Is it true Maryland has no identity or basically any culture? (Baltimore: shop, to eat)

[BigCityDreamer]

Originally Posted by marlinfshr

I seem to have struck a nerve with somebody when I called central MD "general suburbia USA". Oh well. That's what it is to me. I grew up there. Suburbs are suburbs and IMO it doesn't add or take away from the states identity.

With the added benefit that some of the richest and most diverse suburbs in the U.S. are in central Maryland.

Montgomery County, for example, is basically like a United Nations. The "identity" here is multi-cultural and global as people are highly traveled. Your neighbors and colleagues can be from practically anywhere in the world. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, it is understandable that not everybody cares for that. But for those who are willing/able to live in a highly-educated, white-collar, cosmopolitan area with easy access to large cities as well as rural areas, it is good to know that Maryland offers plenty of that too.

BTW, I did like your summary of some of the other areas of Maryland. It is a great state for many reasons for everybody to enjoy.

[seanlax]

Originally Posted by Quick Enough

Only the ignorant believe that D.C has an affect on the entire state of Md.

Well, in a way, it has.

Us folks on the shore, for instance, have a dramatic love hate relationship with DC. We love their vacation plans, culture and the region's accessibility but hate their voting power (didn't show up last November though) and general ignorance of rural life.

[Quick Enough]

Originally Posted by seanlax

Well, in a way, it has.

Us folks on the shore, for instance, have a dramatic love hate relationship with DC. We love their vacation plans, culture and the region's accessibility but hate their voting power (didn't show up last November though) and general ignorance of rural life.

"but hate their voting power" While I agree with you, IMO, it has NOTHING to do with the topic of the thread.

[BigCityDreamer]

Nobody living in Maryland should be "ignorant" about rural life since there are lots of farms and villages in practically every county in the state.

I take my family to nearby farms several times a year during the warmer months.

[rdflk]

I would say that -- as someone who moved to the DC area for a job 20 years ago, and who plans to move OUT as soon as I retire, G-d help me in another 12 years (UGH) -- that Maryland indeed have regions that have their plusses and minuses. OK. So does every other state.

When I first read the OP, I asked myself (and maybe I missed the point of the post) what do I THINK OF when I think of Maryland's identity or culture. And I really don't think of anything... NOTHING immediately comes to mind. But that's just me. I don't think about the state's identity much at all -- and I've lived here for almost 20 years.

Now, if we were having a real conversation and as that went on, you tweaked the question a bit and specifically asked what does Maryland have to offer (depending on the kinds of info I really thought you were after...vacation info, pluses, or general open ended info....I might say:

-- it's sort of centrally located on the East Coast, so traveling from here is easy (then again if you live in some parts of the state you could be over an hour from an airport or rain station, so the ease of travel is relative)
-- It does have a fairly easy to handle weather pattern (again depending on a person's thoughts about that. Someone from FLA or Southern Calif. might not think so.
-- there are plenty of recreation/ vacation/weekend getaway options
But then again none of that is all that different from what could be said about ANY state.

So again as for IDENTITY and culture.....nothing specifically, overwhelmingly comes to mind. MAYBE that was what the OP was referring to. IF you say quick what do you think of when you think of the state of Maryland -- NOTHING immediately comes to mind. I'd probably say, "I DON'T think about it, period." So does it have various various regions/cultures, sure I guess. And don't take this personally, but nothing that really, you know, knocks my socks off. But maybe familiarity -- or should I say, living here -- also breeds a nonchalance about it.

[seanlax]

Originally Posted by Quick Enough

"but hate their voting power" While I agree with you, IMO, it has NOTHING to do with the topic of the thread.

It has a lot do do with the identity of Maryland. A lot of marylanders vote differently based on their identity. And since local laws and government are often reflective of local culture, I'd say that voting power and how different regions vote has an enormous amount to do with a state's identity or culture.

A lot of the discussion has circled around the generic suburbia of central Maryland versus the more eccentric western and eastern regions. Perhaps the general 'genericness' of central Maryland has to do with their voting turnout. The counties with the lowest turnout %s last few elections have been in metro areas. Some of the rural counties on the shore have 60-65% voter turnout. Perhaps that is reflected in the culture and identity of certain areas. Just my 2 cents.

[rdflk]

I agree that nature of voting -- or the political nature of a state -- is part of it's culture and identity. So it is pertinent to this thread. But that can be discussed without getting too far off the rails into a debate over politics themselves.

[seanlax]

Originally Posted by rdflk

I agree that nature of voting -- or the political nature of a state -- is part of it's culture and identity. So it is pertinent to this thread. But that can be discussed without getting too far off the rails into a debate over politics themselves.

Yea I tried threading that needle but it's hard.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Deluusions

So I got to into a debate with BajanYankee. Apparently Maryland has no identity or basically any culture at all? Do you believe this is true? I obviously disagreed and thought it was pretty absurd but I want other opinions from Marylanders themselves.

What BajanYankee said is in bold:

Most of the DC suburbs, as eschaton said, could be anywhere. They have no identity, particularly Montgomery County.

Southern Maryland has a Southern identity (though you still haven't acknowledged that).

Western Maryland is not particularly unique, and in many threads, people argue it's really an extension of Pennsylvania.

Baltimore claims to be a carbon copy of Philadelphia.

Basically, if you're always trying to use another place's identity as your own, then you don't really have one.

As an outsider who lives in Maryland, it is my observation that Maryland has distinct parts (Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, and Central Maryland) that are alike within themselves, but as a whole, no, I do not see a unifying Maryland identity. Each part is most like its neighboring State than another part of Maryland.

I see Western Maryland more like West Virginia, but I can see the Western Pennsylvania influence, too. The Eastern Shore to me seems a heckofalot like Delaware, and might as well be Delaware.

Philly, in my opinion, is too economically and culturally diverse to be compared to Baltimore.

Southern Maryland and the part of Virginia it rests upon might as well be the same State and the entirety of Central Maryland could be an extension of DC/NOVA and no one would tell a difference.

[mapmd]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

Southern Maryland and the part of Virginia it rests upon might as well be the same State

What part of Virginia does Maryland "rest upon"? Does anyone around here own a map or an atlas?

and the entirety of Central Maryland could be an extension of DC/NOVA and no one would tell a difference.

Completely different worlds. Baltimore is not D.C. Annapolis is it's own animal too. They are all culturally distinct. Obviously this adds to the confusion, doubly so for outsiders such as yourself, and is the whole reason so many threads like this get created.