Favorite Southern State

[Fellowmann20]

It's Tennessee for me, I was born here and lived here all my life. It's got a little bit of everything besides an ocean, and I could really care less for an ocean. Its the salt water that gets me, it stings my face and tastes nasty. Tennessee also has 4 great cities to live in, and the name "Tennessee" sounds cool anyway.

GO TENNESSEE!

[GoodNews]

There is no way Oklahoma is in the South. Oklahoma doesn't even come close to being a southern state. It is strickly a middle west state. People in OK talk like they are in the mid-west or from some northern state. They have no southern tradition what so ever. When I was visting OKC and Tulsa it reminded of a Northern City. The south is: old plantation homes, civil war history, SEC football, and southern acents. I would only consider a small part of east Texas to be the South also.

I agree OK is not a southern state, but it's no where near northern or nor does it have a northern feel. I have visited Tulsa a few times and a defiantly didn't get me a Northern feel. I get a much better northern feel when I visit a large city in NC. More like a Midwest state. As far as TX, it's the south....no way around that one. FL, VA, NC have a much more urban feel, but it's still the south. My favorite would have to be VA because I love it here. Next I would go with FL. The reason these states are classified as they are, are because of geographic location not the new culture there.

[dimebag1980]

Just joking: but isn't North Louisiana considered to be yankee country. I've heard that, is that true?

That's very true... to some people in south Louisiana. To others in south Louisiana, we're Texans.

[Brent]

The original map used for this post is a map that shows where kudzu grows. It has been posted on here before. That is why parts of FL are excluded, kudzu doesn't grow there.

I

[Charlotteman]

I didn't read the entire thread, so forgive me if I'm repititious here:)

I respectfully disagree with the map (of course we all have our opinion of what is the "South"-lol)

I think the South goes all the way through D.C. To me, Baltimore is the true transition from North to South. D.C. sure felt like the South when I was there.

I also feel Oklahoma is 100% South, the entire state. I agree with including southern Missouri, and I also totally agree with the cut-off point in Texas. And personally, I would even go so far as to call southeastern Kansas "southern".

Here is my very biggest disagreement with the map: to me Orlando is in the South. period:) I've been there hundreds of times! Sweet tea everywhere ya go.

[Brent]

The original map used for this post is a map that shows where kudzu grows. It has been posted on here before. That is why parts of FL are excluded, kudzu doesn't grow there.

[JWCJ]

I'll have to say I like Virginia, because of the climate, extremly hot but not extremly cold and the mountians protect us from cold frezzing winters. the southeastern part of the state is subtropical and northwestern part temperant. The urbanistity of the area but still kind of country, the beaches and the proxismity to major cities.

[Cadeho]

I thought the Mason-Dixon line was between Pennsylvania to the north and Maryland and Delaware to the south. But is an old line marking slave and free states... why is it an issue today? Kansas would count as a southern state too... Nevada, Utah... come on now.

[swake]

What makes Oklahoma southern is everything, I think. Building styles, especially the new houses (everything is brick, with a tinge of victorian) weather, hot summers, mild winters, and growth. Low costs of living make it southern, everything points to the south in Oklahoma. A person who says Oklahoma is not southern does not have the right, or expertise, to comment on the Sooner State. Speaking of Sooners, Oklahoma's status as the biggest football state in the union makes it Southern. Oklahoma is 80 percent Southern Baptists, and is the buckle of the bible belt. That makes it Southern as well. Statistically, it is Southern as well. It has a large indian population, confirming it's identity as well.

Well, I live in Tulsa and think you are wrong.

Tulsa is more Midwestern than anything, we have much more in common with Kansas City, Wichita and Omaha than Little Rock, Jackson or Atlanta. I've lived in the south and this is NOT it. Oklahoma's biggest link to the south is having a large Baptist population. Don't forget, football is kind of popular in the Midwest too. Nebraska? Ohio?

There's no identification with the south here, no civil war memories, no sweet tea, nothing named "Dixie", no streets named "Peach", and most of Tulsa's suburbs name most of thier streets after trees and I can't think of a single street with the name "peach" in it. We do have winters, with snow. The University of Tulsa likes to call itself "the Duke of the Midwest". The new houses and buildings being constructed are in no way Victorian, they are French Provincial or Spanish Revival, I can't think of a single project or subdivision that has a Victorian style and Tulsa's classic buildings are Art Deco and Gothic, there are almost no classic old Victorian houses here, most of Tulsa's old oil mansions are Federalist.

Oklahoma City is much more a Southwestern city, like Dallas, San Antonio or Denver. It has the same scrape and build new, bigger is better ethos and a can do no matter what spirit. It's a massively sprawling city sparkling new 'burbs, a huge rotting center of older areas and a nice new downtown party district. There are few trees but lots of wide open spaces. Not very southern. Cowboy's are loved, but it's the ranch style on the open range of the Southwest.

Oklahoma is just an odd state being in the middle, different parts fit into different regions, Oklahoma is part southern, but that really only applies to the southeastern corner of the state, that's it. Very few people live there. The map is pretty accurate for Oklahoma.

And on the map, I would also take issue with Dallas being southern, Houston I will grant you is southern, but not Dallas. Texas has a southern portion, but most of the state is Southwestern.

[andyfried]

Virginia is my favorite southern state, because it's where this country began and I live here.

[Rwarky]

Florida is my favorite state.