I’ve noticed a lot of people from the coastal areas of the southerns states (Savannah, GA excluded) don’t have much of a Southern accent. And all other the South accents tend to be much thicker in rural areas that in the big cities. I guess that’s to be expected. The Yankee influx in the big towns are the reason for that. I have not lived in NC for 45 years, but never lost my accent and never wanted to. If you’ve ever heard Richard Petty talk you know what I sound like.
Coastal accents are different from tidewater to outer banks to Gullah to Naples Florida
Different linguist stimuli
Charleston sounds southern to me
But not country
Younger college educated all of America sound alike now mostly
They are all ashamed of the accents of their ancestry
Pity
My wife is Charleston raised and has cotton state accent
Dah-lynn
We can always recognize people who are really from around here.