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You can't measure any of these so I can tell you this thread will end up being locked because people from both regions bickering about how much denser Cincinnati is than Dallas.
When it comes to niceness, how do these two regions compare?
From an Upper Midwestern perspective, I'd say that the Deep South is probably more outwardly "nice", in terms of feeling the need to always exchange niceties and pleasantries, even when it's completely pointless or unnecessary (saying "hello" to complete strangers on the sidewalk, asking customers "how are you?" when going through the checkout at the store, etc.). Upper Midwesterners are generally only outwardly nice when it's obligatory or involves no effort, however, we are always courteous.
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Originally Posted by Dawn.Davenport
Is it real or phony?
A lot of people might say the brand of "Minnesota Nice" known around here is really just another term for passive-aggression, but it really does depend on the situation. Sometimes being nice really is being nice. As for the Southern variety, I'm not familiar enough to form an opinion.
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Originally Posted by Dawn.Davenport
Can one be nice and not kind or friendly?
See: Minnesota Nice.
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Originally Posted by Dawn.Davenport
How welcoming are these areas to tourists and transplants?
I'd be inclined to believe that urban areas of both regions are equally welcoming to tourists, however, the rural Deep South seems much, much more hostile to the casual traveler. As for transplants, I would think the Deep South is slightly more welcoming, simply because so many people already are transplants.
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Originally Posted by Dawn.Davenport
How do the locals take to sarcasm?
Upper Midwestern humor is often bone dry; sarcasm is omnipresent.
Just like any other region, there are going to be nice AND rude people. And there are going to be certain cities/suburbs/towns within each of these regions that are going to be either overall rude, or overall nice... but an entire region?
I really don't know how anyone can make such blanket statements (of it being one way or the other) about any area as huge as both of these regions are. There are popular opinions, and then there's the reality... which usually is much more complex.
I have more experience with the South than I do with the upper Midwest, so I'll just say this... I found certain smaller cities like San Angelo, TX, Lafayette, LA, Hot Springs, AR, Chattanooga, TN, and Asheville, NC to be generally very friendly and somewhat "polite" places.
On the flip-side, I found places like Jackson, MS, Tallahassee, FL, Port Arthur, TX, Little Rock, AR, and Roanoke, VA to be pretty unfriendly and Xenophobic.
I find most of the large cities in the South (Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, etc.) to be too diverse and too much in a state of flux to nail down as being overall nice or rude. Equal measures of both, I guess... depending on what neighborhood you're in.
I would imagine the upper Midwest is much the same way.
Deep South: hospitable and polite, extremely passive-aggressive, not that sarcastic
Upper Midwest: very polite and "live-and-let-live"/personal space sort of attitude, more non-confrontational than passive-aggressive (we just sort of ignore all conflict and hope it goes away on its own), extremely sarcastic and dry humor
When it comes to niceness, how do these two regions compare?
Is it real or phony?
Can one be nice and not kind or friendly?
How welcoming are these areas to tourists and transplants?
How do the locals take to sarcasm?
Which is more passive aggressive?
Having lived in Indiana most of my life and Mississippi for the last 4 years of my life I think I'm pretty qualified to answer these questions.
SOUTH - Most of the niceties and welcomes you get from people in the south ARE in fact genuine. They love conversation and love to talk about anything, whether they know you or not.
MIDWEST - The midwest is not to be underrated here. I find a TON of nice people in the northern Indiana area, people who will genuinely go out of their way while at a customer service job to try to please you.
SOUTH - I think tourism is probably a little bit bigger in the south, it's more of a destination area. You have the coasts, the casinos, New Orleans, Atlanta, Plantations, Civil War sites, old French and Spanish settlements. A lot of areas of the south rely heavily upon tourism, and they are very welcoming to people from all over, even northerners! I still carry my northern accent in Mississippi and people are always friendly to me.
MIDWEST - Not such a destination area, not as much to see. Chicago has a lot to travel to and for, but probably doesn't rely so much on tourism. Big city people are typically more rude and more aggressive in driving habits and street manners, but in the smaller cities this typically disappears. Midwest has its share of history, you have Chicago, pretty much speaks for itself, Detroit and the automobile history, South Bend Indiana was the home of the Studebaker, which used to be a profitable automobile brand for several decades manufactured in the very state of Indiana, John Deere was founded and is still head quartered in Illinois, Chicago and Cleveland have some of the best museums.
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