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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.
Charleston for sure. It reminds me of a mini-London, but the architecture does seem to be a little more colorful and slightly tropical so I understand the Bermuda reference. I'd imagine it's a similar story for Savannah and Wilmington (NC) but to a lesser extent.
Once you get into the Piedmont, areas like Raleigh/Durham or Richmond, accents are definitely less British as you pointed out above. I-95 could be the dividing line, at least south of Virginia. In the mountains, you have more of a twang instead of a drawl. However, I've heard some cases of people in EXTREMELY remote mountain areas that still sound a little Scottish. This definitely makes sense, like the people in the remote Outer Banks fishing communities.
Philadelphia and Boston are two that come to mind.
I'm not sure if this is true but it seems like most Brits equate Boston more with sports and history in America, when Philadelphia is just as, if not moreso.
They're very very similar cities. Philadelphia needs to do a better job marketing itself. It's like the elephant in the room. Boston isn't the only city with rich colonial history and rabid sports fans. I think Philadelphia has more to be quite honest.
It's always Boston Boston Boston. Uhhh... Philadelphia? Duh!
In southern New England (i.e., Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island), people of English and, to a lesser extent, French extraction tend to live in the rural towns, whereas the urban and suburban cities and towns are mostly dominated by people of non-British extraction (e.g., Irish, Italian, Polish, German, Jewish, etc.). Because these states are among the most highly urbanized, densely populated states in the country with few truly rural areas, the "English" or "British" vibe borders on non-existent.
Northern New England (i.e., Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont), however, is a different story, since those states are mostly rural.
Although I will say that, despite how much English ancestry exists in Vermont, it feels "less English" to me than New Hampshire and especially Maine because the local accent is rhotic and, therefore, sounds more like accents of the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest regions than it does British accents.
The South, I believe, was the most pro-intervention region in WWII, while the Midwest (German and Scandinavian Americans) was the stronghold of isolationism. Not sure if their views were at all to do with "Anglo Saxon identity" or if it was more because of pride in the military, economic benefits etc.
Virginia feels very British, wouldn't y'all agree? Practically all the names of towns/cities and counties in the eastern half of the state sound extremely British. Richmond also has the row houses, kind of like what you'll encounter in London and other UK urban areas.
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