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Now THAT'S interesting because eastern NC bears more resemblance to the Deep South characteristically speaking--coastal plain region, more dependent on agriculture historically, large Black rural population, etc.
True...I guess an area can have characteristics of more than one geographical region. Eastern NC also has the maritime culture shared by the other Atlantic Coast states, while Virginia and Maryland have a good bit of the agricultural history (mainly tobacco) shared by NC/GA/SC etc. It's not an all-or-nothing situation. Good point.
True...I guess an area can have characteristics of more than one geographical region. Eastern NC also has the maritime culture shared by the other Atlantic Coast states, while Virginia and Maryland have a good bit of the agricultural history (mainly tobacco) shared by NC/GA/SC etc. It's not an all-or-nothing situation. Good point.
Mutiny77 is absolutely correct. Eastern NC (minus the beach towns, Greenville and Wilmington) is, by far, the region of the state with the strongest Southern culture. There are plenty of towns that are very similar to towns of Alabama, and Mississippi. Visit just about any inland town in the Coastal Plains region and you'll get an overtly Southern vibe. Northeastern NC does has some Tidewater influences but's still pretty Southern. I implore any of you to visit Eastern NC and tell a multigenerational native that she/he's from a Mid-Atlantic state.
Last edited by SonofDixie; 08-29-2012 at 01:37 PM..
I guess most states have characteristics of multiple regions or sub-regions. When you're talking areas as large as an entire state or half a state then there are going to be different cultures within it.
I grew up in rural NE NC and never thought of it as Mid Atlantic though after living in VA Beach for 15 years I find it does have just a tad of the same feel (though way different at the same time). Obviously, in culture it's a world away. After visiting further south (even Raleigh) it does feel more moreso to me.
I grew up in rural NE NC and never thought of it as Mid Atlantic though after living in VA Beach for 15 years I find it does have just a tad of the same feel (though way different at the same time). Obviously, in culture it's a world away. After visiting further south (even Raleigh) it does feel more moreso to me.
That leads to another question....Is Virginia considered mid-atlantic?
I think it is somewhat moreso than NC, but it's still solidly part of the South.
Looking at it from a cultural perspective, I would say that North Carolina is definitely southern. I spend a lot of time traveling up and down the East Coast. Maryland, DC, Delaware, and southern New Jersey are definitely mid-atlantic. Their culture and accent is different than what you find in NC. That is not a bad thing, it is just different. If you took someone from rural NC and put them in Delaware or south Jersey, they would probably tell you that is culturally different than NC.
Looking at it from a cultural perspective, I would say that North Carolina is definitely southern. I spend a lot of time traveling up and down the East Coast. Maryland, DC, Delaware, and southern New Jersey are definitely mid-atlantic. Their culture and accent is different than what you find in NC. That is not a bad thing, it is just different. If you took someone from rural NC and put them in Delaware or south Jersey, they would probably tell you that is culturally different than NC.
Of course you do realize that the culture and accent of a place like Alabama is different than what you find in NC also...and if you took someone from rural NC and put them in Alabama they would probably tell you that it is culturally different than NC. Yet - they are both southern.
See, it works that way in a lot of different scenarios. There is not one consistent southern culture...the South is a diverse region with lots of different cultures that often are not very similar to one another. I'm not saying that NC is mid-atlantic or anything, but just that you can't really differentiate rural NC from rural Delaware just by saying they are different. I know they are different, just like NC and AL are different - but that doesn't automatically mean they must be in different regions.
Of course you do realize that the culture and accent of a place like Alabama is different than what you find in NC also...and if you took someone from rural NC and put them in Alabama they would probably tell you that it is culturally different than NC. Yet - they are both southern.
Well it depends on where in AL. If you put them in Birmingham or Huntsville or Mobile, they'd say it was culturally different simply due to the rural/urban differences; they'd say the same if you put them in Charlotte or Raleigh or Winston-Salem. But if you put them in a similar rural area in AL, they could probably go on with life without missing a beat, especially if you're talking about the coastal plain areas of both regions.
Culturally, I think the only places in NC that might be said to have something of a mid-Atlantic-ish vibe are the Outer Banks and the Triangle. Structurally, there are hints of it in Winston-Salem.
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True...I guess an area can have characteristics of more than one geographical region. Eastern NC also has the maritime culture shared by the other Atlantic Coast states, while Virginia and Maryland have a good bit of the agricultural history (mainly tobacco) shared by NC/GA/SC etc. It's not an all-or-nothing situation. Good point.
