Below are some fascinating facts I uncovered while doing research for a new series where the heroines will be southern belles.

As defined by the <a title="United States Census Bureau" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census_Bureau">United States Census Bureau</a>, the Southern region of the United States includes sixteen states

<a href="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/censusmap.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3723" alt="Censusmap" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/censusmap.png?w=300" width="300" height="229" /></a>

Other terms associated with THE SOUTH:

<b><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Old South</span></b><b> </b>includes the slave states of 1776 (Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina) and/or all the slave states before 1860 (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas)

<b><span style="text-decoration:underline;">New South</span></b> used to differentiate states of the slavery-based plantation system during the antebellum period with southern states since 1877. Includes Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware

<b><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Deep South</span></b><b>:</b> those states and areas where things most often thought of as "Southern" exist in their most concentrated form. Includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina

<span style="text-decoration:underline;"><b>Dixie:</b></span> most commonly associated with the eleven states of the Old Confederacy, which were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

I still haven’t decided exactly which southern state to use as the setting, but you can be sure I will be using these delightful characteristics of THE SOUTH throughout the series.

<a href="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/jodys-plaque2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-3726" alt="Jody's plaque2" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/jodys-plaque2.jpg?w=500" width="500" height="155" /></a>

<b>YOUR TURN: </b>Did I uncover any facts you didn’t know about THE SOUTH?