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All the new residential development definitely reminds me of NOVA.
The Raleigh and Richmond suburbs are nearly identical, which shouldn't be a surprise since they're less than three hours apart. Outer Northern Virginia suburbs like Farifax and Manassas are like Raleigh/Durham, too. Areas closer to DC like Arlington or Alexandria, not so much.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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I think if anything the area is Anytown, USA with a southern history and southern characteristics rather than Mid-Atlantic. I've lived in several Mid-Atlantic states my entire life (Southeastern PA, Northern Delaware, Maryland, and Northern Virginia) except for the last 3 years. The Mid-Atlantic is characterized by big, urban cities such as NYC, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. There is a major Catholic presence with large populations of Italian, Greeks, Jews among other ethnic groups.The Triangle's prominent religion is Protestant, specifically Baptist.
The cities in the Mid-Atlantic were mostly established a few hundred years ago with a strong colonial history. The cities are older, and the architecture is different. Except for Northern Virginia, the states were not part of the Confederacy. The weather patterns are similar from NYC to DC, whereas somewhere south of DC, the weather pattern is often different (I compare this often to where I used to live in NoVA and where my parents live in SE PA).
The food in the Triangle has different emphases than in the Mid-Atlantic. The Mid-Atlantic food is characterized by a lot of Italian food, Greek food, Eastern European food, etc. In the Triangle, you can find lots of Southern food like grits, biscuits, BBQ, etc. that is hard to find in the Mid-Atlantic.
Most people in Northern Virgnia agree that "The South" begins south of NoVA - around Fredericksburg. And with this I agree. Northern Virginia certainly has some flavor of the south as it's in a Southern State, but it "feels" Mid-Atlantic, being part of DC.
Of course, all places in the USA are becoming more homogenized with people moving around so much, big box stores and chain restaurants being a fixture in every place, etc. And of course there are no set lines dividing geographic places or one single characteristic that defines a place as "South, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, etc.". And there being a high transplant population here certainly makes it seem "less southern" than a place like Jackson, MS, but it loss of southerness doesn't make it more Mid-Atlantic, it just makes it more generic.
I lived in Richmond for a few years. IMHO It is more southern than Raleigh. It seemed to me that the old people who were clinging to old southern ideals were much snootier. People here seem more chill.
That is not a scientific sample. I lived there 20 years ago.
I lived in Richmond for a few years. IMHO It is more southern than Raleigh. It seemed to me that the old people who were clinging to old southern ideals were much snootier. People here seem more chill.
That is not a scientific sample. I lived there 20 years ago.
I think Raleigh is hardcore Dixieland compared with Richmond. Richmond is borderline Mid-Atlantic, and has a lot of grit that most southern cities lack. Just drive in on I-95 and notice how industrial it is, as opposed to Raleigh less than three hours south which feels more suburban, less historic, and much less gritty.
I think if anything the area is Anytown, USA with a southern history and southern characteristics rather than Mid-Atlantic. I've lived in several Mid-Atlantic states my entire life (Southeastern PA, Northern Delaware, Maryland, and Northern Virginia) except for the last 3 years. The Mid-Atlantic is characterized by big, urban cities such as NYC, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. There is a major Catholic presence with large populations of Italian, Greeks, Jews among other ethnic groups.The Triangle's prominent religion is Protestant, specifically Baptist.
The cities in the Mid-Atlantic were mostly established a few hundred years ago with a strong colonial history. The cities are older, and the architecture is different. Except for Northern Virginia, the states were not part of the Confederacy. The weather patterns are similar from NYC to DC, whereas somewhere south of DC, the weather pattern is often different (I compare this often to where I used to live in NoVA and where my parents live in SE PA).
The food in the Triangle has different emphases than in the Mid-Atlantic. The Mid-Atlantic food is characterized by a lot of Italian food, Greek food, Eastern European food, etc. In the Triangle, you can find lots of Southern food like grits, biscuits, BBQ, etc. that is hard to find in the Mid-Atlantic.
Most people in Northern Virgnia agree that "The South" begins south of NoVA - around Fredericksburg. And with this I agree. Northern Virginia certainly has some flavor of the south as it's in a Southern State, but it "feels" Mid-Atlantic, being part of DC.
Of course, all places in the USA are becoming more homogenized with people moving around so much, big box stores and chain restaurants being a fixture in every place, etc. And of course there are no set lines dividing geographic places or one single characteristic that defines a place as "South, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, etc.". And there being a high transplant population here certainly makes it seem "less southern" than a place like Jackson, MS, but it loss of southerness doesn't make it more Mid-Atlantic, it just makes it more generic.
You say that as if "Southern" and "Mid-Atlantic" are the only two possibilities.
I see nothing "Mid-Atlantic" about this area, but it may not seem "Southern" either (Mostly I don't know why this is continually brought up here--it is what it is, no area is exactly like any other area).
Large urban areas in the south, such as Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, etc, have an "urban Southern" feel which is quite different from "rural Southern" yet not "Mid-Atlantic", either. "Urban Southern" is the best description of the Triangle.
You can get to "real" Southern mighty quick from here--just drive to Johnston county, or Vance county, etc. You cannot get "real Mid-Atlantic" without driving a few hours up 95.
Raleigh itself is a little more southern (IMO) than Durham and Chapel Hill/Carrboro, but it's still not that southern. It'll be more southern than what you're used to coming from Florida, but don't expect Gone with the Wind. I hate to say this because I adore the South, but it's kinda true.
The areas that will be more southern, for your sake, I wouldn't recommend looking into. Garner, Wendell, Zebulon, Clayton, Fuqay-Varina, Southeast Raleigh, etc. Basically areas south or east of Raleigh. They're not necessarily bad (besides Southeast Raleigh), but if you could afford an area like Cary over Garner, definitely go with Cary. For your sake, you'd be happier living in Cary or North Raleigh even if they're not the most southern areas of the Research Triangle. The less southern, the nicer it'll be (in most cases). I'd recommend looking into North Raleigh or downtown Raleigh. They're nice areas, and if you're really concerned about an area that is more southern, they're probably more southern than Chapel Hill/Carrboro IMO. However, Chapel Hill is also super nice.
Chapel Hill has the right history to be very southern, but it's also very close to Research Triangle Park so it has many transplants. The fact that it's extremely liberal doesn't really help, either. In most cases, the closer you get to Research Triangle Park, the less southern it'll be.
Oh OK, so it's all about perspective then and what you're used to. Got it.
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