I was serious

I do belong in Dixie. And I really hate it here! :)

What?

ouch - I want a one way ticket to the south - I have a car

aparently Dave doesn't know How serious I am! lol!

I hate it up here!

No, Dave just doesn't know what you're talking about.

I moved the thread to General Discussion, since this doesn't look like a question for the DG Forum.

dave

What do you hate about it? Too cold? Too dry?

I think the people from the South are much nicer. I've been there, and they just seem so much mor hospitable, that's all! I've wanted to move there for years, maybe it's about time I just do it. Savannah has been calling my name for a long time. Maybe I should make a plan and move, with a cargo of plants in about 2 years.

Karrie - I live in "the South". Don't hold your breath on this "nicer" theory.

Having lived here almost 2 years, I'll be honest. They're very nice, as long as you don't become a permanent resident and "take their jobs". I've been rudely called a "Yankee" more times than I can count on fingers and toes. I've been given the impression numerous times out in public that people that were not "born and raised in the South" can't drive, aren't polite enough, and certainly aren't as "humble" as they are. Um, yeah, sure.

My two cents, for what they're worth.

At the risk of mixing metaphors...The grass seems greener on the other side of the fence, and you take yourself wherever you go.

The Greeks said something like "When the gods wish to punish a man, they give him what he wants."

please let the gods punish me! lol!

I couldn't be happier right here in the good ole south! I have lived here in Ga my whole life and I wouldn't change a thing.
Ga would welcome you with open arms I'm sure :)

AngelSong, so sorry that they've treated you that way. all of us don't act like that.

Something I have found in my limited lifetime of experiences is that, your own attitude will have a direct effect on your quality of life.

A negative spirit will definitely cause an otherwise positive experience to be a negative one...

My 2 pesos. :)

Dave

Well said, Dave! And there's a lot to be said for learning to "bloom where you're planted" (or transplanted, as the case may be!)

Having lived in the midwest, the Rockies, eastern Tennessee, middle Tennessee, Oklahoma and now back to middle Tennessee, I can safely say there are friendly people just about everywhere, and there are cliques and clans everywhere, too. I've made friends and now miss the people I've gotten to know in every place we've left. Occasionally you run into a sourpuss, but if you smile, they might smile back. If they don't, at least they'll wonder what you're up to ;o)

Dear Angelsong ,as a GA. native, I know why a lot of natives feel the way they do about "Yankees"{ not my word} or other "outsiders". Please know that this isn't meant in malice at all, but I was taken aback at some of your comments.You see, the 'South' is disappearing at an alarming rate!!!! Our culture and way of life are being homogenized. People from other areas make fun of us: how we talk, what we eat, call us REDNECK ad nauseum, etc... The hotel where I work has a lot of international visitors and they are shocked that only a few of us employees are" locals". They had no idea that most folks in this part of GA. don't "come from here" and therefore don't have Southern accents like mine. My "accent" is constantly being made fun of. I tongue in cheek remind them that "I am from here- you have the accent". Also, with more and more folks coming in, developers are destroying our rural areas to build housing. I used to live 60 miles N. of Atlanta, but now it's about 40. The urban sprawl has overtaken the "country". My family is wanting to move really badly b/c of this. The roads and schools are overcrowded and our property taxes have TRIPLED in the last few years. A small town near me is in an uproar b/c folks have moved in and are trying to change things and the locals feel pushed out. I am not speaking to you personally about this particular issue, but if folks don't like "our way" of life, why do they move here???? I am sorry folks have been unkind and rude to you. The previous reasons I stated aren't an excuse for bad behavior. I'm just trying to shed a little light on how "we" really feel. Please put yourself in our place. I would do the same if I moved up North or out West. Folks all over this country feel threatened when their way of life is changing. Just ask the good folks of Idaho and Colorado how they feel about the "Hollywood" invasion!!!! Most Southerners were raised to be kind and gracious to everyone. It's with good reason that the South is world famous for our Southern Hospitality. I am asking that you not paint us all with such a broad brush stroke and give us a chance, OK??? I know this is really lengthy but thanks so much for hearing me out. Y'ALL COME BACK NOW AND HAVE A NICE DAY, YA HEAR!!!??

LOL, Terry, how right you are! Years back, the big boss of the company I used to work for would walk the halls ignoring everyone in his path except those "equal" to him. I was an entry-level peon, and it bugged me. Instead of concentrating on how unfriendly he acted, I started making a point of drifting into his path and saying "Good morning!" as I looked him in the eye. At first, he didn't respond with much more than a cursory nod, but eventually he didn't have much choice and would actually say hi back. :) Bloom where you're planted is right!

Jobs are scarce here too! Waiting for a phone call today. It looks like that temp position I had turned into something. That particular company is based out of Phoenix, and you know what? To me that is not the South, but I'd rather be there than here.

Dear KARRIE20X, I wanted to tell you that I have heard Savannah's siren call for years myself!!!! I really got interested after 'The Book' came out a few years ago. I really fell in love with the city after vacationing there this past summer. I must be loco b/c I dislike hot weather and it's much hotter there. Have you ever been????

No, just seen the pics. The closest I got to the South was North Carolina.

Well, Arizona was Confederate territory. Scroll down to Brief History. http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/picacho.html

People in Phoenix now are from all over, though. As far as big cities go, I think Phoenix is a nice city, that is, it looks clean and new. As far as friendliness goes, I tend to be aloof myself, so I don't really notice those things.

I did notice that the people in central NC were very friendly, though I was there on vacation (i.e. spending money) and wasn't looking to live there.

Gardenwife I knew a man just like that! Turned out he was just shy but by that time he'd put off practically everyone else from trying.

People are people everywhere! I'm often reminded, sometimes unpleasantly, that I wasn't born in Hampshire. Hey if that's the worst someone can say about me I'm not doing too badly. Sometimes people just come out with something that sounds like an insult. What they are really trying to do is get to know you but can't think of any common ground. Seriously! been doing this for 23 years.

Most people are simply shy, joke back, make lighthearted fun of yourself and most of all enjoy your day ... works a treat! OK yes there are people who go out of their way to be downright rude, you don't need them but it costs nothing to be polite. I won't say it doesn't get to me sometimes, I won't say I have never pointed out loudly how rude someone has been but it's rare and I don't have to lower myself to their standards.

You can't force people to like you but you can make yourself easier to know (and that's the real revenge on the truely nasty people because they end up sneakily liking you too) *G*

You reap more than you sow, so plant wisely and with good humour.

Karrie by all means you must try to visit. The pix don't do it justice!! The folks there are incredible!! BTW, are you a native Washigtonian. And why do you hate it so badly? I'm just nosey is all!!!

Karri-- Having been born 30 miles north of Seattle and spending too many years on the move from here to California to Texas to Korea to Nevada and visiting grandparents in beautiful Gastonia,NC and finally coming back home, I can say with some assurance that wherever you go, that's where you are.The people I met in NC were wonderful as were the Texans. In each of the locations,after age 17, I found people both good and bad. The issue in my case was not so much the people but simply the location since people are so much the same wherever you go. Our greatest drawback here in the "great northwest" is the weather. Very different on each side of the Cascades, and not ideal very much of the time. There is a syndrome, the name of which has slipped my mind, which relates to the short, dark and dreary days which seem to promote a strong depression in many people. It is the reason so many folks head south for the winter.We export a lot of 'snowbirds'. Many people, my mother included, really dislike the cold and wet and opt for sunny climes. Something we each have to evaluate on our own. If the South is calling, go for it. I hear that in Georgia people actually tan, here we rust!.

Tin Rusted! lol! But what am I going to do with this job I got today? lol! Ask them to move me to NM or AZ!

I moved from Illinois, to Missouri, to Oklahoma, to Great Britain, and then to Texas, up North to North Dakota, back to Illinois and finally I am in Alabama.
I have noticed different types of personalities that go with different places. But everyone I met in every place were eventually the same friendly people.
I guess it is what is known as culture shock when you move into a new area. You just have to get to know the natives mannerisms. What might be taken as a snub in one place is nothing more than a cautious approach to a stranger.
I must admit that in Texas, the Fort Worth area I found people overwhelmingly friendly and they probably found me reserved. But eventually I melded into their ways and it seemed as if everyone was the same again.
It just takes a little give and take and some effort to fit in. Like a kid in a new school, I guess.

I liked the Michigan Idea,but if you want to talk about hard to find work,Mi. is it!

amen root~ But i will never leave this mitten!

KARRIE i hope you find what your looking for! hang in there!

I do not paint with a broad stroke brush. I'm only responding to how I've been treated. I'm also responding to how my family has been treated when they have visited here - in stores, in churches, and on the roads.

Treading lightly on the 'acceptable use policy', let me only say that I agree with "the south" 99% of the time socially. I don't disagree with "your way", so I don't have a reason to "go back where I came from". Let me also say that state tax policies are what has brought most large new industries to the area. If you live here, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't and you're curious, email me.

I have left two churches since living here, both times for the same reason - this "Yankee" wasn't welcome there. Everyone smiled and said hello to me, until I opened my mouth. As soon as they discovered I was "from the north", I felt the coldness. Since then, I have found a pastor who is from the area, but spent some time pastoring in Ohio. He knows how I feel, and has made a great effort to help me feel "at home".

Being honest, being treated poorly at church has hurt the worst. I never expected to leave a church in tears, feeling unwelcome, but it's happened more here than it ever did in my native PA home.

The only reason I responded to this in the first place was to point out "the grass *ain't* always greener on the other side of the fence". Life is what you make it. I have found incredibly nice people here; I just don't find them to be in any larger quantity than they were in my hometown.

When my children used to say "Johnny won't play with me" I would ask "what did you do to Johnny to make him not want to play with you"....HMMMM wonder if that isn't the same for adults??

My brother and his DW lived in the same apartment in Brooklyn for 10 years...didn't know even ONE neighbor.....my Mom went to visit for a week and knew everyone on that floor and one across in the building next door (out the kitchen window)....but she was just that kind...loved people. Jo

I usually get what I give. Meaning if I give a smile, I usually get one in return. If I give a blank stair, then I usually get the same thing.
I guess it all depends on the town you live in. How small it is and how country it is.

Karrie,
I'm curious - how long have you lived in Washington? Have you ever lived in another area?

I moved all over (VA, MS, CA, IL) and did find that Southerners tend to be very hospitable, and that southern CA has EXCELLENT weather if you live right on the coast, and that Mississippi is extremely humid and you can't really swim in a bayou because of ?parasites?. Illinois winters are too cold, too long for me and my husband and I have purchased 40 acres in Southeast Arizona. We have a 5 year plan to relocate in Tucson area, then work toward saving/building a home on our property.
So if you want to make a change, I say go for it! Just do some research first to make sure it's in the right direction!

Eileen

I'm definitely from the South, and I wouldn't live anywhere else. I'm in a very small rural town, as well. However, with the oil industry being what it was until 20 years ago, we have as many transplants as natives.

The only transplants that get treated badly are the ones who come in wanting to change and criticize everything. If you don't like our way, go away ... (We, on the other hand, feel very free to criticize our own way LOL). And those who come looking to take advantage of us 'poor dumb southerners'.

As to clique-ish-ness, there's lots of that, just like anywhere else. If you are going to get your heart broken every time some group rejects you, you are in for a life of pain. No matter where you live.

Southerners have a friendlier facade than 'Yankees' (for want of a better word), but it's only a facade. I understand that a southerner offering you a meal is about equivalent to a 'yankee' saying "how do you do?"
OK, maybe that's an exaggeration ... but the point is it doesn't mean the same thing here that it does there. You are likely to get your feelings hurt if you don't realize this up front. Just as we can get our feeling hurt by the normal behavior of 'yankees' (which can be taken as 'abrupt' and even rude in our culture).

Anyway, once you get past the customs and learn to read the signals correctly, people are the same all over the world.

I wouldn't advise moving south because it's friendlier. Friendlier it may be - more genteel and polite - but not more accepting. It makes better sense to move south for the gardening zone. =)

Cheri'

I have lived in Washington since 1972, when I was seven. Before that, Southern California. During 3 years of highschool, I lived in Owosso, MI (went to Spring Vale Academy).

While at Spring Vale, I was in "The Sound", a music ensemble that toured. We went to the South on tour, and I had a wonderful time in North Carolina. However, I was very upset with the preacher of the church there, as he made a comment while we were driving in his car that he should "just run over" the black man that was crossing the street. I was very offended that a man of God would say such a thing.

Dear Angelsong, I am very sorry you were treated that way in church. These folks are being sinful by not loving their neighbor. This speaks more about their lack of obedience to the LORD'S commands, rather than where they live. Believe it or not, at the church my DH and I attend, the people treat us the same rude way. They won't sit near us, and look down their noses at us b/c we're not as educated, our house isn't as big, or our bank acct. isn't as large as theirs. And of course, we simply cannot really KNOW anything about the Bible or God. We're just ignorant country folk. We are now going to try find a friendlier church. By the way, these folks I'm speaking about make up about 98% of the church - and they are NOT SOUTHERNERS!!!!! So see, the prejudice works both ways!!!!!!! GOD bless you in your search for a "real" church.

Berrygirl, it looks like you have a bunch of hard returns (enters) in there. If you edit them out, the post will be a normal size.

Karrie, come on down!!!!!! The waters great!!! If it wasnt for folks coming to see us from other places, we wouldnt have jobs!!! We love the snowbirds and the seagulls. Most of the folks around here are transplanted from somewhere else. There are very few of us "true locals". But that is okay!!! This place really is a melting pot. Come on down and visit. If ya like it, then stay. It is perfectly alright with us Southerners. And we promise not to giggle at your accent if you dont snigger at our drawl.

OK I'm not religeious and don't go to church, but I'm amazed at how they treat you. What if a bum like me walked in half-way through a service? "Get out, you're interupting?" Frank.

Dear Frankay, us "churchfolk" keep more people away from church than anything else. But I can tell you if the people are real Christians, they will welcome and love you. I do hope you don't stay away from church or God b/c of us imperfect sinners who happen to go to church. BTW, you are a creation of Almighty God so I know you are not a bum!!!!! God bless ya!!!

Even real Christians do stupid things and act wrongly out of prejudices and ignorance, too.