Attitudes toward Northerners ("Yankees") (Memphis, Knoxville: to live in, move to, friendly)

[dave1961]

Originally Posted by ladyofengland

Hi Newcomer

A Brit here married to a Yankee Bronx boy. We retired here 2.5 years ago from Middletown NY, (not far from Westchester) and love it. The people are the friendliest you will find. I went to a doctors appointment the other day in downtown knoxville, and when i asked how to get back to where i had parked my car, the nurse accompanied me right out to the parking lot to find my car. I thought to myself this would NEVER have happened in NY.

Like the young man who delivered my new bed and took off his shoes before he walked into my home. It would NEVER have happened in NY

The Bronx boy(my dear husband) had total knee replacement surgery in May, and I know he was thinking he may be better going back to NY for his surgery. Well I convinced him to stay and have it done here. Well he and I had the best experience in hospital care and treatment we have ever had. I can tell you it has been a big eye-opener for him here. I must admit I researched on the internet and had him consult with 3 doctors before deciding the best to do it. It's ironical that it turned out the surgeon was originally from NY.

When you go grocery shopping here, you need time, because there is not doubt someone will stop and shoot the breeze with you. In my supermarket in NY nobody talked to me ever.

I lost my car in the Target parking lot ( something that happens too often lately (Might be old timers disease) but when I finally found it there was an young man sitting in the car beside mine, he said out the window "that happens to me all the time" I almost died of embarrasment, he must have been watching me looking for my car. Well I spent the next half hour chatting with this perfect stranger and as I happily drove away I thought to myself. If this had happened in NY I would have thought he was going to rob me.

My hubby loves to joke with people he meets and he always says " He loves it here and got here as soon as he could"

Life certainly is different down here, far far better !

Come on down you will love it.

Jen

Hey Jen, you don't happen to live in Seymour, do you? Are you in the real estate business?

[just_sawing]

The largest problem southerners have with other people is we don't do it like that because this is not Detroit. We had a nice couple move on a farm here and he in six months tried to educate us in farming timber firedepartment and everything else. They have now moved because we wern't friendly. Came here but relieze that even though we talk slow were not dumb. We have depended on our neighboros for ever so yes we are going to say howdy and mean it.

[xlabel]

I moved to Knoxville back in the 90's for a couple years, and can tell ya if they will tolerate a die hard Gators fan from FL they can they'll be tolerant of just about anybody. I met a lot of genuinely good folks who were a lot of fun to hang out with in Knoxville.

[ladyofengland]

Hi Dave, No I'm not into real estate and live in Strawberry Plains.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by just_sawing

The largest problem southerners have with other people is we don't do it like that because this is not Detroit. We had a nice couple move on a farm here and he in six months tried to educate us in farming timber firedepartment and everything else. They have now moved because we wern't friendly. Came here but relieze that even though we talk slow were not dumb. We have depended on our neighboros for ever so yes we are going to say howdy and mean it.

Amen, I am gonna be the first to rep you on CD. I actually used to have that on my profile: "Just because we talk slow doesn't mean we are slow". I liken some people moving here to ladies with battered wife syndrome. They have had such bad experiences that they are expecting the other shoe to drop, so to speak. They just can't believe that people here are nice and helpful. And so it goes from there.....

[dave1961]

I think both sides can be guilty of stereotyping.
I was born and raised in New Nersey, but I moved out of NJ as soon as I could. Why? Because I found myself to be a better "fit" with the southern people and their brand of hospitality and "neighborlyness", if that's a word. So, just because I'm originally from NJ, doesn't mean I act like the typical NJ stereotype. Besides, none of us had the ability to decide where we were born. And that's the name of that tune!

[Beretta]

I agree! My kids were born in Pittsburgh so I can attest that stereotyping them as yankees or northerners is definitely not appropriate. This southern mama was in grad school at the time in Pittsburgh or they would have definitely been born in the south! They were raised southern 110% even though they spent their younger years in PA. We still hold many yankees near and dear to our heart but there is an overall, general, difference between the areas. We love trips back to Pittsburgh because there is that difference and we like to experience that culture every once in a while. And to get a decent bagel. LOL

[ladyofengland]

Oh for a decent bagel !!! Then again there is nothing like Italian Creme cake which I discovered here. But I still gotta try moonshine one of these days !

[tenneseetransplant]

Originally Posted by manyroads

I'm a native of the New York City metro area, but looking to escape from NY in the not too distant future. All of the areas I'm currently considering are located in southern states (VA, NC, SC, TN), but I know that there are still people in parts of the South that act like they're still fighting the Civil War, and are against anything or anyone from above the Mason-Dixon line.
I don't consider myself your typical New Yorker... I'm not loud or flashy, rarely curse, and I don't have any discernible accent (certainly not the stereotypical NY accent on tv shows). In fact, people are often surprised I've lived in NY almost my whole life!
If I were to move to Knoxville coming from NY, would it be difficult for me to be accepted by the locals?

The people here in Morristown (close to Knoxville) are very nice and friendly but you may need an enterpretor to understand what they are saying and I am from WV. I have more of a modified midwest accent and I have co-workers spell sometimes so I can understand them. I have a friend here from Michigan that does the same as I do so it isn't just me. One worker was trying to tell us about a new business that was in the tall store, on questioning and having her spell the word, we learned it was the tile store.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by tenneseetransplant

The people here in Morristown (close to Knoxville) are very nice and friendly but you may need an enterpretor to understand what they are saying and I am from WV. I have more of a modified midwest accent and I have co-workers spell sometimes so I can understand them. I have a friend here from Michigan that does the same as I do so it isn't just me. One worker was trying to tell us about a new business that was in the tall store, on questioning and having her spell the word, we learned it was the tile store.

Welcome to the board. You meant interpreter I assume? Of course, if I moved to Jersey I am sure I would have difficulty understanding the native accent so I am glad that you are tolerant of the natives here. If you want your member name changed to the correct spelling of Tennessee let me know.