[bailey.gray269]

anything else anyone can think of ? this is greatly appreciated.

[Reactionary]

Yeah the dry counties are leftover from prohibition, when nanny-state progressives decided that they knew better about how you should live. There have been quite a few successful wet referendums recently so prohibition is going away - I'd like for the State to end prohibition statewide.

There are probably too many cultural differences to list, from weddings to making friends (busting someone's balls will not be appreciated). Come with a good attitude and remember that we don't care how you did it back there will help (of course that's good advice anywhere). Politics might be different.

[1973PINTO]

another poster on city data posted this a while back but i cant find it so i will plagiarize as best i can .. he told a story of a fellow from up nawth visiting a town down south that he was looking at moving to .. the fellow from up nawth asked an old gentleman in this small town " what kind of folks are you people down here ? " the old gentleman replied " what kind of folks were in the town your coming from ? ".. the fellow from up nawth said " they`re some of the most stuck up unfriendly people you`d never want to meet .. the old fellow then said " i`m sorry pal .. that`s the same kind of people we have down south ..later on another fellow from up nawth came thru ,, he found the same old gentleman and asked the same question ..the old gentleman asked the stranger " what kind of people were in the town you`re coming from .. the stranger said they were the most friendly and well mannered people you`d ever want to be around .. the old man said .. " that`s the same kind of people we have down south ..you will find what you are " looking " for ....

[rlcg37]

You're coming from a beautiful area, and will be going to another beautiful area. (Um, but one that is not covered in feet of snow half the year. ) What still blows me away here in Alabama is the trees. I haven't been to the southern part of the state, but the northern and central regions are heavily wooded, with absolutely gigantic pines and sweetgum. I presume there's some green year-round because of the evergreens, but right now we've had weeks and weeks of other kinds of leaves changing color, plus there are quite a variety of flowers blooming on my street and in my yard (I'm in the Auburn area). It's a little interesting for my brain to get around--like having three seasons all at the same time. I suppose it matters if you happen to live by a factory or a forest, but this area smells really nice. (I used to live near a sugar processing plant before I moved to Alabama, so that's why I constantly notice the nice smells.)

As to homeschooling, I don't homeschool, but I understand that Alabama has maybe more regulations on that than other states. Sounds like you have a while before you need to worry about it, but I'd do some research into that, just so you're prepared.

The culture will be different. I *don't* mean that people are nicer in one place or another--people are actually equally "nice" everywhere; they just have different unspoken norms for how to show that. In one place, they may respect your personal space. In another, they may make a lot of personal contact. Each behavior can feel "friendly" or "rude" depending on what set of cultural rules you're using to interpret by. I've lived in a lot of regions of the US and sometimes it can seem like they are all different countries. You watch for a while and see how people interact, what they expect, what freaks them out, and gradually you learn the language of the culture. Verbal honorifics (using sir and ma'am, etc.) are generally seen as desirable and polite here. (My dad was raised in the northeast, and sir and ma'am meant sarcastic backtalk growing up. But he's learned to roll with it...) Football is big. I actually don't even know a word big enough to say how big it is. Alabama is kind of a one party state (red), which is maybe frustrating if you aren't that color, but probably great if you are. I guess you don't end up with as many political robocalls here as you do in swing states, so that's good, right? It's got a ton of natural beauty, from coast to mountains (the Appalachians end here--I guess they're foothills, but still, there's Geography, which can not be said for every state!). Negatives include high sales tax, not really any renters' rights, extremely low funding for education, and a lot of bureaucracy when you move in. (Warning: budget issues have shut down a very large number of drivers' license facilities, so be aware of that when transferring an out of state license.) Positives are that yes, there is housing, there are plenty of rivers for all your rivery needs, there's lots of gorgeous nature, and you will be able to kiss your snowblower goodbye and never think of it again.

[Reactionary]

Let's discuss some "negatives":

"high sales tax"

Yes, AL ranks as the #3 highest state / county / municipal sales tax:

State and Local Sales Tax Rates in 2015 | Tax Foundation

however Alabama's total tax burden ranks as the 5th lowest in the nation (low income tax and the lowest property taxes):

Alabama again ranked one of the top 10 lowest tax states, but 'you get what you pay for' | AL.com

"renters' rights"

Alabama has a pretty fair tenant / landlord law, here's a summary:

Commentary - Know your rights: Basics of landlord tenant law in Alabama

"extremely low funding for education"

Alabama ranks #39 in the nation and is about average for the region.

"a lot of bureaucracy"

Maybe, but a lot less than when I moved to DC or Massachusetts.

"budget issues have shut down a very large number of drivers' license facilities"

Yes, however the state is backtracking on closing down those facilities and will keep them open one day a month (note that many of those offices were only open one day a week already).

[rlcg37]

Glad to hear that the state is backtracking on some of the DMV closures. With as many as originally planned, that looked like quite a hardship for a lot of folks.

[Reactionary]

Yes, I couldn't believe that Baldwin County was on the list. Ridiculous.

[brownbagg]

yes some dmv has closed but that because we have so many of them. I got six in my county, so closing one is nothing, beside you can do it on line, and at county offices too. I havent been to the dmv since 76, so is it even an issue.

hurricanes, Im on the coast, hurricanes are nothing been through about twenty of them, 99% of the damage will be in the first two miles of the coast, after that its alot of rain and some winds. the worst thing about hurricanes is listening to your neighbor generator for seven days

that ice storm we had couple years ago was worst than any hurricane i been in

[Blazin65]

Originally Posted by HOSS429

another poster on city data posted this a while back but i cant find it so i will plagiarize as best i can .. he told a story of a fellow from up nawth visiting a town down south that he was looking at moving to .. the fellow from up nawth asked an old gentleman in this small town " what kind of folks are you people down here ? " the old gentleman replied " what kind of folks were in the town your coming from ? ".. the fellow from up nawth said " they`re some of the most stuck up unfriendly people you`d never want to meet .. the old fellow then said " i`m sorry pal .. that`s the same kind of people we have down south ..later on another fellow from up nawth came thru ,, he found the same old gentleman and asked the same question ..the old gentleman asked the stranger " what kind of people were in the town you`re coming from .. the stranger said they were the most friendly and well mannered people you`d ever want to be around .. the old man said .. " that`s the same kind of people we have down south ..you will find what you are " looking " for ....

This is pretty funny. And I think I get it. So true.

[jwolfer]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

Yeah the dry counties are leftover from prohibition, when nanny-state progressives decided that they knew better about how you should live. There have been quite a few successful wet referendums recently so prohibition is going away - I'd like for the State to end prohibition statewide.

There are probably too many cultural differences to list, from weddings to making friends (busting someone's balls will not be appreciated). Come with a good attitude and remember that we don't care how you did it back there will help (of course that's good advice anywhere). Politics might be different.

If you are used to Catholic weddings with open bar and dancing at the reception, very different at Baptist or Assembly of God weddings... Cake and Tea( of course sweet iced tea) maybe Lemonade. If there is booze its the redneck boys in parking lot with flasks of whiskey.

I grew up in NJ where everyone is Catholic. However my mom is from deep South rural North Florida, so I heard about these receptions. Never experienced one until my AOG boss got married, our family is Episcopalian or as some say E'whiskey'palian. No drinking, no dancing, no fun LOL