Is virginia southern? (Staunton, Waynesboro, Fredericksburg: school, food, clothes)

[MaggieZ]

Sure, Virginia is southern so is Southern Pa. I lived in Wilkes Barre, Pa and in Scranton, Pa,(but they're considered in North East Pa!) the dividing line runs in between those two and you can feel the difference even just driving through, you can hear the difference, religious messages along the side of the road, they call bars saloons,...they don't have the southern drawl per se but they do act southern. Hard to explain on here but it's hard to ignore when you live and work there everyday. That north/south line is jagged and runs pretty far north. My ex in laws are southerners born and raised in Schuylkill county. Virginia and Maryland are southern...

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by MaggieZ

Sure, Virginia is southern so is Southern Pa. I lived in Wilkes Barre, Pa and in Scranton, Pa,(but they're considered in North East Pa!) the dividing line runs in between those two and you can feel the difference even just driving through, you can hear the difference, religious messages along the side of the road, they call bars saloons,...they don't have the southern drawl per se but they do act southern. Hard to explain on here but it's hard to ignore when you live and work there everyday. That north/south line is jagged and runs pretty far north. My ex in laws are southerners born and raised in Schuylkill county. Virginia and Maryland are southern...

James Carville once said that PA is two cities on either end with Alabama in the middle.

[CosmicWizard]

virginiasouthern wrote:

well i live in manassas i think its very southern

To each individual, Virginia is....whatever each person THINKS it is, and there is absolutely no way to prove or disprove anyones thoughts about the matter. One thought is as valid as the next.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

virginiasouthern wrote:

well i live in manassas i think its very southern

To each individual, Virginia is....whatever each person THINKS it is, and there is absolutely no way to prove or disprove anyones thoughts about the matter. One thought is as valid as the next.

Yeah, but Manassas?

[CurseOfWilmore]

Living in Wise County,Va is more of a Appalachian culture, with some aspects of being Southern, especially being so close to WV,Ky, and Tn. My wife is from Fredericksburg, and when we visit there, no Southern accents and very progressive. I wouldn't even consider that part of the state to be Southern. To me it starts feeling Southern again a little bit thru Orange County and full blown by the time we get to Waynesboro/Staunton. Once you get to Wytheville it starts to feel Appalachian a little bit but still Southern. Once past Wytheville anything west of I-77 I would consider Appalachian except Lee County. These are just my thoughts, Whatever you think of Virginia is in the eye of the beholder, there are several ways to look at it. The best way to find out is to go out and meet the people and make your own observations.

[ViennaSausages]

Pennsyltucky....

[KathrynAragon]

I lived in the Hampton Roads area as a child, and it definitely felt southern to me. That may have had something to do with my parents both being history buffs and making sure we kids were exposed to all the Southern (and Colonial) history in the area. My daughter lives there now and though the history is just as compelling, there are so many "transplants" there from all over the country (and world, for that matter) that the "Southern vibe" is harder to pinpoint - it seems like a lot of chain store/urban sprawl to me - but the Old South is still there if you feel like looking for it.

[scott784]

Originally Posted by RVAtoCNC

What I would like to know is what is Mid-Atlantic? If you say MA is MD, Del, DC, WV, I might agree VA is MA, but if MA includes PA, Jersey, then No- VA is not MA. VA south of I 64 is definitely southern -PA or Jersey compared to Southside VA? - it's like a different universe, whereas North VA compared to MD/
DEL? - not much different. To those not familiar - Virginia south of 64 is no different than TN, NC, SC. Northern VA is similar to Maryland/Delaware. I think eastern Virginia due east and slightly northeast of Richmond is also pretty much Southern in orientation, as is some of the Shenandoah valley up I 81 north of 64. So to simplify, VA is a split state - the northern "half" is "mid-atlantic", whereas the southern half is unequivocably Southern.

I agree with this post and think it tends to be an accurate generalization of Virginia in terms of what is 'southern' and what is 'northern'. And when we are speaking in terms of the north or south, I think the cultural aspect cannot be understated! In fact, in my view, I think it tends to be the most important aspect of what really defines 'southern' versus 'northern'.

'Generally' speaking, (starting from Richmond) and going north and west, I think I64 is probably a good marker. In other words, those areas to the north and west of Richmond (above I64) are more 'northern' versus 'southern'. From Richmond (going east and south) (no longer following the I64 route) are all part of the south.

I am from NC so I know what it means to be southern. But I also lived in Northern VA; and I can tell anyone that the counties that make up ALL of Northern VA are deffinitely not southern! The culture in Northern VA is part of the NorthEast....not the south. And most of the people that live in Northern VA would tell you that (without question). Even those areas of VA that are not part of the immediate suburbs of DC (i.e. Fredericksburg) must be classified as part of the north versus the south since the cultural aspects of the north start to outweigh the southern influences in those areas.

It's interesting that I can travel throughout NC and find the culture is not so different from one area to another. And this would also be true in other states like TN, SC, GA, etc. But Virginia is (without question) a transitional state. Those in south/central and southwestern Virginia are certainly part of the southern culture. The tidewater area (Norfolk/Hampton area) (because of various influences) is a bit different than south/cental and southwestern VA. But when it comes down to it, the tidewater area must also (still) be pegged as the 'south' too. Even Richmond (with some northern influences) must still (overall) be classified as 'southern'.

We could all debate it forever as far as where the exact dividing line happens to be in this 'transitional' state or commonwealth of Virginia But, again, (in my view--and generally speaking), I would say all areas (rural and urban) north of Richmond and north of Charlottesville (again generally following the I64 route) would be a fairly accurate view of where these cultural changes (gradually) with one influence overtaking the other (north versus south) tend to take place.

It's funny, when I lived in Virginia (in the counties of Fairfax and Prince William) (deffinitely part of the north), I used to say they may as well put a sign on I95 (north of Richmond but below Fredericksburg) saying 'Welcome to Northern Virginia!'. You could do the same on highways like Hwy 29 around Charlottesville or just above it. Many years ago, I even heard a rumor that some citizens in Northern Virginia were advocating their own statehood away from 'Virginia'. Not that I think that Northern Virginia would ever cede from Virginia; but lower VA versus Northern VA is indeed two different places from a cultural standpoint. And again, the cultural aspect is what I view as being most important in terms of attempting to define 'southern' versus 'northern'.

[CAVA1990]

How Southern do Atlanta and Dallas feel nowadays?

[virginiasouthern]

realy im a boy from alabama i live in virginia lexington its seem's sorealy southern