Richmond, Virginia: Not The South? (Calling out Elated Exhaustion)

Richmond, Virginia: A Northern City?


I'm not exactly sure how, but recently, I stumbled upon this blog by one lady from Georgia, who says Richmond is NOT the South.  Make no mistakes about it,  to her , we might as well be Trenton, NJ. Now, I don't like to call out other people usually , but I couldn't help but notice several errors in her explanations. It's not like I can let it go, I can't. I'm a Southerner, damn it. My family has been in Richmond,  Virginia for centuries, and it stretches all across Dixie as well. My ancestors fought in both the American Revolution, and in the Confederate Army during the War for Southern Independence. When you say Richmond, Virginia,  is not the South, it's like saying ice cream isn't naturally cold.  It just doesn't sound right.

I believe this is actually a very old article, and I do apologize.  But I want to address it, because it bugs me when  people make statements that aren't the truth.

I am going to make a list to rebuke her claims . Written by Julia  Hembree,  Y'all can read the original post here:  It was posted on "Richmond Mom" several years ago .   She claims she drove 10 hours to get here  (Atlanta ,GA is not a 10 hour drive  from Richmond!)

 But I digress.  I think it's sweet of her to let us know how un-Southern we are!

LET'S EXAMINE HER CLAIMS:

1."We moved here from Georgia it took us 10 hours to get here, so it's not the South!"
Um, okay, I assume  if you live in the deepest Southwest Corner of Georgia,  it may take that long. But really, I'm pretty good with maps and  I don't see how that's possible, or why it matters.  I believe she came up from Atlanta which is just about  8 hours by car. Remember, also,  that Atlanta is both South and West of Richmond. not simply Northward. Interestingly enough,  Savannah, GA which is  SOUTH of Atlanta, is  even closer to Richmond-  only about  6.5 hours by car , and Charleston , SC , is just under  6 hours  Still,  how is this even relevant?  .

I believe she exaggerated the length of the trip only to strengthen her argument. It doesn't wash.

2.It Snows here, so it can't be the South!
Richmond gets an  average of 10 inches of snow per year, which really isn't that much. Our winters are milder and much shorter compared to New England and the Northeast. It's very rare for Richmond to see a White Christmas even, and our chances for snow dwindle after Valentine's Day.  In fact, most cities in the United States get three times the amount of snow that Richmond receives.  When it snows in Richmond, it sends everyone into a frenzy. Even a dusting of snow can shut things down, close schools, and make bread fly off the shelves. That is not the reaction of a Northern city. Virginians, and Richmonders don't like driving in snow. Richmond is not in the Deep South. It's UP-South . It does snow here.  But, it snows practically everywhere in Dixie, (save maybe extreme Southern Florida). That still doesn't make it the North.

3. There is no sweet tea in Richmond!
Now this one really sticks under my craw, because it's simply not true! Not only does Richmond have plenty of places that serve fresh brewed sweet tea, it also offers you an actual choice of sweet or unsweet tea. And  the first recipe for sweet tea was written in a Virginia cookbook. I would like to know where she went that doesn't have sweet tea? Sweet tea in Richmond is all over the place.   Just for reference  here is a list of 30  restaurants in Richmond that serve sweet tea. Non chains, of course:

• Baker's Crust
• Joe's Inn
• River City Diner
• Sines Irish Pub
• Libbie Market and Cafe
• Pilanis Deli
• PostBellum
• Front Porch Cafe
• Can Can restaurant
• Julep's
• Comfort
• Alamo BBQ
• The Dairy Bar
• Kitchen 64
• Buzz and Ned's BBQ
• Max's on Broad
• Southern Railway and Taphouse
• 821 Cafe
• Tarrants Cafe
• McClean's Restaurant
• The Jefferson Hotel
• TJ's restaurant
• Spoonbread Bistro
• The Roosevelt
• The Secret Sandwich Society
• Mama J's kitchen
• Supper
• The Southern Kitchen
• Capital Ale
• Belle
• Laura Lee's (bonus) 

This is not even a comprehensive list, Y'all!

 

4.People do not say Y'all in the city
This is not really  true . From my experience, most Richmonders kind of use "you guys" and "y'all" interchangeably. As much as I do prefer "Y'all", it's annoying when (some) Southerners say it every 5 seconds. It almost sounds like a put-on.  While "Y'all" is waning over the years in favor of "You Guys",  it's not just Richmond. This is actually happening all over the South.  In fact, in  many Southern cities, urban youth are not saying "Y'all" as much as a generation ago. Welcome to the Yankee invasion. It's very pervasive. We can't really do anything about the northern transplants here.   I suppose she does have a point that Y'all is better, but you will still definitely hear "Y'all "in the more rural areas around the city. I actually work with a woman from NC who says "you guys" constantly. When I first met her, I thought she was from the North. Go figure!

5. Richmond has WaWa's so it can't be Southern
By far this is the most innocuous claim. This is really silly. Wawa's makes us the North?  I saw Dunkin' Donuts in Georgia and The Carolinas. I suppose since they have a Northern chain of donuts, they can't be Southern? While Virginia is Southern, it also overlaps the Mid Atlantic region, so naturally the Wawa chain has made it's way down here. I don't think that makes us Northern. We also have Publix, Krogers, Food Lion, and a few years ago , a Piggly Wiggly.

6.Birds Fly South- So Richmond must not be the South

And finally, she claims that one of her children noted that birds fly South because it's cold here in the winter, so it's probably not the South. Yes, I'm sure a 4 year old would be aware of the nuances of Southern culture. But birds fly South to Florida (which is far less Southern culturally than Virginia!) , and many Canadian birds fly down to Virginia as well. I don't even see how that "settles" anything. Winter in Tennessee is probably too cold for birds as well. I guess Tennessee must be the North!

When anyone questions Richmond's Southern status, I point them to Monument Ave with our Confederate monuments, but also the likes of Sally Belle's Kitchen and The Jefferson Hotel. We may be closer to the North than other Southern towns, but the vibe here is definitely South!  Not long ago, a New York paper wrote an article about how Richmond was truly the gateway to the South. I think it's one of the best things I have ever read, and I whole-heatedly agree! Well, enough for my rant. I just couldn't hold it in any longer. Bless her heart, wherever she might be. Probably back in Georgia.