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Ok, maybe not like Northern Virginia but least something like the I-95/US Highway 40 corridor in Northern Delaware which is mostly commercial. I don't know about you but I really hate how I-85 and I-95 gets soo deserted and wooded south of Petersburg. It makes the drive sooo freakin' dreadful going/coming from North Carolina......
Late night driving in wooded areas can suck for sure. That's why I love taking the train.
So, places don't change when people move en mass from other places? Do you think the Museum District is wholly southern? How about Short Pump? Is current day Manhattan the same as it was in the 1960s (not that they're comparable, but you get the idea)? When something grows, it changes.
I'm not saying there's no southern culture in Richmond; there surely is in pockets, and yes, Richmond urban is not Boston urban (or exactly the same urban as anywhere else). I'm saying it's a bit of an exaggeration to state that it's the most southern city in the south...after having traveled all throughout the south.
I mean, I'm from New Orleans where a lot of people have moved over the past couple of years. We are actually the fastest growing city in America. Not sure where Richmond falls on that list but I can guarantee you NOLA is still NOLA. Cities and their cultures can change but they don't magically become 'northern' because of a couple yuppies and nice restaurants. New Orleans has had density and vibrancy for 300 years and we are still distinctly southern and proud of it. Get over yourself.
Neither City does when compared to DC and thats because DC has a better authentic density of city blocks and row homes.......
I'm assuming there's something else to this argument, because Baltimore has FAR more row homes than DC. I'm not sure what you mean by "authentic density". Richmond's densest neighborhood is the Fan District, and it barely reaches 10,000 ppsm (far from Baltimore's densest neighborhoods/tracts). However, directly outside the Fan, it drops substantially.
I agree that Richmond has less of a northern culture than Baltimore...and by a long shot IMO. The food and arts; even the speed/hustle is faster in Baltimore.
I mean, I'm from New Orleans where a lot of people have moved over the past couple of years. We are actually the fastest growing city in America. Not sure where Richmond falls on that list but I can guarantee you NOLA is still NOLA. Cities and their cultures can change but they don't magically become 'northern' because of a couple yuppies and nice restaurants. New Orleans has had density and vibrancy for 300 years and we are still distinctly southern and proud of it. Get over yourself.
I fully agree, but I'm not sure where I stated that no southern culture exists in Richmond because of yuppies moving in (or "Yankees" as you so eloquently put it).
My argument was that Richmond is not the most southern city in the south. Richmond is not New Orleans, and I can tell you that it has changed pretty dramatically in just the 7 years I've been here. For example, I'd challenge you to find the southern culture in a place like Short Pump.
I fully agree, but I'm not sure where I stated that no southern culture exists in Richmond because of yuppies moving in (or "Yankees" as you so eloquently put it).
My argument was that Richmond is not the most southern city in the south. Richmond is not New Orleans, and I can tell you that it has changed pretty dramatically in just the 7 years I've been here. For example, I'd challenge you to find the southern culture in a place like Short Pump.
I don't think Richmond is the 'most southern' city, but it is certainly pretty high up there on the list. I just don't understand why people are so quick to dismiss southern culture bc it's 'changing'. Gentrification and urban revitalization are not northern phenomena. They exist in every city on the globe. If Richmond is changing. It is merely becoming a 21st century representation of a southern city. Again, look at nola, Atlanta, Nashville, charleston, etc. All of these cities are revitalizing in an urban way but by no means are they 'northern'.
Or you could go even further and simply say that the majority of American cities are becoming homogenized into cookie cutter urban experiences. At least that's the idea I get with short pump.
I don't think Richmond is the 'most southern' city, but it is certainly pretty high up there on the list. I just don't understand why people are so quick to dismiss southern culture bc it's 'changing'. Gentrification and urban revitalization are not northern phenomena. They exist in every city on the globe. If Richmond is changing. It is merely becoming a 21st century representation of a southern city. Again, look at nola, Atlanta, Nashville, charleston, etc. All of these cities are revitalizing in an urban way but by no means are they 'northern'.
What parts of Richmond are southern, and what traits do they exhibit that are southern? It's not a loaded question, I'm just curious of your perspective.
Exactly. I saw, online, where someone described Richmond as kind of a mixture of Philly and New Orleans. Richmond is an older city that has similar infrastructure that is found in many northern cities (different row home neighborhoods/narrow alleys/corner stores/etc). I would say that Richmond is similar to a smaller Baltimore or midwestern city such as St. Louis or Cleveland with a southern twist. Some of the people still hold on to some of the southern traditions of the city (examples: southern preppy dress style in the west end, Tidewater accents from some of the residents that can range from sounding DC-light to traditional south). However, a lot of the newer residents of the city have brought a Brooklyn hipster/artsy vibe to the city.
This is about as accurate of a description as I have ever heard.
I'm not sure how having transplants moving in makes Richmond feel "mid-atlantic" considering the majority of Americans are moving to the South. See: Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, Dallas, Nashville, Austin, etc. etc. etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rcp11889
I'm confused why you don't just see the food, art, dialect, lifestyles as simply a distinctly urban form of Southern culture in Richmond. I don't understand why people think cities completely lose their southern-ness the minute some Yankee discovers it.
Please tell me what it is about inner city Richmond that makes it "southern". From what I'm gathering, you seem to be holding onto the historical notion of the city being southern. Both Baltimore and DC were once considered southern cities, but have been assimilated into the NE corridor in terms of culture and that's the direction Richmond is heading in. Norfolk which is just a few latitudes south of Richmond can't even be considered southern culturally due to the amount of transient presence.
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