Where does "The South"(tm) begin in the U.S.?

[derspiess]

South begins at the Michigan/Ohio border.  That's all "down south" to us.  Then there's "really down south" and of course "deep south."

[garbon]

How many times must I say it?

If you're in North America and you're not in Alaska, Yukon, NWT or Nunavut, you're a damn dirty southerner.

Sorry but Canada, let alone northern Canada, is hardly a reference point.

[derspiess]

Virginia south of the 703 aea code.  West Virginia: ambiguous.  Then the Ohio River line.  The part of Missouri where they say Missourah.  Arkansas.  Maybe east Texas.

The south is anywhere people commonly eat grits;  therefore West Virginia is not part of the south.

I'd say maybe southern WV is in The South, though obviously Charleston & above is hardly Southern.  I'd call WV a border state, like Kentuckeh.

In high school I went out with a girl whose family was from "Missippee" (never did quite figure out why they dropped a syllable but whatever).  She didn't consider Tennessee part of the South

[Martinus]

On a related note, to refer back to an old thread which I can't be arsed to dig up now, after seeing "North & South" I definitely think John Brown was a hero.

[derspiess]

To refer back to an old thread which I can't be arsed to dig up now, after seeing "North & South" I definitely think John Brown was a hero.

Stop kissing up to CdM.

[Syt]

This is what Wikifailia says:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_United_States

Modern definition The states in dark red are almost always included in modern day definitions of the South, while those in medium red are usually included. Maryland and Missouri are sometimes considered Southern, while Delaware is only rarely considered part of the South. West Virginia is often considered Southern, because it was once part of Virginia.

[Grey Fox]

Wiki is right.

[vinraith]

Virginia south of the 703 aea code.  West Virginia: ambiguous.  Then the Ohio River line.  The part of Missouri where they say Missourah.  Arkansas.  Maybe east Texas.

The south is anywhere people commonly eat grits;  therefore West Virginia is not part of the south.

I'd say maybe southern WV is in The South, though obviously Charleston & above is hardly Southern.  I'd call WV a border state, like Kentuckeh.

That seems reasonable to me. There's a tendency to conflate Appalachian with southern, when in reality they're two different flavors of cripplingly poor and ignorant.

[Martinus]

To refer back to an old thread which I can't be arsed to dig up now, after seeing "North & South" I definitely think John Brown was a hero.

Stop kissing up to CdM.

Well, all I know is that Kansas could use another massacre.

[MadImmortalMan]

Draw a line from the northeast corner of Missouri straight across the middles of IL, IN and OH to Pittsburgh and include everything below that line too.

[Valmy]

I have to say the inclusion of Oklahoma just boggles my mind.  It is culturally, economically, geographically and every other meaningful sense tied to Nebraska, Kansas, Eastern Colorado, and the Panhandle of Texas.  To consider it as Southern as Kentucky is nonsense.

[vinraith]

Draw a line from the northeast corner of Missouri straight across the middles of IL, IN and OH to Pittsburgh and include everything below that line too.

That'd make Cincinnati (and possibly Indianapolis, it'd be close) southern. That's just... silly. Ohio isn't southern, hell northern KY isn't even southern.

[vinraith]

I have to say the inclusion of Oklahoma just boggles my mind.  It is culturally, economically, geographically and every other meaningful sense tied to Nebraska, Kansas, Eastern Colorado, and the Panhandle of Texas.  To consider it as Southern as Kentucky is nonsense.

Very odd. Oklahoma is definitely a plains state. Texas is sort of a sideways border state...

[MadImmortalMan]

Draw a line from the northeast corner of Missouri straight across the middles of IL, IN and OH to Pittsburgh and include everything below that line too.

That'd make Cincinnati (and possibly Indianapolis, it'd be close) southern. That's just... silly. Ohio isn't southern, hell northern KY isn't even southern.

I disagree. Southern Ohio/Indiana are as southern as Virginia. More southern than northern Virginia.

[Valmy]

I disagree. Southern Ohio/Indiana are as southern as Virginia. More southern than northern Virginia.

Oh please.  Hoosiers are the epitome of northern rednecks.  If they are Southerners so are Iowans.