South Region
South Region
West Virginia Arkansas
Virginia Louisiana
Kentucky Mississippi
Tennessee Alabama
North Carolina Georgia
South Carolina Florida
Geography
Fertile soil – much of it overworked or ruined by
erosion
Landscapes are characterized by live oaks, magnolia
trees, Spanish moss and flowering dogwoods
Also common – bayous and swamplands
Kudzu (fast-growing, leafy vine) is becoming a big
problem in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia as it
chokes and kills indigenous plants
Climate
Humid subtropical climate
Long summers
Winters are neither long nor very cold
No month averages below freezing
Long, hot growing season (nine months at its peak
along the Gulf)
Agriculture - Foods Grown
Rice
Sugarcane
Citrus Fruits
Livestock
Soybeans
Non-Agricultural Products
Grown
Cotton was once the region’s dominant crop but is
now mostly grown in Texas and other southwestern
states
Tobacco
Timber
First Settlers
Native Americans evident as early as 9500 BC (Paleo-
Indians)
-formed lengthy and elaborate trading routes connecting
through the river valleys
Early European settlements of Spanish, English, French,
Scots-Irish, Scottish and German
Importation of hundred of thousands of enslaved
Africans
Reliance on slave labor
Demographics
21st century
Demographically distinct
Higher percentages of African Americans than other
regions of the U.S.
Majority of White Americans identify themselves as
English/mostly English ancestry OR
German/mostly German ancestry
Traditions and Customs
Southerners continue to maintain strong loyalty to
family ties – which has led sociologists to label them
a “quasi-ethnic regional group”
Largely seen as a stronghold of Protestant
Christianity
Anglican (Episcopalian), Baptists, Methodists, Roman
Catholics
History
American Revolution (late 1780s) –
British versus American forces, led to thousands of slaves
taking advantage of wartime disruption and finding their
own freedom
Civil War (late 1850s)
Intention to stop the spread of slavery
The popular definition of the “South” is relatively
informal –
The 11 states that seceded during the Civil War (late 1850s)
to form the Confederate States of America
History…continued
Despite rapid economic growth, the South still has
persistent poverty, and every Southern state - with
the exceptions of Virginia and Florida – has a higher
poverty rate than the American average
Preparation Technique
Deep Pit Barbecuing
Inherited from the Southeastern American Indian
tribes)
Comfort Food
Spices and Seasonings
Cajun or Creole cuisine based on France, and on Spain to
a lesser extent
Hot Sauce/Spices
Peppers
Sugar Cane Molasses
Black Pepper
Fatback
Typical Foods
Deep-Fried of Pickled Okra
Crawfish, Shrimp, Oysters
Boiled Peanuts
Typical Foods
Whole Hog Barbecue
Black Eyed Peas
Sweet Potato Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie
Strawberry Shortcake, Banana Pudding, Baked Apple
Slices
Interesting Fact
The South has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the
country – with states like Arkansas and Mississippi
having rates exceeding 60 per 1,000 teens
Question
How do foods typically prepared in this region reflect
the culture of the people who first settled there?
Culture = the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a
particular social, ethnic, or age group.