(Photo by Keith Griner/Getty Images)

In the early 2000s, no one listened to country music in the Northeast. Among blue-blooded Yankees, country music was looked down upon, and there were serious negative stereotypes about the genre and the South, more generally. Country music was for the backward hicks and yokels who lived in the boonies. Country music was for the guys in cut-off denim jackets with Confederate flag bumper stickers on the back of their rusted Chevys. Country music was for gauche people with horrible taste. 

Ah, but so much has changed since then – all for the better. Along with rap, country is now one of the most popular music genres in America, a testament to how perceptions of the South and Southern culture have improved dramatically in the span of just two decades. 

Not only that, but the rising prominence of Southern culture is becoming increasingly evident among college students. Many young Americans are abandoning the high costs associated with Northeastern universities and cities; instead, they are opting for Southern state schools that provide lower tuition, premier amenities, upscale housing, and a fun social scene centered around football tailgates.

I can personally attest to........

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