Nova vs. Sova

Most students from Southern Virginia shared relatively the same stereotypical ideologies when it came to defining the “South” and the “North”.

Musically, most Northern Virginians listen to a variety of music, but pop, rap, and hip hop are cited as popular music choices in NOVA.

Country is a popular genre for SOVA communities. However, teenagers in SOVA listen to the same type of music as teenagers in NOVA.

Northern Virginians seem to be less aware of regional stereotypes than Southern Virginians. However, they are more aware of Southern Virginian stereotypes than Northern Virginian stereotypes.

Most Virginians don't have a clear mental geographic boundary between NoVA and SoVA (although one person divided it as North and South of Richmond).

Multiple SoVA students were cognizant of the recent debate surrounding the presence of Confederate flags in Southern states and used it to describe one cultural facet of the "south".

Those interviewed generally shared the same political ideology, leaning more towards the left than to the right. However, in both Northern and Southern Virginia, it is not uncommon to lean to the right.