Southern culture in LA

[GeorgiaGold]

I never said I wanted or expected LA to be a replica of Georgia or the South. That would be silly! I just wanted to know if there were any little communities here of Southern transplants or culture, just for fun and for enjoyment. That's all.

Don't worry, y'all. I am fully ready to embrace the many new things LA has to offer. If there really is no Southern culture in LA, that's fine, I'm not demanding that there is. But if there was a bar or club or gathering where country folk could come together and celebrate their Southern roots, would I want to join? Heck yes!!

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaGold

But if there was a bar or club or gathering where country folk could come together and celebrate their Southern roots, would I want to join? Heck yes!!

I can't say if actual Southerners are present, but there's a pretty large c/w bar/dance scene in the old town section of Temecula in Riverside County. Maybe they're all drugstore cowboys, I dunno. Not my scene.

The real scene is up in Bakersfield area, still. That's where Buck Owens and Merle Haggard got their start.

[GeorgiaGold]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

I can't say if actual Southerners are present, but there's a pretty large c/w bar/dance scene in the old town section of Temecula in Riverside County. Maybe they're all drugstore cowboys, I dunno. Not my scene.

I also found this article:

Best Country Western Bars In Los Angeles « CBS Los Angeles

I think the only way to know is to visit these myself and see if any "click"!

The real scene is up in Bakersfield area, still. That's where Buck Owens and Merle Haggard got their start.

Unfortunately, it's pretty far away from LA, right? About two hours?

[Fontucky]

If you're a fan, you can make a weekend out of it. Excellent Basque restaurants up there. I'll bet you don't find that cuisine in Jojuh

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaGold

Unfortunately, it's pretty far away from LA, right? About two hours?

Bakersfield is just under two hours from LA. Really, from the northernmost suburbs in the Santa Clarita Valley to Bakersfield, it is just over an hour.

Two hours to Bakersfield, two hours to San Diego, four hours to Vegas. People in California think nothing of even driving six hours between San Francisco and LA for the weekend. That's just the way it's done. Kind of like people in Texas who might live in Houston but drive 4-4.5 hours to Fredericksburg or Fort Worth just for two nights. The bigger the state, the bigger the territory to cover.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaGold

I never said I wanted or expected LA to be a replica of Georgia or the South. That would be silly! I just wanted to know if there were any little communities here of Southern transplants or culture, just for fun and for enjoyment. That's all.

Don't worry, y'all. I am fully ready to embrace the many new things LA has to offer. If there really is no Southern culture in LA, that's fine, I'm not demanding that there is. But if there was a bar or club or gathering where country folk could come together and celebrate their Southern roots, would I want to join? Heck yes!!

You might want to look at meetup.com. My rooommate is from Alabama. The majority Black/African American community obviously has southern roots going a certain ways back obviously and has Roscoes Chicken and waffles. There are definitely some country themed stuff in LA, even right in the middle of some of the major tourist attractions, I'm thinking the Saddle Ranch, where you can ride a mechanical bull. The parklands of the Santa Monica Mtns have some western movie sets from the old days. LA does have a bit of the "Hollywood western heritage around" even though thats not exactly what you are looking for.

Overall though, you can make it work if you want. Like others have said, in some areas such as the vast Inland Empire suburbia, you will probably come across people who had grandparents that moved there from Oklahoma and Texas 70 something years ago. I think overall, you might have a bit of a better time looking for this than you would say in New York.

[GeorgiaGold]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

You might want to look at meetup.com. My rooommate is from Alabama. The majority Black/African American community obviously has southern roots going a certain ways back obviously and has Roscoes Chicken and waffles. There are definitely some country themed stuff in LA, even right in the middle of some of the major tourist attractions, I'm thinking the Saddle Ranch, where you can ride a mechanical bull. The parklands of the Santa Monica Mtns have some western movie sets from the old days. LA does have a bit of the "Hollywood western heritage around" even though thats not exactly what you are looking for.

Overall though, you can make it work if you want. Like others have said, in some areas such as the vast Inland Empire suburbia, you will probably come across people who had grandparents that moved there from Oklahoma and Texas 70 something years ago. I think overall, you might have a bit of a better time looking for this than you would say in New York.

I actually did look on meetup.com yesterday! I didn't find anything related, unfortunately, but hey...maybe I'll start one up myself. I just hope some folks would be interested!

[Exitus Acta Probat]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaGold

I also found this article:

Best Country Western Bars In Los Angeles « CBS Los Angeles

Those look like some fun places -- i'll have to eventually check some of them out.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaGold

I never said I wanted or expected LA to be a replica of Georgia or the South. That would be silly! I just wanted to know if there were any little communities here of Southern transplants or culture, just for fun and for enjoyment. That's all.

Don't worry, y'all. I am fully ready to embrace the many new things LA has to offer. If there really is no Southern culture in LA, that's fine, I'm not demanding that there is. But if there was a bar or club or gathering where country folk could come together and celebrate their Southern roots, would I want to join? Heck yes!!

I hear ya, I guess I was just overreacting, though we have had some doozies here for posts in the past.