suburbs, but I've noticed that the Baltimore suburbs vary differently depending in what part of the metro you're in. Some suburbs feel very "Baltimore", some suburbs feel very bland and generic, and some suburbs also have ties to DC.

The Washington DC area is kind of like the Raleigh area with a small, small touch of Atlanta. New, modern, in-demand, booming, and sprawling with legions of transplants and similar economies. It's not so much a city as its a general area. Moreso than the Baltimore area, you'll notice that the DC part of Maryland has slightly more of a Southern undercurrent to it, especially when you get outside of the Beltway and into the suburbs of PG, Charles and Calvert counties (Anne Arundel, too). You could also make the argument that Washington DC itself is like New York in the sense that its a world class city where people from all over the world come to live and visit, but DC is different from NYC.

You'll notice that there are people from NC and GA live in the DC area and there are some who live in the Baltimore area, as well. But you'll also notice people from PA and NY who live in the Baltimore area, and in the DC area, too.

[gps29070]

Much more in common with Philly and New York then with Charlotte or Atlanta.

Baltimore is much more compacted then those southern cities, and much more culture I think. Generally those who live in Baltimore been there most of their lives. Atlanta and Charlotte has a lot more outsiders that call it home. You won't find too many rowhouses in Charlotte or Atlanta. The downtown of Baltimore is much older then Atlanta or certainly more then Charlotte, who virtually knocked down every building in their downtown in the 70s to make room for the super skyscrapers you see today. Also Baltimore has a harbor, like Philly and NYC, while Raleigh Charlotte and Atlanta have none.

[Diff1]

Why skip over its comparisons Richmond and the Hampton Roads to the south and Philly to north before going all the way to Atl and NYC??

[King_of_DC]

Originally Posted by muppethammer26

I know Baltimore and Washington are part of the southern end of the Northeast Megalopolis, sometimes extending more southern to Richmond and Hampton Roads (Norfolk-Virginia Beach), but I heard some people saying that Baltimore and Washington are not northern cities and instead some people call them southern. So that means Baltimore and Washington have more in common with Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta, which is more far away than Baltimore and Washington is to New York and Philadelphia? Even when Baltimore and Washington are geographically northern on the US map?

I've lived in Washington metro, Philly, Charlotte and Atlanta... not sure I'd say they are the same at all. They are all SO different.

But if you are talking about living style, I'd say that DC does fit the Atlanta and Charlotte "type" of living.

Philly had a "large city" feel to me when I was there. Felt like a big city... hard to explain though.... and it could have been that I technically lived outside of Charlotte, Atlanta and now DC.... but in Philly I lived downtown... and all my friends lived downtown (or close to there).

[diablo234]

Baltimore and DC have far more in common with Philadelphia or New York in terms of lifestyle and amenities compared with Charlotte or Atlanta. While there is some southern influence with Baltimore and DC it is pretty negligible at best plus the way DC and Baltimore is laid out pre-WWII stands out in contrast with Atlanta or Charlotte which were mainly developed after WWII. As a result the cities of DC and Baltimore themselves are much more walkable and pedestrian friendly compared with Atlanta and Charlotte.

The only thing in DC and Baltimore that would be comparable to Atlanta and/or Charlotte as opposed to Philadelphia or NYC would be the large and influential black population in both cities and HBCU's such as Howard University or Morgan State.

[the resident09]

I don't understand where these Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta topics come from, none of them remotely remind me of anything to do with DC or Baltimore, not even an inch.

Even Richmond is much different than those three.

[bonnielisabeth]

Baltimore is a port city and, I think, has a lot more in common with Hampton Roads/Norfolk, VA. To me, it's what Norfolk would have been like with more industry, immigrants, and less of a Navy presence. There is a southern influence in both, but there is also a mid-atlantic/northeastern influence as well; Hampton Roads really exploded with growth during WWII, which is a difference though. As a former Hampton Roads resident, I would say the Norfolk metro area still has some southern aspects, but not at all as "southern" as the other cities listed below.

I don't think Baltimore is at all like Raleigh, Richmond, Charlotte or Atlanta--all of which are more heavily southern in their own way. I think DC previously had a lot in common with more southern cities, now--not so much. Maybe that is true of Baltimore too? Unsure.

[KeyserSoze]

I think that people tend to pigeonhole cities located in the South for their perceived Southerness without taking a closer look at them. I've heard people say that Richmond is like a smaller Baltimore, and not only that, but Richmond itself has the whole "weird/quirky/potential-diamond-in-the-rough-if-politicians-there-ever-got-their-ish-together" vibe that Baltimore has if you've ever been there, though on a smaller scale and not as widely promoted. The Raleigh area has so many transplants that the native culture or what one would expect in that area is largely nonexistent; that and it being a hotspot for attracting highly educated people in white-collar professsions makes it similar to the DC area (and there's a lot of people from the Research Triangle who live in MD). Charlotte and Atlanta are like Raleigh in the sense that they're "anomalies" -- you wouldn't expect them to be what they are based off where they're located. I don't think neither are like Baltimore or DC, or even like Raleigh and Richmond. I think the only things Charlotte and Atlanta would tend to have in common with Baltimore and DC is that all four cities have large, influfential black populations like someone previously said, and that people from ATL live in the DC suburbs. If you're comparing Baltimore and Philly, Baltimore would be Richmond and Philly would be Baltimore. Of all the cities mentioned, I think the closest that come to NYC is DC and ATL.

[JayJayCB]

Baltimore always strikes me as very foreign, although Raleigh and Baltimore are less than five hours apart. They're both different, Raleigh is more so "suburban southern" while I feel uncomfortable calling Baltimore "southern" at all. Northern Virginia reminds me of some areas around Raleigh/Durham, possibly some connections between areas like Fairfax and Cary. However, both the DC and Baltimore metros are "the North" in my book. North of Richmond feels iffy to me, like I'm leaving the South. Even around Richmond, I get the feeling that I'm almost out of the South. However, Raleigh/Durham is filled with tons of Northeastern transplants so maybe I shouldn't talk too much. We're probably not very southern compared to a city along the lines of Columbia, SC or Birmingham, AL. We're more "New South" like Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nashville and we're definitely not Deep South. It's interesting because DC and Baltimore aren't terribly far from Raleigh, but I don't believe they're very similar. On the contrary, an area that is a little bit further away like Atlanta strikes me as more similar to Raleigh.