Is Florida part of the South?

I have lived in Florida my entire life, and for the most part in Central Florida. In all that time, I have never identified with the Southern culture at any sort of level.

Two centuries ago, however, Florida was no doubt part of the rural south. evident by the state's secession from the Union in the Civil War, Florida clearly identified and sympathized with the south. However, as more people relocated to Florida in the twentieth century, the state became more cosmopolitan.

Yet Florida does have a few cultural zones within its borders. In the more rural areas in the north of the state, a Southern influence is present. However in the extreme south of the state, a Latin American influence has taken hold.

Ultimately, though, Florida is its own cultural region seperate from the South.