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I just moved back to the "Bos-Wash corridor" from Orlando, so lets stop kidding ourselves, the south is SLOW!! Not even the fastest of any of those cities you mentioned, could even compare to the slowest of any Northeastern city...Florida is a spread out state that has a large poplulation, but way of life is very slow. My family was amazed when they came to visit Tampa and Orlando at how little foot traffic there was, and how little people on the street there were on a weekday at 1pm. Dallas/Houston/Atlanta/Miami are the busiest cities in the south and none of them have a faster pace than NY/DC/Philly/Boston. The south is growing yes, but the pace and way of life down there is not the same as the North at all.
Miami is just about as far south as you can go in this country... yet is as far removed from stereotypes of the south that you can find in the entire country. The pace is much faster than the NE outside of the major cities you mentioned. Maybe we should send someone down from Vermont, upstate NY or even Pittsburg for a test run<g>. I also don't sense any areas in the north outside of your big four and Chicago to be faster paced than Orlando or Tampa are today. If you don't believe me go to those forums on city-data and you'll see tons of folks complaining, especially in Orlando looking to escape.
All the large cities of the south went through their boom after the auto and suburban sprawl and are spread out more than the dense cities in the NE so you won't find folks out on the streets. Even in Houston (soon to be the number 3 MSA)they have an endless maze of underground tunnels with most of the retail in the downtown corridor so you won't find much street level action even during lunch hour.
In general the fast growing large MSA's in the south are far different from the rural slow growth areas of the south still agricultural bible belt laid back thinking. Actually it is layed out in red versus blue voting by county in the last election especially in Florida, NC and Texas. You have cross currents of the right wing ideology/FOX, Wall Street mafia gone wild, the coastal housing/credit out of control bubble primarily in urban/blue/coastal America, globalization, the internet, migration from north to south and fast growing immigration via Hispanics creating lots of fear,confusion and misperceptions of where we are at today.
Last edited by JohnVosilla; 09-10-2009 at 10:03 AM..
Absolutely! I'd rather work 9 hours and not be running the whole time, than 8 and be running around like a mad man.
I am assuming that you are from WV, which is a very laid back state, even in Charleston, which I guess would probably be the fastest paced, people are nice and laid back. Willing to help, and willing to talk to a stranger. WV isn't a hot place, sure in the summer it gets hot and humid, but no more than Baltimore (a fast paced city).
It's not the temperature, it's culture. Southerners just know how to appreciate life, family, country, and God. In the North it's about getting more money, a nicer house, a faster car. I am from the North, but I have to say it can be very irritating.
Tell that to the upwardly mobile housewives in suburban Atlanta
I don't know, but I wish those who move here from the North would stop riding my bumper. The problem is that if I slamed on my brakes when I can't see their headlights at 55 mph they would have to pay for my car but would probably break my neck in the process. I guess Northerners will just always insist upon having every thing their way. Good reason to avoid them and stick with my own friends.
I just moved back to the "Bos-Wash corridor" from Orlando, so lets stop kidding ourselves, the south is SLOW!! Not even the fastest of any of those cities you mentioned, could even compare to the slowest of any Northeastern city...Florida is a spread out state that has a large poplulation, but way of life is very slow. My family was amazed when they came to visit Tampa and Orlando at how little foot traffic there was, and how little people on the street there were on a weekday at 1pm. Dallas/Houston/Atlanta/Miami are the busiest cities in the south and none of them have a faster pace than NY/DC/Philly/Boston. The south is growing yes, but the pace and way of life down there is not the same as the North at all.
What you're talking about is development pattern. Such does not make a city "slow" or "fast". Most of the metros of all U.S. cities are very suburban in nature, while the inner city is more dense. Such is the case moreso in cities that came of age sooner than later. As such, cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Boston developed dense inner cities. However, the suburbs of Philadelphia and Boston are no more fast-paced than the suburbs of Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, or Miami. I'd argue that the suburbs of Boston seem slower, and those of Philadelphia are on par. The Pittsburgh area also seems very slow compared to the afforementioned southern cities.
If density and foot-traffic had anything to do with how dynamic a city is, or how fast-paced a city is, then Charleston, New Orleans, or Gatlinburg, TN are really fast-paced, highly dynamic places, more so than larger cities.
Do you really believe that places like Scranton, Allentown, Providence, Albany, Springfield, Worcester, Portland, Harrisburg, etc. are faster-paced than places like Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, or Miami? Seriously, you couldn't believe such.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Some of those towns your comparing are very small towns your comparing to major cities. Allentown, and Harrisburg?? Compared to Atlanta, Tampa, Dallas? That doesn't even add up right, compare apples to apples. Im looking at towns like Baltimore, Wilmington, and Hartford, Even the pace of life in Baltimore (an MSA of 2.7 million) is faster than Tampa, and Orlando (Which have MSA's of about the same size), you see people in the streets much more often than you would in the South. Maybe it's the spread out nature of these cities but the southern ones don't have that complete "big city" pace.
Some of those towns your comparing are very small towns your comparing to major cities. Allentown, and Harrisburg?? Compared to Atlanta, Tampa, Dallas? That doesn't even add up right, compare apples to apples. Im looking at towns like Baltimore, Wilmington, and Hartford, Even the pace of life in Baltimore (an MSA of 2.7 million) is faster than Tampa, and Orlando (Which have MSA's of about the same size), you see people in the streets much more often than you would in the South. Maybe it's the spread out nature of these cities but the southern ones don't have that complete "big city" pace.
Baltimore is NOT a northern city. On the other hand, it's not really a true southern city either. Mid-Atlantic fits it well. Despite that, I've found Tampa and Orlando to be just as fast-paced as Baltimore.
How do you say Orlando is not fast-paced? It's the entertainment vacation capital of America.
Boston is NOT faster-paced than Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, or Miami. The Boston region seems very slow compared to the above metros.
You're living in the past, basing pace on the old "the north is fast paced, the south is slow" mindset.
I just moved back to the "Bos-Wash corridor" from Orlando, so lets stop kidding ourselves, the south is SLOW!! Not even the fastest of any of those cities you mentioned, could even compare to the slowest of any Northeastern city...Florida is a spread out state that has a large poplulation, but way of life is very slow. My family was amazed when they came to visit Tampa and Orlando at how little foot traffic there was, and how little people on the street there were on a weekday at 1pm. Dallas/Houston/Atlanta/Miami are the busiest cities in the south and none of them have a faster pace than NY/DC/Philly/Boston. The south is growing yes, but the pace and way of life down there is not the same as the North at all.
But the north is not all Philly/DC/Boston. What about rural NY state, PA, MA, CT, etc. Tell me that Tunkhannock, PA, Conklin, NY, or Otis, MA is more fast paced than Atlanta, Raleigh, Miami, etc.....no way!
Biscuits and sausage gravy is less nutritious brain food than bagel, cream cheese and lox.
The south may not be known for nutritious food, but I have to say the south has the north beat as far as taste goes. The only kind of food that is better in the north is Italian food. I have to laugh when people I know in the south think that Pizza Hut and Olive Garden are good Italian food.
Baltimore is NOT a northern city. On the other hand, it's not really a true southern city either. Mid-Atlantic fits it well. Despite that, I've found Tampa and Orlando to be just as fast-paced as Baltimore.
Baltimore is definitely a northern city. It has more in common with Philly and Pittsburgh than it does with Atlanta or Charlotte.
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