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I hope i've came to the right part of the forum to ask this question instead of the other state sub forums.
I was just wondering which southern state is nice to live in. Even a certain area for example im interested in hearing about
Mississippi (Nothern part)
Alabama (Nothern part)
Georgia (Northern part)
Austin - San antonio area of Texas
Charlotte, NC area
My boyfriend and I want to move to the south, he is originally from Tupelo, MS but has lived in various other states, i dont find him very helpful with info lol so i've came here instead
He is qualified in the engineering industry and has a degree in mechanical and aircraft engineering. I myself do not have a skill unfortunately. Not sure which area he would be better off focusing on?
We are looking for a good warm climate, a safe town/area that is clean with friendly people, hunting opportunities, low crime, pleanty of opportunities (up and coming area), progressive area with minimum poverty with alot of ammenities like shops, malls, some bars etc. I dont mind being rural as long as i have some of these ammenities. Small town feel would be awesome too. We do not want to live in a place with alot of hatred to foreigners, African Americans or really backwards attitudes.
I really liked the look of the Tupelo, MS area and the Charlotte, NC area athough I have not been to Texas i did like the look of the state.
Sorry for the long post.
I look forward hearing peoples opinions on this
P.S some of my friends have tried to steer me away from the south as they say its full of poverty, but i'd rather get your opinions on this and see what is best for us.
There are a lot of stereotypes about the south that simply are not true anymore. Pretty much, after moving here, I've found the South to be a pretty great place to live. And when it comes to bigotry, my old stomping grounds of Cleveland and Chicago were far worse than Birmingham, where we live now.
That being said, you'll encounter some poverty in the backwoods areas of the South. But overall the region's on the make with low unemployment, low taxes and a diversifying economy that's a lot more stable than most of the country.
Here are my highlights on great places to live in the South:
1) Birmingham. Just a gem of a place. Can't say enough good things about it.
2) Nashville. If you love music, this is pretty much where it's happening.
3) Charlotte. A cool town with lots going on.
4) Knoxville. Beautiful place.
5) Savannah/Mobile/Wilmington. Quintessential southern coastal towns.
6) Asheville, North Carolina. That and Chapel Hill are great places to look into.
Towns I'm on the fence over:
1) Atlanta. Indisputably a lot going on here with great shopping, lots of cultural amenities, you name it. However, it has way outgrown its infrastructure, making your rush hour commute a living hell.
2) Tampa. Nice bayside city. Somehow or another, however, the place has lost its charm over the past several years.
Places to Avoid:
1) New Orleans. Yes, there's lot of local color there. Yes, it's a fun place to spend a weekend. But as a place to live, it's a corrupt, inefficient place that's going nowhere economically. It's a classic case of a town self-destructing over the past 30-40 years.
2) Memphis. Crime-ridden, and the city's leadership class seemed to have all bugged out for the suburbs, both physically and mentally.
I hope i've came to the right part of the forum to ask this question instead of the other state sub forums.
I was just wondering which southern state is nice to live in. Even a certain area for example im interested in hearing about
Mississippi (Nothern part)
Alabama (Nothern part)
Georgia (Northern part)
Austin - San antonio area of Texas
Charlotte, NC area
My boyfriend and I want to move to the south, he is originally from Tupelo, MS but has lived in various other states, i dont find him very helpful with info lol so i've came here instead
He is qualified in the engineering industry and has a degree in mechanical and aircraft engineering. I myself do not have a skill unfortunately. Not sure which area he would be better off focusing on?
We are looking for a good warm climate, a safe town/area that is clean with friendly people, hunting opportunities, low crime, pleanty of opportunities (up and coming area), progressive area with minimum poverty with alot of ammenities like shops, malls, some bars etc. I dont mind being rural as long as i have some of these ammenities. Small town feel would be awesome too. We do not want to live in a place with alot of hatred to foreigners, African Americans or really backwards attitudes.
I really liked the look of the Tupelo, MS area and the Charlotte, NC area athough I have not been to Texas i did like the look of the state.
Sorry for the long post.
I look forward hearing peoples opinions on this
P.S some of my friends have tried to steer me away from the south as they say its full of poverty, but i'd rather get your opinions on this and see what is best for us.
Cant be the warm climates
I used to live in Tupelo and will never, ever go back. Not that it's ugly or anything. In fact, the town itself is ok and the people are supremely warm. But it's isolated, the schools are pretty lousy, and the town is stuck on chain restaurants. The nearest big city, Memphis, is over 100 miles away.
Since you said northern Alabama, do you mean Huntsville? If so, that is a great area. The town is booming, and it's booming with a bunch of really smart people moving there: PhD's and researchers at the space center and Redstone. But because a lot of those people moving in aren't actually Southerners, Huntsville, to me, has the least "Southern" feel to it of the places you mentioned.
I've heard good things about Birmingham, too. Nashville is also wonderful and is full of cool urban neighborhoods as well as tons of great music venues. Knoxville, where I live, is in a beautiful setting and has a thriving economy, but if you're not a fan of college sports it's not a very exciting city.
I agree with what cpg35223 said about Atlanta and Tampa (I used to live in Atlanta and am originally from Tampa).
As far as Charlotte goes, I have to admit that I've never been impressed with the place. It's got a booming economy, that's for sure, but it seems to be a business-only city where downtown shuts down at 5 and everyone returns to their suburbs.
If you're interested in northern Georgia, how about checking out Chattanooga? It's a nice, medium-sized city with a cool downtown (museums, IMAX, aquarium, parks, fountains, etc.) surrounded by mountains. You can leave downtown and in a few minutes be whitewater rafting or hanggliding.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. Good luck on your quest! Moving is always exciting.
Greensboro or Winston-Salem, NC
Chattanooga, TN
Huntsville, AL <--especially good for engineering
Athens, GA <--smaller than the others, and especially good for "progressiveness"
Greenville, SC
Charleston, SC <-- jewel of the south, if you're willing to deal with tourists
I've heard mixed things about Birmingham. I really dislike Atlanta, Memphis, and New Orleans as places to live.
I don't know quite as much about Texas, Mississippi, or Louisiana.
Generally speaking, I think you're going to find that those good qualities you're looking for exist in every place, and those bad qualities you're not looking for exist in every place. I think the specific area that you move to within a city is more important than which city you move to.
Last edited by anonymous; 02-22-2008 at 03:17 PM..
Though hasn't Birmingham, AL got alot of gun related crime that is quite high? Along with Atlanta,GA?
I really want to be safe and live in a clean area with alot to do especially since we're in our 20s
Atlanta does have a lot of gun crime, but it's only in one area, i've never lived in Birmingham so i woudn't really know if they have a lot of gun crime there.
I hope i've came to the right part of the forum to ask this question instead of the other state sub forums.
I was just wondering which southern state is nice to live in. Even a certain area for example im interested in hearing about
Mississippi (Nothern part)
Alabama (Nothern part)
Georgia (Northern part)
Austin - San antonio area of Texas
Charlotte, NC area
My boyfriend and I want to move to the south, he is originally from Tupelo, MS but has lived in various other states, i dont find him very helpful with info lol so i've came here instead
He is qualified in the engineering industry and has a degree in mechanical and aircraft engineering. I myself do not have a skill unfortunately. Not sure which area he would be better off focusing on?
We are looking for a good warm climate, a safe town/area that is clean with friendly people, hunting opportunities, low crime, pleanty of opportunities (up and coming area), progressive area with minimum poverty with alot of ammenities like shops, malls, some bars etc. I dont mind being rural as long as i have some of these ammenities. Small town feel would be awesome too. We do not want to live in a place with alot of hatred to foreigners, African Americans or really backwards attitudes.
I really liked the look of the Tupelo, MS area and the Charlotte, NC area athough I have not been to Texas i did like the look of the state.
Sorry for the long post.
I look forward hearing peoples opinions on this
P.S some of my friends have tried to steer me away from the south as they say its full of poverty, but i'd rather get your opinions on this and see what is best for us.
Cant be the warm climates
some nice areas in North GA, are Buford, Lawrenceville, Peachtree City/Newnan, Buckhead, Dunwoody, Carrollton, McDonough(though it is crowded), Fayetteville,and Alpharetta.
Scotslass, I think you would really like North Carolina, especially around the
Charlotte or Asheville area. North Carolina is a more progressive southern
state, but has a lot of history, much of it Scot or Scot-Irish.
In all, can you guys tell me which states are better and are more progressive (not alot of poverty)
I take it NC and SC are growing more than the deep south like GA, AL and MS?
Thanks all
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