Is Maryland 'Southern'?

[ATO/terp]

Aiight sorry about another Maryland thread but I was reading past threads saying that Maryland was def. not southern.
Just wanted to know what people thought about it.......

My point of view......

I believe that we are half and half it sounds crazy but we are. Where I live Southern Maryland it is the mirror image of the South with accents manners and all but when I go into DC and past DC things are different and thats when things turn to "Northern affiliations". What I love about UMD is that there is a mix of southern and northern people <-----you cant get this at most places......

so I wanna know what do yall think?
:)

[aabby757]

TECHNICALLY, the state of Maryland is south of the Mason Dixon line so I do consider it in "the South" as far as geographically.

HOWEVER, when I think of "the South" and Southern hospitality, I DO NOT think of Maryland as being a part of that.

And, being a born and raised Washingtonian, and a graduate of the UMD, I don't think I went to a southern school.

And, I think UMD is fantastic in everyway.

Though, I think the greek system is very competitive (or it was when I was there) so there is a bit of "the south" in that aspect I think.

[AchtungBaby80]

Originally posted by aabby757
TECHNICALLY, the state of Maryland is south of the Mason Dixon line so I do consider it in "the South" as far as geographically.

HOWEVER, when I think of "the South" and Southern hospitality, I DO NOT think of Maryland as being a part of that.

I agree. :)

[Eirene_DGP]

LOL...Some South Carolinians consider Virginia northern......So to us, MD is out of the question on our southern meter.

[aabby757]

though I don't consider Florida a "southern" state either so I guess it has more to do with geography.

[ATO/terp]

LOL...Some South Carolinians consider Virginia northern......So to us, MD is out of the question on our southern meter.



jsut come to southern maryland...charles county st marys or calvert...its like the back roads of Miss. or Ga. ;) ....

[honeychile]

I'm going to agree with ATO/terp. There are parts of Southern Maryland which are much more "southern" than parts of Atlanta & Florida.

Being a true Southerner isn't just about wearing a hoop skirt!

[Peaches-n-Cream]

I think that Maryland is Southern.

[Nhfulmer]

Having grown up in Alabama, I consider Maryland southern but not part of the "deep south".

[IowaHawkeye]

Originally posted by aabby757


Though, I think the greek system is very competitive (or it was when I was there) so there is a bit of "the south" in that aspect I think.

I agree with that! When my sister was going through recruitment last year she described her experiences to me and it seemed soo much more "southern" than anything i experienced in the midwest or anything i heard described in the northeast. But i definitely didn't get the deep south vibe there i get in alabama or mississippi!

[ATO/terp]

Having grown up in Alabama, I consider Maryland southern but not part of the "deep south".


thats def. the answer i wanted to see....yeh i dont get the whole deep south vibe...I dont think I want that though I like just being alittle southern but not to southern (not that southern is bad) but i like the mix of it.... :D

[ATO/terp]

Maryland (Annapolis) <----yeh i know u dont get the southern feeling there....

Im talking alittle below anne arundel and pg counties......and yep sweet tea is awesome.

[Nhfulmer]

You're right about the sweet tea!! Actually being Southern is a state of mind. I have known people born & bred above the Mason Dixon Line who are as Southern as they come -- it's all about attitude. Of course, it doesn't hurt if you learn the right way to say ya'll!

[GMUBunny]

I don't consider anything north of Richmond Southern. I grew up in Southeastern VA and it can be plenty country, trust me. Some parts of Maryland can pass as southern but for the most part I really don't see it that way. Just my $.02.

[KillarneyRose]

I agree with everyone who said Maryland is southern geographically but is lacking the southern hospitality.

[bethany1982]

I think KillarneyRose is right.



Originally posted by WarEagle1918
I don't consider Maryland southern except for geographically. Florida and Texas are in the south but I don't really consider them "southern". When we went to Texas for spring break, we had the hardest time finding sweet tea and the barbecue places didn't even know what brunswick stew was.

LOL... brunswick stew. Is that with squirrel or chicken. I like it with chicken and beef together. Southern is an attitude. Usually a good one at that.

[sueali]

I'm from Maryland ( my parents are divorced and my mom moved to LV, my dad and my entire family still lives in Maryland). I consider it southern but it definately isn't Georgia southern. Yes my entire family drinks sweet tea, and my mom and I make it here in Las Vegas.

[kateshort]

Originally posted by sueali
I'm from Maryland ( my parents are divorced and my mom moved to LV, my dad and my entire family still lives in Maryland). I consider it southern but it definately isn't Georgia southern. Yes my entire family drinks sweet tea, and my mom and I make it here in Las Vegas.

Wow. I'm originally from PG County (Bowie Born & Bred, though I went to Central HS just past the Addison Road metro stop), and I certainly didn't think of our portion of Maryland as Southern. Heck, I didn't even hear about Sweet Tea until I was in grad school, reading one of the wedding newsgroups! :p Though I have said y'all since 5th grade (albeit combined with a huge dose of mid-80's Valley Girl).

I guess I'd more think of Maryland as mid-atlantic. I guess it's because of the mix of students and geography (appalachian, near-pennsylvania, Baltimore, DC burbs, eastern shore, etc) that it's hard to peg it. It's a weird mix of light southern geography plus a bunch of northern attitude.

Now, the UMD greek system is a whole other thing-- that Greek Row just screams southern, doesn't it? :)

[ATO/terp]

Wow. I'm originally from PG County (Bowie Born & Bred, though I went to Central HS just past the Addison Road metro stop), and I certainly didn't think of our portion of Maryland as Southern

ohh that part is def. not southern...not much hospitality there ( no offense)

i forgot to say yall must check out Easter Shore too ( even though some people like me think it should be another state :p) its apart of maryland and def. has southern ties.

[sueali]

I'm from Central Maryland, Howard County, but my entire family(3 sides - Mom, Dad, Step-mom) definately has southern mannerisms and traditions.

[DZHBrown]

Although I know it's technically below the Mason-Dixon line, I have never considered Maryland the South.

[honeychile]

So, was the question about Maryland being in the South, or the Deep South? There's a huge difference, and most of us realize it - especially during Rush Week.

I certainly wouldn't consider Maryland, Virginia, or even North Carolina part of the Deep South, yet there are places in each state which are completely immersed in Southern culture & hospitality. The Eastern Shores of Maryland, the Tidewater of Virginia, and other little pockets of each are sterling proof - just as Atlanta, Florida, and Richmond are definitely more Northern any more.

I know people in Maryland & Virginia who would just sit down and cry in their sweet tea if they heard y'all say they weren't Southerners - ladies who were born & raised in the UDC. Some Yankees consider Washington DC a Southern town historically - which it is on some levels.

In fact, I know quite a few people who were raised by Southern parents who are probably more Southern in culture than a lot of Southerners who try to deny their heritage.

Again, it's all a matter of whom you speak, and how they were raised.

[MattUMASSD]

I agree that southern maryland is way southern. You also have to look at where a lot of the people in dc metro area came from. For example my mom is from alabama, dad is from south carolina. Next door neighbor is from south carolina. So you have a lot of transplants in this area. I feel that I had very southern upbringing because my grandmother lived with us until she passed away, and she was as southern as they got.

[smiley21]

Originally posted by aabby757
though I don't consider Florida a "southern" state either so I guess it has more to do with geography.


if you ever forget that florida is a southern state, go travel to the little towns ocala, palatka, starke, waldo, baldwin, hawthorne, citra, lawtey, and the westside of jacksonville among MANY others. you will be reminded real fast that you are in a true southern state.

[Tom Earp]

Mary Land went both ways!!!!!:)

The North and The South both invaded it a fought there as no one knew what to do with it!:D

It is like the yellow line on the highway!:p

[shopgirl]

Having lived in Florida for about a
year and a half now, what I have
discovered is the following...

The farther south you go in Florida,
the farther north you feel. The northern
part of Florida, especially the panhandle
of Florida is very southern like. However,
central and south Florida are not southern at all.

My Grandmother refers to this state as God's
waiting room! She says this because of all the
people who retire here. Especially New Yorkers!
My entire family is from New York so I get a kick
out of how many New Yorkers I have met since
I've been down here in Tampa. It's more like the
New New York, or New York with palm trees.:) LOL

[ATO/terp]

LOL ..woah Gods waitting room :D

[shopgirl]

Originally posted by ATO/terp
LOL ..woah Gods waitting room :D

I know, right?
I hope I didn't offend anyone by that.
When my Grandmother said that to
me, over the phone, I just about lost
it! LOL:D

[Nhfulmer]

I think it is hilarious! Having lived in the Orlando area a number of years ago, I know it is so true.

[trisigmaAtl]

we always talk about how Floridia is a place where Yankees fly south for the winter, i think God's waiting room is so much more funny!!!!

One of my best friends is form Palatka, he has definatly never run low on red neck references, and i know alot of them...the back yard of my high school was a cow pasture!!! (I'm not kiddding, there's nothing like the smell of fresh cow paddy in the morning to prepare you for a day of higher education!)

[ATO/terp]

lol hahaha yeh we had a school near us that had cows in the back when we would play them ( since i was anchor for the h.s. news) instead of saying well we are playing blank and blank high school....its like yeh were playing cow pie high tonight come on out....muwhahahaha:D

[trisigmaAtl]

you know, it's funny cuz it's true.
you should have seen this one hall in my HS it was known as red neck hall. there were belt buckles the size of dinner plates everywhere!!!! I swear that when they all stood by windows or overhead light you could be constantly blinded on the way to class! One of the guys actually got suspended for lassoing another student in the hallway causing him to trip (a homemade lasso at that)

sigh... it's like that one Ben fold's song with the line: "my redneck past keeps nipping at my heels"

[enlightenment06]

Maryland, and every other place in the "Urrea" and below is South. Not deep south, but still south nonetheless

[ATO/terp]

lol "muryland and urrea" thats how alot of people say it :D

[MattUMASSD]

hijack

whats with people in the dc metro area talking like that? Where does it come from? Muvva mother, area urrea

I grew up here and I dont remember kids in elemenatry school pronouncing their A's like that.

[ATO/terp]

<------- this guy right "hur" has no idea.:cool:

[enlightenment06]

Matt, don't be scurred, lol

[pandaMD]

hmm...I live in Montgomery County and don't hear there..."huur" or "uuurrrea"..but when I go closer to Baltimore I heard the "Maryland" accents come out a little bit more...:p

[MattUMASSD]

panda where in mont co and where do you go to school?

[Tom Earp]

Missouri History!!

Mo. is divided by a Chinese Wall down the center of the State! About Where U. Mo. is!

East was Northern, St. louis!

West Was KC Area So.

Ks, was a Free State allowed so that it could off set a Southern State!

Some of the Bloodiest Battles were Fought herre!

Burning of Lawerence KS. Home of the Chicken Hacks (JayHawks)
by William Quanttaall, of the Southern Army Reserve!! BS!
School teacher and Butcher!:mad:

[Peaches-n-Cream]

I have neighbors who spend six months in NYC and six months in Florida. When in Florida, they have New York City get togethers. There are so many New Yorkers in Florida.

[DigitalAngel126]

No.

That is all.

[DigitalAngel126]

Originally posted by pandaMD
hmm...I live in Montgomery County and don't hear there..."huur" or "uuurrrea"..but when I go closer to Baltimore I heard the "Maryland" accents come out a little bit more...:p

Woo woo!!! MoCo!! I *heart* MoCo, as I told you before my best friend lives there...Rock!

[IHeartAXO]

I've lived in Maryland for 20 years and I have NEVER considered it to be a part of the south. Technically, it IS south of the Mason Dixon line, but it doesn't even compare to the Georgia type of southern, warm hospitality, etc.

I live outside of DC, which is probably NOTHING like the rest of Maryland. According to the new license plates... we have lots of farms in Maryland? WHERE?! I've never seen them! But again, I only pretty much stay here or Northern Virginia and sometimes I venture up to Frederick. Never really been to southern MD, though.

Oh, and I think people in MoCo use "thurr" "urrea" "hurr" etc as some kind of joke. Its not an accent here. The people I know who say it (me included sometimes) are preppy private school kids who say it as some kind of hip slang (thanks to Nelly!). My friends use it, even my manager uses it (and I KNOW his stems from hip-hop). It's not a natural accent to anyone I know.

Baltimore accents are just in their own world compared to the rest of Maryland (or Murrlin as I've started calling it- which is definitely a good way to confuse people). I don't know, I've never known anyone in the DC suburbs to have an accent from the area.

[ATO/terp]

"I've lived in Maryland for 20 years and I have NEVER considered it to be a part of the south. Technically, it IS south of the Mason Dixon line, but it doesn't even compare to the Georgia type of southern, warm hospitality, etc.
I live outside of DC, which is probably NOTHING like the rest of Maryland. According to the new license plates... we have lots of farms in Maryland? WHERE?! I've never seen them! But again, I only pretty much stay here or Northern Virginia and sometimes I venture up to Frederick. Never really been to southern MD, though."

The reason why you never considered it southern because you havent really been south of DC. MoCo and North has no southern hosp. I know I some/alot of people from Bethesda, Potomac, and etc. and Im the one with the "country" accent. But you must believe me travel down below DC there is def. southern hospitatlity.
:D

[WVU alpha phi]

I was so excited to see this thread! I go to West Virginia University but lived in Maryland my whole life until I came here. Anyone who doesn't consider Maryland the south, I have two words for you: Carroll County. It's where I'm from, and it takes about 2 seconds of being there to realize it's southern!

[KillarneyRose]

Originally posted by WVU alpha phi
I was so excited to see this thread! I go to West Virginia University but lived in Maryland my whole life until I came here. Anyone who doesn't consider Maryland the south, I have two words for you: Carroll County. It's where I'm from, and it takes about 2 seconds of being there to realize it's southern!


Doesn't all the new development in Carroll County just break your heart? I live in AA County myself, but have lots of friends in Carroll County and it seems every time I go out there there's a new McMansion development sprung out of a field. :(

[DeltAlum]

Well, we only lived in Ba-mer, Merlun for about a year but I don't think it's much like a Southern City per se. However, the Maryland country-side is absolutely beautiful and could very easily be considered part of the South.

Fortunately we never needed the PO-lese or an AMb-lance while we lived there.

[Lil' Hannah]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
Fortunately we never needed the PO-lese or an AMb-lance while we lived there.


The Hard Canny Toms sayz the canny cancel pace pained bon ambalances. Ah sawn ambalance good dan Rosters Tan Raid a bat a huunert molls an air, nit was porn dan rain.

[adpiucf]

I live in Northern VA and work in Southern MD. I wouldn't typify either as being southern, because they're so close to DC... but I would say there are pockets in both places with a southern flair.

I grew up in Florida, and I think you could easily say the same for the Sunshine State. There are parts that are decidely northern, as the majority of its residents (South Florida) are northeastern transplants, while the north part of the state and bits of Central Florida are very southern... including an overabundance of sweet tea, opportunities for offroading (mudding) and "Howdy y'all"s...

It's all about perspective.

[valkyrie]

Originally posted by IowaHawkeye
I agree with that! When my sister was going through recruitment last year she described her experiences to me and it seemed soo much more "southern" than anything i experienced in the midwest or anything i heard described in the northeast. But i definitely didn't get the deep south vibe there i get in alabama or mississippi!

LOL.

[ZTAngel]

Very true, adpiucf.

I grew up in the same town as adpiucf and it is definitely full of Northern transplants! There are a few cities and towns in South Florida that could still be considered Southern (Davie is one) but, for the most part, SoFla is not "Southern".

As you travel up the state, you find more and more Southern towns. There are parts of Central Florida that are very Southern and the residents of these cities would be offended if you said you didn't think they were Southern. Leesburg, Lakeland, Ocala, Geneva, Mount Dora, and parts of Gainesville are among many areas that are very Southern. There are many, many people in Orlando and Tampa that have a long Southern family history. My roommate's family has been in Florida since before the Civil War. You rarely find such long Southern family histories with people in South Florida!

Then, of course, there's North Florida which I find to be a lot like Southern Georgia. Palatka, Lake City, Pensacola, Jasper, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee could fit right in with Southern Georgia and nobody would ever say Southern Georgia is not the South!

I've only been to Maryland once and I was still in elementary school at the time so I can't make a definite choice as to if Maryland is "Southern". Personally, I've never grouped it with Alabama or South Carolina but, like others have mentioned, there's parts of the state that are Southern...just like Florida.

I think every Southern state is the same way. Any big city will bring in a lot of transplants which will take away the original culture of the area. About 50 years ago, South Florida would still have been considered Southern but with the growth of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach it has become a "Northern" area. Atlanta and Raleigh do not even seem all that Southern to me. Yes, there's sweet tea but I find that the majority of people that live there do not have accents and don't seem all that "Southern" to me.

It all depends on where you live in the State. Smaller towns have more Southern characteristics than big cities such as Atlanta, Raleigh, Richmond, or even Baltimore.

So, I guess the answer to if Maryland is Southern is both yes and no depending on where you live.

[WVU alpha phi]

Originally posted by KillarneyRose
Doesn't all the new development in Carroll County just break your heart? I live in AA County myself, but have lots of friends in Carroll County and it seems every time I go out there there's a new McMansion development sprung out of a field. :(

Yeah I'm from Westminster and it definitely is getting built up. My parents moved there 25 years ago when it was barely anything, and it's now building new stuff left and right. But I still maintain it's country- there was an article in the paper last year about the first escalator in carroll county!

[mccoyred]

I currently live in Baltimore County but I have also lived in Baltimore City. Maryland is not necessarily Southern but definitely COUNTRY!

[Glitter650]

Originally posted by honeychile
I'm going to agree with ATO/terp. There are parts of Southern Maryland which are much more "southern" than parts of Atlanta & Florida.

Being a true Southerner isn't just about wearing a hoop skirt!


If that were all it took to be "Southern" (wearing a hoop skirt that is) I'd be southern and I was born and raised in California. But I wore hoop skirts alot more than probably most people born and raised in the south as I was a rainbow girl and grand officer. =)

[honeychile]

Originally posted by adpiucf
I live in Northern VA and work in Southern MD. I wouldn't typify either as being southern, because they're so close to DC... but I would say there are pockets in both places with a southern flair.


One of my favorite life vignettes was watching a mother and her young son in Manassas (right outside of DC). She was introducing her son to the store clerk, and in a rather thick drawl said, "Say hey to Miz Louanne, Roy Lee," to which he stuck out his 3-year old hand and said, "Hey, Miz Louanne."

I promise you, I'm not making up the names, either. But it does go to show that, as said again and again, there are pockets in some states that had a decidedly more southern style to everyday living than others.

[Corsulian]

I have never told anyone that I am from the South--not even that I'm from Virginia. Fairfax is 'northern Virginia'--we have heavy traffic and very little in the way of chewing tobacco. We also have the "east silicon valley"

[WVU alpha phi]

Originally posted by honeychile
One of my favorite life vignettes was watching a mother and her young son in Manassas (right outside of DC). She was introducing her son to the store clerk, and in a rather thick drawl said, "Say hey to Miz Louanne, Roy Lee," to which he stuck out his 3-year old hand and said, "Hey, Miz Louanne."

I promise you, I'm not making up the names, either. But it does go to show that, as said again and again, there are pockets in some states that had a decidedly more southern style to everyday living than others.

Manassas is southern? I dated a guy from there and he didnt seem southern at all. Maybe it was just the part of Manassas he was from. I've never been there.

[lifesaver]

Parts of it might be southern in culture, but I dont consider it southern geographically.

I live 2 hours from our southern border of the US. If I have to drive 20 hours to the northeast to get to Maryland, its not southern.

[nikki1920]

I've lived in MD for 14 years. I agree that some parts of it (Charles, Calvert counties) are very southern. Any place sout hof Richmond is Southern to me, but I went to school in North Carolina so my idea of Southern culture is different now. My boyfriend is from South Carolina and he considers Md to be very Northern in terms of culture. My idea is that if I have to ASK for sweet tea, its not southern. lol..

[APhi Sailorgirl]

This thread is basically my first semester of college all over again.

I have lived in Maryland my whole life, Annapolis to be specific, near the Bay Bridge. The part where I live, is most definitely not southern, we don't have sweet tea, we don't say yall and we all have too much preppy and yuppiness to be cordial.

On the other hand, southern MD, western MD (i mean like way western, not Bethesda), and the Eastern Shore are a very different story.

Secondly, Glen Burnie up to Baltimore should also probably get special recognition, you all know what i'm talking about. Unfortunately my sister hung out with the wrong people from Annapolis, and now talks like she's from Glen Burnie (we've disowned her for that) :p .

I went college in southeastern VA and had to constantly explain to the people from Northern VA (cuz you don't call it NOVA if you're from there) that Virginia is the south, MD is the north. However, personally I believe that Northern VA and the rest of the state never communicate.

Now I am attending grad school in Boston, and everyone thinks MD is south, and someone even had the audacity to tell me i had a southern accent. I did ask others though, and the survey was she was nutz about the accent thing.

MORAL TO THIS STORY: It's all, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, everyone's ideas are relative to where they are in the state and how they were raised.

PS-We're still not the south! ;)

[FHwku]

Originally posted by Tom Earp
Missouri History!!



Why does Kentucky have an enclave in Missouri? just that lil bit o land surrounded by ShowMe.

[hottytoddy]

No.