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We are thinking of moving to South Carolina from Massachusetts. We really are New York Times reading, latte sipping people, and we would be Volvo-driving if we could afford it. We are concerned whether the political atmosphere in a place like Aiken or Beaufort would be comfortable for us. I admire the forthrightness of your responses and wonder if you have an opinion for us==
Hey Susan, there's never a scarcity of opinions on here... What you REALLY want to know is whether you'll be the only liberals in SC? There are a few of us around, but you'll need a tough skin. SC is flaming red and not very likely to change in the next few lifetimes. Even with the influx of Nawtherners, that never seems to change much. Where I live, Cheney and Dubya are generally considered to be saviours of the modern world, surpassed only by Rush.
I know Beaufort better than I know Aiken but my impression of Aiken is extremely conservative (62% for McCain in 2008). Beaufort is probably a little more balanced due to greater influx from other states. Of course, any statements about a county as a whole are generalities, and there can be significant diversity of opinions within counties. If you're curious about the 2008 election, here's results by county. (Click on "view all data" to see actual county data.) In 2008, SC results tended to reflect racial diversity more than liberal vs. conservative diversity, so even these numbers are very misleading. I can't find the numbers, but "white" SC was shockingly conservative in the presidential vote. Also, the more "upscale" urban areas tend to take a more balanced view, with most of rural SC remaining extremely bible-belt conservatives.
Come on down, you'll be fine. My good neighbors from Vermont are the only other token democrats in our neighborhood (or at least the only ones who have come out of the closet) and we have a ball harrassing all the retired, uptight republicans who spend their days forecasting the doom of civilization. Mostly, we just grin and bear it.
I find there to be a good mix of both but it might be due to my age...30s. More people my age group are somewhere in the middle.
We moved here almost a year ago from another Southern tourist area and I love it. I find the prices to be very reasonable esp for all you have around you and the traffic doesn't bother me.
You would find either of those towns to be fairly conservative, but not oppressively so. As someone who shares many of your views (and drives a Volvo, lol), there are some towns in South Carolina I would recommend you stay away from, but neither of those. I would recommend that you spend a day or two in each town first, however.
We are thinking of moving to South Carolina from Massachusetts. We really are New York Times reading, latte sipping people, and we would be Volvo-driving if we could afford it. We are concerned whether the political atmosphere in a place like Aiken or Beaufort would be comfortable for us. I admire the forthrightness of your responses and wonder if you have an opinion for us==
You'll find plenty of places where you will fit in. My partner and I are Saab driving, Times reading, latte sipping, sushi eating, Ted Baker wearing gay men and we love it here! You'll meet plenty of truely open, nice people.....people you can actually be cerebral with, yet they won't judge you on your latte (or lack of) habits. We live in Greenville.
Since you brought up Aiken....great little city. The arts are supported heavily, there is a strong lesbian presence, cool little place.
susan, like i tell everyone that is moving to a new area do your research before you make your move. i here so many people on c/d that have so much regret of making a move that they did no research before hand. we moved down here about four months ago and love it. you will come accross certain people that just hate yankees to the bone but for the most part it is pretty awesome living down here. just be willing to some amount of change and keep an open mind. i came from nh so i to am a new englander . i'll tell you first hand that there are so many nice people down here and after they get to know you they start to treat you like family. our neighbors invited us over for dinner after knowing us for 2 weeks. no where up north did i ever run into someone at the store that would just come up and talk to me like they knew me all there life like i do down here. if you give it a chance i'm sure you will feel the same way as we do. oh ya, and not to mention this awesome weather down here. we get 10 times more sunny days down here than up north.
susan, like i tell everyone that is moving to a new area do your research before you make your move. i here so many people on c/d that have so much regret of making a move that they did no research before hand. we moved down here about four months ago and love it. you will come accross certain people that just hate yankees to the bone but for the most part it is pretty awesome living down here. just be willing to some amount of change and keep an open mind. i came from nh so i to am a new englander . i'll tell you first hand that there are so many nice people down here and after they get to know you they start to treat you like family. our neighbors invited us over for dinner after knowing us for 2 weeks. no where up north did i ever run into someone at the store that would just come up and talk to me like they knew me all there life like i do down here. if you give it a chance i'm sure you will feel the same way as we do. oh ya, and not to mention this awesome weather down here. we get 10 times more sunny days down here than up north.
I realize this post was several years ago but this post really said a lot to me since I'm from VT. I'm hoping what she says about SC is true because what she said about living in NE is right on. I've lived where I have since 2001 (we bough land that was my husband's grandfather's old farm and he lived her all his life) and I still haven't been in my neighbor's homes. We wave etc when we drive by but that's it. I don't know if it's from unfriendliness or simply people just keep to themselves staying busy with their own lives.
Even in local small markets, neighbors will give a "hi" and that's it, even when you pass each other 10 times in the aisles.
I'm looking for more of a relaxed, laid back kind of lifestyle. We want to simplify, make life easier. Hoping we can do it in the south (and get away from the nasty winters).
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