The South Overview

The American consciousness has become much more homogeneous since the 1860s, but differences, though not as dramatic, persist between North and South. Outside the area’s commercial capitals, Southerners continue to live slower-paced lives than their northern countrymen. Nevertheless, the South’s legacy of racial tension is still an ugly blemish on its history; the effects of slavery have not yet been completely washed away, and the Civil Rights movement is too recent a development to be comfortably relegated to textbooks.

At the same time, the South’s racial differences have inspired many aspects of American culture for which the country is known the world over, from great literature to nearly all music native to the country: gospel, blues, jazz, country, R&B, and rock ’n’ roll all claim the South as their birthplace. The South’s distinctive architecture, cuisine, and language are all products of its Spanish, French, and Native American influences throughout the years. Landscapes are equally varied—the region is filled with mountains, beaches, and of course, the bayou. The traveler here should forget facile stereotypes and discover a part of the world that is overlooked and underestimated. In the South you’ll find Bible factories and booze distilleries, rural backcountry and raging cities, traditional comfort food and finger-lickin’ good barbecue, and some of the best entertainment the US has to offer.