February 8, 2024

Who you calling Southern?

West Virginia bureau chief grapples with identity

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Sunday school picnic in Jere, West Virginia, photographed by Marion Post Wolcott in September 1938/ Library of Congress
Sunday school picnic in Jere, West Virginia, photographed by Marion Post Wolcott in September 1938/ Library of Congress
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By Davina van Buren
Avatar photo
By Davina van Buren

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, West Virginia is part of the South.

The James Beard Foundation considers West Virginia part of the Southeast for awards purposes. I’m writing this article for a publication covering food and drink in the American South. In a culinary sense, West Virginia is indeed Southern—but it’s complicated.

 
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