Where does NC fit

[DCMetroRaleigh]

bump

[NCkat]

I'm curious where in NC you saw the confederate flags. I can't recall ever seeing a real confederate flag flying in this state, but perhaps I don't venture out in some of the remote areas enough.

[NCkat]

I always get that northeast vibe whenever im in the northern Virginia DC suburbs.

On the sweet tea comment, well thats great because i love drinking it.

[CSP]

I don't know who dug this threat back up out of the ground but with all due respect I think it should be buried; forever.

[reeeems]

In my opinion, North Carolina has a bigger change from rural to urban than most other southern states. For a variety of reasons, Raleigh-CH, Charlotte, and even Greensboro don't seem very "southern" to me. But once you're in rural North Carolina, you may as well be in rural Alabama.

North Carolina is a southern state with mid-Atlantic cities.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

I'm from a relatively small town in Western NC (~17,000 people) and I can testify that there are tons of Confederate Flags here (on shirts, hats, trucks, and flagpoles) and racism is still here with them (we had a KKK rally in our town, though many - probably most - people were unhappy about this fact) However, it's not just in the small towns, but I've noticed plenty Confed. flags at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Also, it just so happens that there's a cookbook next to me labled The Best of the Best from the Mid-Atlantic Cookbook and the states represented in it are Maryland, Deleware, New Jersey, and Washington. There are also not many foods that I've seen in NC so in that regard, NC is definitely NOT Mid. Atlantic. I've actually never even heard of it being considered Mid-Atlantic until I read this post. Where I come from, NC is the South and that's not disputed by anybody.

[krazeeboi]

For a variety of reasons, Raleigh-CH, Charlotte, and even Greensboro don't seem very "southern" to me.

[CSP]

I'm from a relatively small town in Western NC (~17,000 people) and I can testify that there are tons of Confederate Flags here (on shirts, hats, trucks, and flagpoles) and racism is still here with them (we had a KKK rally in our town, though many - probably most - people were unhappy about this fact) However, it's not just in the small towns, but I've noticed plenty Confed. flags at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Also, it just so happens that there's a cookbook next to me labled The Best of the Best from the Mid-Atlantic Cookbook and the states represented in it are Maryland, Deleware, New Jersey, and Washington. There are also not many foods that I've seen in NC so in that regard, NC is definitely NOT Mid. Atlantic. I've actually never even heard of it being considered Mid-Atlantic until I read this post. Where I come from, NC is the South and that's not disputed by anybody.

[architect77]

I consider the NC/VA line to be the end of the "Midatlantic" and the official beginning of the "South". Henderson is called the gateway city.

As a native of Louisburg, NC and a resident of NYC, I enjoy trying to pinpoint where the southern accent starts through Virginia as I stop for food and fuel when traveling down for a visit. I've concluded that Richmond is it.

For some reason, I feel that part of this debate stems from some sort of shame in being classified as a southern state. Here in the North people's impression is so favorable of the South these days that I predict soon a debate like this will be started in order to defend NC's right to call itself Southern.

When I drive down the terrain seems to change where 85 begins in Petersburg. The road sinks down and the trees seem to get taller. That's when I sigh in exhaustion that I'm close to home.

All throughout VA the pickup-driving locals appear 100% southern.

A few years ago in Atlanta a guy, who was from south GA or Alabama was describing something as southern, and I replied, "I know. I'm from North Carolina." He laughed and said, "North Carolina is not the South. It's southern-ish." I loved that because I do feel more closely connected with the mid-atlantic region than the deep south. Louisburg is only about 30 miles from the VA border.

A co-worker in NY a few years ago was all excited about his decision to move to Wilmington, NC. I said that Charleston or Savannah probably had a lot more atmosphere and his reply seemed to capture many Northerner's opinion which is NC offers the beauty of the South but is also civilized enough for them to consider relocating.

Much of Maryland and Delaware feels like you're in the movie Deliverance with "Live Bait" signs at every convenience store. And remember John Waters always based his movies in Baltimore, which he said was the "white trash" capitol of America.

Here in NYC, my NC heritage and my accent afford me an almost celebrity status.

[Spatula]

Why do we have to be southern or mid-atlantic? I say we start our own thing.

[nowensone]

I consider the NC/VA line to be the end of the "Midatlantic" and the official beginning of the "South". Henderson is called the gateway city.

As a native of Louisburg, NC and a resident of NYC, I enjoy trying to pinpoint where the southern accent starts through Virginia as I stop for food and fuel when traveling down for a visit. I've concluded that Richmond is it.

For some reason, I feel that part of this debate stems from some sort of shame in being classified as a southern state. Here in the North people's impression is so favorable of the South these days that I predict soon a debate like this will be started in order to defend NC's right to call itself Southern.

When I drive down the terrain seems to change where 85 begins in Petersburg. The road sinks down and the trees seem to get taller. That's when I sigh in exhaustion that I'm close to home.

All throughout VA the pickup-driving locals appear 100% southern.

A few years ago in Atlanta a guy, who was from south GA or Alabama was describing something as southern, and I replied, "I know. I'm from North Carolina." He laughed and said, "North Carolina is not the South. It's southern-ish." I loved that because I do feel more closely connected with the mid-atlantic region than the deep south. Louisburg is only about 30 miles from the VA border.

A co-worker in NY a few years ago was all excited about his decision to move to Wilmington, NC. I said that Charleston or Savannah probably had a lot more atmosphere and his reply seemed to capture many Northerner's opinion which is NC offers the beauty of the South but is also civilized enough for them to consider relocating.

Much of Maryland and Delaware feels like you're in the movie Deliverance with "Live Bait" signs at every convenience store. And remember John Waters always based his movies in Baltimore, which he said was the "white trash" capitol of America.

Here in NYC, my NC heritage and my accent afford me an almost celebrity status.

[architect77]

People's perspective is definately a factor, I recently spent 11 years in Texas where too many people considered my place of origin (NC) to make me a Yankee, at first I didn't mind because some of my family are Northeasterners, but then it became annoying, because they didn't mean it in a good way.

As far as NC being "civilized", Northeasterners are certainly colonizing the place, along with people from all over the world, which is why I feel that culturally it is leaning towards a midatlantic tag if these must be used, otherwise eastern states should be referred to individually as no two are alike, which is a little different than other areas of the country that are much more sparsely populated and share certain regional similarities.

There are two threads of essentially this same theme, obviously a popular topic...

[nowensone]

^ Didn't mean to imply that transplants have made NC more civilized, though in a sense that is in fact true since bringing a variety of cultures to a place (diversity) does cause more worldliness. What I meant was that, in this case a northeasterner, is likely to see a diffferent place as more "civilized" when many of their compatriots live there as well, even if this is incorrect.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

AS we keep saying, North Carolina (and Virginia) are both Southern and Mid-Atlantic. You can be both.

[Tennesseestorm]

I agree that North Carolina is definitely the south. Tennessee and Arkansas are considered south and the northernmost state lines of both states are even with the northernmost of NC. I also consider Virginia and Kentucky being in the south- especially the southern portions.

Another thing that may have been mentioned- there are parts of extreme southern North Carolina that are as far south and actually even further south than the northernmost portions of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi are further north that southeastern North Carolina and as you know, parts of northern South Carolina are further north than some parts of extreme southern NC.

I sometimes like to refer to TN, NC and AR as the "upper south", as opposed to the deep south.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

But as other posters have so adroitly pointed out, North Carolina is the most literally Mid-Atlantic state of all, the precise middle point between the southern tip of Florida and northernmost point of Maine. North Carolina is Mid-Atlantic by literal definition.

[cityboi]

when I think of mid-atlantic, I think of it being north of Hampton Roads, VA. NC is definatly southern though.

Here is a mid-atlantic map. As you can see North Carolina is not includes

http://colab.cim3.net/file/work/SICoP/SHEN...nning.Areas.jpg

The is what the U.S. DOT considers mid-atlantic

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/whatis/regi...r-to-border.gif

another US government "mid-atlantic" map

North Carolina is considered to be just in "The Upper South". However, even though Virginia is considered a mid-atlantic state, it also in the Upper South.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

Yes Cityboi. We have also posted maps wherein North Carolina is also considered Mid-Atlantic. Pick your map of choice.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

In an article about North Carolina's status a magnet for wealthy homeowners, Business Week Magazine says:

The New Aspen

As half-backers make their way to the undervalued mid-Atlantic, another kind of migration is going on within North Carolina-homeowners are fleeing the hurricanes and sweltering summers of the coast, and taking refuge in the mild weather of the western mountains.

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflas...ndex_after+work

[triadcat]

I agree that North Carolina is definitely the south. Tennessee and Arkansas are considered south and the northernmost state lines of both states are even with the northernmost of NC. I also consider Virginia and Kentucky being in the south- especially the southern portions.

Another thing that may have been mentioned- there are parts of extreme southern North Carolina that are as far south and actually even further south than the northernmost portions of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi are further north that southeastern North Carolina and as you know, parts of northern South Carolina are further north than some parts of extreme southern NC.

I sometimes like to refer to TN, NC and AR as the "upper south", as opposed to the deep south.

[DaltonGA]

Why not South Atlantic along with South Carolina, Georgia and Florida and maybe Virginia, these are also the most rapidly growing Southern states with the exception of Texas in the Southwest. They are experiencing Sunbelt suburban sprawl and traditionally are all Southern. In many ways Virginia and Florida are a lot alike in that they experienced an influx from the Northeast earlier than Georgia and the Carolinas.

Politically, they are conservative and even Virginia and Florida politics are strongly influenced by "Bible Belt" traditions and the so-call Moral Majority. Overall the cities in these states are more politically moderate and progressive than the remainder of the South. All were part of the Confederacy and all have a common coast line that keep ties to the Northeast and Europe strong even during the Civil War.

The debate over whether or not Florida and Virginia are Southern is long running and it seems North Carolina is now entering that debate. There are Georgians and other Southerners would don't feel Atlanta is very Southern. Personally I find it somewhat Middle America in its cookie cutter suburbia and the influx of people from around the country and the world does dilute its Southern image, one that is really a thing of Hollywood, as Tara never existed, and Atlanta was a frontier rail town, albeit growing in size and importance, when war broke out. It was neither in the heart of plantation country and it grew up because of the railroad rather than being an ocean or river port and was early on populated by "Yankees" and Carpetbaggers even before the Civil War.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

As a meteorology aficionado, I have noticed that many meteorologists refer to North Carolina as the southern Mid-Atlantic when discussing their forecasts.

[triadcat]

^Sounds good to me, DaltonGA

I was gonna say that Georgia and South Carolina are not as "Deep South" as Alabama and Mississippi.

I think the whole Atlantic South (Really the whole Atlantic USA) is becoming more alike and more unified.

It seems to me that VA, NC, SC, GA and FL "behave" more alike and have more in common with each other than with the Interior/Gulf South. The whole Atlantic seaboard is growing and could be claimed by New York in about 20 years.