I read recently that Florida is no longer considered part of the South... possibly because of the huge influx of "snowbirds" from the Northeast. Also, Florida has developed its own distinctive culture separate from the rest of the South. So I could see how culturally, it's a bit different too.
Do you consider Florida to be part of the South?
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
Northern Florida is culturally more like the rest of the South but Southern FL is a whole different ball game.
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@MamaMoose: Sounds like the opposite of Virginia, where I grew up! South Virginia feels more Southern, but Northern Virginia had been kind of annexed by DC and Maryland.
papaya / 10560 posts
It doesn't have the same type of culture as southern states, but it's not the north...so I think it's still the south.
grapefruit / 4817 posts
I was born and raised in Florida and very much consider it the South. I think only South Florida is culturally different than most of the rest of the south, but you'll still find big chunks of population down there which are definitely southern in culture.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
Yes, I moved to South Florida and had a culture shock. Many of the negative connotations about Southerners being evangelical, racists are true.
In HS a math class one of my classmates couldn't wait to share with me what he learned about in geography. He told me all about the country of Niger, only he didn't pronounce it that way. In my AP history class my teacher compared the lesson material to a Biblical story. People openly sport on their vehicles and wear on their clothing the Confederate flag or as they call it the rebel flag. To me, that's extremely offensive and downright frightening. I wrote a persuasive essay on why gays should be allowed to adopt (this was before they could in FL) and my teacher loved it and asked me to read it to the class. The class q&a turned into to whether gays had a right to exist.
Even now, I am sometimes blatantly waited on after other people. I have been advised not stay in certain cities overnight. People ask me for my credentials and the comments range from the subtle to the very rude "well, you're different from the rest of them" or "you should be proud of yourself, I have only met xyz". Having to qualify why I "deserve" to be there in the first place is demeaning enough.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
@MamaMoose: I agree. I have lived in both North and Central Florida. North Florida is much more "southern" then central florida.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
It is very much the South. Not as much in metropolitan areas, but I think that is true of most places to some degree.
clementine / 780 posts
Orlando area north yup- the natives have great southern accents. Go toward Miami and its completely diff.
GOLD / pineapple / 12662 posts
Panhandle, from Tallahassee west = the South
Everything else is *not* Southern
GOLD / pineapple / 12662 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Every group has its *radicals* so to speak . . . the vocal minority that do not represent the heart/ideals of the group, but who are identified as being representatives because of their shocking behavior. Many negative connotations about lots of groups are true (as evidenced by each group's vocal minority) . . . but it doesn't make it any less offensive (or wrong) to make such sweeping generalizations about all members of a specific group.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@MsLipGloss: The South is synomous with bigotry and discrimination among other, more pleasant things. My first thought when someone poses a question if this place is like the South they are really asking is this place racist/ conservative/ close-minded and other negatives. So, in that case my answer is to think about the incidents that either reinforce or weaken the premise.
Now, if we want to just compare other accepted generalizations about the South: sweet tea, slower pace, drawl, then in S. FL you are likely to drink hibiscus tea, everyone is in a rush on the highway and city streets, and you are likely to hear accents from the Carribean, Latin America just as much as New Jersey accent.
grapefruit / 4862 posts
I've lived in NC, and I currently live in FL, and I can tell you it is CERTAINLY not a part of the south, at least as far as I'm concerned. It's more of a cultural melting pot- lots of latinos, puerto ricans, cubans, haitians, but not a lot of sweet southern people like you find in the SOUTH south. Sure there are some country boys and the like but mostly it feels a lot like when I lived in NJ or IN, but with more cultures represented. Nothing here reminds me of living in the south.
grapefruit / 4862 posts
@MamaMoose: you're right. I venture to guess that Gainesville/Jacksonville and north are more "southern." I am sure the panhandle is too, it's practically Alabama.
nectarine / 2932 posts
I don't consider it to be part the south...I consider it it's own entity. But I'm sure there are people that don't consider Virginia the south (even though it was the capital of the confederacy).
papaya / 10343 posts
I mean.. it IS the south. But whether or not it is culturally "southern" I'm not that sure. I've only ever been to Disney, which may as well qualify as its own planet.
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: So just to clarify... your argument is that everyone in the South is a racist so because you experienced racism in Florida, Florida must be Southern?
GOLD / pineapple / 12662 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I have lived in every part of America (and have visited every state), and have also lived abroad. EVERY place I have ever lived is "racist/ conservative/ close-minded and other negatives" . . . those *qualities* are not specific to just *the South*.
I am sorry that that was your experience. But I don't accuse every New Yorker of being a racist based on my experiences in Harlem, or accuse every Bostonian of being an elitist based on my experiences in Boston.
persimmon / 1165 posts
Definitely not. I've lived in Florida pretty much my entire life, in southwest Florida, south Florida and now west central Florida.
There are certainly pockets of Florida that are southern, but overall I do not consider Florida to be a southern state. It is a melting pot, or tossed salad, if you will, of different cultures.
olive / 57 posts
I was born and raised in Miami, and have never lived outside of Florida (although I have traveled both domestically and internationally). As far as being 'southern' culturally - pretty much everything north of Orlando is, but anything south of there is a mixed bag. Personally, I have encountered more ignorance and close-minded people outside of Florida than I have in it.
@Mae and @mslipgloss are 100% correct - Disney is it's own planet!
olive / 57 posts
Also worth noting - I have always found it really interesting that in my experience 'southern' people get offended when Florida is included as part of the 'south' and Floridians are usually offended if someone calls them a 'southerner'. I think there are definitely some negative connotations associated with the term depending on who you ask.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@MamaMoose: No, I am not painting every citizen in a Southern state or Florida as racist.
@MsLipGloss: I 100% agree with you that everywhere has racists. However, it wasn't until I moved to South Florida that I saw a Confederate flag flying on someone's lawn or on the back of their truck or patched on their back pack. The outward display was quite different and accepted.
GOLD / pineapple / 12662 posts
@FLnative12: The same could be said for the relationship between Upstate New York and NYC.
clementine / 948 posts
I agree with @Mrs. Lemon-Lime: as a northern girl, when I hear the term southern used as an adjective, I think conservative (negative connotation). I think this is the case given our political climate (and media coverage) during my entire adulthood
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Actually, I think you are doing just that: "The South is synomous with bigotry and discrimination "
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