Are the Starks too remote/isolated, backwaterish to be considered good matches in the south?

[AdmiraloftheDothrakiSea]

There is no way in hell that the Starks are greater then the Targaryens in class status, moreover despite the quantity of land they are probably equals to the Arryns, Lannisters, and Martells in prestige.

Targaryens were only considered so high up because they pretty much considered themselves to be god-like. They are the blood of Old Valyria. Fair enough but there are many in Essos who are descended from Old Valyria. The only reason they were so special was because they had dragons. Without their dragons they were nothing.

Oh and Targaryens were a lesser family in Old Valyria too.

[AdmiraloftheDothrakiSea]

On the rare occasion that the Starks make a marriage with a Southern house they can basically pick from the best of the best. I.e. Tullys and Baratheons. Starks married Royces who are the second most powerful and oldest Vale family. Also i read somewhere that Bloodraven's mother was Cregan Stark's daughter/granddaughter. Blackwoods are supposedly on of the highest marriage prosects besides a Great House as Eustace Osgrey said that the Osgreys married into "even the Hightowers and Blackwoods"

[MyLittleFinger]

"They are of the oldest and purest blood, great lords! They are rich and plentiful despite never showing it!"

Then we shall make new lords

- Stannis

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

I always thought that the way the south derides the north & the north the south in Westeros was kind of like the UK's North South divide. With the North thinking Southerners are all loud, show off, dishonest, and shallow & that the north represents decency, community spirit, hard working and honest people (salt of the earth) and the south thinking we are all dumb, poverty stricken, and backwards and that they are cultured, sparkling, super special, and exciting.

Also in Westeros I imagine that the Andals see the 7 as a deeply philosophical religion with they 7 aspects of one god thing. And the Septs are awe inspiring buildings with stained glass and all this ceremony and pomp. While the old gods to them must seem primitive and simplistic and a bit dim, what with all the references to "Snarks & Grumpkins" in their culture.

[AryaNymeriaVisenya]

I always thought that the way the south derides the north & the north the south in Westeros was kind of like the UK's North South divide. With the North thinking Southerners are all loud, show off, dishonest, and shallow & that the north represents decency, community spirit, hard working and honest people (salt of the earth) and the south thinking we are all dumb, poverty stricken, and backwards and that they are cultured, sparkling, super special, and exciting.

Also in Westeros I imagine that the Andals see the 7 as a deeply philosophical religion with they 7 aspects of one god thing. And the Septs are awe inspiring buildings with stained glass and all this ceremony and pomp. While the old gods to them must seem primitive and simplistic and a bit dim, what with all the references to "Snarks & Grumpkins" in their culture.

The stereotypes seem accurate to the Uk. In Liverpool Southerners are considered snobbish, soft, humourless, repressed and they won't get their hands dirty, they think we are theives and idiots. Considering that we have a huge Catholic population there are probably still effects from being considered second class citizens.

To be fair we are poorer than the south because London is an economic black hole.

[Djinn]

The Lannisters are descended from Andal adventures who married into the line of Lann the Clever.

Who stole the seat from the Casterlys, the actual first men founders of the kingdom of the west.

I would put the Vale and riverlands on an equal footing with the North, in terms of wealth.

Just as there's cash poor northmen houses, so too are there cash poor vale houses.

The Starks are the greatest house in Westeros though.

No other house has been responsible for so much real estate across the realm at large.

The Wall, Storms End and lastly, Winterfell with it's ingeniuos plumbing/heating system.

The Targs are closest with Kings Landing and Summer Hall, but even then the direwolf is clear ahead.

The Casterlys and Lann thing all happened in the age of heroes, they were all first men. Andal adventurers married a female descendent of Lann, just like the wilding Bael had a kid with the only daughter of the Stark od WF.

The Riverlands are far more fertile and developed that the North. The Vale is closer to Essos, particularly Braavos, with gives them a trading advantage. Sure there's poor Houses in all of then, but is there petty lords in the Riverlands or Vale thst fight with wooden staffs and barely have steel weapons?

Greatest in real estate, not so great in rank(Targaryens, Baratheon), wealth(Lannister, Tyrell, Arryn), influence(Lannister, Tully, Arryn).

King's Landing & DS & Kingsroad, Summerhall, Lannisport & CR, Eyrie & Gulltown & Gates, HG & Oldtown, Harenhall. See, others did stuff too.

Yeah, so ahead that they bended the knee to both Targaryen and later, Baratheon.