Introduction

Dear Readers,

We are pleased to introduce the Summer 2012 issue of Southeastern Geographer. On the cover of this issue, we highlight a historic tobacco barn in Calvert County, Maryland, which speaks volumes about the agricultural history and uncertain future of tobacco-growing areas in United States. The first article examines studentification as a force for urban change in Athens, Georgia. We turn next to Biscayne Bay, Florida, with an account of the piano bar, an intriguing study of the convergence of landscape, art, and discourse. We continue with an analysis of the Black Belt, comparing migration patterns in this persistently rural region with that of the urbanizing New South. This is followed by a study of municipal annexation methods in North Carolina over the last two decades. We turn next to a detailed examination of an EF3 tornado that ravaged Greene County, North Carolina in 2011. The last article explores film-induced tourism and its role in placemaking with a case study of the Mayberry Days Festival in Mount Airy, North Carolina. The research articles are followed by two book reviews, the first of which examines a provocative travel narrative by the musician and artist, David Byrne. We end with a review of a timely study of the North Carolina coast that interweaves geo-morphological processes with a historical analysis of coastal development.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Southeastern Geographer wherever you might be this summer. As always, we encourage you to submit research articles, cover art, geographical notes, and book reviews for consideration in future issues.

Best Regards,

David Cochran and Andy Reese
Editors of Southeastern Geographer