The Culture of the Southern United States, or Southern Culture is a subculture of the United States that's perhaps America's most culturally distinct, in both the minds of its residents and those in other parts of the country. The combination of its unique history and that many Southerners maintain -- and even nurture -- an identity separate from the rest of the country lend to it being the most studied and written about region of the United States.
"More than any other part of America, the South stands apart...Thousands of Northerners and foreigners have migrated to it...but Southerners they will not become. For this is still a place where you must have either been born or have 'people' there, to feel it is your native ground. "Natives will tell you this. They are proud to be Americans, but they are also proud to be Virginians, South Carolinians, Tennesseans, Mississippians and Texans. But they are conscious of another loyalty too, one that transcends the usual ties of national patriotism and state pride. It is a loyalty to a place where habits are strong and memories are long. If those memories could speak, they would tell stories of a region powerfully shaped by its history and determined to pass it on to future generations."
– Tim Jacobson, Heritage of the South
Southern culture has been and remains generally more socially conservative than that of the rest of the country. Because of the central role of agriculture in the antebellum economy, society remained stratified according to land ownership. Communities often developed strong attachment to their churches as the primary community institution.
The southern lifestyle, especially in the Deep South, is often joked about. Southerners are often viewed as more laid back, and relaxed even in stressed situations. That, of course, is a stereotype, and not always the case, but, traditionally, southerners' lifestyles are viewed as slower paced. Southerners are also stereotyped as being resistant to change, especially on social issues. Southerners are also described as polite, non-direct in speech, and well-mannered, and particularly welcoming to visitors; this characteristic has been labeled Southern hospitality.
From its many cultural influences, the South developed its own unique customs, literature, cuisine and musical styles (such as country music, bluegrass, southern gospel, jazz, blues, and rock and roll).
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