The South Has Risen

If you grew up in 20th-century America, you've probably heard the phrase, "the South will rise again." It was once a defiant declaration after the South lost the Civil War, a promise of Southern resurgence and political independence. As a Northerner, I always took it as more of a joke, a relic, something distant, never to be taken seriously. For most of my life, Southern culture stayed in the south.

I’m from the north (Chicago), Southern culture was mocked, dismissed as backward or out of touch. You’d hear people say they liked every kind of music, except country. In blue cities, Southern influence felt almost nonexistent. It was the “other” America. Hollywood agreed, it churned out anti-southern films as a staple of its catalogue

• Deliverance

• My Cousin Vinny

• U Turn

• Southern Comfort

• Ricky Bobby

But that’s all changed.

The South has truly risen.

Not through political rebellion like the original slogan hinted at, but through the dissemination of its culture, values, attitudes, and aesthetics, the South has truly risen

• This isn’t just about the growth of Nashville, Austin or Atlanta as big American cities.

• Nor am I talking about the rural monoculture on the rise. Travel through rural Georgia all the way to Idaho and Vermont. and you see similar cultural expressions in both.

Southern culture is no longer confined to its borders; it's becoming a permanent fixture in American life. You can even see it in any blue city in America. Walk around. You start noticing little signs of Southern culture creeping into everyday surroundings.

Southern Culture in Northern Cities

You may pass a group of women walking down the street wearing cowboy boots clacking on the sidewalk.

@watchingnewyork

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Pop into your usual places (cafes, barbershops, grocery stores) and you may catch the familiar twang of a country song softly playing in the background.

That’s because Country Music is now a mainstream musical genre that’s bigger than hip hop and pop. Something incomprehensible decades ago.

Pick-Up Trucks, one of the most iconic symbols of the South—big ones, lifted, with huge tires and chrome detailing—are parked along city and suburban streets. Something you didn’t see much of before.

The South has influenced the North through politics. We all know about Roe v Wade being overturned, a traditional southern preference. But also, the Supreme court expanded 2nd Amendment Gun rights and has led to many Americans embracing concealed carry, another traditionally southern characteristic.

Local bars feature bourbon and whiskey tastings, pushing aside the usual craft beer culture in favor of something distinctly Southern. BBQ is served everywhere.

Southern aesthetics are also powering the future. Elon Musk moved his companies to Texas from California. He embraces southern culture. He wears cowboy boots. He even puts cowboy hats on his tesla robots

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Your first reaction to this may be that it is a short term trend. A fad that will come and go. But I don’t think so. The rise of Southern culture is likely permanent because it’s rooted in deep, structural changes that are hard to reverse.

1) Not A Short Term Trend: Americans are increasingly migrating from the North to the South, and this shift is more than just temporary. Also, a massive surge of Northern students are choosing to attend Southern universities, signaling a deeper cultural and geographic realignment.

2) Why is This Happening? Southern culture’s rise to prominence didn’t happen in a vacuum; several key factors played a role in its dominance.

• The once-dominant Northern male-coded culture, centered around hipsters, rock music, and alternative scenes has faded. What’s left is crypto bros, sports gambling, corporate work and dating. Southern culture has filled this male-coded vacuum.

• The Republican Party’s Southern identity has made Southern values part of the national conversation, amplifying them far beyond the region itself.

• For people who feel unsettled by rapid changes in society or who long for a more stable, familiar version of America, Southern culture serves as an anchor and continuity to the past.

The Great Southern Migration

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