How "Southern" is Charlottesville? (house, high school, university)

[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?

[roanoker 4]

New England is the place to live if those qualities are important to you. Unless there is a southern place that is otherwise, I would really like to know where it is. The overwhelming majority of southerners are christian fundamentalists. Racism, sexism, homophobia, religious bigotry go hand in hand in the southern culture. There are many good qualities about living south, such as weather, cost of housing, "friendly" people(Watch that one!),
but tolerant and open minded is not on the list, unfortunately. Most southerners will never admit any of this and they prefer to live in a fantasy world. Please be careful when you ever confront someone here on these issues, you will we astonished!! If you do decide on the south, definately pick a bigger southern city with diversity and visit first before moving!! Good Luck in your search!!

[cassidygal]

I was afraid of that. But was hoping maybe there was a gem in a sunnier part of the country that I hadn't heard of! Enough people I know had mentioned Charlottesville that I thought perhaps it was one of those places.

[vanyali]

I think Charlottesville is relatively better on those points than most other places in the South, especially if you stick to the city itself.

People also talk about Asheville, NC and Austin, TX.

I haven't been to either, but keep reading that Asheville is a sort of mecca for reformed meth addicts (while Boone, not too far away, is a center for active meth addicts). Austin might be worth checking out though.

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

New England is the place to live if those qualities are important to you. Unless there is a southern place that is otherwise, I would really like to know where it is. The overwhelming majority of southerners are christian fundamentalists. Racism, sexism, homophobia, religious bigotry go hand in hand in the southern culture. There are many good qualities about living south, such as weather, cost of housing, "friendly" people(Watch that one!),
but tolerant and open minded is not on the list, unfortunately. Most southerners will never admit any of this and they prefer to live in a fantasy world. Please be careful when you ever confront someone here on these issues, you will we astonished!! If you do decide on the south, definately pick a bigger southern city with diversity and visit first before moving!! Good Luck in your search!!

What's astonishing is watching a Northerner whine about stereo-typing and then type a statement like yours......

A tad hypocritical.

As a person who split his childhood in Northern Illinois and Charlottesville, Virginia I can tell you I must have led a sheltered life in C'Ville (probably the "fantasy world" you're referring to ).

What I will say is, especially comparing high school in both locations, that racism (as an example) wasn't rampant at either. The difference was that in the C'Ville area that there was actually diversity enough for that to mean something. In suburbia Illinois there weren't enough black people in the school for being "non-racist" to really mean much..... (ie... Easy to claim "racial tolerance" when you don't intermingle).

Oddly enough in rural Albemarle County our family survived as Catholics and didn't have our house torched by rabid southern baptist fundamentalists. Our church was never vandalized either.

Point is watch the broad strokes you're painting here. You reap what you sow around here for sure. If you're going to go door to door with all of your beliefs tatooed on your chest then yeah, you might be asking for a little controversy. Not sure how that's different from Merry ole New England, however....

(I know, I know. Just a "southerner who won't admit to any of it." right??? )

[Sunset_Va]

You are wanting to move south? Then expect things to be Southern, geesh.

You have already branded this way of life before you moved.

populace is generally well-educated

,
gee last time I went through Charlottesville, the University of Virginia was still operating and there......

[Rhett_Butler]

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.

Try Florida. It's sunny and has been so inundated with northerners that you'll feel right at home, except it will be way more of a "melting pot" than you're used to but you're a north-easterner who doesn't "see" any of that and is above all forms of cultural biased so it won't be a problem for you...

[vanyali]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

. . . . There are many good qualities about living south, such as weather, cost of housing, "friendly" people(Watch that one!),
but tolerant and open minded is not on the list, unfortunately. Most southerners will never admit any of this and they prefer to live in a fantasy world. Please be careful when you ever confront someone here on these issues, you will we astonished!! If you do decide on the south, definately pick a bigger southern city with diversity and visit first before moving!! Good Luck in your search!!

Yes, Southerners in general react very badly to any hint of confrontation on any issue (which can include just expressing an opinion they don't like). This is just as true of the people I know from Charlottesville as anywhere else I've been in the South. Face to face, sometimes the women (especially) will just agree with anything you say, even if you start contradicting yourself, just to avoid saying something you might disagree with. That can be kind of fun, for a few minutes anyway. Other times (like online) they bear their claws and will tear you to shreds, or will shun you forever for failing to enthusiastically agree with some opinion or other of theirs. You're never supposed to say anything directly, And you're not supposed to criticize anything or anyone ever. Those are just general Southernisms, and, like Sweet Tea, you can't escape them if you want sunshine.

I disagree on the advice about bigger Southern cities. The people aren't really any less Southern when you pile a bunch of them together.

That said, I think Charlottesville is probably one of the better places you could land in the South. Like another poster said, South is South, and if you want to move down here, you have to be OK with that or you will be unhappy.

OP, if you just want to get out of the cold, but don't mind rain, Portland might be a good fit for you.

[Rhett_Butler]

"Generally" all southerners chew tobacco, drink cheap beer, have pictures of Robert E. Lee tatooed on our right butt-cheeks, burn crosses and watch NASCAR too. In fact, if you've ever seen 'King of the Hill' that just about sums up every living human being born south of the Mason-Dixon line.

[badger74]

C'ville is what I would call high southern meaning it is more educated and wealthy and they value thinks like good horses, polo, beauty in homes and dress (conservative), and manners. They go to nicer more upscale churches, drive nicers cars, and don't drink beer or watch Nascar. They do love good liquor, fine food, and their college sports.