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I'll bet a lot of people have never or rarely been to the south based on this poll. The leader, Tennessee, is certainly more "highly rated" than underrated these days, thanks to not only Nashville, but other parts of the state enjoying its overfill, and of course its lifestyle is known all over much of America. Its states like Kentucky and Arkansas that seem to fly under the radar a bit more, in particular Arkansas, which seems overshadowed by its neighbors, even notorious Mississippi. The Little Rock forum is pretty dead compared to most other forums for a city of its size. They don't call it The Natural State for one thing, with the Ozarks, Hot Springs, plantation country in the southeast, and even some Texan influences on one side.
Arkansas was actually the first state to come to mind for me also.
That's exactly the BS I am talking about. It's not creepy at all. It's just people like anywhere else. You're just as likely to meet somebody with bad intentions here in NY, perhaps much more likely.
If you ask me, you're better off worrying about inner cities and self-important college towns that aren't too kind to white people.
One man's BS is another man's reality, I guess...
There are some desolate stretches of terrain in WV and I would say try being a minority, pulling over and getting gas in the early evening along I-79, one of those stops with one rural ass gas station with a Confederate flag blazing from the light post, and gauging your comfortability, but you might have trouble guessing how a minority might feel in this situation...
I went to Charleston when I was 16 because i had a friend from there, and we played basketball at a court near a bridge and went to McDonald's, and there was a sense that blacks weren't supposed to be on the other side of the bridge. It was implied, nothing was said or done to me, but when we crossed the bridge there were no blacks over there and there were some curious glances our direction. I'll pass on WV!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
Arkansas was actually the first state to come to mind for me also.
I really don't get the Arkansas affection on here lol...
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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Quote:
Originally Posted by murksiderock
One man's BS is another man's reality, I guess...
There are some desolate stretches of terrain in WV and I would say try being a minority, pulling over and getting gas in the early evening along I-79, one of those stops with one rural ass gas station with a Confederate flag blazing from the light post, and gauging your comfortability, but you might have trouble guessing how a minority might feel in this situation...
I went to Charleston when I was 16 because i had a friend from there, and we played basketball at a court near a bridge and went to McDonald's, and there was a sense that blacks weren't supposed to be on the other side of the bridge. It was implied, nothing was said or done to me, but when we crossed the bridge there were no blacks over there and there were some curious glances our direction. I'll pass on WV!
"There are some desolate stretches of terrain in WV"
I don't see why that's a bad thing. Many states have stretches of wilderness.
As for the bolded; that's the key difference. As a white man living in Baton Rouge I was actually assaulted by racist blacks three different times in two years.
I was targeted by a local black power group being one of the only white residents in an apartment complex.
If you ask me, implied discomfort is far better than the alternative.
There was a time in this country where black folks were attacked commonly, yes. But those times are no longer here. More often than not you'll get stink eyes or passing insults. Not saying it can't happen, but it is far, far less common. Whites in a black neighborhood are more likely to be confronted directly, and non liberals at a college have their work cut out for them too.
That aside, curious glances are not necessarily negative. If you lived somewhere where you never saw a certain sort of person, you'd be curious about them too. I can't help but think you might have assumed a little out of your own insecurity.
You can't just assume the worst in everybody. I still don't assume the worst of urban blacks even though I have been assaulted by them before.
I really don't get the Arkansas affection on here lol...
Firstly, for such a small state, it has 6 F500 headquarters, including THE number one company. I find that to be pretty impressive myself.
I have yet to visit, but it really does look to have a lot of natural beauty and charming small towns. Northwest Arkansas is booming and Little Rock appears to be holding its own; not many towns the size of Little Rock can lay claim to a presidential library.
But given your comments about West Virginia and now Arkansas, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you don't care for the mountains all that much.
For me it would be a tie between South Carolina and Virginia.
It's not that SC isn't necessarily looked upon unfavorably, just that I think SC has so much to offer and is actually better than most people nationally realize. The people are awesome. The beaches within a 40 mile radius around Charleston are some of the most beautiful in the nation. The mountains from Greenville northward to the NC state line are wonderful. The Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville/Spartanburg metros are VERY solid with high qualities of life.
Pretty much the same with VA. Other than the DC suburbs, the rest of the state isn't heard about as much, good or bad. To me, it's one of the most beautiful states in the nation. Their mountains and the coast's Delmarva Peninsula are simply stunning.
1. Beaches
2. Mountains (kind of)
3. Charleston is special
4. Greenville is really nice
5. Columbia is pretty good
My company sent me to work in Greenville for a couple years and I had a low opinion of the state before actually going there and really enjoyed it.
South Carolina is EXCEPTIONAL. Has it all.
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