Moving from Maine to Blue Ridge or Blairsville, GA

[basailuolin]

Thanks for your input, I do appreciate it when people don't beat around the bush. When we moved here we were actually accepted by the locals faster than those who were from away.

We have been there already and are going back again in 2 weeks. I think anyone you run into on vacation is going to be pretty nice to you. If they are in business, tourists are part of their bread and butter. If they are locals, they know you are on your way out of town soon so they tolerate you. Living there becomes a different matter.

As far as work goes we are lucky that it can travel with us. Or that could be a curse that you can never get away from it! Just kidding, I am thankful every day that we have jobs.

Thanks again for your insight.

[antiquesmountainapache]

Sounds like you have the right mindset! This is a beautiful part of Georgia.

[MMuller]

We moved up to Adairsville last October from Miami Fl. Being from Miami, and that my wife is Cuban, I was sure that we would encounter some hostility. I was very incorrect. The ladies at the hospital that my wife volunteers at have taken her in and promise to " make a southern girl out of you yet". All the people I have had dealings with find it strange that I would move from a city like Miami to such a small town and all have been very friendly. Blue Ridge is about an hours drive from Adairsville and we enjoy it frequently. I think the way you come across initially will have a lasting impression on the people you meet and the way they treat you subsequently .

[ReneeP80]

Concerning Blue Ridge and the rest of Fannin County, Ga:
The town of Blue Ridge sounds small statistically(less than 1300 people) but the "within the city limits" population is
just a fraction of fannin county(population of around 25,000 -not including the multitude of tourists at any given time and
the populace of neighboring Copperhill, Tn residents), which functions as a whole ( not necessarily governmentally, but
communitywise).
As far as people go, there are some who will give you the shirts off their backs, and there are just as many who are all
about appearances, very clannish, two-faced, and judgemental. You might want to read the posts on the Blue Ridge Topix
website if you would like some insight into the local mentality.
This is a small town, but as I said do not be fooled. Crime does take place, only you don't hear about it as much. Local
officials don't want to tarnish the image of their tourist town. Get a local paper and read the arrest/incident reports,
this will give you greater insight, but be aware that some of the newspaper higher-ups are majorly involved with the local
chamber of commerce, so some information might possibly be biased and some of the noteworthy happenings pertinent to your
query might possibly be left out. For an example of local crime, just recently a man shot and killed 3 members of his
extended family because of a dispute concerning property lines, just 10 miles down the road in the "Grassy Creek" area of
Polk County, Tn. Crimes do take place. I would never sleep with my windows open in this town, and havent for years.

Meth and prescription drug abuse is rampant in this area. It is a way of life for a lot of these people. Burglaries are on
the rise and this place had over 20 suicides in one year! The yearly suicide rate, especially in winter, is staggering.
Look on some of these statistics sites and you will see that the likely hood of injury in this area is almost twice as high
as Ga average. Access to good medical care is lacking. The larger majority of the population of the county is on welfare or
elderly retirees. There is very little for young people to do in this town which has led to a higher rate of teenage
pregnancy. Neighboring Gilmer county supposedly has a larger percentage of their population that are HIV positive than the
city of Atlanta. There are limited job opportunites. It is no Mayberry by a long shot, but Mayberry is what they want
people to think. I live here and believe me, I would LOVE to move to some place more rural. Rapidly this town is becoming
merely a suburb of Atlanta and losing its rural charm. Much of the way of life that made this area a wonderful place to
live is quickly dissolving with the influx of population from other towns, and their subsequent push for change and growth
is destroying that very small town atmosphere for which the area is so touted. This explains the unfriendly attitude of
locals who do not wish to see a bar on every corner, and other such insults perceived to be at the hands of local
authorities who seem to cater to the tourist and neglect to try and make this town a great place to actually live in (not
just visit).
If you want a truly rural atmosphere, try Ironsburg, TN or some place in North Carolina. Both are growing much more slowly
and retaining much more of a neighborly attitude toward one another, imho.