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Don't assume those are strictly synonymous. I was born and raised in Alabama, which is far more "deep South" than North Carolina. My dad's politics were to the left of Leon Trotsky... only a slight exaggeration. You will find that even in the old deep rural south, there is and has always been a minority of white folk with such leanings. Obama got at least 10% of the white vote in those places.
Very good point. My mention of Southerner wasn't meant to imply that it is synonymous with conservative - I was thinking more of the general culture and attitude. There's obviously a range anywhere you go and the size of the city/town often has as much as if not more to do with things as the part of the country one is from, but in general I've found that people in the South and Midwest tend to place more of a premium on friendliness or at least cordiality in social interactions. You tend to forget about it living in a place until you go somewhere else and are struck by how different your day-to-day encounters are with people. That doesn't necessarily make people from those places better than those in the North East, but it is a different vibe.
Of course the flip side is that people from those places can be harder to read: if they don't like you they're more likely to smile to your face and then curse you behind your back, while people up here will simply curse you to your face. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but the former is at least more pleasant to be around.
Hi everybody,
Unfortunately despite my tolerant nature NYC is simply hell to live in for anyone who isn't a far-left radical nutjob so I'm looking to get out.
I will take the bait. The NYC I know is also chock a block with finance sector/ hedge fund types who are far from being "far -left radical nut jobs". If you found NYC intolerable because of its leftist leanings, you probably will not like most of the triangle. Certainly not Durham/ Chapel Hill/ Carrboro/ Pittsboro; possibly some parts of Raleigh would suit you, and I defer to those who recommend it.
I will take the bait. The NYC I know is also chock a block with finance sector/ hedge fund types who are far from being "far -left radical nut jobs". If you found NYC intolerable because of its leftist leanings, you probably will not like most of the triangle. Certainly not Durham/ Chapel Hill/ Carrboro/ Pittsboro; possibly some parts of Raleigh would suit you, and I defer to those who recommend it.
It's true that the hedge fund types tend to be at least fiscally conservative, but those people are in the minority and the average person in NYC is definitely toward the far left of the political spectrum. People here both at work and out in public think nothing of openly bashing conservatives, Republicans, Christians, etc. It's something I encounter on a daily basis here, which was not the case even in liberal-leaning cities in Florida. NYC isn't quite as insane as Seattle/Portland but it's well beyond merely "leftist leaning" - it's a far left echo chamber where any opposing view is treated with outright hostility by the majority of people.
I think, while most of the area is purple (with most areas leaning liberal) you will find that a good many NE transplants are much like you. They lean right, but aren’t extreme right types. Also, as long as you’re a decent person, most people won’t care about your general politics.
That said? People who do not like Trump here tend to REALLY not like him, so if you’re a die hard fan instead of someone who voted party and he was the option, you might not want to lead with that fact if politics ever comes up.
Good to know. I make a rule to avoid political discussions unless I know the people involved well enough to know that they are capable of rational and respectful discourse - far too many aren't these days so I usually steer clear of the topic. I miss the days when reasonable people could disagree and not think the other is a horrible person for doing so.
IMO the friendliest/most laid back people in the entire country live in California. Next up the Midwest such as Indiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, etc. I once lived in a small town (50,000 population) in New Mexico, it was incredibly refreshing.
By far the nastiest people live in the tri-state area and around DC and maybe around Boston but that's a pretty far 3rd.
In the Raleigh area, where you live and your socio-economic circle are going to determine the kind of people you interact with on a daily basis. Typically, the better educated higher paid folks will lean left (many are from the NE) and the more general labor type people will lean right (most are locals).
This area does have a lot of people from the tri-state area. It hasn't grown like it has just by locals having babies .
I'm a 35yo single male Floridian looking to escape NYC and am considering the Research Triangle area. One of the most important considerations for me is what the people are like there. I consider myself a live-and-let-live, moderate conservative: I'm Christian but not the evangelical type, vote Republican but don't blindly agree with everything the party does, and don't force my beliefs on others and simply ask that others afford me the same courtesy. In short I am perfectly happy to make friends and interact with people who don't share my views, so long as they treat me with the same respect with which I would treat them. Unfortunately despite my tolerant nature NYC is simply hell to live in for anyone who isn't a far-left radical nutjob so I'm looking to get out.
Now I'm aware that the Triangle is a solidly blue area and that there are a lot of transplants from the North East there. That in itself doesn't bother me; what would bother me (and what I'm trying to get away from by leaving NYC) is constantly being bombarded by people openly bashing whites/men/conservatives/Christians/anybody who doesn't support their insane identity politics, and having to put up with that garbage on a daily basis everywhere I go. Also, while I'm perfectly happy to be friends with open-minded people who disagree with me, when it comes to dating it'd be nice to have a decent-sized population of single women in the area who share my core values (plus I'm just a sucker for sweet, friendly Southern girls.)
So is Raleigh the place for me? Is it, while liberal, at least of a more tolerant/less hateful variety than I am surrounded by up here? Are there at least enough conservatives/Southerners still in the area that I might have a chance of dating someone with similar values?
Appreciate everyone's help!
p.s. I should add that while I'm looking to escape the intolerant liberals of my current situation, I'm also not interested in winding up in an area that's just as intolerant on the opposite end of the spectrum and have people bash me because I don't attend church regularly or look at me funny when my Hispanic and Haitian friends visit from Florida. From what I've read it sounds like this shouldn't be a problem in Raleigh, but I just wanted to point out that I'm not looking for the DEEP South haha.
I've often wondered if it would be worse to tolerate liberals in NYC or San Francisco LOL I don't blame you for wanting to move. You'll find a good mix of culture and diversity here. Your best bet of living near a liberal nutjob is in downtown Raleigh. The farther away you get your chances decrease. Wake Forest (Just north of Raleigh) is just conservative enough and should fit your core values. (It's not "Hee-Haw with Billy Bob" conservative) You'll meet wholesome southern girls and men who are.....well.......men.
I've often wondered if it would be worse to tolerate liberals in NYC or San Francisco LOL I don't blame you for wanting to move. You'll find a good mix of culture and diversity here. Your best bet of living near a liberal nutjob is in downtown Raleigh. The farther away you get your chances decrease. Wake Forest (Just north of Raleigh) is just conservative enough and should fit your core values. (It's not "Hee-Haw with Billy Bob" conservative) You'll meet wholesome southern girls and men who are.....well.......men.
knowing of and actually having watched hee-haw is the only criteria for being southerner
No one can tell you the exact type of people you'll run into in the Triangle. This area has all types, people from all over, as well as people who were born, raised, and never left the area.
You'll fit in fine here in the Triangle. Wake, Durham, and Orange may have voted blue (the latter two by very lopsided margins), but there are other counties like Lee, Franklin, and Johnston that are conservative and vote Republican in every election.
There's even municipalities in Wake (Holly Springs, Apex, Fuquay-Varina) that vote more in line with Johnston County than Durham County.
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