Warnings of moving to the south (Rochester, Cortland: car insurance, cheap house, find a job)

[mhogan10010]

Originally Posted by Tama

.Yes-you are a Yankee. Don't be uptight about it.

Doesn't it ever bother that you will always be a yankee, no matter how long you are there? That somehow, there will always be a little something that sets you apart? I guess it doesn't since you've been down there 30 years. Somehow I just didn't expect that. Maybe it was because my parents were originally from NC. I will have to say that your post was on target. Unless you can basically embrace the culture, you might as well leave.
BTW with all the Yankees moving South, they are slowly making up for what they lost in the civil war.
Good post.

[Tama]

MHogan--Hmmm-you make me think. I believe at first I did have that issue. I really was a fish out of water. I learned a lot. I didn't change, mind you. I just became tolerant and appreciative of things different, some better some not so good. The South has also changed tremendously in the past 30 years. So we kind of grew together.
I think interesting work, a lifestyle that includes traveling and financial freedom, to be fair, helps any place become more palatable. That has to be considered in the mix. Again I don't think that is just the South that this would relate to.
There are so many people from "outside" now particularly in a university city like I am in. (Like anywhere there are more cosmopolitan areas and a really limited place may make it impossible to accept but that could be true anywhere)) One of my best friends was raised in New York--near the Statute of Liberty. Others are from California, Rhode Island, New Jersey and my next door neighbors of almost 30 years are from my home state!!
A lot of diversity. Imagine a foreigner coming to NY and after twenty years he has friends who are locals, others from his country, family, other nonnatives in his crowd--do you think he still feels different. No, he feels a part of the scene--that can be the way it is for anyone. It takes time though. Going to a different culture and becoming a part of it without losing yourself is an art and that is what I am trying to say. It really stretches you and that is a life experience you would never know if you stay only in your own zone of comfort.

[OHtoCT]

Yes, MISTAKING AFRICAN AMERICANS FOR BEING HIRED HELP IS RACIST-LOOK AT THE PREJUDICES THAT GOT YOU TO THAT ERRONEOUS THINKING

[hew2a]

Tama...where in MS do you live?

[Tama]

I'm in Hattiesburg about 60 miles inland from the gulf.

[mhogan10010]

Originally Posted by Tama

I'm in Hattiesburg about 60 miles inland from the gulf.

I kind of guessed. My sister used to live in Richton. I spent a couple of weeks there on different occassions. Talk about a different world. They also lived in Petal for a while. Of course that was much more civilized than Richton. They used to close down the local burger joint a couple of times a year, because the family who owned it had kids that kept getting hook worms.
But, they had some great cat fishing in that area.
BTW-have you ever seen such massive fire ant mounds anywhere? I dug a sitck in one, just to see what would happen. Yikes

[hew2a]

Originally Posted by mhogan10010

I
BTW-have you ever seen such massive fire ant mounds anywhere? I dug a sitck in one, just to see what would happen. Yikes

You would mention fire ants. I visited a friend of mine in Jasckson and that was my first trip to Mississippi. Needless to say I was VERY scared (and I'm from the South). But the night before I left, his mother had mentioned I should move my car off the street so any crazy kids or drunks driving at night won't hit it. Well, I parked the car straddling the curb. Half in the yard. half on the street. The next morning I got in my car to leave, only to discover a colony of fire ants had set up shop in my Nissan Stanza. I had actually parked with my right front wheel on the top of a fire ant mound. Amanzingly (thanks be to God) I wasn't stung as I raced to a car wash vacuum. I spent almost 40min vacuuming. And finally all was back to normal. But the shear thought of how fast they had incorporated my car into their colony absolutely blew my mind.

But yeah, that always comes to mind anytime I hear someone talk of Mississippi. What a beautiful state. Too bad it a lot of times gets such a bad rap. Not to mention the extreme poverty that exists in so many areas there.

[djvaly]

I moved to Dallas from CT area 4 years ago. I moved into an apartment complex and asked one of the maintenance guys who was a white redneck guy (no pun intended) to come in and replace my window's shades. he came in and after 1 minutes of conversation he asked where I moved from and told him CT and he replied "uh another damn Yankee moving in, hmm" or something of the sort. I kind of laughed it off but then thinking about it I was like wtf? this guy doesn't even know me, has no clue who I am, it's like saying another damn nigxxr moving in. I am white btw but anyhow, not that it matters, it was just an example... So then no wonder most of my friends here are Mexican American, Hawaii American, or something of sort. I haven't been able to have much in common with the rednecks here, all they know is fishing, hunting, drinking all day and stuff like that... not my type of crowd. I get along with the minorities here a lot better than with the South white people. thinking of moving to Harrisburg PA area or something... back to an area at least where I have more in common with people.

[mom2gurls]

Reading this thread is very interesting--but for those that chose to move south...Isnt it better to pick a more metro city then at least. It seems like alot of the bad experiences (being called a yankee or calling others a redneck)....come from more of the rural towns where the "sophistication" level is not as high..or perpaps there the people are more closed minded to new commers?

I would think..that if you move to an area that is more white collar, upscale and filled with much more population..you would meet more diverse people, more transplants, and the locals would be more accepting.

Is that true?

[mhogan10010]

Originally Posted by djvaly

I moved to Dallas from CT area 4 years ago. I moved into an apartment complex and asked one of the maintenance guys who was a white redneck guy (no pun intended) to come in and replace my window's shades. he came in and after 1 minutes of conversation he asked where I moved from and told him CT and he replied "uh another damn Yankee moving in, hmm" or something of the sort. I kind of laughed it off but then thinking about it I was like wtf? this guy doesn't even know me, has no clue who I am, it's like saying another damn nigxxr moving in. I am white btw but anyhow, not that it matters, it was just an example... So then no wonder most of my friends here are Mexican American, Hawaii American, or something of sort. I haven't been able to have much in common with the rednecks here, all they know is fishing, hunting, drinking all day and stuff like that... not my type of crowd. I get along with the minorities here a lot better than with the South white people. thinking of moving to Harrisburg PA area or something... back to an area at least where I have more in common with people.

Probably a somehing to consider. It took me 12 years to finally give in and admit that I just didn't belong in the South. One size does not fit all.