Why Americans are SO CONFUSED Over Which States are Southern | What is the South? 

That’s everywhere that’s north, people migrated

Yeah a lot of people in their 60s and older came from down south and started off their families in the DC area (and other major cities heavily populated with Black ppl). We're culturally not the south in DC, but we got heavy southern ties.

Most folks up north have Southern roots but the pace of places like DC and further North just has a faster pace

Bro even in suburban sf Bay Area I feel southern influence. Maybe cuz of the large number of blacks that came from that area in the earlier 20th century.

Is that strains or stains? jk

I lived in Arkansas for 3 years (work) but grew up in NYC, one of the 15 Republicans from the city. Fort Smith Arkansas was the only DMV experience I didn't hate. I came in looking lost, right away a woman was like "Can I help you?" I said I needed Arkansas plates and I was like guided through the whole process. Didn't have one of the items I needed and they overlooked it (I assume because I was polite, asking people how their day is going gets you a long way sometimes) Was in and out in like 20 minutes.

​@@Cruor34 Oh DMV here is DC, Maryland, Virginia, not that DMV lol

Definitely. Lived in the dmv for 4 years & it’s doesn’t give southern at all.

Every crappie big city in texas is just as marxist yankee as new york

Born and raised in DMV. DMV is NorthEast liberal despite not being in NE

Delaware is Yankee town and so is Maryland. I’ve been to Maryland and it’s very Yankee

@@angelacooper8973 Delaware is basically east Pennsylvania.

@@angelacooper8973 I lived in Maryland for a year and east Maryland is mid Atlantic for sure. However western Maryland feels pretty southern, I’m speaking culturally of course

@@JoaninFloridaNo, New Castle county is. Kent and Sussex counties are very much more Southern in culture.

I grew up and still live on the Delmarva/Eastern Shore and Delaware south of New Castle county is very much still Southern in culture. You can easily find Confederate Flag’s in Sussex county still. There’s still hints of the NorthEast but Delmarva is very much dominated by Southern culture. New Castle County in Delaware (it’s most northern county), is the only part of Delaware besides the shore that feels Northern. Even Middletown still feels like the South despite the boom.

i grew up in north florida and when i visited miami it was a culture shock like hell. i get you.

Southern Florida is where most of the crime is.

Dude is a definite California term.

very true. The bottom penninsula and pretty much greater miami region is not like the rest. It pretty much turns into Cuba and Bahamas. The more north you get it's pretty much Georgia

New Yorker heavy condos and hispanic heavy neighborhoods in the same cities in south Florida are entirely different worlds

and Missouri by golly is a very southern state

@@davehughesfarm7983 it is not. The bootheel is all.

Yeah in Texas it depends o who you are talking about. Black people would most certainly identify themselves with the South, while Mexican people would find much more in common with the more Mexican influenced Southwest. White people in east Texas would also consider themselves southern while one in west or central Texas might not.

West Texas still has a strong southern and Texas accent. Yeah they are most definitely the South. Politically and socially they are much more conservative than New Mexico.

Where did Arkansas fall according to your sociology professor?

As someone from the bootheel of Missouri I agree.

me too, dare i say even a little bit of southern illinois and indiana can qualify

As a Western Marylander, I would agree.

@@willsmith3787 it’s always been said that Saint Louis is the northernmost Southern city. I’d say if you’re south of STL and Indianapolis, you’re probably in the South.

​@@L0VTX_H8CAplaces south of Indianapolis still aren't southern

As a fellow Floridian I think outside of the Panhandle / Northern Florida our State has never been truly "Southern" in Culture. Our West coast is dominated by Midwesterners, East Coast by Yankees and Orlando is a mix of everything!

​@@xoxxobob61He's right, though. Tampa and Orlando are not the interior he's talking about. He's talking about places like Myakka, Arcadia, Wauchula, Immokalee, and all the towns on the south side of the Okeechobee

⁠@@xoxxobob61it depends on the west coast because I grew up in the central west coast of Florida and the counties there (Hernando, Citrus, and Pasco) would not get confused as being anything other then southern.

⁠@@therambler3055 I agree. I think the natives(ie. And grew up in the “old Florida”) you can agree that any of areas you mentioned or areas outside the major cities are southern. I grew up in Polk county. We have a town in the county named after a politician of the confederacy.

@@xoxxobob61 Dare you to venture around Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades, northern Palm Beach county, Martin/St Lucie county, Brevard county, Lake county, Polk county, Marion county... all of these places you WILL find traditional southern culture. And no they are not in the panhandle. I tell people Florida is practically 6 states in one because it really is. There are 6 distinct regions of the state that culturally are completely different from one another. You have North Florida, NW Florida (panhandle), Central Florida, Southeast Florida, West/Southwest Florida and the Florida Keys.

I live in Panama City, FL having recently moved from Panama City, Panama 😂😂😂

@@ZaKRo-bx7lphow accurate is the name for the Florida Panama City?

I'm from Pensacola and I agree

Ocala is a southern city as well and it's south of Gainesville. I would say southern culture starts disappearing after you go just south of Ocala.

Not really, all of Polk county looks like Gainesville 😂, I’m from Florida too, Duval tho, all of Florida looks the same. I definitely get what you’re saying but aside from Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando… the other cities definitely give that “southern” feeling.

Only far western NC is Appalachian, the coastal plains region is the lowland south.

i mostly like this

As a Kentucky native Im glad that you agree with me that Kentucky is southern. If Missouri is the "Gateway to the West", then Kentucky in my eyes is the "Gateway to the South".

@@baritone_vocalist absolutely! The only parts of Ky that seem midwestern are the greater Cincinnati area and maybe parts of Louisville. The rest is as Southern as Tennessee

West Virginia isn’t southern.

There is also the hill country.

​@leechjim8023 Culturally, I'd say West and South Texas are Southwestern, Plains and Hill Country are more Western, and East Texas including most of the Gulf Coast Plains are South.

@@wordforger agree with most of your comment, except for the Gulf Coast Plains, they are definitely not southern. Brownsville up to Houston has its own culture. Lots of ranching and hispanic culture there.

American alligators are found in the southeast United States: all of Florida and Louisiana; the southern parts of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi; coastal South and North Carolina; East Texas, the southeast corner of Oklahoma, and the southern tip of Arkansas. Alligators have also been found in New Mexico, but it is rare.

I think this pretty much sums up what is the "south". any state that has alligators.

100 percent facts. The census definition is the geopgraphic south. People try to spin it into a culture issue.

Agree

Somebody on Twitter said Charlotte isn’t the south. The transplant was from Jersey or New York.

​@@AuburnFanSince2010I remember being in Charlotte one time and being absolutely shocked at how the city just completely shut down at 6 pm. That skyline sure fools ya.

⁠​⁠@@dirtycommie2877Wyoming and California both are the west (nobody would argue differently)but they’re completing different. But Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia being different from the slower states like Alabama and Mississippi all of sudden it’s a discussion whether or not these states are southern.

Florida and Texas are in league of their own. The upper south is more or less in the political and cultural sphere of north east, and the rest is the south.

Northern florida is south, while southern florida is south american/Caribbean and middle florida is a mess.

East texas and Houston are “southern” though. Well Houston not as much today as when I grew up but we do consider ourselves to be southern grown. The rest of Texas I wouldn’t call Southern at all.

The South starts at Virginia, ends at northern Florida, and stretches as far west as East Texas

@@nightpups5835 Central Florida or Orlando, Tampa, Lakelamd, The Villages, etc. are basically their own thing now

correct

Kentucky and Missouri did join the confederacy. That's why there's 13 stars on the flag. They had dual confederate and union governments.

I've been to Kentucky enough to say that at least parts of it are southern. Western Kentucky definitely has a strong southern accent and culture, although I've heard some people say that northern Kentucky lacks a southern culture. I think that in most of the border states, there will be a mix of southern and not southern culture However, Maryland has a distinct lack of this in my view. The rural parts of Maryland don't feel southern to me, they just feel rural.

Kentucky only has a lack of of southern culture in the 3 counties near the top of the ohio river. And in Louisville. So 4 counties out 120.@@alexray230

@@alexray230Kentucky is by far the most southern of the four “border states” in my opinion, it’s not even really close, although there is some midwestern influence the closer you get to the Ohio River. I’ve always said Louisville is the northernmost Southern city and Cincinnati is the southernmost Northern one

Get south of Louisville and Kentucky gets southern fast !

😂😂😂 California is not southern! Bless his heart.

Hey, goofy southern guy, why would he bash the south when he's from the south and is just doing a video on which states are in the south complete with verified data? Do you southerners have to always be extra with everything?

@@TopBillinSportsNow I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or dead serious?

@@error3821 - ? Then you, too, must also be a goofy southerner like the OP.

@@TopBillinSports Troll

@@error3821 - Dude, stop commenting to me. You're about as dumb as a bag of flour. If you can't follow simple dialogue, I'm not the one to be commenting to.

Central Virginian- definitely the south here. The line is blurry but definitely somewhere between norva and Richmond.

I agree. I've been to the DMV numerous times and Northern VA feels like an extension of the Mid-Atlantic region because it's heavily influenced by DC since it makes up part of the metro area. Now the rest of Virginia is southern and isn't like the Mid-Atlantic region, culturally, linguistically, or politically. The Mid-Atlantic region today would be New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Once you get past Northern Virginia, you're officially entering the south, and Richmond is the first city in the south.

I firmly disagree. Nova is not northern . Leesburg, Warrenton, even old town Alexandria has a Southern feel. Fredericksburg/Culpeper is Southern too.

You don't represent all of us or speak for me

I live in Hampton the Roads, VA area. Strangely most people who moved from Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida o Virginia don't claim us as the South. 😂They group us with Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. I believe it because in Hampton Roads aka (Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton and Suffolk) many ex military settle here. We also have many people who moved from New York, Maryland and New Jersey. I'll just say this area is unique because we have Air Force base in Newport News, Navy and Coast Gaurd Base in Portsmouth, Navy Base in Norfolk, Fort Eustis Army Base and Langley Air Force Base in Hampton and Navy Oceana Navy Air Base in Virginia Beach. People from all over the U.S.A settle here. This is what makes my area culturally unique. Hampton Roads Virginia is the true MID ATLANTIC STATE.

The rural areas of the Midwest has southern identities because they're rural. Most of the south is rural. It's the rural identity that does that

I think this is only true if you think rural life and only it’s worst stereotypes are inherently “southern”. If rural poverty is the only commonality required then a large part of the entire world is culturally “southern”.

Mid Atlantic

I have family from Maryland, and I will never consider them southerners.

Agreed on all fronts.

Simply not true at all. Maryland outside of DC is 100% southern

@@ConnorRussell27 no not really

​@@ConnorRussell27no its not lol

@@lionelserrano6554 yeah it is

and South Americans.

Us along with VA, SC and GA started the south.

never heard it wasn't southern but I can see them saying southeast obviously. But the everything started on that side of things

Lol, so you met a couple of people in Delaware with southern accents that meant something? My man, Delaware, especially the Wilmington, Newark, Christiana, New Castle area is little Philly. Same exact accents and tons of crossover with Philadelphians moving there for the lower cost of living. I lived in Baltimore, and I live in South Jersey now, and I don't see many similarities. The food is way different and of course the accents are drastically different. South Jersey is also little Philly. All of our media is based out of Philly. And of course North Jersey is based on the culture of New York.

Virginia is Southern

Well now we all know where you live

@@ekothesilent9456 - Your point, weirdo?

@@TopBillinSports bro you have 28 antagonistic comments and replies on here calling people all sorts of things from “goofy” to “weirdos” to “ stupid southerners” you’re like those weird people who hang out at the subway and make it your goal to creep as many people out as possible. You realize anyone can click your profile and read everything you’ve ever written right? You and the original commenter really need to learn how to use the internet. That or your parents need to take your phone away. Clearly my point is that you people have no idea what proper internet etiquette is. Your digital footprint is very real and in your case it’s tied to your actual face and the inside of your home that you post here. You are a RU-vid channel and the first thing anyone sees on your channel is your weird angry replies to everyone. Do better bro.

Lol why do you people think Kentucky is appalchian? 1/4th of the state is mountains. If you think applachia is a region then you agree that Western MA has things in common with Nothern Georgia. It's flat and they grow cotton in the western half. South-Central Kentucky is all tobacco farms with rolling hills. Central Kentucky is where the bluegrass slave planters lived. Northern Kentucky and Louisivlle are a mix-mash of northern and southern culture.

Sigh....WV seceded from Virginia specifically to stay in the North. I am a yinzer and have nothing in common with anyone in Kentucky.

Kentucky is most definitely the south. Horses. KFC. Corvettes. Louisville slugger. Rum, Bourbon, and Whiskey. Moonshiners. Hatfield - McCoy feuds. Colonial style houses. Bluegrass music origins. Coal mining culture. And tobacco farms. Oh. And the president of the confederacy was from Louisville and 90% of Kentucky soldiers fought for the south. … But we aren’t “southern”, right? We created a big part of this culture.

Kentucky is part of the East South Central States (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi). Only about 1/4th of the state is Appalachian and only about 3 counties in Northern KY have a Midwestern feel. The vast majority of places in Kentucky are undeniably Southern. In fact, a larger percentage of Kentuckians identify as Southerners than North Carolinians, South Carolinians, Virginians, West Virginians, Floridians, Texans and Okies that do.

Exactly!!! That really stuck a nerve in my body.

@@kilowhiskey7973 you feel me! Lol

As a Kentucky native, I would have told them to STFU because Kentucky is where the South begins and the people there are just as warm and welcoming as any other southern state. Not to mention Kentucky has a very southern culture and lifestyle.

As a fellow Kentuckian I don’t know why some people still don’t consider us “Southern” southern culture runs through our peoples veins.

I’m from the Carolinas and a lot of us where I’m from definitely consider Kentucky southern. At least myself and people I’ve spoken to. Were those who said that real Carolinians? (Born and raised) Next time tell them kiss your secret recipe cuz you’re southern!! 🤠 Kentucky is favorite southern state to visit btw ❤

Hanover County is north of I-64.

That does work because south Illinois and Indiana are not Southerner. Maybe where I-64 meets the Ohio river

Fun fact... look at all the major interstates of the US... going from west to east, all the interstates running north/south end in a "5"... i-5, i-15, i-25, i-35... starting in the south and moving north, all interstates running east/west end in a "0"... i-10, i-20, i-30, i-40...

@@TheJuanqui1 south Illinois cities such as Anna and Cairo feel pretty southern

​@TheJuanqui1 I'm from indianapolis and drive a truck for work southern indiana and illinois definitely feel southern when I first started I was surprised to hear a southern accent in the south part of indiana

I lived in Orlando for about 12 years (15 total in Florida). Gainesville is southern but Orlando is not. Tampa and most of SW FL is not but north of Tampa - yes. Daytona Beach northward is southern but Cape Canaveral south is not. Jax is home of Lynard Skynard - so very southern (basically GA annex). Basically, if you can unquestionable find sweet tea in every food establishment - you're in the south. It is hit-or-miss, it is a transition zone.

I saw the "OLD Dixie " flag flying from private residences in southern Delaware along the shore, and some southern accents there too.

Maryland isn't the south anymore. Sure there's some southern culture at the border of VA, but it has the same grit and grind as NYC, NJ, Philly, Deleware, etc.

If you go a little bit south and east of Louisville, it gets southern real quick.

Louisville is a river town like Cincy. It's both. Get north of Cincy and it gets midwestern fast. Same for get south or east of Louisville and it gets southern quick.

I've heard it said that Louisville is the most northern Southern city OR the most southern Northern city.

I drove from my very Midwestern city in Michigan to Louisville in 2016 and had the pleasure of witnessing 2 shirtless white guys with long-ish mullet-like hair arguing outside of a gas station. There was a small crowd forming but it never came to blows. That is what Louisville is to me.

Louisville is the most Northern Southern city and Cincinnati is the most Southern Northern city.

I've always thought this about Oklahoma but I'm from Georgia. I've lived in Oklahoma and experienced the difference immediately

I grew up in Florida, have family in California and to them I have a Southern accent.

The Indian Territory region of Eastern Oklahoma is coined Little Dixie because of the federal government moving the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muskogee, Cherokee, and Seminole nations. Indian Territory was also a CSA strong hold due to the reparations and the ability to move back to the homelands if they CSA actually gained independence from the US. Fort Towson, for example, was the main CSA fort in what is now known (since 1917) Oklahoma.

Thing is some parts of Florida have just as much of a twang, just a different flavor. In my high school there would be kids from the same town some who spoke with the standardized east coast white accent and then guys who had full blown southern redneck accents.

I agree. I grew up in the bootheel of Missouri and used to date a girl from Edmond Oklahoma, they was shocked with my accent

I think that's a good definition. I also would disagree with the map in the video showing where the Bible Belt is. It should definitely go farther north in West Virginia. When you're in Fairmont, WV, you're definitely in the Bible Belt--there are billboards everywhere with religious messages. Go twenty miles north to Morgantown, WV, and you'll see nothing of the sort--but you will see an overwhelming number of bars.

If gentrification never happened in nyc most New Yorkers I believe would have stood home. But we are loosing lots of our Puerto Ricans Italians blacks and Jews to Florida. Now Russians Ukrainians Uzbek’s Dominicans & Mexican immigrants are dominating nyc also we have a high number of hipsters from the Midwest and Pacific Northwest that are dominating nyc as well.

NYC NJ Long Island are very high Taxes and Housing costs for Retired People. It's that simple. And many people want a warmer climate. Not me, I Love NYNJ Great area to Retire if you can afford it

Southern half of Missouri Below the Missouri river are southern 100 percent. The reason Missouri had a confederate government and soldiers was because the little dixie area of Missouri which was settled by Kentuckians, Tennesseans and Virginians.

Limiting it to state lines is tough, but I guess that's what we have subdivisions for (even though the official Census Bureau subdivisions also follow state lines.) I'd have to do more research into it, but I feel like we could make much more accurate subdivisions that don't adhere to state lines. Rough draft: 1. New England--mostly the same as it is now, but adding parts of upstate New York and subtracting a little bit of Connecticut. 2. NYC Metro: NYC, Long Island, and some of the surrounding parts of NY, CT, and NJ. Not as big as the Census Bureau believes it to be--their definition literally stretches clear into Pennsylvania, but I'm from northwestern NJ and I can assure you that this part of the state is about as Southern as it is New Yorker. 3. Great Lakes East: The rest of upstate New York and much of PA. Maybe a little bit of eastern OH as well, and probably the northern bit of WV. 4. Mid-Atlantic North: Southeastern PA (Philly metro), southern and western NJ, all of DE, MD, and DC, and a bit of WV and VA. These four sub-regions make up the Northeast. 5. Mid-Atlantic South: The rest of VA and WV along with NC and maybe the eastern bit of KY. 6. South Atlantic: SC, GA, eastern TN, and parts of northern FL (but not the Panhandle). 7. Caribbean EN: Central and most of southern FL, plus the USVI. 8. Caribbean ES: Miami area and Puerto Rico. 9. Deep South: FL Panhandle, AL, MS. 10. South Central East: LA, AR, and Eastern TX. 11. Mid-South: the remainder of TN and KY and parts of eastern MO and southern IL and IN. These seven sub-regions make up the South. 12. Great Lakes Central: The rest of OH, IN, and IL, plus MI's lower peninsula. 13. Great Lakes West: WI, most of MN, and MI's upper peninsula. 14. Great Plains East: IA, the rest of MO, the rest of MN, and eastern ND, SD, NE, and KS. These three subregions make up what's currently referred to as the Midwest, but for reasons you'll soon see is now going to be called the Mideast. 15. Great Plains West: Western KS, NE, SD, and ND and eastern MT. 16. South Central West: OK and the rest of TX. 17. Mountain North: The rest of MT, WY, and CO. 18. Mountain South: NM, most of Utah, and eastern AZ. These four subregions make up what will now be called the Midwest. 19. Southwest: Most of AZ and inland SoCal. 20. Nevada: This state is like 90% uninhabited desert and the rest is Las Vegas and Reno; they're clearly their own thing. 21. Mountain West: Northern Utah, Idaho, and eastern WA, OR, and NorCal. 22. Pacific Northwest: The rest of WA and OR and northern CA. 23. Bay Area: Most of the rest of NorCal including all of Silicon Valley. 24. Inland Empire: The rest of eastern CA. 25. South West Coast: Self-explanatory; this is LA and the surrounding counties. 26. Alaska: Honestly I could have moved the eastern arm to PNW but I figured best to just keep it together. 27. Pacific Islands: Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and all of those islands that we're mostly just keeping for naval bases. These nine subregions make up the West.

​@@CyberchaoXNorth Carolina is not mid Atlantic. How can you say east TN is south Atlantic and not us?

​@@threefivesevenst Louis is southern?

I also grew up in OKC. We are very southern in culture. We are nothing like the southwest or the Midwest. That doesn’t even make sense to me. I have worked in phone customer service for 30 years and the cultures and attitudes are so completely different depending on the region. I definitely prefer clients from the south. My clients from TX, OK and AR are by far my favorite. So chill and relaxed. Louisiana is an exception. They’re kinda hateful. KC and STL are the absolute worst. Especially STL. I’ve never dealt with a ruder more nasty and hateful group of people in my life. My current group of clients are all southwest and Pacific Northwest (CA, AZ, UT, WA). They’re chill until either , A) there’s an issue and then they freak out or B) I tell them I’m in Oklahoma and all of a sudden they automatically hate me.

@@staceystitches I agree that culturally parts of Oklahoma, particularly in the SE, are more in line with the South. There is a reason that McAlester born Carl Albert was known as the "Little Giant from Little Dixie." And our cuisine definitely has some Southern influence, especially things like okra and "chicken frying" everything. However, we also have our fair amount of Tex-Mex, which is definitely more Southwestern in culture, and our BBQ is more similar to Texas and KC styles than what you would find in Alabama or the Carolinas. And as I said in my initial post, our state is closely tied with Western imagery and cowboy culture. (When I say Western, I'm referring to cowboys and ranches, not West Coast culture, which is something completely different.) Almost every single major cattle trail ran through what is now Oklahoma. We historically have had and still have a bunch of rodeos. OSU's mascot is the Cowboys. Arguably, the most famous restaurant in the state is Cattleman's Steakhouse located in an area of OKC called Stockyard City. These are all items that are culturally "Southwestern" and "Western." They also bleed more into aspects of the Midwest. Every OU home game features the Sooner Schooner, which is a wagon that was used to settle the Midwest and West. That and the Sooner name, along with the phrase Boomer Sooner are associated with land runs, and while those are fairly unique to Oklahoma, they evoke more of the pioneers of the Midwest than the people of the South. Alongside our ranches we also have a lot of farms, and the style of farm here in Oklahoma is very much the type you find throughout the Midwest. So as I said before, we are blend of all of the above.

Very Midwest is Oklahoma.. Oklahoma reminds me of like Idaho and Montana nothing like Georgia or Florida etc…

@@Rob_unouh no lol. Oklahoma seems to me like Mississippi, texas, Arkansas etc

@@kennypowers1945 lol he’ll nah it’s nothing like that just flat land and cows like Idaho and Montana

No, Virginia is part of Tidewater and Greater Appalachia

I'd say you draw a line south of Gainesville and Daytona. Gainesville and Daytona are in the south, no question. Orlando though? Ehhhh

I'd split Oklahoma as well, from say highway 75 east is part of the south, west of that it's kinda Midwest, and far western Oklahoma is desert Southwest.

Loved that book. From Arkansas, lived in Wisconsin for 4 years. Found the divisions matched my experiences. Look at also, The Day America Told The Truth. Their divisions were close, and based on survey answers. They stayed in the US, and ended up splitting the South and the Mid-Atlantic.

I’m familiar with that map, I call bullshit. The “breadbasket” is an agricultural region, not a cultural region. Dakotans and West Texans are not part of the same cultural group.

All hunt. All are mostly red territories. All, outside of Atlanta and Memphis, are white majority in the major cities. You find a lot more minority majority in the big Northern cities, man.

@contingencyibct3120 - It not being a fringe state is his point. You can see clear differences in those states despite all being considered southern.

@@TopBillinSports exactly. Asheville, NC and Key West, FL are both in the South. It’s a diverse region, doesn’t all look the same.

It’s the only region where it’s expected to be one way culturally. Other regions can have multiple cultures and no one bats an eye. No one accuses Maine of not being the north east coast just because it’s not exactly like NY, NJ, and PA or no one says New Mexico isn’t the west just because it isn’t exactly like California, Oregon, and Washington but when it comes to the south, all of a sudden if the place isn’t full fledged ‘Howdy y’all’ culture, then all of a sudden “It’s not the south.” A gang of folks who aren’t from the south love giving their erroneous breakdowns about what constitutes the south. Even folks who haven’t stepped one foot in the south will often want to give their 2 cents about what they consider the south. Worse is when southerners want to go along with those absurd narratives.

Other southerners do this as well to major Southern cities such as, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Dallas and Houston.

Country =/= South

What do accents have to do with it? Southern Ohio is basically north Kentucky. That does not make Cleveland a southern city.

@@StevenHughes-hr5hp dude hush up. Maryland and Delaware are southern states. They’re below the Mason Dixon line. Stop being slow in the head Steven

The ohio river is the westward expansion of the mason dixon.

Baltimore and D.C. are similar if you've hung out in both. New Balance, similar slang etc. D.C. is just more upkept and gentrified, but the factors most of you are typing don't define North or South especially in a modern world where robots and A.I. are becoming the now internationally.

You siced drastically different

I’m from PA and that’s the exact reason I say MD and VA aren’t southern. There’s almost no cultural difference between us and besides the weather it barely feels like I changed states when I go down there

I grew up in rural Southwestern PA, about 40 minutes from both the MD and WV state lines, only about 90 minutes from VA state line. I agree with you. You make some great points, and your analysis has been echoed by many others.

I live in Central PA, but I also lived in Charleston SC for a year. The Pennsyltucky behavior that you're talking about is in my view very distinctly different from the behavior of people in the actual South. I think it's a third thing. Fake south. Poser south.

Virginia is traditionally is southern state. It was the capital of the confederacy. It was as southern S Mississippi. I use to live in Va as a child and I can tell you it was very much southern in the 70s and before. But as time went on it has changed a lot. The demographic of Va has changed and you have a lot of Northerners who have moved there. It’s not the same as when I grew up. They even vote differently now. Accents have changed a lot. The culture has changed a lot. I’m speaking mostly of Northern Va.

@@japcar84what was the town name

Hot damn. Someone gets it

Follansbee girl here....this is spot on. I just said to my husband that Clarksburg is the spot where things start to change. Graduated from Fairmont State, so I have the same feel for this as you.

West Virginia was a slave state in the US. It broke away from Virginia because WV wanted to remain in the US and not join the CSA.

More Civil War battles were fought in Virginia than in the other Southern states combined. So yes, Virginia is definitely part of the Southland.

I think the only big cities that are southern are Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Bristol.

Oklahoma is part of the southwest

@@KristNi Oklahoma is midwest.... the reason why people want to consider oklahoma apart of the south because oklahoma has southern culture mentality and also the dumb republican party wants to twist and distort facts about Oklahoma. When I was growing up in Oklahoma in the 80's, early 90's... we always referred to it as midwest even in schools growing up. However, after republicans controlled the state around early 2000's up until now... they twist it to make it seem like it is apart of the south.

@@tropicalbeach9225 I can tell you grew up in the OKC area lol. Eastern Oklahoma is part of the south. The middle part, from say highway 75 west is Midwest, and west of OKC is really part of the Southwest.

@@tropicalbeach9225 Oklahoma is the damn south there is nothing mid west about it. And Southern Missouri is not the damn south I’ve been there in Springfield it’s just country

@@bluecyclone7077 Easy there cowboy, Oklahoma is the midwest and originally a democratic state. The only reason why people consider it a Southern state is because of politics and culture. Oklahoma will always be midwest and nothing they do can change it. Southern states would be like mississippi, georgia, alabama, florida, tennesse, arkansas. Oklahoma is a big state and we should change the culture because adopting the southern culture is making fools belief it is a southern state.

Of course it is, West Virginia connected with Virginia, a matter of fact back in time they both used to be the same state..

@@49ersrocketsrider2 Sorry, but most West Virginians, including family members, would take serious exception to your position. Slavery and plantations never made a foothold in the 55 counties.

​@@49ersrocketsrider2hill folk aren't like flat landers. Flat landers pray to god for money. Hill folk handle snakes to show how devout they are.

​@@49ersrocketsrider2originally Ohio was part of Virginia wasn't it?

part of the missouri bootheel is even in the greater memphis media market

As a real southern resident, South carolina is real south

Well said. I’m from dat 337!

Fun fact... look at all the major interstates of the US... going from west to east, all the interstates running north/south end in a "5"... i-5, i-15, i-25, i-35... starting in the south and moving north, all interstates running east/west end in a "0"... i-10, i-20, i-30, i-40...

Try a little higher, bud.

Cool, Florida is a southern state that is more diverse than any other southern state. Still part of the south no matter what anyone says

stop trying to push this lie. It has been debunked atleast 1000 times. The basis of succession was for the freedom of states to decide whether slavery should be abolished or not, 99.9% of reputable historians agree on that. If you’re referring to “tariffs” then you’re talking about the Morill tariff, which was introduced in 1859. Nobody seceded until two years later and the tariff never even passed until AFTER the civil war. You “lost causers” are borderline cultists and nobody takes you guys seriously, even in the south, and I feel like you should know that

false. every state in rebellion clearly stated in their succession letters using the term slavery or "this institution". Understand tariffs and agriculture directly tied to slavery. They had free labor and got taxed as a result yet wanted them counted in presidential elections. Up until lincoln, 12 of the 16 presidents were southern supporters in laws passed and in thought. Every major crisis we had outside of the war of 1812 was directly because of the slavery. It was a political issue more than anything. The northern states all but agreed in views on blacks. The problem became when you tried to spread it and change the balance of power. Then the hypocrisy came in. Youre telling a group of people that theyre nothing but a commodity, less than human yet youre telling the government that theyre human and that they should be counted towards the electoral vote as 3/5ths of a man. Its obviously going to cause issues. We had a plethora of compromises kicking this issue of slavery down the road and it lead to the war. Yeah they were mad on tariffs but again its because the government felt they had free labor so they were going to tax them more. Also youre right in the fact that the north didnt fight for slavery. Most of the soldiers letters and political leaders speeches show this. Lincoln himself wasnt against slavery but the spread of it. The prevailing thought was that it would die out eventually due to industrialization. The problem becomes the south, again this is in their letters and in the statements directly after succession, felt if he stopped the spread he would take the next step and abolish it. All which he never did. They wanted to be a separate country for at least two decades. It wasnt the first time they threatened to leave. they genuinely believed that they could beat the weak north in a war. The top southern leaders believed the north didnt have the stomach for war like southern boys. THis isnt my opinion this is what they wrote. Very few people in the south understood the outcome. The confederate vice president , if i remember right, wrote in a private letter that he felt the war would turn bad because of their aggression. He felt they were waking a hornets nest and thats exactly what happened. The war started because the deep southern states wanted to keep and expand slavery and were of the opinion the north couldnt do anything about it. The USA government felt the constitution was set in stone and all states were under the government and unable to succeed for any reason. So when federal bases were raided the government fortified them which in turn the confederacy felt they were a country and were under attack. When lincoln called the governors to amass troops, it was then that the majority of the southern states joined the union. Its not like everyone was of the belief that they should succeed they just felt closer to their slave states. Again exact words used by the people there not me. The northern soldiers did not care about black people neither did the majority of the populace. They rioted over this. In their mind they were fighting to preserve the union. All of this stems from slavery. You take it out of the equation, there is no war. The tariffs were in place throughout the years. If theres anything that pissed the north of the most was the fugitive slave act. Outside of that, they really did not care about the slaves. The south had their own belief due to early yellow journalism that there really was a cabal out to abolish slavery. Again that was their source of power. Every president up until then had sided with them in matters. Do any amount of research into first hand accounts and youll see slavery was the root of everything. It destroyed the balance of power and it allowed a group to get super rich off of free labor. The masses didnt care if it was right or wrong but the fact that it political would swing the balance of power meant everything. Again it was hypocritical in nature to rely on slaves for political power yet not have them able to vote or be citizens. Also about the northern states. Yes they had slavery but nowhere near what the south did. The slaves in the north were generally more leaning skilled labor or maid like. Very few people had more than 2. It didnt mean much if it was abolished to them because they industries of the north didnt rely on slave labor to stay running. Also your belief is something that popped up heavily in the 1900's. This lost cause idea. Understand the people you say fought for tariffs and agriculture werent saying any of that. DId they have gripes, yes but there was one topic that repeatedly came up. IT was slavery. Even for non slave owners, the goal in life was to own some. It was a symbol of power in the south. Those soldiers wrote consistently that the north invading to abolish slavery wasnt right. Again something they werent doing but the media of the time turned it into that. The government of the confederacy clearly made slavery their foremost issue. So for anyone to give any other excuse as to why the war started is spreading false information to shift the blame to others not confederacy. The actual people who fought said otherwise. Yeah you may find one guy who really hated tariffs but that wasnt the spark to war. Furthermore, when the compromise of 1877 happened, you see Jim crow almost immediately pop up. Again the gripe of the people was about slaves not tariffs. People can say what they want but i believe in actions mean more than words. Every action of the south pre, during and post war, all point to slavery not tariffs. Tariffs was just a extra thing to tack on due to them and other countries paying so much but WAS NOT what they cited as the main reason to succeed when lincoln came into office. Ive read most of the state letters of succession and a good amount of letters from soldiers. Its clear what they fought for. Only those trying to be special say otherwise.

Muh Lost Cause. Southern traitors seceded to preserve slavery, period. Read their speeches given at the time and the states articles of secession.

​@@Gardenstategreat1225the north never fought to free the slaves

Utter nonsense. The secession documents state slavery as the main cause.

Plus that might explain why we can never fit somewhere. It depends on where you live, because the words I say are a mixture of southern and midwestern. Our culture is about cowboys and football. Ya, we’re just a mixture

Texas though tends to have what I would call its own culture. It takes alot of aspects from the south the west and tmmexico to create what I consider a different culture

I disagree with what you said about Oklahoma. I think Oklahoma is similar to Texas in that we are our own thing, but Oklahoma is culturally very southern. The official "Oklahoma state meal" is made up of southern foods such as chicken fried steak, barbecue pork, biscuits and gravy, fried okra, grits, pecan pie, etc. Linguists consider the Okie accent as Southern American English, though we have a South Midlands accent that is closer to a Texan accent than an accent from one of the southeastern states. Oklahoma is also in the bible belt and religion is huge here, just as it is everywhere else in the south. Okies have a lot more in common with Texans and Arkansans, than with Kansans and other Midwesterners in my opinion.

Texas is more of a southwest state than a southern state. Virginia is mostly southern, but the boundary of the South probably runs through Virginia, so if you lived in Alexandria, yeah, it probably felt more northern.

@@AmerikiDork Richmond

Western VA in the blue ridge mountains has a very old south feel to it I live in Texas in the Austin metro and western VA feels more southern than Austin metro

Yes, considering WV as the South is wild to me. WV is wholly Appalachia.

Yes. Southern Missouri feels like part of the South. Northern MO feels like the Mid-West

heartland to us not midwest@@a.c.m.2336

well put...Missouri is very southern culturally

Kansas in no way a Border State. It is entirely Midwest and Western. Stop this nonsense.

Southern Missouri is a border area, northern Missouri is firmly midwestern

Virginia is literally where the traitor states started. Of course it's south

virginia isn’t southern

@@Sam-TheFullBull Virginia is definitely Southern!! More Southern than Florida or Kentucky at least

its apart of the midsouth.

I grew up in Michigan and Tennessee.... once you get past indiana Kentucky is the beginning of the South... also halfway through the indiana the accents change and people start sounding southern.

with that being said its not deep south... deep south is... Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana..etc

As a Kentucky native, I think that Kentucky may not be the deep south, but it is where the south begins.

I grew up in the North and we consider KY to be southern.

I would say Cincinnati is very similar to Northern Kentucky. It's airport is in Northern KY.

@@thedirtybubble9613 They are different, because they were settled my different people. The land on the north bank of the Ohio River was settled by Free State New Englanders and is Northern in attitudes and dialects. the land on the south bank was settled by slave-owning Southerners and is more southern. The land on the Ohio River and northward is organized on the Northern township grid system with more systematic surveying of property lines before the land was sold to the public, whereas in Kentucky it is organized in counties with irregular property lines due to the settlement by individual pioneer families. The land on the North bank is industrial and productive of agriculture. The land on the south bank is rural, hillier and less productive, and the people noticeably less affluent This difference in the landforms has to do with the Ice Age glaciers stopping at the Ohio River and depositing the rich top soil on the north bank, and not anything to do with different people, but it is still important. The best way to see the difference is to to drive the Ohio river on the north bank from Cincy to Louisville. Then drive it on the south bank from Louisville to Cincy. Do that and see if you can tell the difference in accents and attitudes. btw. I drive around Cincy's beltway sometimes, which loops through Kentucky past the airport. On the Kentucky side of the river is the Creation Museum, devoted to the Biblical theory of creation. It's natural that it would be on the Kentucky side of the River and not the Ohio side, because the Biblical Creation Theory is more aligned with Kentucky's Southern belief systems.

I am a 5th generation Texan. I am from the south. Period!

@@Kenxcloutright! As a Houstonian we are definitely from the south

Eh okc is its own thing. Southern Oklahoma feels much different than okc and Tulsa.

Wv is it's own place

Oklahoma is Midwestern... they were never part of the Confederacy.

​@@JoeStanek-vu7rlOklahoma is NOT Midwestern. It is southwest.

Texas had a big slave port in Galveston, they purposely delayed telling their slaves they were free for 2 years past. They are Southern on the East side, western on the West. Split like Kentucky was.

The confusion stems from the use of geographic regions/directions for culture names. The south, the North, the midwest, east coast/west Coast, pacific Northwest, the northeast, ect.

As a Texan, I like to say that Texas is like a good Southern boy who moved out West for adventure, married a lovely Mexican girl and settled down. They now spend their days cooking recipes from both grandmothers' cookbooks! I'd say that Texas is it's own thing; but is still like a close cousin to the South, with lots of Southern influence still readily apparent (especially the Eastern part of the state).

Southern Florida is mostly populated by a combination of retired New Yorkers (tired of the harsh winters) and Cuban and Haitian refugees. It's mostly the northern parts of Florida where the original Southern culture remains. Much of the southern part of Florida was only settled in the years since WWII. Before that, lack of air conditioning and disease-bearing mosquitos made the area very hard to live in. Tourist resorts (drawing from North Eastern states) were the main driver of settlement in southern Florida. Later, the communist takeover of Cuba, and the collapse of the Haitian government, led to much more Hispanic/Caribbean influence.

sorry ,but Oklahoma is not the south, it is more of a mid-western state

Never knew until this year some people didn’t consider Ky southern lol, Lexington is a city and has a surprising amount of immigrants so it definitely is less southern feeling then the rest of the state. But you go 15mins outside of it or in Fayette county and it is distinctly southern.

Kentucky is most definitely the south. Horses. KFC. Corvettes. Louisville slugger. Rum, Bourbon, Whiskey. Moonshiners. Hatfield - McCoy feuds. Colonial style houses. Bluegrass music origins. Coal mining culture. And tobacco farms. Kentucky embodies all elements of a southern state and we helped create this culture associated with the “South”. Always have, and we always will. The president of the confederacy was from Louisville and 90% of Kentucky soldiers fought for the south.

@luke2393 I imagine that any city of over 300,000 is gonna have some immigrants, especially with a major university. I hear that Houston is super diverse, as just one example.

@@kilowhiskey7973 Yeah, you added some things I should've thought of. Bluegrass is one of the most Southern music genres in existence. There's no other region it could be from.

@@meowtherainbowx4163 Agreed, it’s just not something you would expect from Ky or most states from the south.

Oklahoma does not deserve a spot. It's unique. It's easier to call it southern plains. Up by Tulsa is southern but that's where most of the tribes settled. Oklahoma food is different from southern food. It also has Midwest feelings. Oklahoma and west Texas are weird. Born and raised in south Florida but I live in oklahoma. Right now snow birding in Arizona and New Mexico.

@@craigrison007 Disagree- I was born in TN and have deep roots in the south and partially grew up in the Tulsa area. The natives allied itself with the south and fought midwestern states (Kansas in particular.) The state was largely settled by misplaced southerners. Which is why it shares virtually every cultural tie from religion, politics, music and sport traditions. If anything else, I’d say it’s southwest. If it is Southwestern then so is Texas. OKC is whatever Dallas is- I’d say the southwest south. But Tulsa imo is just southern. Not Deep South. Not Appalachian. But southern all the same.

bc ppl are stupid. arkansas is obviously the south. if a state touches mississippi which is literally the deepest of the deep south of course it is still the south. now arkansas is not as southern as mississippi, which is why near the borders of the state you get dividing lines and states that are not really southern like oklahoma. but the state itself is obviously the south and has always been considered as such. 90% of people will include arkansas in the south though, so it’s not that big of a deal.

Have you been to El Paso? It's got more in common with Phoenix than Atlanta.

Ironically, Virginia is really the original South, the South that the Deep South patterned their culture and customs after was emulated from the land of Jefferson and Tidewater. Why do so many Virginians have those thick drawls, whereas nearby Maryland mostly does not. Virginia shares more bonds with the. Carolinas.

@@MeadeFatLoss The distinctive Southern accent only arose AFTER the Civil War.

Northeast NC is 100% southern and more southern than southeast VA.

@@ronaldpippen8164 No. Southeast VA is very Southern.

Even in the Civil War, Maryland was split, as rural areas in the east still had slavery and farms. Growing up in the 70's people in the southern counties and the eastern shore spoke with a southern drawl, while DC metro was more cosmopolitan, and Baltimore were definitely northeastern.