NC: No Longer a Southern State?

[poonther]

^Uh, if you're blind.

If we are gonna let what you call soda decided it, you're still South. The true Mid-Atlantic states call it Soda as shown by the map. Those areas are NY, NJ, Eastern PA, most of Del. and MD. NC folks tend to call it a lot of things Coke included which is very Southern.

And if you've got wrasslin' on TV, no matter what you call it....it's Southern.

Funny how the only ones that don't think NC is Mid-Atlantic are folks from NC.

Get over it, you've been in the South, you succeeded from the Union and no matter who moves there or what you think...you are culturally the South.

[monsoon]

And if you've got wrasslin' on TV, no matter what you call it....it's Southern.

[CSP]

"Funny how the only ones that don't think NC is Mid-Atlantic are folks from NC."

I'm from NC (not that it matters) and I strongly believe NC is indeed Southern...

[triadcat]

Funny how the only ones that don't think NC is Mid-Atlantic are folks from NC.

Get over it, you've been in the South, you succeeded from the Union and no matter who moves there or what you think...you are culturally the South.

[MR-2]

Note that NC is very unique among states, when it comes to beverage nomenclature. It's popular here to say 'soft-drink' instead of pop, cola, soda, etc. That's my favorite explanation for all the greens and purples.

[nowensone]

^Uh, if you're blind.

If we are gonna let what you call soda decided it, you're still South. The true Mid-Atlantic states call it Soda as shown by the map. Those areas are NY, NJ, Eastern PA, most of Del. and MD. NC folks tend to call it a lot of things Coke included which is very Southern.

And if you've got wrasslin' on TV, no matter what you call it....it's Southern.

Funny how the only ones that don't think NC is Mid-Atlantic are folks from NC.

Get over it, you've been in the South, you succeeded from the Union and no matter who moves there or what you think...you are culturally the South.

[davidals]

Pop vs Soda Map. NC looks mid-Atlantic to me.

[Creasy336]

Well whether people choose to accept it or not, North Carolina is becoming increasingly progressive this is eveident in our metropolitan areas. If you don't believe North Carolina is becoming Mid-Atlantic visit the Triangle. Northern transplants do make impacts on culture here do to the large numbers that have come and will come. When North Carolina is the 7th most populus state in 20 years it will definitely be mid-atlantic. I don't believe there is any so great about being considered Mid Atlantic or Southern. Why can't this state become its own unique blend where you can go into a cafe and get sweet tea with your bagel?

[lammius]

Why can't this state become its own unique blend where you can go into a cafe and get sweet tea with your bagel?

[krazeeboi]

Whoever said that ATL is more "progressive" than any city in NC is hilarious!

[krazeeboi]

Pop vs Soda Map. NC looks mid-Atlantic to me.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

Some of you South-only folks seem strangely overzealous. If you think of yourself as Southern only, so be it. But don't try to impose that on everyone else. I was born and raised in NC and don't consider myself very southern. Yeah, I recognize North Carolina is in the South, but I recognize it is in the Mid-Atlantic too. Recent studies have shown that southern identity is on a rapid decline in NC and VA, even amongst people born in those states. That's a fact.

Moreover, previous threads on this sites have quoted companies, federal agencies, and even weather forecasters who group NC as a Mid-Atlantic state, so don't give us this willfully blind response that you don't see how anyone could consider NC as Mid-Atlantic. Either you are really isolated or being willingly blind. Ask the USPS, the Cheesecake Factory, FEDEX, or many meteorologists why they refer to NC as the Mid-Atlantic. You might prefer the South-only designation, but don't act like it is not reasonable or popular to refer to the state as part of the MA.

[blburton]

Actually it's not "us" or whoever you refer to as "you".... if you click the link from the first post in the thread you will see that the Washington Post groups NC into the mid-atlantic states. NC is in a place where it's either way. You always hear "Deep South" and I think of FL, LA, MS, AL, GA. NC... upper south? Southern Mid-Atlantic? The degree of progress, culture, or dialect has nothing to do with where geographically a state is. I think calling NC either or is correct, geographically speaking.

Just because it's progressive you want to identify it as Mid-Atlantic.. That made no sense. Atlanta is more progressive than any city in N.C. should it be Mid Atlantic to??? . I've heard it all. Believe me N.C. is the south. I think some of us are getting a little beyond ourselves just because the south is expriencing growth.. If anyone hasn't checked but majority all cities in the south are experiencing significant amounts of growth. There's no city in N.C. with a mid-atlanitc accent.

[davidals]

Well whether people choose to accept it or not, North Carolina is becoming increasingly progressive this is eveident in our metropolitan areas. If you don't believe North Carolina is becoming Mid-Atlantic visit the Triangle. Northern transplants do make impacts on culture here do to the large numbers that have come and will come. When North Carolina is the 7th most populus state in 20 years it will definitely be mid-atlantic. I don't believe there is any so great about being considered Mid Atlantic or Southern. Why can't this state become its own unique blend where you can go into a cafe and get sweet tea with your bagel?

[davidals]

Since you want to break out maps, what does this one tell you :

[Pillsbury]

Okay I'm a little confused (but impressed with the posts here for the most part, they've actually been well-informed). Why is it that when I leave Deep South Augusta and go hang with my people in Greensboro/High Point I can't tell a difference in the accents or the restaurants or the sweet tea or whatever? True, there probably aren't as many Magnolia mouths walking around sounding like Gone With The Wind like there are back in Augusta, but there are plenty of rebel flags everywhere, rednecks (and I've seen the guy who has the Greensboro City Council hung in effigy in his front yard with a giant rebel flag there) and just your basic stereotypes of the South.

So come on, is it really that different? Why are people so quick to separate NC from the South anyway? Is it that bad?

[serapis]

I think because the Triangle, Asheville, and Wilmington are so non-southern, that it makes NC appear to be an anomaly compared to the rest of the south.

Greensboro and Charlotte however are very southern. I love it.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

Pillsbury, as we have stated the Triad and western NC is more much southern than the Triangle and northeast North Carolina, in large part because of geography and demography. Still, as someone who has spent time in both Augusta and the Triad, I disagree that the Triad is as southern as Augusta. Yeah, the Triad is southern, but is relatively less so than any place in Georgia, except Atlanta.

[poonther]

krazeeboi your religion map accurately depicts what areas of FL are Southern(esque) and what areas are not. It even shows that the center spine of the peninsula is more like the Panhandle than many think.

I think NC will evolve like FL where you can't class then entire state into one category. Some places will be more like NOVA and MD and some will be more like GA and SC. In FL we've got the Northeast in South FL, the Midwest in Tampa and Sarasota, the South in Jax, Tally and P'cola and Orlando seems to be a blend of all of this.

I do think if you are going to classify NC as the Mid-Atlantic, then you've got to move NJ and NY into a different category.

Maybe NC should change their state slogan to: North Carolina: The NEW New Jersey. (just kidding)

[nowensone]

Okay I'm a little confused (but impressed with the posts here for the most part, they've actually been well-informed). Why is it that when I leave Deep South Augusta and go hang with my people in Greensboro/High Point I can't tell a difference in the accents or the restaurants or the sweet tea or whatever? True, there probably aren't as many Magnolia mouths walking around sounding like Gone With The Wind like there are back in Augusta, but there are plenty of rebel flags everywhere, rednecks (and I've seen the guy who has the Greensboro City Council hung in effigy in his front yard with a giant rebel flag there) and just your basic stereotypes of the South.

So come on, is it really that different? Why are people so quick to separate NC from the South anyway? Is it that bad?

[sax184]

Wow- I didn't know everyone would have so much fun with this thread.

My take is that NC will always be able to be considered part of "the South" due to its position in the old Confederacy, but that politically, culturally and economically, NC is moving further and further away from SC, MS, AL, TN, GA, and so on.

So grab your Starbucks in the morning and your sweet tea at lunch- there's nothing wrong with fried okra at K&W for dinner on Tuesday, and pan-Asian at Duck & Dumpling in Raleigh on Wednesday.

It's an interesting time to live in NC!

[Pillsbury]

Pillsbury, as we have stated the Triad and western NC is more much southern than the Triangle and northeast North Carolina, in large part because of geography and demography. Still, as someone who has spent time in both Augusta and the Triad, I disagree that the Triad is as southern as Augusta. Yeah, the Triad is southern, but is relatively less so than any place in Georgia, except Atlanta.

[kickazzz2000]

Kentucky never succeeded

[krazeeboi]

So what exactly IS Southern? Pillsbury says there's no place more Southern than Augusta, but I'd say Savannah is, as well as Charleston--yet they're Southern in a different way. Memphis is Southern in a certain way that Greenville, SC isn't. Houston is Southern in a way that Richmond is not. These days, our cities are changing what it means to be Southern, so instead of totally shaking off the Southern moniker, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we're changing what it means to be Southern all around. It no longer means just grits, sweet tea, collard greens, Confederate flags, etc. It now also means research parks, high-profile automobile manufacturing facilities, an international business presence, research institutions, and a whole HEAP of sprawl.

[MR-2]

Since you want to break out maps, what does this one tell you :

(churchy stuff)