I’ve lived in the south (Deep South) my entire life, and I know what I like and dislike about it. I thought it would be interesting to hear from folks who have made a move. I saw Shooboy’s post/karma, and he mentioned now living in Georgia. I wanted to ask him how he likes the move, but thought I’d start a new thread to hopefully get a broader response.

There has been a lot of talk about “moving to a free state”, and the videos from the folks about moving from California to Texas. So obviously it’s a thing. I’d just like to hear some stories about the move- good or bad- and thought it might be interesting.

Pros:
-Lower taxes (generally)
-People suck less (generally)
-Greater freedom (generally)
-Lower cost of living (generally)

Cons:
-It's hot
-More snakes/bugs
-Not many ski resorts
-People talk funny (to an outsider's ear)

Not exactly a move, but I arrived in the Birmingham area for a work project -- software development at BellSouth. The team lead guy must have thought that I was a total idiot, because it took me months before I (Brooklyn born) could understand him.

Some time later, he and I went to Mississippi and were picked up by a driver at the airport. I later remarked to my team lead guy, "It took me a while, now I'm pretty fluent in Alabama, but I did not understand one word of the Mississippi language that guy spoke."

Team lead guy said, "That wasn't 'Mississippi.' He had a speech impediment."

Haha... Reminds me of the time that I was at a training conference several hours away with a buddy. After class, we go to a bar, and my buddy strikes up a conversation with the female bartender. He goes: "I love your accent! Where are you from? Australia? New Zealand? England?"

I about knocked myself out facepalming, while she stared at him for a second, and then responded: "Uh... I have a speech impediment. I'm from [city we were in]."

Rest assured, I gave him tons of shit about that for a while afterwards.

Great idea for a post.

Apart from a short stint in southern California, I’ve lived in the Chicago area for my 60+ years.

We know a lot of people who’ve escaped Illinois by moving into Wisconsin, but that won’t work for me. Wisconsin may not be as bad as Illinois, but it’s only marginally better. Plus, it’s further north.

So, I’m also very interested to hear of other’s experiences.

Also not a move, but I visited Atlanta on business for a few days once. I think RogueJSK pretty much nailed the pros and cons (although I'm not a skier so that one con doesn't count ). If you include Texas in the definition of "deep south" (not sure), you can add fire ants, scorpions, African bees and even more snakes to the list. Add in the heat and humidity, and I would never move there (I start to sweat, sitting still, when it gets above 75).

That said, I do agree that the people seemed generally nicer down there. Although they do talk funny.

I love how the South has solved the English language lack of the second person plural. No fumbling around looking for an acceptable substitute, or confusion from having to use second person singular. In the South, you can happily walk up to a group and say “How ya’ll doin’?” without feeling lesser for it.

Living in Utah so long, my accent has faded. When I get to the South, however, it comes right back. Last week I was in Royce, TX. By the second day, I was barely moving my lips while talking. Also, people are naturally friendly. Even the kid kicking us out of the Buc-ee’s parking lot for having a semi truck was friendly about it.

Pro - Sweet Tea

Con - Sweet Tea

I moved south almost 50 years ago, from the NW Connecticut & New York area to the suburban Atlanta area.
Rogues list above summarizes several reasons but it's very dependent on exactly where you moved to in the south. It's obviously a big place and the strengths and weaknesses vary based on that. North Georgia is much different than Baton Rouge/New Orleans or central and south Florida.

Back to my particular move. I moved here due to a specific job opportunity and the general variety of job, housing, and other opportunities I lacked in the north. When I first visited, everything looked new and I felt a much better vibe from most people.
The economy here seems to be much more diversified unlike the north where entire towns/cities were based around one particular industry. Often for a century or more. Besides, many of those old industrial areas were struggling for reasons not easily solved. The future didn't seem all that bright there.
That's because those areas were settled a good century or more earlier than most southern cities and almost everything good or bad was influenced that.
Northern road systems, local regulations, buildings and the economies were all designed to fit those earlier needs.
I often didn't make decisions based on great wisdom at that age (19) but looking back I think I nailed this one.

Atlanta was much different when I moved to the area (1973). The city was within the perimeter (I-285) and was the real population center. Outside the perimeter was farmland or early subdivisions with lots of elbow room.
Since then the surrounding area has been an almost non-stop development project that only slowed down a bit in major recessions. '08 was the only recession that really brought most development to a stop for a while. Now we're back to building everywhere.
The city itself had a population of just over a million in the 70's and went down 300 thousand or so. That helped create never ending traffic as people drove into the metro area from the suburbs and road construction and mass transit have never caught up.

All that said, if I was 50 years younger considering a similar move today, I'd do it without hesitation and for mostly the same reasons.
Besides that, air conditioning has gotten better.

For my wife and I, our move from CA to TX was the best, most significant decision we ever made, next to getting married and having a child. Completely changed our lives, night and day difference between good and bad. Everything has been a big upgrade; southern and Texan food, people (most significant), taxes, cost of living, political climate, less govt. interference in all aspects of life, etc. etc. etc. I don't even mind the weather. We have embraced all that is Texas and the south, the only downside is that my cholesterol has been a minor issue because of all the great Texan/Southern food I get to eat.

No more daily stress, daily anger, no more sense of loathing of all that's around us. We do not miss our old home one single bit.

I grew up in the Upper Midwest and this is the 4th place I've lived in Texas. I consider Texas home and don't anticipate moving back where I grew up.

Pros:

Great motorcycling October to mid/late May

Vegetable gardeners get 2 tomato growing seasons (plant March and September)

Only use my old snow shovel to scoop up the mountain of spent fireworks every July 4 and NYE.

The Food

Cons:

It's miserable being an AGATT motorcyclist mid/late May thru September. I maybe get 1 ride in per year during this time when a freak cold front comes through.

Mowing season is early March until mid-December. I actually enjoy mowing, but I'm sick of it by early November.

The army of braindead people who escaped a socialist shithole, but act like missionaries instead of refugees

Only a week or two every spring and fall where you can open your windows and shut-off the HVAC.

If it rains, it's typically in the form of violent thunderstorms with flooding. We rarely get nice gentle rains.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

The army of braindead people who escaped a socialist shithole, but act like missionaries instead of refugees

I'll have to remember that one, seems to be universal across the south.
Whenever I hear some start a conversation with "back where I came from" I know they're slow learners.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Pro - Sweet Tea

Con - Sweet Tea

i was in South Carolina last weekend. I asked for unsweet tea, i got a glass of water. Is that some kind of a joke? I thought it was funny but I really wanted tea.

Check out the following:

It's a Southern Thing. https://www.youtube.com/@ItsaSouthernThing

Matt Mitchell. https://www.youtube.com/@alostrich

Pro: Lots of large airports making it easier to get a flight to vacation elsewhere.

My father worked for Whirlpool and we got transferred a few times around Michigan and Ohio. Between my freshman and sophomore year in school we moved to Danville, KY. It's in the middle of the state and the population was about 12,000. We moved in July, I was a pretty good athlete, played football so I got a jump on meeting some guys and fit in before school started. I'll never forget though the first day of school. I decided to introduce myself to a group of other students. I walked up and said "Hey you guys, what's up?" This one very cute brunette turned around, looked at me and said "Excuse me, but do I look like a guy? It's you all, not you guys." I turned bright red, they all burst out laughing, and I ended up taking that girl to homecoming. It was "Yes sir" and "Yes Ma'am" (Rules of the football coach) and "You all" when addressing a group of any sex after that. I loved Kentucky but now I've retired to rural Tennessee. It's even better here. Freedom, politics, religion, pace and quality of life are perfect to me.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Pro - Sweet Tea

Con - Sweet Tea

Solution: Half and half ice tea please.

You're welcome.

RMD

quote:

Originally posted by rduckwor:

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Pro - Sweet Tea

Con - Sweet Tea

Solution: Half and half ice tea please.

You're welcome.

RMD

Meh, I always just order a Dr. Pepper to go with my Diablo Sandwich when I'm driving through the south with my son.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
… Diablo Sandwich …

Tell me more, I’m listening.

Oh, i looked it up. It’s a sloppy Joe. Sounds good. I honestly had a rough time in South Carolina. The food was rather bland. Definitely not what I’m used to in Pennsyltucky.

Just know that if you move to South Texas that Taco Bell isn't real Mexican food, and that the line to get a crunch-wrap in the drive thru drives me bonkers.

Also, y'all is singular and all-y'all is plural.