What do you consider..........

[John M]

to be the "South"? I have something in mind and Im just wondering what you all consider the to be the "South". Like Alabama, kentucky, Virginia, WV, NC, SC......Not going to make jokes, just want some honest answers. More details Later!

 

[Anonymous-0]

Anything below the mason-dixon line, or any state that was part of the confederacy.

What else is there to consider?

 

[NEsota]

I was raised in SE Nebraska and was convinced that, that was the mid-west because it is so close to the geographic center of the contingent 48. Am not sure then, how big I thought the mid-west was but a year out of H.S., I was living and working in Wisconsin and was provoked by people insisting that was in the mid-west. When living in Southern California people talked about Denver being back east. When living in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh was out west. All cats are gray in the dark and please report suspicious activity.

 

[NC Wayne]

The way I understand history is this. Used to be there was a North and South and the dividing line was the Mason Dixon Line. The main differences in the two were mainly the way of life, and by that I mean farming vs manufacturing and things like that. Nowdays we tend to keep the North-South debate going I think more out of habit, history, or whatever you want to call it, than anything else, and that's fine. You know us Southerners have always hated Yankees..LOL... Seriously I think what's more important nowdays its not so much North and South, but wether your "country" vs "non country", old school vs new generation, again however you want to phrase it. Either way, wether your Up North or Down South it's as much about a way of life as it is the way you live your life. All you've got to do is read the posts on this board from all over the country, and in some cases the world, and you'll see what I mean.

 

[MarkB_MI]

I think it's a bit relative. If you go by the Mason-Dixon line, then Maryland and DC are in the south. But I don't think most southerners consider Maryland to be a southern state.

Likewise, northerners and southerners alike consider West Virginia to be a "southern" state, but the West Virginians I've met are proud of the fact that WV seceded from Virginia to side with the Union.

My favorite quote on this topic comes from Texas, naturally. When I was leaving Texas to move to North Carolina, one of my Texan coworkers told me "Watch out fer them yankees!" (As near as I can tell, Texans define a "yankee" to be anyone who isn't either a Texan or a Mexican.)

 

[IH2444]

A couple of things, during the civil war KY had both a union and a confederate state capitol.

also FL is not the south, at least below gainsville, not sure what it is but it is not "the south".

 

[wayne2]

Mason-Dixon Line!!!!(washington addimited 1895) LOL Wayne

 

[john in la]

If you were born; raised; or live above Latitude line 31.00 which is about the northern state line of Flordia; you are from the north. LOL....

No really when I think about the south I think about the deep south. SC; Ga; Ala: Miss: La. How could any state with the word North in the name be considered the south.

 

[Anonymous-0]

To my mind, most of the old confederate states less Texas and Arkansas. Can't tell you why, and I guess most of these lists are just kind of hazy consensus type thingies.

West Virginia, Maryland...north.

Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota get "Mid West"

The Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma "Plains"

Which leaves a pocket of states -- Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky that my mind doesn't think of as northern, southern, midwestern or Texas.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I don't know which is North or South but where I was raised anyone from north of what is now I10 was different from us. Vacherie in Sulphur,LA.

 

[john in la]

That is basically what I have heard also. Them Yankees way up north in Shreveport La. know nothing about the south.

I now live north of I 10 because it turns and goes to flood town (N.O.) so I try not to use it as the border line anymore; but I do live south of I 12.

John in Ponchatoula; La.

 

[souNdguy]

Those of us that live in Fl always chuckle to hear talk like that.. IE.. Georga is 'deep south'.. but florida isn't.

Looks like most people need geography lessons!

Soundguy

 

[Anonymous-0]

I consider most anything south of the Ohio river as being in the south. Which belongs to KY BTW. We still fight chickens( my neighbor was world champ in 2001 and 2004) and drink white lightning, eat grits and raise tobacco, ride Harleys and go cat fishing. The president of CSA was from KY. I am below the Mason Dixon line, so I think I am a southerner. I have a graveyard full of confederate relatives, have a few yankee relatives too. My GG grandpa was a corparal with the 13th KY cavalry CSA and someone put a American flag on his marker a few years ago and gramps had a fit. He said that man didnt fight under that flag and shouldn't have to lay under it, so he took it down and put the stars and bars on it. It is still there. You ask.

 

[john in la]

[b:654c4848f0]We still fight chickens( my neighbor was world champ in 2001 and 2004)[/b:654c4848f0]

And to think I thought Louisiana was the only state in the union where cock fighting was still legal.

There was a second state (out west I think) where it was legal but I think their law changed recently.

 

[john in la]

Hello soundguy;

I really do not know why Fla. is not part of the south. I was born and raised in the deep south and have never thought of Fla. as part of the deep south.

It must have something to do with the fact that when I think of the south a picture of a young woman wearing a southern belle dress standing on the porch of a plantation house with the porch that goes all the way around the house. A field of sugar cane or cotton in the back ground.

While this picture may be a part of Fla's past they do not advertise or flaunt that image now like Ga; SC; and La do.

When I think of Fla I think of Disney and trailer parks full of transplanted snow birds.

 

[Don-Wi]

not to pick on anybody, but I've got an uncle who lives in Kentucky, and he is for sure a southerner now. Drawl & all.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[John M]

Semms the general consensus is about what I thought. Thanks again guys!

 

[Anonymous-0]

Ky never (quite) seceded from the union. It was fought over a lot. Neighbor vs neighbor, brother vs brother. Nasty stuff. As a reward for that they got compensated for the emancipation of their slaves.
Jeff Davis was from Miss.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Anything south of the Ohio River is South. Anything north of the Ohio River is hostile territory.

Jefferson Davis was born in Indiana. However, he had the good sense and good fortune to head south as a young boy.

Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky. As a child. he moved first to Indiana, then Illinois. If he would have stayed at the place of his birth, I'm sure his judgement would have been much better.

I'm a believer that being a Southerner is a state of mind as much as the state you live in. There's a lot of transplanted Yankees around these parts. It doesn't matter what their mailing address says, they ain't true Southerners.

On Florida being Southern. I have relations in Florida. It was "south" back then. Today's Florida is heavily influenced by all the Yankees that moved down there in the years since.

 

[philcaseinWPA]

Hey I'm in PA but on the southside of the Ohio river. Right on the southside at it's northern most point. Do I qualify as a southner. I'm sort of a redneck too. What say can I join you all from the south?
Phil

 

[Anonymous-0]

I believe that the Atlanta area and most of the State of Florida have lost their accents because there has been such large influx of people from all over the U.S.. The resulting melting pot if you will exposes everyone to a variety of accents and over time there are no real distinct accents left.
In the past we moved shorter distances from where we grew up and we travelled less; This kept our accents strong. Our country is evolving as more people move from different regions and a result of that is a dilution of local accents and customs.

 

[Anonymous-0]

You should here my wife. She is a transplant from Middletown, Ohio. She moved here when she was 12 or 13 years old and and has the funniest hydrid accent you ever heard. lots of the young folks here have about lost any draw too. It is still common in the mountains and even the western part of the state, but is dieing out in the central part of the state, or it seems like it to me. When I was in the army, I had an radio class with a NCOIC fro LA and he ask who was from there and nobody answered, so he went through the list until he got to KY and I raised my hand. He then ask what wwere those round things on your car that rolled down the road, and I replied tars. Just the word he was looking for. Said he was tard of trying to get northerners to speak proper english.

 

[Anonymous-0]

La is where he won the Championship at. You can check it out. Twin lakes is the name of the outfit. Most all the big tournaments are fought in LA. He also won the Hawaiian Classic in Louisiana, explain that. In NM and KY it is or was legal as well. We have a hard time deciding if it is legal here or not. Technically it is due to lupeholes in the law. The law passed to ban it stated that it was illegal to fight 4 legged animals. Chicken is a two legged fowl. Lots of it goes on here legal or not. I don't fight them myself, but lots of folks do. The twin Lakes team won almost a half a million dollars in 2004 204,000 at the World Championship and 180,00 at the Hawaiian. Everyone that is busted for it here is charged with gambling or tax evasion, sometimes a few drug charges come up too. since they can't convict them for fighting them. Some of the Indian reservations are talking of hosting the big fights in the near future as the gov't can't control it there.

 

[Anonymous-0]

You guys need to type in Jefferson Davis and you will see that he was born in Christian county, KY

 

[Jim.UT]

>>The president of CSA was from KY<<

Well, he was born there, but mostly lived in Mississippi. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, too.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have lived in a couple other states myself, but was born here and am from here. They built a big Jeff Davis memorial here in Ky a few years ago. Funny looking thing, just a big concrete tower sticking up. Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies still thinks Jeff Davis is president.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Sort of a myth. His early childhood was spent there on his parents farm, but his mother actually gave birth to him at a farmhouse just outside of Scottsburg Indiana. Next trip north, I'll get a picture of the monument and plaque at the birthplace. It's right along side of US 31, north of Scottsburg. The idea that our "beloved Jeff Davis" could have been born in the north was so unpopular, the real story goes untold.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Never heard that before, but will research it some. The net claims KY as well.

 

[Anonymous-0]

MF Poor, I checked my encyclopedia and it too says he was born in Christian county KY. On June 3rd 1808. Educated at Transylvania(Lexington) were he graduated in 1828. It also says that the part of Christian county where he was born in is now in Todd county. I am not saying you are wrong, but I have never heard that and my Encyclopedia must not have either.

 

[Red Dave]

"Anything south of the Ohio River is South."

Really? That makes most of Pittsburg and all of Philadelphia part of the south.

I'd call it at the Mason-Dixon line. Makes more sense to me.

 

[Anonymous-0]

CSA President Jefferson Davis was born in Kentucky.

USA Major General Jefferson Davis was born in Indiana.

 

[rrlund]

South of the Ohio River and west from there to Oklahoma,then everything is just the west.

 

[Eric SEI]

A good portion of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois are also south of the Mason-Dixon Line, but are definitely part of the North.

 

[souNdguy]

My inlaw's parents and grand parents had large tobacco farms in georgia and north florida ( somewhere near jacksonville ).. I've seen pictures of cracker style homes.. and the ones with porche's all the way around as you speak of.

While florida may have urbanized up fast.. it was as southern as any other southern states.. depending on the time frame.. etc..

Soundguy

 

[Anonymous-0]

well now hold on jefferson davis was a major general as far as i can remeber and the president of the csa

 

[Anonymous-0]

I live aproximately 30 miles w/nw of Wheeling, WVa. on the Ohio side. The culture, language patterns around here vary from a sort of neutral to a bit southern. I've always regretted being born on the Ohio side, because I cannot claim to have been born a Southerner. Mostly Union veterns are buried around here, but there are a few Confrderates. Personally, I consider myself more of a Southerner than a Northerner in my ways and views. I've often been told that I have a bit of a drawl and "hoopy" accent. I take this as a compliment. Folks from farther north in Ohio who come down here consider us "hillbillys and rednecks". This doesn't bother me at all. Lots of these from "nawthern Ohio act like real New Yawkers and other Northeastern "Yankees". Around here most folks call a "tire" a "tar" and a "dog" a "dawg". When I hear a person with a pronounced, extreme "Yankee accent", I'm on my guard.