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Overall, the population of South is more racially diverse than the population of the North. Additionally, communities in the South are less segregated than communities in the North. Therefore, it is more common for whites in the South to have non-white colleagues, neighbors, classmates, etc. than it is in the North. This does not necessarily imply that race relations in the South are more positive or negative than race relations in the North; it simply implies that whites in the South more frequently interact with non-whites in their everyday lives relative to their whites in the North. When I first moved to Boca Raton, FL many years ago, my parents, both of whom have resided in the suburbs of Providence, RI for their entire lives, were genuinely shocked to see non-white people dining at upscale restaurants or shopping at high-end retail stores throughout upscale suburban communities in South Florida. Unfortunately, that is not a reality in New England and some other areas of the North, so there may be resulting culture shock.
On a slightly different, yet similar note, most people in the South are Baptist or adhere to another Evangelical Protestant Christian denomination whereas most people in the North, especially in the highly urbanized, densely populated area stretching from southern New Hampshire to southeastern Pennsylvania, are Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox or Jewish. Although times are changing and, subsequently, religion is becoming a less prominent aspect in the everyday lives of Americans regardless of the region in which they reside, the "cellular responses" of people in the South when placed in varying everyday situations largely originates from a Protestant background. On the other hand, most people in the North have a "cellular response" that is more deeply rooted in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Although it is very, very difficult to explain, the differences arise in the most subliminal ways. Below, I have listed a few examples that may better illustrate my point.
Funeral customs: The funeral customs for the deceased are much different in the South relative to the North. Most funeral services occur at funeral parlors or in the family home of the decedent as opposed to a church sanctuary. Also, funeral services in the South are more celebratory in character than funeral services in the North. At the average Southern funeral, the decedent's life, including their accomplishments and successes, are often discussed and rejoiced. Accordingly, the tone of a Southern funeral is lighter and less solemn than that of a Roman Catholic funeral mass. Finally, there are no kneelers are funeral parlors in the South, haha.
Wedding customs: Southerners are much less likely to wed in a church than Northerners, since the prevailing religion of the South (i.e., Baptism) along with most other Protestant Christian denominations do not condemn a wedding ceremony located outside of a church sanctuary as a mortal sin.
Divorce and remarriage customs: There is less stigma around divorce and remarriage in the South relative to the North, since most Protestant denominations discourage divorce, but neither specifically prohibit divorce or remarriage through church doctrine nor condemn either act as mortally sinful. Accordingly, the concept of an annulment is virtually unheard of in the South.
Religious decorations: In the South, you will see a lot of crosses adorning bodies, homes and roadways, but you will seldom, if ever, see a crucifix. Also, the only time of the year when you will see religious statues in homes, yards and public spaces in the South is Christmastime.
Finally, with a few notable exceptions (e.g., Cajuns in southern Louisiana), most white people in the South do not identify with a particular European ethnicity or a self-segregate based on ethnic identity due to the fact many Southerners hail from families that have resided in the United States for hundreds of years. Therefore, the primary ethnic identify of Southerners is "American," there is no concept of or nostalgia for the "old country" in the South, and you will never, ever see a home or vehicle adorned with the flag of a European nation.
Most of the religious remarks here about the "North" seem to be stereotypes based on Catholicism. You do know that there are many, many, more Protestant churches than just the Baptists, and that not all Northerners are Catholic?
For example, in my state of NJ, 67% of the population claims to be Christian, but only 34%, about half, are Catholic. 1% are Orthodox. I think we're pretty representative of the Northeast, with the exception of New England, which is likely to have fewer Catholics, given their later arrival, with the exception of place like Boston. New Englanders are also likely to have ancestry going back hundreds of years.
Another weird assumption about "the North" is that we aren't used to seeing black people shopping at high-end stores or dining in upscale restaurants or having day-to-day interactions between black and white people.
That might be true in, say, rural Pennsylvania, but certainly not in the metropolitan areas like New York City. Both are parts of the "North", but different as night and day.
The OP didn't say where he comes from, so some of your comparisons might not be applicable.
You'll find plenty of that here. Tons of northerners move south in the thousands hence why states like NC, VA, GA, FL, and TN boomed in the past few decades.
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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Originally Posted by crltn19
Probably it was like that where you lived but certainly not the case here in East TN where we have thousands of miles of hiking trails alone, plus places everywhere for biking, boating, fishing, camping, etc. ALL FOR FREE.
Less does not mean there are none. The south versus the north, the south has LESS (a word that does not mean NONE) free recreational trails and parks.
I’ll make it simple. Trail fees are a rare thing that I’ve only truly heard of out west. I’m not saying it isn’t possible, I could simply be blind to it, but I can’t imagine it being prevelant enough to make any dent in one’s average daily life.
It was a beach in Maryland. I don’t know which though I could find out.
There is no Atlantic beach in Maryland that is fenced in. I know of no Atlantic beaches in the entire northeast that are “fenced in.” If there is one, it is so uncommon that to assert that this is a common trait of northeastern beaches is full-on wrong. Given this was only based on an “anecdotal stories” you say you’ve heard from others, many more of your perceptions of the north may well be in error.
I love the humidity. Down in SC with wife's family this week have been out exercising between 10 in the morning and Noon time. I am in love with this heat.
Wife liked the dry heat of California but said willing to make due with the humidity.
I tell the Wife who is more dead set on Florida the humidity is more intense than NC or SC, LOL.
It’s one thing to exercise in the morning heat and humidity for a few days. Just make sure you and your wife are equally enamoured with doing it for 5 to 6 months. Don’t get me wrong - some people like it. Just don’t romanticize your move south to the point where you are overlooking some significant quality of life factors, particularly since your wife is only willing to “make do” with the southern climate.
The South is okay. You have hurricanes though, or the threat of hurricanes and flooding.
OP wanted to know if it was a positive or negative experience. I think that largely depends on where you're at or where you're from up North and where you move to in the South. Ask 100 different people you'll get 200 different answers. A lot of people are Southerners that just happened to be born up North. But you'll never know that without spending a lot of time in the South. The South is an incredibly large area. It's not like everyone moved to Virginia, North Carolina or Georgia. People are still moving to Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, etc.
Catholicism is actually rapidly growing in the South. Back in the 80s there were few churches but the northern migrants and Hispanic immigrants have introduced a wave of Catholic influence. As someone that has been to Mass in Mississippi, Catholicism is alive and growing there. Charlotte has the largest parish in America, and Atlanta's diocese has over one million adherents and is growing rapidly. It isn't 1985 anymore.
Yeah I know that. There are still a LOT fewer Catholic churches in Mississippi than in the northeast. That was my point. The article I linked to was from April 2019 by the way.
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