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Old 12-03-2014, 12:03 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawn.Davenport View Post
If we're counting Canada, Victoria feels like the most British place in North America to me.

Otherwise, the Rittenhouse Square district of Philadelphia comes to mind.
I'd pick Charleston, SC over Victoria, same with Boston. I don't see how the West coast can feel more British than the East Coast, for both America and Canada. Only my opinion, though.
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Old 12-03-2014, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
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I always thought this block in Philly looked like it could be in a quaint English town.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0526...LhDnRNFAiQ!2e0

Last edited by 2e1m5a; 12-03-2014 at 10:55 PM..
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Old 12-03-2014, 10:24 PM
 
Location: Out in the Badlands
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Texas
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Old 12-04-2014, 12:30 AM
 
Location: Auburn, New York
1,772 posts, read 3,516,620 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayJayCB View Post
I'd pick Charleston, SC over Victoria, same with Boston. I don't see how the West coast can feel more British than the East Coast, for both America and Canada. Only my opinion, though.
Are we talking culture or architecture?

Culturally, outside of Quebec and the territories, anywhere in Canada trumps anywhere in the US in terms of Britishness. And, from my experience, Victoria seems the most British, more so than Ontario even, which is pretty damn British. My **guess** for this is that Victoria is the among the least diverse of Canadian cities and has a lot of old schoolers (it has the mildest climate in the country, and thus attracts retirees).

Yes, parts of Philly and Boston look more European than Victoria in term of architecture, but really, in term so of culture (customs, mannerisms, holidays, street names, food, religion, statues, demographics, etc.) the cities on in the Eastern US doesn't even come close.

Victoria's climate also mirrors that of the UK.
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Old 12-04-2014, 04:01 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
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Rural New England, The Northern/Southern Tier of NY/PA, and strangely enough, rural Northern Ohio (which was settled by residents of Connecticut).
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Old 12-04-2014, 09:04 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawn.Davenport View Post
Are we talking culture or architecture?

Culturally, outside of Quebec and the territories, anywhere in Canada trumps anywhere in the US in terms of Britishness. And, from my experience, Victoria seems the most British, more so than Ontario even, which is pretty damn British. My **guess** for this is that Victoria is the among the least diverse of Canadian cities and has a lot of old schoolers (it has the mildest climate in the country, and thus attracts retirees).

Yes, parts of Philly and Boston look more European than Victoria in term of architecture, but really, in term so of culture (customs, mannerisms, holidays, street names, food, religion, statues, demographics, etc.) the cities on in the Eastern US doesn't even come close.

Victoria's climate also mirrors that of the UK.
We can talk both culture and architecture.

I've heard British Columbia is extremely diverse, apparently many Eastern Europeans settled there. Canada in general. I'm sure you'll find more people of British heritage on the East Coast of America, especially the South Atlantic states. Look at my home state of North Carolina. The first English child born in America was born on Roanoke Island, not to mention the countless number of Scottish settlers who settled North Carolina along with the English. Most county and town names are very British, and it's more extreme up in Virginia. Norfolk, Hampton, Suffolk, New Kent, Gloucester Point, Prince Edward County, Prince William County, King William County, King And Queen County, York County, Sussex County, Surry County, Isle Of Wight County, James City County, etc. Virginia might be the most British state in America. Probably just as or more British than any Canadian province, too. The New England states got hit with a massive wave of immigration that didn't really hit the South. Eastern Europeans, Irish, Italians, etc. For the most part, southern states like Virginia and the Carolinas stayed pretty English or Scottish. Even today, some of those remote communities on the coast of North Carolina still hold an accent that sounds a little British.

Like I said, only my opinion. If we're talking accents in general, southerners sound more British than Canadians.
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Old 12-04-2014, 09:26 AM
 
Location: Boston Metrowest (via the Philly area)
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Pretty much all of the original colonies had some historical degree of British influence--which is more visibly manifested in cities/towns that were settled earlier.
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Old 12-04-2014, 09:50 AM
 
Location: Auburn, New York
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayJayCB View Post
We can talk both culture and architecture.

I've heard British Columbia is extremely diverse, apparently many Eastern Europeans settled there. Canada in general. I'm sure you'll find more people of British heritage on the East Coast of America, especially the South Atlantic states. Look at my home state of North Carolina. The first English child born in America was born on Roanoke Island, not to mention the countless number of Scottish settlers who settled North Carolina along with the English. Most county and town names are very British, and it's more extreme up in Virginia. Norfolk, Hampton, Suffolk, New Kent, Gloucester Point, Prince Edward County, Prince William County, King William County, King And Queen County, York County, Sussex County, Surry County, Isle Of Wight County, James City County, etc. Virginia might be the most British state in America. Probably just as or more British than any Canadian province, too. The New England states got hit with a massive wave of immigration that didn't really hit the South. Eastern Europeans, Irish, Italians, etc. For the most part, southern states like Virginia and the Carolinas stayed pretty English or Scottish. Even today, some of those remote communities on the coast of North Carolina still hold an accent that sounds a little British.

Like I said, only my opinion. If we're talking accents in general, southerners sound more British than Canadians.
Victoria (83% white) is less diverse than Vancouver (46% white). Of those whites, the fact majority are of British extraction.

In terms of accents, while I do admit that most Southern accents (particularly in the Carolinas) sound more British than most Canadian accents, I have heard some Canadian accents that sound more British than anything in the South. I met a man once from rural Manitoba, a couple hours north of Winnipeg, who sounded (to my ears at least) like he were from the UK.

I don't doubt the British influence in the South at all, but I suppose it has morphed into a district culture over the past 300 years, while Anglo-Canadian culture feels like it hasn't deviated away as much.

For any of you curious to see Victoria: https://goo.gl/maps/rfgZa
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Old 12-04-2014, 10:40 AM
 
2,823 posts, read 4,488,840 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawn.Davenport View Post
Victoria (83% white) is less diverse than Vancouver (46% white). Of those whites, the fact majority are of British extraction.

In terms of accents, while I do admit that most Southern accents (particularly in the Carolinas) sound more British than most Canadian accents, I have heard some Canadian accents that sound more British than anything in the South. I met a man once from rural Manitoba, a couple hours north of Winnipeg, who sounded (to my ears at least) like he were from the UK.

I don't doubt the British influence in the South at all, but I suppose it has morphed into a district culture over the past 300 years, while Anglo-Canadian culture feels like it hasn't deviated away as much.

For any of you curious to see Victoria: https://goo.gl/maps/rfgZa
Yeah, for the most part, I'd agree with this.

In many areas of the South, particularly the Coastal Plain regions of states like North Carolina and Georgia, I've noticed accents that have dropped r's. Kinda like Jimmy Carter. To me, this always sounded a little British. Maybe I'm wrong, though. The further you get from the Coast, r's are more exaggerated like north Georgia, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, etc. All the mountain regions. Historically, the English lived closer to the coast, while Scots-Irish lived in the mountains.
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Old 12-04-2014, 10:44 AM
 
Location: Auburn, New York
1,772 posts, read 3,516,620 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayJayCB View Post
Yeah, for the most part, I'd agree with this.

In many areas of the South, particularly the Coastal Plain regions of states like North Carolina and Georgia, I've noticed accents that have dropped r's. Kinda like Jimmy Carter. To me, this always sounded a little British. Maybe I'm wrong, though. The further you get from the Coast, r's are more exaggerated like north Georgia, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, etc. All the mountain regions. Historically, the English lived closer to the coast, while Scots-Irish lived in the mountains.
I completely agree with that. The Charleston, SC accent, IMO, does sound somewhat British. Richmond or Durham, less no. Once you get to Charleston, WV it doesn't sound British at all.

If were talking strictly about the USA, I'd say the Charleston is the most culturally British, and Philadelphia and Boston are tied for most architecturally British. The architecture in Charleston, while amazing, reminds me more of Bermuda than it does London or Edinburgh. Though, this is strict opinion, I'm don't see myself as an expert on architecture in the slightest.
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