Virginia is in the South, but 'Southerners' here are disappearing

fredericksburg.com ^ | 12/5/2003 | Jonathan Hunley

[CobaltBlue]

All rednecks may be Southerners, but not all Southerners are rednecks. Which is why non-redneck Southerners make fun of rednecks. It's a class thing.

[2banana]

I think it has more to do with all the Yankees moving down south...

[RebelBanker]

the last two presidents from the South--Carter and Clinton

Since when is Texas not part of the South? If memory serves, our current President (God bless him!) happens to be from there...

[Lee'sGhost]

"Virginia is in the South, but 'Southerners' here are disappearing"

I've been saying for the past 30 years that VA USED to be part of the South.

[Constitution Day]

He might be FROM there, but his roots are in New England. ;^)

[MP5]

Great post. I agree with the article. I'm a native Virginian from the Shenandoah Valley who lives in Fairfax now. I certainly don't consider myself a "southerner" like I did growing up. Native Virginians are few and far between around here.

Everytime it snows and someone says "people from here don't know how to drive in the snow" I tell them to ask around and see how many people are from "here". Not very many usually.

[El Conservador]

He was actually born in New Haven, CT (Papa Bush was attending Yale at the time), and he spent most of his youth between Andover, MA and New Haven (Phillips-Exeter and Yale).

[Hatteras]

I got news for you, people from the North can't drive in snow either evidenced by all the wrecks I saw in the Northeast on the Weather Channel last week...

[ikka]

Living here in PA I can see the North (NY, New England) and I can see the South, as it were. Boy, would I ever love to be able to move to the South.

[XRdsRev]

You're right, the Bush family are the definition of Yankees who moved to the south for business reasons. People conveniently forget that.

Our current President was born in New England and was educated there. I think it's great, he is a mixture of Yankee and Southerner. I think that makes him well rounded and more likely to view issues in a national rather than sectional manner. He can relate to different types of people and the way they think and live, that is why people all over the country like him personally. Someone who lives their whole life with just a northern, southern, eastern or western point of view, usually doesn't make a good national leader.

[jimt]

Since when is Texas not part of the South?

A New York teenager (in New York) asked one of my daughter's friends if she rode a horse to school.

Her reply?

"My daddy don't believe in no book larnin', y'hear?"

Misconceptions about the South are legion.

[sultan88]

Good post!

[Al B.]

Ping from one native Virginian to another.

[AmericanInTokyo]

After April 1865, well, we to some extent all became 'Yankees'.

[general_re]

Everytime it snows and someone says "people from here don't know how to drive in the snow"...

I got news for you, people from the North can't drive in snow either...

The truth is actually much simpler, as I've learned after driving in, around, and through many, many parts of this country - the truth is, most people just don't know drive. Period. Doesn't matter where you are - North, South, East or West. Doesn't matter if it's day or night. Doesn't matter what the weather is - rain, snow, fog, or sunny, clear and 80 degrees. The real problem is that no matter where you are, you're going to be sharing the road with a pack of a-holes who just don't know how to drive in a reasonable or safe manner. It's really not a regional thing, as far as I can tell ;)

[general_re]

...most people just don't know how to drive.

[FReepaholic]

The Yankeefication of the South

[AmericanInTokyo]

You are right. The various "DMV's" are really not doing their job.

[XRdsRev]

Both regions have benefits and drawbacks. Just like the entire US, there are +'s and -'s everywhere. New England has a great deal to offer, incredible history, unbelievable natural beauty and in many areas, great economic prosperity. The South has a great deal to offer also, incredible history, unbelievable natural beauty and in many areas, great economic prosperity.

Most Americans are generally the same, they have regional pride, they care about their family and their country and they want to do the right thing. I kind of crack up reading some articles and posts which make it seem like folks from different parts of the US are from different planets. I have met friendly honest people in the north and nasty dishonest bastards in the south and vica versa. We are all Americans first as far as I am concerned.

P.S. - I think people would be amazed at the number of southerners who move north. That is an issue that is never brought up. I live in central NJ and my area has a large number of southern transplants, especially single women who live and work in and around NYC.