Hey, everyone! I'm Bryan, and y'all come join us as we take a tour of the southern U.S.A.!
The South is a region with a history that includes slavery, rebellion, conflict, civil rights issues,
and even a state that was once its own nation. Agriculture and industry,
tourism, and a changing population base as well. It's the home of the space industry,
which makes us all look into the future, and a past... Well, we'll come back to that later.
One of the most famous books ever written by a U.S. author was To Kill a Mockingbird,
by southerner Harper Lee. In that book, she described a southern summer as such:
"Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon
after their three o'clock naps. And by nightfall were like soft teacakes with
frosting from sweating and sweet talcum. The day was twenty-four hours long, but it seemed longer."
It's not always that steamy, but there are a lot of things about the South we should look into,
so join me as we explore this region a little more deeply today.
Part one: The region of the American South.
The South region of the United States begins with Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia in
the northeast corner of the region. Follow the Ohio River, which serves as the northern border,
until it hits the Mississippi River, and then add in all the states south of Missouri and Kansas.
In all, the South includes 16 states and Washington, D.C., stretching from Maryland
and Delaware all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and westward to include Texas and Oklahoma.
States in the South region include Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama,
Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
Remember Harper Lee's description of a southern summer? Well, that's entirely accurate because the
South lies in the temperate climate zone, shown on this map in bright green. Sultry temperatures and
high humidity are the norm, and rain is abundant for much of the year. Forests are filled with
hardwoods in many places, swamps and others, and lush greenery almost everywhere you look.
Part two: Let's talk a little bit about the economy of the South. Among the southern greenery,
you will find lots of fields and pastures. The South, for years, depended on agriculture as a
way of life, thanks to the climate and quality farmland. Prior to the start of the U.S. Civil
War in 1861, cotton was king – at least, it was the top cash crop for the South, which sent that
cotton to northern textile mills. Cotton is still important today, as most of the crop produced in
the U.S. comes from the region, especially Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas.
But cotton is only part of the South's agricultural base.
Tobacco has declined in terms of acreage but is still a lucrative crop for farmers in Kentucky,
Virginia, and the Carolinas. In fact, as of 2020, about 70% of the tobacco grown in
the U.S. comes from Kentucky and North Carolina. The decline nationwide in the number of smokers,
due to health concerns, has led to farmers seeking other crops for profit.
Several other southern states are noted for specialty crops such as peanuts in Georgia,
sugarcane in Louisiana, oranges in Florida, and rice in Arkansas. That's not all: Grains such as
soybeans, corn, and wheat are common in the South, and hemp production has risen quickly over the
past decade. The transition to other staples has made the South the nation's leading producer of...
chickens. That's right, your chicken nuggets, wings, and tenders are probably coming from
states such as Arkansas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Maryland, and Delaware.
But change in the South's economic base has to do with far more than agriculture. As author and
scholar Joel Garreau stated, "Change has become the South's most identifiable characteristic."
And among those changes has been the proliferation of industry in the South,
and oddly enough, an economy at least partially centered on Japanese cars and trucks.
You heard that right: Many Japanese automakers have invested billions in the South.
Chances are, if your family has a Honda, a Toyota, or a Nissan, it was made here in the U.S.
Toyota produces vehicles in Kentucky, Texas, and Mississippi. Nissan manufactures automobiles in
Tennessee and Mississippi as well. Honda has a factory in Alabama, and South Korean automaker
Hyundai produces cars in their Alabama facility. So why the influx of so many Asian automakers in
the South? Cheaper land, a warmer climate, and a lower cost of labor, as labor unions, which are
organizations elected to represent workers to management, are not as prominent in the South.
The South profits from natural resources other than agriculture too.
Two southern states, West Virginia and Kentucky, have long been associated with the coal industry.
While not as robust as it once was, both states still produce large amounts of high-grade coal,
which is burned across much of the South to generate electricity. Meanwhile,
Oklahoma and Texas remain at the center of the southern oil boom. Cities such as Tulsa and
Houston have economies, either now or in the past, which centered on the production of crude oil.
Some of the power generated from those resources is used across the South in the space industry,
as three southern states are home to NASA, or National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
programs. Many space missions are launched from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral
on Florida's Atlantic Coast, so many that the area is often called "the Space Coast."
Houston, Texas, is the home for the U.S. Astronaut Corps, where astronauts are trained for upcoming
missions. Houston also has the center for human space flight training, research,
and flight control. In northern Alabama, the Marshall Space Flight Center is the
U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center.
Another industry in the South has taken flight in recent decades as well – tourism! Many southern
states are benefiting from annual increases in visitors willing to spend money in the region.
For example, the U.S. National Park Service says that in 2020 alone, more than 12 million people
visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. Just
to give you an idea of how many visitors go to the Smokies, that 12 million number is more than the
number who went to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite combined! The Great Smoky Mountains
is annually the most visited national park in the U.S. – and by quite a large margin.
While many folks go to the mountains for vacation, just as many others choose a
different destination: the beach! And the South has many from which to choose.
Beaches are one of the defining natural resources and physical characteristics of the South.
Beginning in Delaware and Maryland, beaches stretch down the Atlantic Coast in states
such as Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The South also
has several states that border the Gulf of Mexico, creating many places with beautiful
white sand beaches and crystal blue water. Those states include Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama.
But one state, more than any other, tops the list for beach lovers:
Florida! The entire east coast of Florida includes beautiful beaches on the Atlantic Ocean,
including famous beach destinations such as Daytona, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami.
Meanwhile, Florida's west coast, the Gulf Coast, features beautiful locations such as Key West,
Tampa, St. Petersburg, Pensacola, and Panama City, all offering sunsets like no other.
Part three: No trip to the South is complete without talking about those great
southern cities. New Orleans, Louisiana, offers savory cajun cuisine, jazz music,
and a unique blend of cultures made famous down in the historic French Quarter. Memphis, Tennessee,
is home of the blues, Elvis Presley's Graceland, and some of the best ribs you'll ever eat!
Just a few hours away, Nashville is home to the Grand Ole Opry
and is widely regarded as "the country music capital of the world." Atlanta,
Georgia, has developed into a southern mecca of sorts, with so much to do,
including a look at the home and gravesite of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Also, the city
and surrounding state have become premier destinations for movie production companies.
Washington, D.C., is the national capital. A visit to all the monuments and museums in
the city is a must for any tourist. Sites such as the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial,
White House, Capitol Building, and others should be on everyone's to-do list. And in Texas,
cities such as Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio all offer loads of historic places,
outstanding Tex-Mex and barbecue, and a memorable experience.
Part four: So, why does it seem like everybody's moving to the South?
Have you ever been on a vacation to a place where you said, "I wish I could live here forever"?
Well, many individuals and families visiting these southern cities,
beaches, and mountains obviously have come to the same conclusion.
With 118 million people as of 2020 – that's more than 37% of the U.S. population – the
South is easily the largest of the four U.S. regions, according to the Census Bureau.
And while many states in the Northeast, Midwest, and even California are seeing a decline in
population, that is not true of most southern states. The population in many cities in Texas is
booming. Florida continues to see steady growth. Many southern cities and states maintain steady
increases in numbers year over year. So what does this all mean? Well, from the 2010 census to 2020,
the South's population increased by more than 10%, more than any other U.S. region.
So what is drawing all these new residents? First of all,
the climate – warm temperatures and proximity to locales such as mountains and the beaches.
But many retirees and immigrants move to the South because of its relatively low cost of living,
coastal Florida being one of the few exceptions. Also, states such as Tennessee and Florida have
no state income tax, meaning residents get to keep more of their paycheck or of their pension.
With the new residents has come a cultural convergence: Southerners whose families have
lived in the region for generations have, at times, welcomed the newcomers, while at other
times... Well, they've clashed. New ideals and values have been a point of conflict at times.
On that note, we're going to end today's lesson, but don't worry – we will discuss those cultural
conflicts and the South's controversial history soon. Until then, keep exploring!