I’m born, raised and live in New Jersey. You said ‘’only recently we’ve come into our own economically’’. ‘’Our own’’ is what sounded like ‘’separateness’’ to me. And again, at no other time of prosperity did the South do well?
You might want to consider that this is an area where your knowledge is not as complete as it should be. The South was punished and neglected by the feds for many years after the end of the war. Southerners were considered uneducated and not too bright. In fact, a remnant of that are the last remaining acceptable terms of outright bigotry: “redneck” and “hillbilly”.
I remember reading articles about Carter’s staff and the press was just all agog that they were actually fairly intelligent and informed, in spite of having Southern accents. (I know, I know, Carter, major ick and all that). There’s lots of other examples, but I’ll stick to the main point.
So, “separateness”? Yes, it’s a fact - there is a difference in culture and attitudes. But, that’s OK. You need what we have right now - the pro-business, anti-big-government, self-reliant, git ‘er done kind of thinking that hasn’t been a feature of the NE for a long time. Maybe in a few, idiosyncratic spots. And, of course, as more of y’all move down here to escape bad weather, bad economies, and overcrowding, the distinctness is becoming diluted. Our larger urban areas are becoming indistinguishable from most other large urban areas, both in terms of population and scenery.
You need to come on down and visit. It’s a whole different way of living and thinking. I’ve lived up there - I know whereof I speak.