The most Diverse Accent In the United States (might surprise you)

excerpt:
In a 1999 study by Michigan State University professor Dennis Preston, 150 southeastern Michigan residents were asked to rank the "correctness" of English spoken in all 50 states. The South as a whole ranked the lowest, with Alabama at the bottom of the list.

Many Southerners have chosen to reclaim their "r's" and shun the drawl for more standardized English pronunciations worthy of a network anchor. But despite those who work to erase their twang, others are embracing it.

In fact, Preston says Southern accents are more pronounced now than they were at the time of the Civil War.
Link to my full 2006 story at the "Wilmington Star News"