From Wikitravel

Fortunately or unfortunately, this collection of American states has historically been called "The South". I left off the "The" since we're kinda not doing that with destinations -- maybe that should go on the article naming conventions? -- Evan 11:00, 29 Oct 2003 (PST)

Ooops, I just stuck Washington D.C. over on Mid-Atlantic, before I realized it was listed here. ... maybe it's OK to list Washington D.C. in both regions ? -- DavidCary 17:06, 2 Apr 2004 (EST)

I'd prefer that we didn't. --Evan 17:39, 2 Apr 2004 (EST)

OK. But I think of "The South" as the states that were part of the Confederacy. Washington, D.C. was never part of the Confederacy. Neither was Kentucky. http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/war/map1.html Times change. Maybe referring to something that hasn't existed since 1865 (the Confederacy) is not the best way to organize information for travelers in 2005.

-- DavidCary 19:31, 2 Apr 2004 (EST)

Washington is on the Maryland side of the Potomac. Arlington (which used to be in D.C. but was ceded back) is on the Virginia side. So Washington is not in the South, it's just outside it. -phma 21:20, 3 Apr 2004 (EST)

Ugh. Well, I'd say this a close call. I've always heard Washington called a Southern city. I know it feels like the beginning of the South, when I'm coming from the mid-Atlantic states. Then again, it feels like beginning the North when I'm coming the other direction... Actually, I don't feel like I'm back in the mid-Atlantic till I pay that ^%)^*$! toll to cross those 10 miles of Delaware to get to New Jersey. Man, I hate that.

Anyways, you've got proximity on this one B-), so I'm going to concede the point. --Evan 22:51, 3 Apr 2004 (EST)

I've always been under the impression that the South was everything under the Mason Dixon line. Maryland has been moved to the mid-atalantic though, so we're obviously not using that scheme. My personal belief is that the South encompasses all areas where sweet tea is easily obtainable, but I guess that's a tad subjective. --BrianUNC1 13:30, 3 Mar 2005 (EST)

I know this discussion has already sort of been had, but is Delaware really part of the South?? Isn't there someone around here thats from Delaware that can say? I've never heard of that before... -- Ilkirk 15:30, 26 Aug 2005 (EDT)

Since it is also listed as a Mid-Atlantic State, I'd say no. I live in Northern Virginia, and think everything north of Virginia is out of the south. For that matter, I know most of Virginia considers Northern Virginia to not be part of the true South. -- repayne 16:12, 26 Aug 2005 (EDT)

There's also the matter of West Virginia, which has always been a borderline state; it wasn't part of the Confederacy, but culturally it seems to be a better fit with the South (although certainly as you go further north, you could make an argument that it patterns together with Ohio and Pennsylvania). Personally, I'd consider it to be a Southern state, so I'm not sure that the Confederate argument is the best way to frame the entire page, at least not without some qualifications. (I think you could also make an argument for northern Florida, which is much less snowbirdy than Orlando and parts south.) -- Haem85 14:55, 24 April 2006 (EDT)

Just so you know, the same debate also applies to the northern third of the state of Kentucky, mostly the city of Louisville and the Cincinnati suburbs. I think the best thing to do is just acknowledge the fact that the boundaries are cultural and therefore somewhat fluid. Also, both Maryland and Delaware were orginally considered part of the South because they still permitted slavery at the time of the Civil War. However, the culture of the region has changed since then and it makes more sense nowadays to draw the line at DC --Greaselemur

[edit] Maryland and DC

Maryland and Washington DC are both in the Mid-Atlantic. We can move them here, or not, but let's make the choice and stick to it.

Also, please remember that this group of states is mostly a convenient way to break up the USA, and not a history lesson. I think that the DC-to-NYC corridor is much more cohesive as a travel destination than Maryland-to-Miami. --Evan 23:06, 26 Dec 2005 (EST)

Maryland and DC certainly are Mid-Atlantic rather than South to those who live there (as I did). I've argued elsewhere that there might be rare exceptions to the one-region-per-state principle, but Maryland isn't one of them. It's just plain Mid-Atlantic. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 23:29, 26 Dec 2005 (EST)

[edit] Charleston (South Carolina)

Does anyone object to swapping out Norfolk (Virginia) for Charleston (South Carolina)? I don't think Norfolk really has all that much to offer, whereas Charleston is a wonderful travel destination and is the quintessential "Southern" city. --Peter ^Talk 15:57, 23 August 2007 (EDT)

[edit] Oklahoma

Isn't Oklahoma suppose to be mentioned in this article? Oklahoma has been considered to be a Southern state in many occasions. Thanks, --4.232.102.193 04:14, 26 December 2007 (EST)

There are several states that fit into more than one region, and there have been some long and often heated discussions about which region to put a given state into. Currently Oklahoma is in the Great Plains (United States of America) region. -- Ryan • (talk) • 11:50, 26 December 2007 (EST)