"True" south Tampa?? (Jacksonville, Tallahassee: hotels, schools, college)

[docbest74]

So my wife and I have lived here in Tampa for about a year and a half and every time we drive I75 south we wonder what is with the super large rebel flag that flies just south of the I4 exit.

It is not that it offends us or anything but I do remember a few years back when there was a ton of controversy over people flying it. I grew up in Florida (a much more rural and "country" setting) and I guess I never looked at Tampa as being a "true" south type of city.

Just curious.....

[ferret111]

Believe it or not, Tampa had a minor role in Civil War-era issues. A naval battle took place in Tampa Bay and was a Confederate victory. Tampa's municipal government was replaced by a military system over the course of the war. Florida was a major cattle-producing state for the entire Confederate army.

Tampa lost a lot of its Southern charm after the 1920s land boom, especially during the Post War years, but some things remain. There's still a Confederate memorial at the county courthouse and at least one Civil War-era cemetary on 60 in Brandon.

[docbest74]

Huh, learn something new everyday.

So is that flag from city government?

[ferret111]

No, the Sons of Confederate Veterans or something put it up. It's very east of the city limits.

[he's so hott]

All that I now is that seeing that flag coming down a major interstate is just weird. I'm from FL and the first time I saw that flag 3 months I had to wonder if I was in NC or FL. It's strange.

[docbest74]

Thanks Ferret. Now I don't have to spend my nights awake wondering

[TampaKaren]

They need to either replace it or take it down. It's so weather-torn it looks tacky. JMHO.

[DoctorRain]

FL in ways despite the yankees moving I think is like the true south and in pockets in and around Tampa too. This is why I once said Tampa is hicklike IF you stick it next to NYC or something.

[NativeFloridan]

Floridans, spelled without the additional “ i ” found in Floridians are a sub-group of Florida residents. Its been said, that every Floridan is a Floridian, but not every Floridian is a Floridan. While all Floridians share Florida as their home, Floridans share something more; a heritage, ideology, dialect, and culture that is distinctly Southern. Floridans often share great pride in State and Southern heritage. They are conscious of their family roots and continue to honor many traditions passed down through generations.
Members of this group are often 3rd, 4th or even 5th generations, Floridians tracing their lines back to the indigenous Southern pioneers and Florida’s Confederate Veterans. But some Floridans do not share a Florida birthrite, there are many Georgians and Alabamians removed to Florida during the Great Depression who consider themselves Floridans. Being a Floridan is more manifold than merely birth, its a way of thinking, a way of behaving and a design for living.
Members of the group are often politically and culturally conservative and practice the Protestant faith. They favor states’ rights, gun rights, family values and are usually hihgly patriotic. These Floridians are often well-mannered and friendly and maintain a heightened respect for authority. Floridans like their tea sweet and enjoy the same foods that most any other Southerners enjoy, like fried chicken, cheese grits and hush puppies. They are usually preservationist, preserving the States culture and historical sites for future generations and protecting the rural landscape from further development. They oppose campaigns like those that sought to replace the "mockingbird" with a new state bird or "Old Folks at Home" (Suwannee River) with a new state song.
During the the real-estate boom in South Florida a South Florida politician managed to sneak a referendum through the legislature that sought to designate Florida residents as Floridians...spelled with the extra "i" and the outcome of this passage was met with so much disgust that Hotels sprang up across the old Southern towns of Florida with the name Floridan; The Floridan of Tampa, Floridan in Tallahassee and The Floridan in Jacksonville just to name a few. The majority of the the citizens of Florida were opposed to the new name and preferred the traditional Floridan spelling used for over a hundred years. Today you will find the term used still to identify not only a Florida resident of a certain type.
Many Floridans enjoy hunting, fishing, college football tailgating, water-skiing and beach activities in general. Members of this group likely remember the integration of Florida’s schools or have heard their family members tell about the experience. Floridans live in both rural and metropolitan area across the state and strongly resemble their fellow Southerners from Georgia and Alabama. Floridans are also proud of their musical heritage and native sons like Ray Charles, Lynard Skynard’s Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, and Gary Rossington, Mel Tillis, The Bellamy Brothers, John Anderson and Easton Corbin. While Floridians share the state of Florida as their home, Floridans share a heritage and culture that is distinctly Florida and distinctly South.

[starwins]

More than half the people in Tampa are not born in Florida. Look the 2010 Census.