I would agree with you that there is more racism in the southeast, however that doesn't mean that everyone from the southeast is a racist.
True, mostly though only the ones who do not have a long family history here. It's unfortunate but truly deep seated hatred exists today in the southeast and is still being propagated to it's children through "youth camps" and the like. Joe Wilson apparently did attend such camps according to his wife.
Forgot to answer you...from Minnesota.
I have some close personal friends who originate from the "Norse" region and they've had similar experiences to mine.
My 8 yr daughter attends a school here in Jacksonville which is nearly all white, with some non-whites lucky enough to get in due to military preferences in the magnet system. During the elections, the school launched a campaign to get the kids interested, and asked who would they vote for... when she told her step-father, born in the south, long family ties to the south, that she was one of the few who voted for Obama, he replied that "black people are no good, we don't vote for black people." My daughter never experienced racism before and didn't understand at all what he was saying to her. This is just one in a long list of reasons why I sought and obtained full custody of my children.
After the election, all the Presidential fervor that existed in the school while "God Bless GWB" was in office and leading up the election had turned into a sense of mourning. When Obama planned his speech to children encouraging them to do well in school, the school system just ignored it as if it didn't even exist. No notes home, no opt out messages... nothing. When I asked the Principal why they didn't show it, she just replied that black people are no good, even if they are the President of the United States.
Ok, I'm kidding about what the Principal said... she just made up some BS about not having enough time to send the opt-out notices home. I do wonder though how many heart-thumping Jacksonville residents would have actually opted out from a chance for their children to receive a special message encouraging them to work hard and do well in school from the President of the United States, and then how many of them would have opted out if he were white (democrat or republican)?
Sorry for the long response.