Where exactly is "The South" ?
It's easy to determine the obvious. There is no question that Mississippi is the South. Or Alabama, or South Carolina. Or Georgia. But there's the "Deep South", and then there's "The South"... That Mason Dixon line is a good start, but the closer you are to the line, the more ambiguous. I made some maps here as to what I determine the area of predominant Southern culture to be. Instead of making a black and white chart of "North vs South", I include "transition zones"- those areas that are kind of the in between region, or some times "no man's land". In my maps, notice only the Eastern 1/3 of the country is shaded in. I do not generally consider Texas or anything west of it to be "South". But it can be considered a transition area.
Unlike most, I consider the Mid Atlantic region to be a sub region of the South, and not the Northeast. For that reason, I feel some states can be both Southern and Mid Atlantic... On the East Coast, I use Washington, D.C. as the "gateway city" to the South. There is much confusion with the misnomer of Mid-Atlantic. Is Mid Atlantic truly a cultural entity? Or is it simply a geographical mapping? That is why it gets confusing when people use these terms interchangeably. So I go with Southern culture as being the determining factor.
Here is a map of the South Atlantic States. I do not include Maryland or Delaware. The SouthAtlantic, or "SOUTHERN COASTAL" is the best way to define the region from Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Northern Florida. The Coastal Southern states are also more liberal, in general, than other parts of the South.
This map shows the Southern Culture zone. I made a reference to Deep South vs General South as well. The transition zones are mostly common sense. The closer one is to the Mason Dixon line, the more ambiguous it becomes. Florida is a state that works that logic in reverse. The more "North" in Florida you are, the more "Southern".
This map is mainly to illustrate the Border states from the Upper South, Deep South, and Northeast.
Conclusion: Most people still have their own idea of what the South is . Quite a few people still consider Texas, Florida, and Virginia the South- but they are more and more becoming viewed as "border states" , as the demographics continue to change. Below is an article by Vox, which shows a poll of which states Americans still think constitute as Southern. Although a very liberal website, it is an interesting interpretation of the idea of "South".
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/30/12992066/south-analysis
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Unlike most, I consider the Mid Atlantic region to be a sub region of the South, and not the Northeast. For that reason, I feel some states can be both Southern and Mid Atlantic... On the East Coast, I use Washington, D.C. as the "gateway city" to the South. There is much confusion with the misnomer of Mid-Atlantic. Is Mid Atlantic truly a cultural entity? Or is it simply a geographical mapping? That is why it gets confusing when people use these terms interchangeably. So I go with Southern culture as being the determining factor.
Here is a map of the South Atlantic States. I do not include Maryland or Delaware. The SouthAtlantic, or "SOUTHERN COASTAL" is the best way to define the region from Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Northern Florida. The Coastal Southern states are also more liberal, in general, than other parts of the South.
This map shows the Southern Culture zone. I made a reference to Deep South vs General South as well. The transition zones are mostly common sense. The closer one is to the Mason Dixon line, the more ambiguous it becomes. Florida is a state that works that logic in reverse. The more "North" in Florida you are, the more "Southern".
This map is mainly to illustrate the Border states from the Upper South, Deep South, and Northeast.
Conclusion: Most people still have their own idea of what the South is . Quite a few people still consider Texas, Florida, and Virginia the South- but they are more and more becoming viewed as "border states" , as the demographics continue to change. Below is an article by Vox, which shows a poll of which states Americans still think constitute as Southern. Although a very liberal website, it is an interesting interpretation of the idea of "South".
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/30/12992066/south-analysis
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