When you hear the term "the South," which states come to mind? Not necessarily the geographic southern portion of the United States (that would include Hawaii, etc.), but the cultural South.
My map would be divided in to a number of tiers and look something like this:
>90 (MS, AL, GA) - These states are the literal core of the South, both geographically and culturally. You really can't have the South without them.
>80% (SC) - South Carolina basically meets all of the criteria set by the above tier, but there are a few rare instances in which it's considered not
as Southern.
>70% (AR, LA, TN, NC) - These guys are still certified members of the club, just not in the inner circle. They're generally included in South-related matters, but there are a number of cases in which they can't be included in the core.
>60% (FL) - Though Florida isn't in the geographical Southern block, many of its cultural aspects are still comparable. It is much more influenced by urban areas/minorities than the core South, but it should still be included in any reasonable analysis.
>50% (TX, VA) - This is where it gets trickier. Both Texas and Virginia have a number of Southern aspects (especially from a historical perspective), but the influences of immigration and the DC metro have certainly taken their tolls upon them. They're borderline Southern.
>40% (OK, MO, KY, WV) - These guys
could be considered part of the South in a number of situations, but they some of the key aspects needed to be fully included.
>30% (DC, MD, DE) - Definitely not Southern, but for some reason the US Census wants to think otherwise.
206 Electoral Votes total... how fitting.
If I had to group each of the states into a 'Yes' or 'No' column for overall Southerness, I think I would go with everything >60% and above. Sorry Texas and Virginia
. One of y'all is a little bit too Western and the other a bit to Northern to make the team.
Poll
