How "Southern" is Charlottesville? (Richmond, Jefferson: fit in, transplants, mortgage)

[blueeyes30]

Originally Posted by vivo

I wonder what the attitude was amongst northerners when the reverse was taking place in the early (I think) and mid 20th centuries. much better for northerners now I suspect at least as far as attitudes/discrimination.

Alot of white southerners moved to places like Chicago, Detroit, Gary, and Cleveland in the 1930's-1960's and some of their experiences were not good. There are whole books on this also. Even some of my older family members from southwestern Virginia and northeast Tennessee moved to Gary in the 1940's and talked about the outright hatred for white (and black) southerners in the North during that time.

With that said, even today I think southerners would have more difficulty adjusting to the north than the other way around.

[blueeyes30]

Originally Posted by vanyali

It's because Southerners feel inferior to Northerners, so they go to great pains to put them down and distinguish themselves from them as much as possible.

LOL..so it's alright when a northerner puts down a southerner, but it's ignorant when a southerner tries to defend himself? Classic.

[Yac]

Everybody please get back on topic.
Yac.

[ms.canada2005]

Dear Portland lover..why not just buy a warmer winter coat and stay where you are......

[NightHawk112005]

Charlottesville is pretty liberal. The city is very Democrat-leaning (Kerry won 72% in 2004), which spreads to Albemarle County, which Kerry narrowly pulled out. Among the independent cities in Virginia (there are 38 of them), only Petersburg was more liberal (81%) than Charlottesville. The best advice is to go to a college town or major city in the South and settle there.

That's been a trend in the South politically, the areas around the cities are fairly liberal and the areas away from cities are conservative. For example, in North Carolina, the state's five cities along I-85 of Durham, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Charlotte are all liberal. Veer east or west, it becomes overwhelmingly conservative.

[vanyali]

I think the only way you can call Charlotte liberal is by comparing it to the countryside. I don't think the OP would recognize anything she would call "liberal" hiding anywhere in Charlotte.

[Darsa]

Wow.... I'm from Maine, and I would never even consider posting a query like this. I've lived in Maine... let's see... wow, almost 20 years now! Married a Mainer, raised a child here, and I really think that I can say with authority that we have a heaping helping of racism (sometimes I wonder if there's a single person in this state that's not white) and ignorance, ye Gods, we've got that by the boatload! Why educate yourself when you can work in the paper mill or cut wood for a living?
So really, before you make degrading or derogatory comments about another part of the country I think it would be wise to take a good, long, hard, unbiased look at where you live. You might be surprised.
I'm not trying to create an argument, please do not read it that way; I merely want to point out that it's unfair to assume that just because the southern part of the US is different, it's not bad. I personally can't wait to get down to a place where people come in all different colors, shapes and sizes!

(Oh, and I want to just say I didn't read all five pages previous to posting; if I missed something relevant please feel free to point it out)

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by cassidygal

I'm a native New Englander, and love the Northeast. In particular, I adore Portland, Maine. Generally speaking, I love everything about Portland (and New England in general) ... except the weather. I am looking for a city in a warmer & sunnier part of the country, but which has a culture similar to that of Portland.

A few people I know have recommended Charlottesville, Virginia -- but from what I can tell, Charlottesville is a lot more conservative/Bible Belt than Portland & New England more broadly speaking. Now, I'm not a knee-jerk liberal. But I am looking for someplace where, on average, people are tolerant and open-minded, and where the populace is generally well-educated. If we start a family, I don't want my children exposed on a daily basis to overt racism, sexism, and religious bigotry as part of the culture. I have lived in the South before, and, unfortunately, have found far, far more of those ugly characteristics than in New England.

Any ideas on other warmer/sunnier cities that a Portland-lover would love?

I went to school in Charlottesville back in the early 80s and it has changed quite a bit in terms of open-mindedness and such. it's a rapidly evolving place, and anyone who thinks this is a "typical" Southern town or "Mayberry", is in for a surprise. This is a very wealthy area with both old and new money. Plus, the prescence of UVA definitely adds to the mix.

Take a walk around DT Ch'ville, lots of nice shops, upscale eating establishments and cafes. Venture a bit further out, you have excellent wineries, skiing and other ammenities.

You may also want to consider the Raleigh-Durham/Chapel Hill, NC area. This is another region that has grown rapidly in the last 10 years and has many of the same charateristics similar to Charlottesville.

As for racism.. I grew up in Louisiana and while the racism in the South was more overt and in your face, and the covert racism in the North is worse, IMO. Some Northerners bottle it up, and when it's released, it is UGLY. They smile in your face and call you the "n" word behind your back and protest when a person of color decides to move into "their" neighborhood.

At least I can respect a person who tells me to my face that he/she hates me because of the color of my skin than someone who pretends to like me and masks their hate. Neither situation is pleasant, but I prefer the former. It would be great if we lived in a world where racism didn't exist, but we all know that's unrealistic.

If you go to the area(s) with an open mind, the same quality that you expect from it and it's people, you will have a great experience. Go in with a chip on your shoulder and pre-concieved notions, then it will be the polar opposite.

[hj2500]

Originally Posted by vanyali

Southerners move North for jobs. The South has historically been rather thin in that department.

What's funny is that he thinks he's right

Hint for other board members: history books and this forum don't qualify people like him to take higher mental ground with regards to the South or any part of the world. Yes, there is an entire world outside of the United States...

Originally Posted by Darsa

Wow.... I'm from Maine, and I would never even consider posting a query like this. I've lived in Maine... let's see... wow, almost 20 years now! Married a Mainer, raised a child here, and I really think that I can say with authority that we have a heaping helping of racism (sometimes I wonder if there's a single person in this state that's not white) and ignorance, ye Gods, we've got that by the boatload! Why educate yourself when you can work in the paper mill or cut wood for a living?
So really, before you make degrading or derogatory comments about another part of the country I think it would be wise to take a good, long, hard, unbiased look at where you live. You might be surprised.
I'm not trying to create an argument, please do not read it that way; I merely want to point out that it's unfair to assume that just because the southern part of the US is different, it's not bad. I personally can't wait to get down to a place where people come in all different colors, shapes and sizes!

(Oh, and I want to just say I didn't read all five pages previous to posting; if I missed something relevant please feel free to point it out)

Thanks for your honest opinion, which confirms mine (a poor one of people from Maine not even including the OP). Its easy to say you live in a tolerant and safe place when it is mostly populated by one race/ethnicity. How tolerant do you really need to be when everyone is the same?

[Darsa]

Thanks for your honest opinion, which confirms mine (a poor one of people from Maine not even including the OP). Its easy to say you live in a tolerant and safe place when it is mostly populated by one race/ethnicity. How tolerant do you really need to be when everyone is the same?

You have totally misinterpreted my post; I suggest you try to calm yourself and become a little less defensive, and THEN re-read my post. I never ever ever said anything anywhere about being more tolerant OR safe here in Maine. The fact that this state is so white, I feel, is a PROBLEM and would PREFER to live somewhere where there is diversity.

Please try to read with an open mind before jumping to conclusions. I don't know where you're from, but I'm hoping it's not a place we're looking to move to, if people are generally as easy to offend as you apparently are.