Bill, I'm living in the South now, Columbus GA is pretty much as southern as it gets. As a Canadian, my perspective on the differences between The North and The South is probably a little different. Folks here don't usually call it "Dixie" they call it "The South", but I think, for your purposes, the terms are interchangable. I've had this conversation with people all over "The South", I've spent time in every "southern" state but Arkansas. Everyone I've talked to shares pretty much the same definition. To people who live here, "The South" is KY, TN, VA(but not suburban DC) NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, LA and northern Florida, down to somewhere around Gainsville. (Some include AK, Some don't). Texas, is Southern, but not part of the South. Texas is Texas. MO, is considered to be more midwestern than southern and though I've only been to Kansas City, from what I've seen, I'd have to agree. Cincinnati has suburbs in Northern Kentucky and people from other parts of Ohio have told me that Cinci is a "Southern City". Having lived there for 5 months, I don't agree, but parts of southern Indianna are pretty southern.

It is different here, Folks are way more polite, Black folks and whites get along much better here than they did when I was living in Ohio (Cincinnati, Columbus) And though folks down here seem to get as much work done as people up North, They don't seem inclined to make the same show of "looking busy" that I've seen in the Northeast, New York and Southern Ontario.

They don't want to hear what is better about The North, people here don't think its good manners to gripe about their home. Atlanta is more outward looking and tries to be more cosmopolitan than most southern cities. But make no mistake. She's a "Southern" city.

Hope this helps.

Rob Dale
Georgia Newfie