From California to the Bible Belt (Birmingham, Montgomery: transplants, military, rental)

[irishfan]

I grew up in Virginia, but not rural Virginia. My father was a career naval officer/pilot. When he retired we moved to San Diego, CA. School, marriage, kids all happened. The kids grew up and moved out on their own. Retirement became a topic of research. I knew Southern California, even though that's where I live, wasn't a prime retirement destination. I conducted an extensive research project that covered several weeks. I looked at every region of the US. We looked at Baja.

I was looking for a place where the dollar went further than it did in SoCal. One of our longtime SoCal friends moved to Middle Tennessee. We went to see them. They lived on 6.5 acres north of Cookeville. They wanted us to move nearby. I was skeptical about living in Tennessee. I was leaning towards Asheville, NC. I completed my relocation research after we returned home. I was surprised to find myself choosing Tennessee. I made several trips to Cookeville and met lots of people; most were from outside of the South (Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida). They had driven through Tennessee on their way to Florida or the Gulf on previous vacations. Something about Middle Tennesse brought them back. My wife is latina and we're Catholic. I looked at lots of property on the net and with an agent. I found the perfect place with 13+ acres just out of Cookeville. I brought my wife with me on the next trip and she loved the place. We bought our place with it's 10 acre woods. We're happy with Cookeville. The Catholic church in town was building a new building. We went to free concerts near the old railroad station. We ate fried gator tail and attended football parties. We spent hours on the lake, hiking down to waterfalls and looked at antiques in Crossville.

We were going to retire fully last year, but one of the kids who has type-1 diabetes had a health crisis. Her only medical coverage was through us, so we continued to work and retirement went on the back burner. My wife has continued to work, and we bought a little beach house in Baja only a few hours drive from home. We just got back from Cookeville and fell in love all over again. People are concerned about relocating to the Bible Belt. I think there are pervasive stereotypes about regions and the people who live there. If you want people to be open minded with you, you need to be open mided too. I know there are people who don't like hispanics, catholics, outsiders and democrats. I've encountered them in California and I'll probably encounter them in Tennessee. Even my wife calls me a 'demoncrat' in my own house. We've got other areas of different affiliations too. I'm Notre Dame and she's Southern Cal; Fighting Irish vs. Trojans.

I'm not much for public discussions of religion and politics. I don't make an issue of trying to convert anyone to my point of view. I think most people want to live their lives without outside interference. Personal privacy is is valued and respected; that's what's important. My wife and I have experienced a warm welcome, hospitality, honesty and friendship. We feel we chose wisely by buying in Cookeville. It's about halfway between Nashville and Knoxville, and about 90 miles North of Chattanooga. There are plenty of nice counties on the Cumberland Plateau. Lots of nice scenery, but more importantly lots of nice people. Don't worry about so-called religious zealots, or intollerance. You can find that anywhere. The South doesn't hold the market on bias or bigotry. The South is rich and warm, and full of wonderful people and places.

[larryb]

Northern bama is great. A lot of people who have formed opinions of the South have never been there.

[written.word]

Thanks for the straight-forward defense of our Southern, Bible-belt values, Brandon. Moderator cut: offensive

but why on EARTH, much less in Heaven, would you choose the Deep South since you object to the culture and beliefs of almost every born-and-bred Southerner is totally beyond my comprehension. There's Hawaii, if you want warm and sunny. There's Southern California, and it doesn't sound as if the cost of living is a problem for y'all, [cut]

Nobody has you by the collar, insisting that you live in the South. You want the good life in the South, but you don't belong here. Face it. For the Southerners who've posted who haven't been to church in a coon's age --- shame on you. It takes just two generations, and children become biblically illiterate, have you thought of that? No, don't answer, it's a rhetorical question... [cut]

[nalabama]

This is hilarious! I'm a born and bred southerner, am not certain about God and don't care if you know that Huntsvillian for nearly fifty years, and argue with my friends (including family) and neighbors about it all the time. I hunt, I smoke, I drink, I spent a significant part of my life chasing members of the opposite sex with less than honorable intentions, and I even drive a big pickup truck. And my neighbors and co-workers and friends have almost always treated me with respect and love throughout the whole journey. Huntsville is a fine place to raise a family, seems to have a great economic future, and has wonderful citizens for the most part. It also has wonderful churches and lovely members of those churches. Take away the heat and humidity (and the six-hour drive to the beach) and it would be close to perfect! Move on in, we would love to have you here!

[Sawdust]

I honestly don't think some of the folks that have made a post on here have ever been to Alabama, maybe not even to the deep South. There are good folks and nut cases from here as there are everywhere. Yall have your Berkley and San Francisco types. Not to say that there aren't good folks in either, but the nut cases always overshadow the decent folks from anywhere and get the media attention.
Most folks here live and let live. Politics, sports, and religion take up way too much media and coffee shop discussion time, but there is only so much can be said about the weather.
If you believe that the "Jerry Springer guest types" are a norm here, you have been watching way too much tv (as some of the others here must have been doing). Sure we have them but then again sadly we have the Jerry Springers too. Vast majority are just normal folks. And to set the record straight, being a real Redneck is a good thing. There has never been a real Redneck appear on any of the "talk shows" that love to show the green tooth, cousin marrying, pot bellied, ignorant, trash and label them a Southern Redneck. As you have said, you met nice folks in your travels here. I'd bet most were your average good ol' boy/girl, turnip truck riding Redneck, just so happens they might have been in their business suit and Mercedes on their way home from their job as rocket scientist that day....

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by speedoflight

This is an excellent post. It's really more of if you can deal with the local situation than the other way around.

1) Religion
Can you deal with the strong brand of religion that will be very pervasive? YES
Can you deal with that they may never accept your difference? YES

Is a free country and everyone has a view...

2) Poliltics
Can you deal with a sea of Red all around you come election time and when the results are announced and that your Blue candidate(s) have little chance to win. Yes

Can you deal with that your neighbors may not accept that you hold a different political belief? Yes

Yes, happen everyday...

3) Social Culture
Can you deal with the difference in how friendships, relationships are formed?
yes
Can you deal with how diversity is embraced or not embraced? YES

Can you deal with how your gay friends may or may not be treated well. YES

The list goes on very long but these are important questions to ask yourself when you move away to any state/city and it's not just reserved for Alabama. I think that too many people are so overzealously worked up about home prices, particularly if you come from a very expensive place like CA but if you can't accept the change and fit in, it wouldn't matter if that house is $10, you'd be miserable.

Excellent questions, and the answer for most of us is YES. We are in a free country and we can accept or reject as we desire.


I live close to Alabama and have many friends that I visit in the state. It is a great place and is well balance. But back to the original post, is up to the individual to fit in the state our community.

[LoveBoating]

There is a scene in the beginning of the movie, Doc Hollywood (Micheal J. Fox), where David Ogden Stiers (plays the Mayor) walks into the town's hospital exam room and startles Micheal J. Fox (who is sleeping on a gurney). Micheal looks up and says "oh sh_t!" The Major looks at him and says, "you'd better watch your language son, remember, you're are in the Bible Belt!"
How true this scene was!!

[BuckeyeSummers]

I have been in Alabama for three years. It's not what I thought it would be. Being from the the Midwest living in the deep South took quite an adjustment. I never saw the Midwest as very progressive or liberal. That view has since changed, especially when compared to the South. Alabama and most of the South is very conservative, sometimes bordering on being narrow minded. If you can learn to keep your opinions and views to yourself, you will find very honest, laid back, and friendly people. I am still not used to going to Wal-mart and having a conversation with a complete stranger about there life. It happens. I live near Birmingham and would have to say there is in my view a great separation between the social and economic classes of people here. Rich take care of rich, poor take care of poor. I grew up in an area where the classes tended to merge. People here are hard working when it comes to their family, but the belief I get is that you show up for 40 hours and you get paid for 40 hours instead of work for 40 and get paid for 40. It sometime comes across as laziness. I find this to be true of both the blue and white collar workforce. There is still a lot of racial tension as well, from both sides of the fence. Many folks are truly nice and mean well in there own county folk way, but I just don't agree with the idea of making a judgment of a person based on the answer to this question: "What church ya go to?" The answer to that question makes or breaks the way you are perceived in the community. Everyone will always treat you with the famous southern hospitality, but know that is only worth the surface value and nothing else. I will say that compared to the north, winters here are fantastic. The country side is some of the most beautiful around. Alabama has a great abundance of outdoor activities and natural parks. Though I enjoy the outdoors, I will be returning to the Midwest. I will be starting a family soon and prefer my children grow up near family. If you have children, your best bet in Alabama is private school as the education here is less than par. Basically if you are looking for mild winters, laid back atmosphere, and a conservative culture choose Alabama, otherwise look elsewhere. Its not this extreme everywhere and I have met some genuinely nice people. My views are solely based off my personal experiences with unforgiving people who voice their viewpoints on me being another "damned Yankee". Alabama is a beautiful and friendly place for some, just not me.

[fishmonger]

It isn't so bad with the mega-conservative people everywhere if you live around Southside Birmingham, but the public schools are not good there.

[marysally]

You just need to go a little further north to Huntsville. There you will find friendly folks transplanted from all parts of the country with a variety of political views and absolutely no pressure to attend church. The public schools are also highly rated.