Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia... What's the difference? (job market, schools)

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by brent6969

About like your home state of MN, the NE part, iron range.

oh ok, like rolling hills/ bluffy type stuff?

Are there lakes in Alabama?

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by knke0204

Are there lakes in Alabama?

You might want to rethink this question.

[hdwell]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

It's not a drastic difference. There's a few more baptists. I think temps are near the same. Southern La may be colder because of the coastline.

?::

[annie_himself]

Southern La is cooler in the summer. Temps in north La reach 100+ more frequently than the south.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

You might want to rethink this question.

Is their 'lake country' in Alabama? Cabins, docks, resorts, boating... The lake life I have where I am now. I know it's common in WI and MI, just curious if the places in the south do. Of course there are lakes, but are there lakes in the sense that I know lakes?

[annie_himself]

I'm not sure about Alabama, but I'm sure it's there. It is in Louisiana, Florida, and Texas I know. I'm sure the lakes in northeast Alabama are beautiful.

[PortCity]

Lake Guntersville is really nice.It is the largest Lake resort in Alabama I believe...It`s only a hop and a skip from Huntsville.

Alabama has almost 100 lakes.Some extend into neighboring states such as Florida,Georgia,and Mississippi.There are 23 public fishing lakes in the state.There are about 12 lakes just in Mobile County alone.

[SLegend]

I have to totally agree with Po-Boy on this one. Georgia is by far the better state of the four considering I have lived in all of them. In my opinion, Georgia has more to offer in terms of working and being socially cultured and diversified. It will give you more and does house many great companies.
Alabama is more laid back-very retiring sort of. I do agree that Bham is the better city in terms of work if you are more modern technology. Huntsville is very industrial and Mobile is getting more into the ship yards and welding work. Alabama could be a great place to raise your children given that you are in more of the Northern parts (Bham, Huntsville, Athens, etc). Im originally from AL but just moved around quite a bit.
Mississippi is a bit better than Louisiana but the job market and the area for growth suck in this place. It is definitely more low income than I have ever experienced in my entire life (and boy have I covered a lot of ground). I do believe that there is absolutely nothing to this city except it's closer to AL but is in no comparison at all.
Louisiana is most certainly a place you would want to visit. New Orleans offer things that NO other parts of Louisiana will offer but this state is definitely most worst of the four. This state is more Oil/Water as well as shipyards to the core. This place is very much built for a man to make a lot of money considering he dont mind going offshore. However, the people are the Get Over type and they have more schemes and trifled ways that it makes you sick to your stomach. If you are not from there, you definitely dont want to live there. Consequently, more men flock to this place because of jobs. One good thing about this state is it's easy for individuals with felons to get a job than any of the other three states.
In my opinion, I would live in GA, visit family in AL, never think about MS and completely wipe out LA more or less.

Originally Posted by po-boy

The South often gets a bad reputation, but the region has a lot to offer. I'd like to provide some information, but this is a really broad question. You have asked about four states that each contain millions of people. There are many geographic regions and many different cities in these four states. Here are some general thoughts on the four states.

Georgia is the most populated of the four states (9.6 million) and has the biggest city of any of them. Atlanta's metro population is over 5 million, which is more people than live in any of the other three states you ask about. Much of Georgia's economy revolves around the Atlanta metro area, which in my opinion is the cultural capital of the Southeast and is one of the top ten or twelve cities in the country and home to many important businessed such as Coca-Cola, UPS, Delta, Home Depot and Turner Broadcasting. Georgia has a fairly diverse economy with agriculture, industry, military and transportation all playing large roles. Georgia has no land on the Gulf of Mexico and its only ocean access is the Atlantic Ocean. North Georgia is more mountainous than what is found in any of the other three states. Thanks in large part to Atlanta, Georgia is the most progressive and business-oriented of the four and is kind of the symbol of the "New South".

Alabama has a population of a little under 5 million. Birmingham is a fairly large city with a metro population of over a million. Birmingham was an important steel/iron manufacturing city and one of the most industrialized cities in the South, but had to change its focus when that industry became less important. Birmingham has been somewhat successful in diversifying its economy and is a regional health and banking center. North Alabama is fairly mountainous. Alabama has a few other significant cities such as Huntsville (which has a strong aerospace industry), Mobile (a busy port on the Gulf of Mexico) and Montgomery (the capital). To my mind, Alabama is kind of between GA and MS culturally as well as geographically.

I'm less familiar with Mississippi, but I can say it is the most rural of the four states and has the lowest population at just under three million. I believe it has the highest percentage of African Americans of any state. It has fairly low income and low cost of living (even for the South). Jackson is the biggest city and its metro population is probably around 500,00-600,000. It is the most traditional and "Old South" of the four.

Louisiana is Southern but to me has always felt a little different than the other three. It has more of a French influence and the food and religion are different than in the other three, as evidenced by the Cajun and Creole cultures. New Orleans is the largest city and is a place many describe as the most unique city in America. It has a very rich tradition of music, architecture, food and art and if you have never been I highly reccomend a visit. The French influence is very strong there and there are more Catholics than in other Southern states. Laws are based on the French Napoleonic Code rather than the English Common Law which is the basis of laws in other states. The Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River are very important culturally and you can really see this in the food such as gumbo and jambalaya which often contain oysters and crawfish. Petrolium/oil is a big part of the economy. Shipping is another important part of the economy.

Hope that helps differentiate four similar but unique states.

[hdwell]

The petroleum industry is where Louisiana ties to Texas. Of course Miss has quite a bit and Ala has some as well, but in Louisiana its on a large scale. The main industry of the state and the most prosperous.

[KathrynAragon]

I've lived in Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia, and driven through MS so many times I've lost count. From where I stand, here are some differences (sorry for any repeats):

1. Alabama and Georgia both have the foothills of the Appalachians in their northern reaches. LA and MS don't have any hint of mountains.

2. Louisiana is steeped in French influence and the other states have very little French influence. In fact, in Louisiana, counties are called parishes and the state laws are based on the Napoleanic laws. Cajun/Creole food is unlike any other cuisine.

3. Accents vary widely in each state.

4. Georgia is the only one of these states with an Atlantic coastline. There's a huge difference between the Atlantic and the Gulf coasts, including a lot of cultural differences.

5. To me, Georgia in general has a more genteel and sophisticated feel to it (in many areas) compared to the other three states, which are a lot more "country" and "rural" in atmosphere overall. This is a generalization of course.

6. Louisiana and Mississippi both are greatly influenced by the Mississippi River, which the other states don't have in the picture at all.

The weather is similar throughout this region (starting in East Texas and including SC and southern AR as well). There are many similar foods but also many very different regional cuisines.