AHC: Baltimore still "culturally Southern" in 2000

[mikegold]

Baltimore in the 19th Century was considered the South's largest city; Baltimore during the Civil War was a hotbed of Confederate sympathy. Even in the 1930's, the Baltimore Sun still billed itself "the largest newspaper in the South." Baltimore's H.L. Mencken has a surprisingly Southern accent. Baltimore was a faily staunch Democratic bastion throughout the Solid South era, and Maryland even had unfortunate race politics reminiscent of the South.

However, by the modern period, most people consider Baltimore a Mid-Atlantic city like nearby Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Parts of Maryland do remain "culturally Southern" as judged by self-identity, accent, cuisine, etc. - the Eastern Shore most notably. Baltimore, however, is almost never included in this cultural zone.

So, what POD does it take to keep Baltimore culturally Southern? My first thought is that the southern end of the Atlantic corridor has to be nerfed, and that means no DC. If we keep the capitol in, say, New York, Baltimore remains the undisputed queen city of Maryland. There might be a small metro around Georgetown, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia, but the Bos-Balt corridor will probably start well short of OTL's Columbia, Maryland (which won't exist).

Does this do the trick? Well, geography keeps Baltimore as an important port, and also close enough to Philly that we'd expect some cultural convergence. Plus, as a port of immigration, Baltimore will still acquire an ethnic mix reminiscent of the Northeast corridor. So, I'm not sure.

For the parameters of this challenge, I consider Southern with a distinct flavor (a la New Orleans) or cosmopolitan with a Southern base (a la Atlanta) to count, so long as Baltimore self-identifies as Southern and has characteristics linking it to the cultural region.

 

[mowque]

It never really was Southern. It never joined the CSA, the climate and economy has always been different, the language differs and slavery was handled as an issue without violence. They might have CALLED themselves Southern, but it was a conceit.

 

[Umbric Man]

It never really was Southern. It never joined the CSA, the climate and economy has always been different, the language differs and slavery was handled as an issue without violence. They might have CALLED themselves Southern, but it was a conceit.

Visit the Eastern Shore, especially the rural parts - it reminds me of a lot of places in Virginia in culture and clime, and no one's doubting Virginia's southernness.

 

[mowque]

Visit the Eastern Shore, especially the rural parts - it reminds me of a lot of places in Virginia in culture and clime, and no one's doubting Virginia's southernness.

That isn't Baltimore. If anything the Eastern Shore defined itself AGAINST Baltimore.

 

[FleetMac]

I'm gonna have to "me-too" here a little. Granted, Maryland's under the Mason-Dixon line so it could be construed as "Southern" in that regard; however, given the location of Washington D.C. next to (and amongst, really) Marylander soil, it really can't be labelled as such in practice due to the influx of people from all over the US to DC. There's a couple places in Maryland that's fairly Southernized (The Eastern Shore and South Maryland, across the lower Potomac from Virginia), but not Baltimore. For that to take place, I'd have the capital moved further North and/or West. Perhaps keep it in Philadelphia, or even near OTL's Wheeling, WV (since it's placed pretty much at the fault line between the North and South).