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I'd scratch Charlotte off of that list. Gastonia, Rock Hill, Concord, or Salisbury; YES....Charlotte itself; NO!!! The OP has already been told about Charlotte by those of us who know Charlotte best. //www.city-data.com/forum/charl...hern-feel.html
^^^This is why the OP is now trying to find a "southern" city in NC. The OP has been told by both locals and transplants that Charlotte really isn't very "southern" (and it's not).
Of course it is; it's just not Mayberry. There are extra-regional cultural influences at work for sure, but no one is going to mistake Charlotte for Philly, Minneapolis, or San Diego in a cultural sense. Southern culture still forms the backdrop of Charlotte's vibe.
That said, I still wouldn't put Charlotte second after Gastonia.
When I said Charlotte, I meant from a Big city perspective. The people are nice in Charlotte...is it going to feel like the South like Charleston or Wilmington...no. But the people are still nice and friendly as compared to other national cities....and I put it well above the RDU area where there is a real "get out of my way" mindset and general crankiness, IMO.
I listed some smaller cities (and just for reference the two I listed are much better than Roberson, Williamston and Plymouth)...they have their good things about them (like Sunnyside Oyster Bar in Williamston), but they have real problems as well that they aren't addressing.
A couple of other small towns with real southern hospitality are Elizabethtown and Whiteville in the southeast end of the state. A good medium sized city is Sanford, it does have a high hispanic population...New Bern could be on the list as well, although there are a lot of retiree's there.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urbancharlotte
I'd scratch Charlotte off of that list. Gastonia, Rock Hill, Concord, or Salisbury; YES....Charlotte itself; NO!!! The OP has already been told about Charlotte by those of us who know Charlotte best. //www.city-data.com/forum/charl...hern-feel.html
^^^This is why the OP is now trying to find a "southern" city in NC. The OP has been told by both locals and transplants that Charlotte really isn't very "southern" (and it's not).
urban, I'd scratch Gastonia from the list & change it to Shelby. Even Shelby is sort of questionable, but west of Shelby, where it's rural probably fits the bill.
This is not a "is Charlotte a 'southern' city" thread. The OP is simply looking for the following:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daydreamer16
I mean to where they open the door for you, they say hi to you, they have southern accents, they drink sweet tea, they're nice and friendly, and they have southern food and culture.
IMO, the OP is looking for something that is Birmingham/Memphis-like. Take a trip to THOSE cities and you'd never consider the likes of Charlotte as being true "southern" ever again. It's not that Charlotte isn't "southern"; it's just that a very large percentage of the city's population is simply not from the south. The following video link from the Charlotte Observer kinda sums up what many of us have already told the OP. Video: Examining Charlotte's accents | CharlotteObserver.com
^^^IMHO, the OP is not looking for a city that is losing its 'southern' characteristics by the second, minute, and hour. I'd highly suggest that the OP focus on slower growth southern cities with very little suburban sprawl, a strong culture of preserving its southern-ness, and an attitude that is anything but 'new south'. New South and "southern" are not the same. When it comes to culture, Charlotte is more like Indianapolis and Columbus Ohio than it is like Birmingham, Memphis, and Montgomery. I think the OP is looking for the latter three.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southbound_295
urban, I'd scratch Gastonia from the list & change it to Shelby. Even Shelby is sort of questionable, but west of Shelby, where it's rural probably fits the bill.
I only stated Gastonia because you will find that the southern accent is alive and kicking out that way. However, the mentality of the area (especially when driving through there on I-85) is "out of my way or else". Still though, I'd consider Gastonia to be much more southern than Charlotte. Just on my street alone in Charlotte, 4 different countries, Philly, Kansas City, Ohio, and California are all represented. Most of the newer neighborhoods of Charlotte are no different from my neighborhood. It says alot when places like Sonny's BBQ and Texas Roadhouse goes out of business near Pineville; then the likes of Nordstrom Rack opens nearby and seems to thrive. The demographics are changing and I honestly don't think that the OP will like what he/she sees in Charlotte.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
There are extra-regional cultural influences at work for sure, but no one is going to mistake Charlotte for Philly, Minneapolis, or San Diego in a cultural sense. Southern culture still forms the backdrop of Charlotte's vibe.
I tend to agree with you here, but take a look at these stats from the US Census.
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23,814 posts, read 34,684,299 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urbancharlotte
This is not a "is Charlotte a 'southern' city" thread. The OP is simply looking for the following:
IMO, the OP is looking for something that is Birmingham/Memphis-like. Take a trip to THOSE cities and you'd never consider the likes of Charlotte as being true "southern" ever again. It's not that Charlotte isn't "southern"; it's just that a very large percentage of the city's population is simply not from the south. The following video link from the Charlotte Observer kinda sums up what many of us have already told the OP. Video: Examining Charlotte's accents | CharlotteObserver.com
^^^
I only stated Gastonia because you will find that the southern accent is alive and kicking out that way. However, the mentality of the area (especially when driving through there on I-85) is "out of my way or else". Still though, I'd consider Gastonia to be much more southern than Charlotte. Just on my street alone in Charlotte, 4 different countries, Philly, Kansas City, Ohio, and California are all represented. Most of the newer neighborhoods of Charlotte are no different from my neighborhood. It says alot when places like Sonny's BBQ and Texas Roadhouse goes out of business near Pineville; then the likes of Nordstrom Rack opens nearby and seems to thrive. The demographics are changing and I honestly don't think that the OP will like what he/she sees in Charlotte.
Most natives in Gastonia have the same midAtlantic-like accent as you find in Charlotte. It's about 50/50 in Kings Mountain, & becomes the minority in Shelby.The accent that replaces the Charlotte accent out here, though, is a weakened mountain accent. I almost never hear a tradional southern accent.
Now, granted, people hold doors out here, but they do that in Philly.
This is not a "is Charlotte a 'southern' city" thread. The OP is simply looking for the following:
IMO, the OP is looking for something that is Birmingham/Memphis-like. Take a trip to THOSE cities and you'd never consider the likes of Charlotte as being true "southern" ever again. It's not that Charlotte isn't "southern"; it's just that a very large percentage of the city's population is simply not from the south. The following video link from the Charlotte Observer kinda sums up what many of us have already told the OP. Video: Examining Charlotte's accents | CharlotteObserver.com
^^^IMHO, the OP is not looking for a city that is losing its 'southern' characteristics by the second, minute, and hour. I'd highly suggest that the OP focus on slower growth southern cities with very little suburban sprawl, a strong culture of preserving its southern-ness, and an attitude that is anything but 'new south'. New South and "southern" are not the same. When it comes to culture, Charlotte is more like Indianapolis and Columbus Ohio than it is like Birmingham, Memphis, and Montgomery. I think the OP is looking for the latter three.
I only stated Gastonia because you will find that the southern accent is alive and kicking out that way. However, the mentality of the area (especially when driving through there on I-85) is "out of my way or else". Still though, I'd consider Gastonia to be much more southern than Charlotte. Just on my street alone in Charlotte, 4 different countries, Philly, Kansas City, Ohio, and California are all represented. Most of the newer neighborhoods of Charlotte are no different from my neighborhood. It says alot when places like Sonny's BBQ and Texas Roadhouse goes out of business near Pineville; then the likes of Nordstrom Rack opens nearby and seems to thrive. The demographics are changing and I honestly don't think that the OP will like what he/she sees in Charlotte.
I tend to agree with you here, but take a look at these stats from the US Census.
I'd agree that Charlotte isn't like Birmingham or Memphis, which are pretty stagnant by comparison. Charlotte certainly has more extra-regional cultural influences, but it is still pretty generally Southern. But it does sound like the OP is wanting more of a small town/small city than a ~2 million metropolis like Charlotte.
Most natives in Gastonia have the same midAtlantic-like accent as you find in Charlotte. It's about 50/50 in Kings Mountain, & becomes the minority in Shelby.The accent that replaces the Charlotte accent out here, though, is a weakened mountain accent. I almost never hear a tradional southern accent.
Now, granted, people hold doors out here, but they do that in Philly.
Charlotte and Gastonia natives have the same accent as folks in Baltimore, Wilimington, DE, and Philly?
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
Charlotte and Gastonia natives have the same accent as folks in Baltimore, Wilimington, DE, and Philly?
That's a new one.
I've posted links in previous threads & no one disagreed. Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore have more than one accent. There is a mild accent that is almost identical to the mild accent here.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
I'm pretty sure no one agreed either. But then again, I doubt most on here have had a lot of extensive exposure to both regions.
OK.
Actually, some other posters agreed. I did not say that the accents were identical, but nearly identical. Not everyone in Philadelphia sounds like Chris Matthews or Jim Cramer. Pull up a youtube video of their mayor, Michael Nutter & then listen to the Charlotte accent that urban posted. There is not a huge difference.
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