How 'southern' is the Tampa Bay area? (Miami, Orlando: transplants, live in)

[Matt518]

I was reading the other thread on this topic, but by the second or so page the conversation went in a different direction and I lost interest. I've heard that Florida is the only state that the farther north you go, the more southern it gets. How does this philosophy apply to the Tampa Bay area?

[hush.bereel]

We are still in that "south of the south" category here. You only have to go about an hour north of here though before you start feeling like you're in the south.

[franniejacks]

Pockets of the south exist here and there, but mostly this area is the same as the rest of the homogenized USA. Downtown Tampa pretty much the same as any other similar sized city; outside of the city, mostly suburban sprawl; beaches are the same as beaches most everywhere with tons of tourists. A few small but interesting towns are the historic centers of Tarpon Springs, Gulfport, Dunedin and Safety Harbor in Pinellas. Palmetto is also nice, on the lower part of TB.

[AES328]

Small pockets of bumpkin rednecks exist here, but overall it's very scattered. It's true... you need to keep driving further north from here to really get to the south.

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by AES328

Small pockets of bumpkin rednecks exist here, but overall it's very scattered. It's true... you need to keep driving further north from here to really get to the south.

So true, but funny. You have to drive north, to get to the south.....LOL!

[tmurphy14]

This area is pretty much Ohio.

[UKWildcat1981]

The true southern part of Florida is northern florida around the Panhandle and Tally. Gainesville can quite southern at times as well.. Tampa and Orlando have to many international and Yankees transplants to be truly southern.

[Fl1150]

Tampa is another transplant city so it is not going to be "Southern" it is very diluted and stop worrying so much about it. You will do just fine in Florida for the most part everybody here is friendly just like any other place In the country.

[Matt518]

Thanks for the info everyone.

Originally Posted by Fl1150

Tampa is another transplant city so it is not going to be "Southern" it is very diluted and stop worrying so much about it. You will do just fine in Florida for the most part everybody here is friendly just like any other place In the country.

Lol, I'm not worried about it at all, just curious. Having spent some of my youth in NC and all my dad's family being from there, I'm quite comfortable with the 'southern' environment.

[PhotoProIP]

Originally Posted by Matt518

I was reading the other thread on this topic, but by the second or so page the conversation went in a different direction and I lost interest. I've heard that Florida is the only state that the farther north you go, the more southern it gets. How does this philosophy apply to the Tampa Bay area?

"Tampa" is as southern as Manhattan! Save for the tall buildings. Everyone here is from up north, except for us; we're from Miami. Nothing "southern" in Miami either just for the record, so what u heard is true. The more u drive north the more southern it gets. Not many NY-ers live in Pensacola for example. They all crowd(cough I meant come) here!