Hopeful 2011 SEC PNM from "The North"

[SthrnZeta]

I lived in GA and I was born in SC. I know "the south" and NoVa isn't it. Period. I have way too many friends who were born and raised in NoVa who have traveled to other parts of VA and have rightfully declared themselves not Southern. NoVa is an interesting gray area of VA and I, like the OP, always identified more with being from DC due to the close proximity. And I don't know anyone who would call DC southern. When I told people where I was from (and I think this is true for a lot of people from NoVa) I would say I was from the DC area unless I knew the person was familiar with that region.

In short, I'm sure we can all bring up points why NoVa is or is not southern. BUT, speaking from my experiences growing up there (8th grade through college) and having lived in SC prior to that, I would never have considered that area to part of the South. It had nothing to do with the presence of confederate flags on farms but I will say, once I moved to Prince William county, that felt like a whole new world and I have many friends from there who would agree.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

I know "the south" and NoVa isn't it. Period.

You know what you define as "the south." Period.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

I lived in GA and I was born in SC. I know "the south" and NoVa isn't it. Period.

NoVA is in Virginia and is south of the Mason-Dixon line; it is an area that is most definitely historically Southern in culture, many if not most of its current residents notwithstanding. It is Southern. Period.

See how we could have fun and go around like this all day long?

In short, I'm sure we can all bring up points why NoVa is or is not southern. BUT, speaking from my experiences growing up there (8th grade through college) and having lived in SC prior to that, I would never have considered that area to part of the South.

This brings up notable point number one. You say you would never have considered it the South, and I would not argue with that. Who am I to argue with what you think?

But I do know people who have lived their entire lives there (or in Washington) who do consider it the South.

So, if we're going by geography, it's the South. But if we're going by a much harder-to-pin-down gauge of "Southerness," it's totally subjective, and is not so different at all from the folks from the deep South who have told me that North Carolina isn't really Southern.

It had nothing to do with the presence of confederate flags on farms but I will say, once I moved to Prince William county, that felt like a whole new world and I have many friends from there who would agree.

And here's point number 2. Most every delineation of NoVA that I've heard includes Prince William County (and other counties further out from DC). Northern Virginia Magazine even seems to include it. (Hmmm, come to think of it, Southern Living magazine has always included Maryland.)

Maybe instead of discussing whether NoVA is really Southern, we should argue about what counties are and aren't really NoVA.