Attitudes toward Northerners ("Yankees") (Knoxville, Winchester: 2009, buy, to live)

[leonard]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I agree. Leonard's post was wonderful.

Thank you.

I hope everyone realizes I reallyyyyy like Tennessee and the vast majority of people I have met here. My wife can't wait to move and neither can I.

I just try to be realistic as to the things anyone can run into. It is incumbent on "new comers" to try their hardest to fit in, not fit a community to their likes and dislikes.

When I move I hope I will be so quite that my neighbors will feel I have lived in Tennessee all my life and just changed locations within the State. Well OK, except for that accent that I will blame on living in California for a "while".

[leonard]

Originally Posted by Kitties of Domination

I, for one, think that you will be readily accepted and look forward to another new Tennesseean. And you do make a good point for future inhabitants, especially retirees, on small communities (many desirable retirement areas are in more rural areas). If this is a major issue, you may want to stick closer to the cities.

Thank you.

It is also potentially true that they will have no problems. Being accepted as neighbor does not require being accepted as a long time resident or a native. How each person conducts themselves will have a major impact on their relationships. I doubt, except in the extremely rare cases, that anyone will be genuinely unfriendly. They simply will, as others have noted who have moved to small towns, still view them as outsiders. Welcome, but not "kin".

[Kitties of Domination]

Originally Posted by leonard

Thank you.

I hope everyone realizes I reallyyyyy like Tennessee and the vast majority of people I have met here. My wife can't wait to move and neither can I.

I just try to be realistic as to the things anyone can run into. It is incumbent on "new comers" to try their hardest to fit in, not fit a community to their likes and dislikes.

When I move I hope I will be so quite that my neighbors will feel I have lived in Tennessee all my life and just changed locations within the State. Well OK, except for that accent that I will blame on living in California for a "while".

Are you planning on living in Knoxville, Leonard, or in one of those more "rural" areas? Btw, things are changing quickly in some of those areas, especially parts of Sevier and Loudon Co. You may move worrying about acceptance, only to find that your neighbors are from Ohio and Florida If you move to certain parts of Knoxville, I can guarantee you that many of your neighbors won't be natives. You may find that some of your neighbors aren't even from the United States

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by Kitties of Domination

Are you planning on living in Knoxville, Leonard, or in one of those more "rural" areas? Btw, things are changing quickly in some of those areas, especially parts of Sevier and Loudon Co. You may move worrying about acceptance, only to find that your neighbors are from Ohio and Florida If you move to certain parts of Knoxville, I can guarantee you that many of your neighbors won't be natives. You may find that some of your neighbors aren't even from the United States

True that.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by leonard

Thank you.

It is also potentially true that they will have no problems. Being accepted as neighbor does not require being accepted as a long time resident or a native. How each person conducts themselves will have a major impact on their relationships. I doubt, except in the extremely rare cases, that anyone will be genuinely unfriendly. They simply will, as others have noted who have moved to small towns, still view them as outsiders. Welcome, but not "kin".

Well....I have met openly hostile people. When I lived on the Knox/Anderson County line it was not very nice to deal with, for the most part, but it would be easy to distinguish those neighbors. Like Kitties said, things are changing.

[leonard]

Originally Posted by Kitties of Domination

Are you planning on living in Knoxville, Leonard, or in one of those more "rural" areas? Btw, things are changing quickly in some of those areas, especially parts of Sevier and Loudon Co. You may move worrying about acceptance, only to find that your neighbors are from Ohio and Florida If you move to certain parts of Knoxville, I can guarantee you that many of your neighbors won't be natives. You may find that some of your neighbors aren't even from the United States

Hi,

No I will not be living in a rural area. Not that I want to live In the city, but not too far out either. Right now I am trying to determine where in TN to live. I will be visiting next, hopefully, in April.

[leonard]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Well....I have met openly hostile people. When I lived on the Knox/Anderson County line it was not very nice to deal with, for the most part, but it would be easy to distinguish those neighbors. Like Kitties said, things are changing.

I am sorry to hear that you have had problems in that way. I know it is getting rarer but as I mentioned in a previous post it can exist. Open hostility I would suspect is extremely rare and only found in real rural areas in general.

I have family near Knoxville and it was indicated that in the rural mountain areas some "caution" is needed. One aunt and uncle lived in the tri city area and never spoke of any significant problems there. Friends who I talk to that live there, generally just speak of never being fully "accepted", though not treated badly in person. It is not unique to TN. In one visit to Missouri I also experienced a bit of "yankee" bashing by a store owner.

While I do not subscribe to "changing" my neighbors, this is one area where a change is long over due, but it will have to come on the part of the "natives", not by force/pressure/ridicule, etc.

I hope you are no longer experiencing such attitudes.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by leonard

I am sorry to hear that you have had problems in that way. I know it is getting rarer but as I mentioned in a previous post it can exist. Open hostility I would suspect is extremely rare and only found in real rural areas in general.

I have family near Knoxville and it was indicated that in the rural mountain areas some "caution" is needed. One aunt and uncle lived in the tri city area and never spoke of any significant problems there. Friends who I talk to that live there, generally just speak of never being fully "accepted", though not treated badly in person. It is not unique to TN. In one visit to Missouri I also experienced a bit of "yankee" bashing by a store owner.

While I do not subscribe to "changing" my neighbors, this is one area where a change is long over due, but it will have to come on the part of the "natives", not by force/pressure/ridicule, etc.

I hope you are no longer experiencing such attitudes.

No, I live in Fountain City and love it.

I was about 10 minutes out of Knoxville where I had all of those problems. You don't have to get "real rural."

[tenneseetransplant]

The spelling is fine the way I wrote it, I asked a co-worker from Tennessee how it was spelled. I have a lot of wonderful friends here but I just don't understand them.
I have been to every state in the U.S. and I did understand most of them except the southern states. This is NOT a put down, I love to hear my friends talk but I have to ask them to spell the words I don't understand and they don't mind because they know I am NOT making fun of them.

[dave1961]

Originally Posted by sweetasslady71

first, let me say...hope you make it to Knoxville, its a great place to live!!!
i see post like this all the time, matter of fact, i posted a response to one in the charlottesville VA forum, you could go read it(think on this you can just check my post and find it fast)
anyways....to sum it up...people up north to stop asking IF they will be welcome...and to stop bringing up our way of life and asking if they will be accepted and stop assuming we are rebel flag toting...civil war acting, uneducated hillbillies, etc etc....we are PEOPLE. we live, work, eat, sleep just like anyone else. but we do it differant. we do it slower and nicer. we dont hate northeners, we dont turn up our noses when you come down, BUT....we do get sick of people assuming things about us, making unjust remarks about our ways, etc. you dont see southeners in these forums asking northen states "will we be welcome up there"....why? cuz why should we. if we go up there, we KNOW things will be differant, we know it will be cold, we know we wont sound the same, eat the same things, etc, but we will adapt!!!! we will come up with a open mind, and not assume things. we will learn to give up things that remind us of home, and graciously learn to like new things that living up there will bring to us.
save the questions like" will i fit in, will you like me" for your inlaws....if you havent already got them, we will welcome you, as long as you look at us as people...not aliens!!!
to many posts come up with those questions...my favs are "will my kids be treated differant cuz of how they talk?" why would they? yes, kids will notice, but they will not laugh like our kids tend to ge when we move north, our kids will walk up....and say something like..." your not from here, where you from....tell me about it!!!" im from the south, my hubby is from the north...our kids have more friends down here now that we are back, and they didnt have accents so to speak, minus what they picked up from me....lol, but they are getting them now!!!!
you will be fine...come down...pull up a chair, have a sweet tea...and enjoy taking life slower and smelling the roses....you wont regret it!!!

btw....fastest way to fit in as a local...is get ya some orange, be it a vols tshirt, cap...decal for your vehical window...or even one for your mail box...no matter who you love sports wise...we bleed orange down here...and you can fly your fav team flag to...just share the pole with a vols one to and you will be good to go!!! plus...you wont be able to help it...its contagious...my hubby isnt a big football watcher...but learned to like it without even realizing it.....lol, its the fastest way to gain friends fast to....!!!!!
ps...if orange aint your color(ya can get your vols fix in white and i think black now to....lol

Right on, sweetasslady! (Love that name, btw) This is my favorite post! I totally agree with it, especially the part about all the other posts on here asking questions like "Will I fit in? Will my children be picked on?"
When I move to Knoxville next year (God willing), I've already planned to buy a supply or orange shirts and a Vols bumper sticker for my pickup truck. Heck, I might even mount a gun rack in the back.