As with most of Virginia (the Northern
Virginia/Washington D.C. metro area being the notable exception), Williamsburg
is most often associated with the larger American South. People who have grown
up in the Hampton Roads area have a unique Tidewater accent which sounds
different from a stereotypical Southern accent. Vowels have a longer
pronunciation than in a regular southern accent. For example, "house"
is pronounced "hoose" in the Tidewater accent. However, due to the
strong military presence in the Tidewater Area, the Tidewater accent has been
slowly dying out for years.
