RVA Culture... (Richmond, Hopewell, Chester: new home, buy, movies)

[Charlesaf3]

Or put another way, not so rare to find mass transplants in Richmond... Now my wife is from the south shawrr, but the MA transplants will understand that does more to irishize Richmond then southernize it.

[Octa]

I agree. Richmond definitely feels like a mid-atlantic city and is quickly starting to gentrify. I a lot of people I meet who live in the city come from other parts of the US and like it because it's much more affordable compared to DC up the road.

[EricB4]

I was born and raised in the south (NC) but now live in RVA and I would hesitate to call Richmond a southern city (yes, it was the Capital of the Confederacy, I got it). Mid-Atlantic is a more apt description and much of the architecture (as beautiful as much of it is) that you see in the Fan or Church Hill looks closer to what you would find in DC rather than cities further south.

[wnewberry22]

I grew up in extreme southwestern Virginia which is very culturally southern and I think that Richmond has some things in common with the Raleigh Durham area. I worked in Raleigh for a summer while visiting a friend and felt that the Raleigh area wasn't overwhelmingly southern either....however the rural areas immediately outside the city were...and I believe that Richmond is similar. When you get out of the city the accents are noticeably thicker. Both Richmond and Raleigh are seeing more and more natives of other areas moving in...naturally the kids of these transplants retain a lot of their parents culture...i believe the OP mentioned that his parents are from California as well so it follows suit that he and potentially alot of others in his area have a similar lineage. The reason accents are so much thicker in rural areas is that the population doesn't move nearly as often.

That being said....Richmond is considered a city of the "New South." The new south has been marked by residential migration, booming economies, and corporate HQ relocations...naturally all of these things have changed the cultural and linguistic landscape. The accents we associate with the south are likely going to continue disappearing as more affluent populations continue moving in and influencing the local culture.

New South - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Diff1]

Richmond is also listed as mid atlantic by wiki

[caponeleo]

Originally Posted by murksiderock

I am a native of Greater Richmond, and was able to spend the last two days back in Richmond with my parents and friends.

Congratulations.

Originally Posted by murksiderock

However, even growing up there in the era that I did, we knew that we werent as southern as anywhere else to the west or south of the region, and people in my age range always saw ourselves as DC-lite, and my visit has confirmed this more now that I get to see things thru an adult perspective. So now more than ever, in the topic of those who believe that everywhere in VA south of Nova is distinctly southern, I vehemently disagree...

No no no no no. No no no. You grew up in Greater Richmond, meaning you were not in the inner city. The inner city population of Richmond, which you are absolutely not exposed to in "Greater Richmond," is still undeniably inherently Southern. Deeply southern. I can't stress that enough. The population which has remained in the city for generations are undeniably southern. I'm not talking about the people that live out in the suburbs. I'm talking about the inner-city.

Originally Posted by murksiderock

Starting with accents, I noted once before on here that with the combination of accents in Richmond, the deep South accent attributed to us in media is not the majority and was already on the way out when I was growing up.

Just.. do me a favor please. Step yourself outside. You're irritating me.

Once again, you lived in the "Greater Richmond" area. You were a transplant. Good for you. Big deal. Living in the suburbs or outlying areas do NOT count as within the city limits. They have absolutely no influence on its culture, and vice versa. Living in the inner city, there is absolutely only one accent that you will hear among its natives. And it is undeniably Southern. I can't even explain to you how southern the true people of Richmond speak.

Originally Posted by murksiderock

As for architecture, again this is something you dont notice growing up because you are from there. But has nobody else noticed that Richmond has much of the same architecture as DC and Baltimore? There is very little in the form of Southern style, at least in comparison to the Carolinas, that exists in the landscape, although again, there is some...

Are you NUTS?! Richmond's architecture is without doubt Southern! Drive through the Fan or down Monument- or even Broad Street. You will know you're in the south.

Originally Posted by murksiderock

Richmond has a multi-faceted dining scene from Thai and East Asian foods to Mexican, Tex-Mex, European and etc. There is also a large and ever-growing arts scene...

Are you crazy? Are you taking medications? Richmond's dining scene is nowhere near as extensive as northern cities! There are maybe five legitimate chinese restaurants! The arts scene is due to the college kids from suburban D.C.!

Originally Posted by murksiderock

My big question is where do people get that Richmond is the beginning of the South, culturally, in modern times? And compared to what and where? I think it can be offered that Richmond is with Nova in that transition zone and that the undebatable Southern line is to the south of the Tri-Cities...

Richmond is worlds apart from Washington. Your perception of this city is extremely skewed because you have not lived within the city limits and experienced it. You are another one of the suburbanites who likes to identify themselves with the inner city population when you may only visit it once a month. You're insane if you think Richmond is no more southern than NoVa. Goodbye

[Charlesaf3]

I'm sorry caponeleo, you really have no idea what you are talking about. And yes, I live in the city. And have lived in lots of northeastern cities, from dc on up (barring Philly)

Read Calvin trillins article on Peter changs restaurant in the New Yorker. Then try the best Chinese food on the east coast. In Richmond...

You really come across as a teenage troll

[Octa]

Originally Posted by Charlesaf3

I'm sorry caponeleo, you really have no idea what you are talking about. And yes, I live in the city. And have lived in lots of northeastern cities, from dc on up (barring Philly)

Read Calvin trillins article on Peter changs restaurant in the New Yorker. Then try the best Chinese food on the east coast. In Richmond...

You really come across as a teenage troll

Thank you. I absolutely agree with you. I've lived in downtown Richmond for five years and it without a doubt feels like a mid-atlantic city. I've never once thought of it as being southern.The only place I ever see people referring to Richmond(the city, not the surrounding counties) as southern is by some people on this forum.

[traveling_in_the_sun]

Yeah I have no idea what caponeleo is talking about. His comment makes me question where he even lives.

Plus even if someone doesn't live in the city, that doesn't mean they aren't familiar with it. I know people who live in the suburbs but are still in the city 7 days a week.

Anyway, I agree with the over all thread. I'm from the Midwest and have lived in Richmond for 5 years now and have never thought of it as Southern.

[destinedtodave]

This topic always generates strong feelings. My family has been in Richmond for many generations, and I currently have family living in (and owning businesses in) Church Hill, off of Midlothian, and Varina.

In my opinion, some posters here are looking at this wrong. The South is not monolithic. Richmond is in fact a Southern city, but it is also Mid-Atlantic. Actually, more meaningful to longtime Richmonders, the city is Virginian. Virginians stress that their state is different (read better haha) than the other Southern states. In any case, cities in Virginia have a different feel than cities in GA or SC.

Based on my experience, the posters claiming they have never even heard of it referred to as Southern seem a little out of touch with the locals. Of course, as more Northerners move to RIC, the less Southern it will seem, but this forum is LITERALLY the only place I've ever heard people say they've never considered Richmond to be a Southern city (with a straight face).

I think some possible reasons for this disconnect are people associating with other transplants (probably living in the West End suburbs), having a certain idea of the South inspired by Hollywood(more akin to the deep South), and Richmonders being proud of their Virginia heritage first and foremost, and their Southern heritage secondly. And to be honest, I'm sure some on the other side are putting their head in the sand and refusing to believe that Richmond is changing. But let's use Raleigh as an example. Many would consider Raleigh to have lost its traditional Southern culture some time ago, but does anyone contend that it's not a Southern city? Nothing is static, and the South is (has been for decades) changing, and especially the so-called new South.