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I agree with what you said with the exception of outdoor recreation. If that's high on a person's relocation list they're gonna be pretty disappointed. There's some beautiful scenery, for sure, but the most common time for family recreation is during the summer. That's also the same time that the weather is typically at its worst for outdoor activity in the south.
For instance, tent camping in July in Texas east of the Llano would be suicidal. Can it be done? Sure, but between the bugs and overnight lows near 80 it would seriously suck.
Now there are places here and there where summer might be a little more tolerable (Knoxville & Asheville come to mind along with the coastal areas), but overall (to me) the south isn't super outdoorsy.
Why would you go tent camping in July in Texas? Why not go in October instead? Or even November for that matter. Why not in May? Using your line of reasoning I could say, "I can't possibly consider the northwest outdoorsy because I can't go tent camping in January. Totally out of the outdoorsy category because of that!"
You must not be familiar with much of the outdoor stuff to do in the South so I guess I'll give you a pass. Hint - just like you avoid going white water rafting in Montana in January, you avoid going tent camping in Texas in July. You do other things instead, and at different times of the year, that's all.
Most locales have seasons where the weather makes some outdoor stuff difficult or impossible or impractical or uncomfortable. You just pick your activities to match the season. That's common sense.
I agree with what you said with the exception of outdoor recreation. If that's high on a person's relocation list they're gonna be pretty disappointed. There's some beautiful scenery, for sure, but the most common time for family recreation is during the summer. That's also the same time that the weather is typically at its worst for outdoor activity in the south.
For instance, tent camping in July in Texas east of the Llano would be suicidal. Can it be done? Sure, but between the bugs and overnight lows near 80 it would seriously suck.
Now there are places here and there where summer might be a little more tolerable (Knoxville & Asheville come to mind along with the coastal areas), but overall (to me) the south isn't super outdoorsy.
With plentiful thunderstorms to quench the air, loads of subtropical flora providing shade, and swift sea-breezes near the coast, summers in the South, especially Coastal portions, actually feel quite comfortable, even with the humidity and bugs. With such conditions, the South feels a lot like a jungle paradise ala the Congo or the Amazon during summer. Outdoor activities are, thus, easy to do in the South, and they come with an exotic flair that is absent in the rest of the CONUS.
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Originally Posted by SoCalbound12
I lived in the South (Georgia) for 8 years and "better winters" and "Lots of outdoor activities/recreation" are subjective and questionable. Better winters? Maybe better winters than my home state of Minnesota or better winters than North Dakota. Better winters than coastal California? I spent Christmas at the beach in shorts and flip-flops this year.
Winters in the Coastal South are warm enough to support the growth of healthy coconut palms; it is the only area of the CONUS where such a feat is possible. As mild as California is, it just doesn't have the warmth to grow coconuts, unlike the Coastal South.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCalbound12
Outdoor activities/recreation is better out here than the east in my opinion. Especially California which has a multitude of climates and geological variance. Within a few hours I can be in the desert, or the beach (actually I can be there in about 10 minutes), the Sierra Nevada mountains, etc. The outdoor activities in the west are endless. California alone has almost as many national parks as the entire east coast.
The reason why California has a lot of national parks compared to the east is due to the fact that much of those natural areas in California weren't altered, and thus were easily able to be made into national parks. In contrast, much of the natural landscape of the East had already seen alteration, and settlement, and thus more of the land was under ownership, making it harder to create national parks.
We have an awful lot of outdoor activity around Charleston. Beaches and other water activities such as sailing, waterskiing, boat races, etc are very popular here. The beaches and rivers are overcrowded to the point it is hard to get to them most times. We have a shorter winter than other regions which makes outdoor activity even better and longer. Saying the south is not outdoorsy is totally wrong.
Well people everywhere, for the most part, are outdoorsy to an extent. I don't want to come off as bashing the south by the way because I loved my time there, well most of it. The North Georgia mountains are beautiful. The rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains are some of the prettiest country in the U.S.
Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.
People do NOT move to the South simply because housing is less expensive. That is an incredibly simplistic way of looking at it. People move here for MANY reasons that include, but are not limited to:
Jobs
Lower cost of living overall
Lower taxes
Friendly people
Better winters
Lots of outdoor activities/recreation
Southern ambiance (slower pace of life, traditional values, rich cultural history, friendly people, great food, etc)
The South isn't a fit for everyone - but neither is any other region. And that's OK - we have lots of regions to choose from. If you don't appreciate what the South offers, please live elsewhere. We're fine with that!
Yes, people always move to the South because it's cheap. It's not a desirable place if money and working were not issues.
Simply look at where the ultra luxury real estate is sold. A non-working jet-setting millionaire will almost always live where? NYC, LA. Do you think such people would ever set foot in North Carolina or wherever? Get real.
Lists like these always shows where the most desirable places are:
Most expensive homes sold, 2014.
1. 60 Further Lane, East Hampton, N.Y - $147mm
2. Copper Beech Farm, Greenwich, Conn. $120mm
3. Fleur de Lys, Holmby Hills, Calif. $88mm
4. Wooldon Manor, Southampton, N.Y. $80mm
5. 834 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. $80mm
6. The Carolwood Estate, Holmby Hills, Calif. $74mm
7. 740 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. $71.3mm
8. 960 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. $70mm
9. 1108 North Hillcrest Drive, Beverly Hills, Calif. $70mm
10. One57, 82nd floor, New York, N.Y $56.1mm
11. One57, 85th floor, New York, N.Y $55.6mm
12. One57, 81st floor, New York, N.Y $55.5mm
13. One57, 80th floor, New York, N.Y $52.95mm
14. One57, 79th floor, New York, N.Y $50.92mm
15. 212 W. 18th Street PH1, New York, N.Y. $50.9mm
16. 19 E. 70th Street, New York, N.Y. $50.25mm
17. West End Road, East Hampton, N.Y. $50mm
The reason why California has a lot of national parks compared to the east is due to the fact that much of those natural areas in California weren't altered, and thus were easily able to be made into national parks. In contrast, much of the natural landscape of the East had already seen alteration, and settlement, and thus more of the land was under ownership, making it harder to create national parks.
But the main reason is because the East is older than the West. The big Eastern Parks aren't national parks, but state parks, because there were no national parks originally.
Adirondack Park, which is much, much bigger than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined, is a state park, not a national park, because there was no such thing as a national park when the land was first designated as protected.
1. 60 Further Lane, East Hampton, N.Y - $147mm
2. Copper Beech Farm, Greenwich, Conn. $120mm
3. Fleur de Lys, Holmby Hills, Calif. $88mm
4. Wooldon Manor, Southampton, N.Y. $80mm
5. 834 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. $80mm
6. The Carolwood Estate, Holmby Hills, Calif. $74mm
7. 740 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. $71.3mm
8. 960 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. $70mm
9. 1108 North Hillcrest Drive, Beverly Hills, Calif. $70mm
10. One57, 82nd floor, New York, N.Y $56.1mm
11. One57, 85th floor, New York, N.Y $55.6mm
12. One57, 81st floor, New York, N.Y $55.5mm
13. One57, 80th floor, New York, N.Y $52.95mm
14. One57, 79th floor, New York, N.Y $50.92mm
15. 212 W. 18th Street PH1, New York, N.Y. $50.9mm
16. 19 E. 70th Street, New York, N.Y. $50.25mm
17. West End Road, East Hampton, N.Y. $50mm
This.
The proof is in where people with money actually want to live. They are almost all in the NYC area or Coastal California.
Speaking very generally, people move to the South because it has dirt-cheap housing. The economic opportunity is in other places, but those other places tend to have expensive housing, and Americans want cheap housing first.
Very odd, because cheap housing delivers bad returns. A home in California or New York is a MUCH better investment over time than a home in Texas or Tennessee but Americans just look at the listing price and think "Gee, what a deal!" and don't understand the real estate is cheap because it's a poor long-term investment.
Americans are very bad at math. They think a 150k home with a 2% annual appreciation is a better deal than a 250k home with a 5% annual appreciation. I will never get it.
Yes, people always move to the South because it's cheap. It's not a desirable place if money and working were not issues.
Simply look at where the ultra luxury real estate is sold. A non-working jet-setting millionaire will almost always live where? NYC, LA. Do you think such people would ever set foot in North Carolina or wherever? Get real.
Lists like these always shows where the most desirable places are:
Most expensive homes sold, 2014.
1. 60 Further Lane, East Hampton, N.Y - $147mm
2. Copper Beech Farm, Greenwich, Conn. $120mm
3. Fleur de Lys, Holmby Hills, Calif. $88mm
4. Wooldon Manor, Southampton, N.Y. $80mm
5. 834 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. $80mm
6. The Carolwood Estate, Holmby Hills, Calif. $74mm
7. 740 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. $71.3mm
8. 960 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. $70mm
9. 1108 North Hillcrest Drive, Beverly Hills, Calif. $70mm
10. One57, 82nd floor, New York, N.Y $56.1mm
11. One57, 85th floor, New York, N.Y $55.6mm
12. One57, 81st floor, New York, N.Y $55.5mm
13. One57, 80th floor, New York, N.Y $52.95mm
14. One57, 79th floor, New York, N.Y $50.92mm
15. 212 W. 18th Street PH1, New York, N.Y. $50.9mm
16. 19 E. 70th Street, New York, N.Y. $50.25mm
17. West End Road, East Hampton, N.Y. $50mm
Yes, people always move to the South because it's cheap. It's not a desirable place if money and working were not issues.
Wow, it's amazing to me that you actually believe this.
Quote:
Simply look at where the ultra luxury real estate is sold. A non-working jet-setting millionaire will almost always live where? NYC, LA. Do you think such people would ever set foot in North Carolina or wherever? Get real.
So what? They are a TINY portion of the American population. Not only that - apparently you don't realize how many millionaires DO live in the South - in spite of being a very small portion of the US population.
YOU get real. Real is middle class. Real is small business owners. Real is blue collar workers. Those are all real people, with real jobs, real families, real property, real reasons to live all over the US, including the south, which is one of the fastest growing regions in the US.
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