What's so great about the Sunbelt? (crimes, new home, neighborhood)

[Daytonnatian]

Personally, I see almost nothing good about this region. Why do you all that defend it do so?

[Spade]

Why do you all bash it.
Why do you all make a subtle thread every day or week to post something negative about it.
What type of agenda do you have by posting this?

People like different things. Some people don't find the appeal of rust belt cities. They don't care that the older cities have four seasons or lots of museums and history. They care about living, not playing. If they think they can make a better living in the sunbelt, what does it matter to you? People in the sunbelt do not make threads daily or weekly to discuss on how bad or how fake the rustbelt is.

I think it's just time to stop the insecurity. This is still the same country.

[LovinDecatur]

Because we're sick of the constant barrage of smug, unfounded and mean-spirited comments flung at us on this forum.
Are you from Dayton? I've been there many times...LOL. I wouldn't be on such a high horse about the Sunbelt if I were you.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Daytonnatian

Personally, I see almost nothing good about this region. Why do you all that defend it do so?

Probably because it is their home and they love it. Kind of like asking why you like that ****hole Dayton so much.

Worked in Dayton for a bit, and trained in Dayton a bit for martial arts and trust me, there isn't much to draw others there that come from someplace else. Lived in the South/sunbelt for a time also and frankly, while it isn't for me (too darn hot in the Summer) it wasn't that bad.

[JJG]

I could just as easily ask what's so great about the Rustbelt.

But it doesn't matter..... every area has its ups and downs. Its goods and its bads.

[loillon892]

It's a personal preference, but in all honesty, I truly wonder how many of the people here have lived in both regions?

I was born in Lansing, Michigan. Grew up in Detroit, saw that region and entire state disintegrate in many ways. Attended college in Pittsburgh, saw the economy in Western PA disintegrate. Moved to California briefly, then to Florida, where I have since stayed.

I might turn your question back around at you - I never understood what it was about Rust Belt cities that people found so attractive? The racism I saw firsthand in Detroit as a young man could surely match anything coming out of Dixie. I hate cold weather. Old decaying buildings and infrastructure aren't my thing. Having now lived in the Sun Belt for a long time, you could not pay me enough money to move back to Michigan, Pennsylvania, or a similar state.

[Daytonnatian]

Okay, I'll be the first to admit Dayton isn't in good shape right now (or has been this decade...), but what I don't get is why is the sunbelt any better?

Why do people flock to hideous sprawl in a land with extreme humidity, or even in the middle of a desert?

How can they really be that much more business-friendly or livable when our policies are in line with those of the vibrant northeast?

Why has the rust belt had such a huge exodus over the past 40 years (excluding the whole auto and steel thing....)?

What are you doing in the sunbelt that makes you more attractive to the average citizen than the rustbelt or other similar regions?

I don't get it, and why I am so mean to y'all is because I want to understand. For me, I see my "blighted" warehouse as a place with potential, and the decaying house on the corner as a place that would look amazing with a little elbow grease. I also see the people in the rust belt as some of the hardest working members of society, and as people who deserve better. However, I see a farm field as a farm field. Not as a Super-Walmart or a golf course community. And when it does change to one of those, I don't view that in a positive light. Still, I want to know why you sunbelt-lovers do see sprawl as a good thing, and why you would rather live in it than say, a well-established wealthy urban neighborhood, a historic district, or even a farm. Why you would rather fight traffic than take public transportation or move to a less-congested area, or live in a region that has a long history of racism, discrimination, and hate crimes.

So, the simple question is why?I do not wish to attack you on your decision, I simply do not understand it. Please explain.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by Daytonnatian

Personally, I see almost nothing good about this region. Why do you all that defend it do so?

LMAO It is not necessary that you see anything "good about it." Who are you and why should it matter to you?

Defensive about it? Another belly-laugh. Why do you feel a need to attack it? A little insecurity -- as Spade put it -- yourself maybe...?

BTW -- rep points (if I can give them) to LD, Spade, Byland, and Lollilon (hope I haven't missed anyone!).

[supernerdgirl]

Originally Posted by loillon892

It's a personal preference, but in all honesty, I truly wonder how many of the people here have lived in both regions?

me me me I have!

And I will never go back down south.
Ever.

[loillon892]

Originally Posted by Daytonnatian

Okay, I'll be the first to admit Dayton isn't in good shape right now (or has been this decade...), but what I don't get is why is the sunbelt any better?

Why do people flock to hideous sprawl in a land with extreme humidity, or even in the middle of a desert?

Because you have to be a masochist to enjoy Michigan winters. I have grown used to the heat and humidity here, but after 23 years in the Rust Belt - 18 in Michigan and 5 in Pennsylvania - I fail to find a single appealing thing about that climate. Weeks upon weeks of overcast skies. Trees that are nothing but bare sticks for nearly half of the year. Snow and ice that limits your mobility and can be very dangerous. I never will forget how happy I was, my first winter in Southern California, walking on the beach in January.

When I lived in Pittsburgh, I got to see firsthand what living in an "old historic walkable" neighborhood was like. It did not appeal to me. I do not enjoy being crammed into public transportation with strangers, limited in route choices by the decisions some bureaucrat makes. Having a car is, in my opinion, a key aspect of the American experience, and it is liberating. Why in the living hell would I want to live like people did in 1800's before the advent of modern transportation? That is what this whole "walkability" mantra sounds like to me - it makes life unnecessarily difficult.

How can they really be that much more business-friendly or livable when our policies are in line with those of the vibrant northeast?

Strong-handed unions and liberal politics - along with a healthy dose of Big 3 incompetence - killed my home state. Many Rust Belt politicians seem to still believe that unions create jobs, and their states will remain stagnant so long as they do not get the picture. They are so blind, voting for the same types of competition-stifling policies decade after decade and expecting different outcomes. And, outside of NYC and Boston, "vibrant" is hardly a term I would use to qualify the Northeast.

Why has the rust belt had such a huge exodus over the past 40 years (excluding the whole auto and steel thing....)?

What are you doing in the sunbelt that makes you more attractive to the average citizen than the rustbelt or other similar regions?

Because people like me left for greener pastures elsewhere. I have no agenda - I went where the opportunities were, where life seemed better and more livable. I could really give a damn if a city is "rich in history" - if I don't enjoy living there, the average age of the buildings or the number of museums per capita is of no concern to me.

I also don't consider "sprawl" to be a four-letter word like some. What urban elitists see as "sprawl", I see as a plethora of shopping and recreational opportunities in easy reach, coupled with highly affordable, yet high-quality and new homes. Easy choice, in my opinion.