We have talked a lot this semester about what constitutes Southerness and what it means to be Southern. However, I have not been able to personally relate to the majority this conversation. Despite visiting several supposedly “Southern” states, I’ve never seen anything Southern first hand like we have discussed in class. This brings me to the question, just where is the South? How far south does it reach? Does it include Florida? I would tend to argue no. I grew up in Clearwater, Florida and things like Southern food and Southern culture are completely new to me. On the other hand I look at Florida and see that it is also the birth place of NASCAR. I also cannot speak for the beachless central Florida. Maybe in central Florida there isn’t the flock of northern snowbirds and tourists that keep my city particularly Northern.
How far north does the South reach? In my current history class we learned that the capitol, Washington, DC, was chosen to appease Southerners because it was a more southern location. Does the south really reach that far north? I have also visited my aunt in Maryland who lives about 3 hours away from DC. I didn’t find anything southern up there either. Perhaps I was just north of the North-South border?
And how far west does the South reach? I’ve seen arguments to include Texas, to not include Texas. I’ve never been to Texas so I can’t argue for or against its Southerness; however, I have traditionally considered Texas just as Southern as Florida—not Southern at all. (Which is interesting because these two states actually lie the most south geographically.)
But I do not think bounding the South solves my problems either. I am currently living in Atlanta and have visited Cary, NC (see my previous entry) among a few other locations in pretty Southern states and I have still never experienced anything particularly Southern. Where do I need to go to actually find the South?
I drew a little inspiration from this article. You can too if you need some more ideas.
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