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One point that needs to be made is that in the deep south "bless your heart" is usually snarky or mean spirited. In the upper south or at least Appalachian south it usually means genuine sympathy. Sometimes it could mean "bless his heart, he's doing the best he can" which could imply deficiencies but in a benevolent and sympathetic way.
The tone of voice is your best clue.
It is used both ways by nearly everyone that uses the phrase, depending on the context regardless of which southern location. This is very well understood.
Hi guys, this is probably a silly question but I'm curious about it. I've always thought that the Appalachians / blue ridge area seemed really awesome and beautiful. I currently live in western ny (nothing like new York city, actually 8 hour drive from NYC) so I would definitely not consider myself an "I know better than you do" big city yankee, I'm just a regular easy going guy with a family that always enjoys going down south and I feel I probably like the southern way of doing things more.
I ended up reading a book "one second after" which focuses on Black Mountain. I was interested enough to want to learn more so I started to read up on it a little bit and it seems like an awesome little community. Then I also started looking at other similar (cheaper) towns near by and they seem just as beautiful. I'm still looking for 4 true seasons yes, I even want snow (just not the 120"+ a year like I'm used to) without the oppressive heat and humidity of the deep south/florida. Western NC seems to be exactly the climate I am looking for and at least to me as a non-area resident it seems that it has great weather, lots of outdoor activities, good culture, good people etc..
How accepting are the local towns people of outsiders moving in to their town? Are people really as friendly as it seems they are? Can new people readily integrate themselves into the community? (be welcomed for example, clubs, sports, cub scouts, church, social gatherings, neighbors etc..) or do the locals keep to themselves and the people they have known for decades. I understand this is a vague question but I am trying to learn more.
Are there any Western NC towns better or worse than others? Black mountain again seems awesome but in comparison their real estate prices are higher than other nearby towns, so I'm guessing this is paying a premium for an in demand area.
next up would be trying to find employment which will pose it's own set of challenges...
Thanks guys, any feedback or advice is appreciated.
I've read all the books by the Montreat prof. Plus several of the ones he did on Pearl Harbor alternative history/WW II / etc. All very interesting. Pass the exit for Black Mountain regularly when traveling between one house and the other. Just reading several of your posts in the Self-sufficiency thread concerning has the S possibly HTF...and the continued warnings to not "talk politics". I have not yet figured out this "white bread" (systemic grain) world where one has to cull every line one utters in order to not cross some arbitrary line. SOmeone remarked that they wish the government would give us back free speech....I had to remind them that government DOES NOT give you free speech. But then again, I suppose we are at he who has the power to forcibly do whatever probably thinks they do have that power.
It is used both ways by nearly everyone that uses the phrase, depending on the context regardless of which southern location. This is very well understood.
In the UK it's "bless her" and its a very patronizing term. Snarky stuff destroys well intentioned older phrases sadly and is just an evolution of language sadly.
I came on here as I'm looking to move south. I'm up in Minnesota and have had a few false starts over the years if you check some of my posts on this forum. I've been looking hard at Atlanta, then Elijay, then north of there, now to the right, but gravitating to the excellent mountains one way or another, which are just lovely btw.
I interviewed in Virginia, have stayed with friends in Tennessee and can't say enough good things about the welcome we had from friendly people in both visits, which are a good decade apart.
In the UK it's "bless her" and its a very patronizing term. Snarky stuff destroys well intentioned older phrases sadly and is just an evolution of language sadly.
I came on here as I'm looking to move south. I'm up in Minnesota and have had a few false starts over the years if you check some of my posts on this forum. I've been looking hard at Atlanta, then Elijay, then north of there, now to the right, but gravitating to the excellent mountains one way or another, which are just lovely btw.
I interviewed in Virginia, have stayed with friends in Tennessee and can't say enough good things about the welcome we had from friendly people in both visits, which are a good decade apart.
We've lived all over the south, and now in WNC. I have to say the people here (transplants or not) are some of the friendliest we've encountered.
In the UK it's "bless her" and its a very patronizing term. Snarky stuff destroys well intentioned older phrases sadly and is just an evolution of language sadly.
I came on here as I'm looking to move south. I'm up in Minnesota and have had a few false starts over the years if you check some of my posts on this forum. I've been looking hard at Atlanta, then Elijay, then north of there, now to the right, but gravitating to the excellent mountains one way or another, which are just lovely btw.
I interviewed in Virginia, have stayed with friends in Tennessee and can't say enough good things about the welcome we had from friendly people in both visits, which are a good decade apart.
You’ll find folks in TN and neighboring VA to be the most hospitable and salt of the earth types of people you’ll ever meet. It’s why Tennessee is such a highly desirable area for those to relocate and retire to, and is the top state in the nation to move to now, but has always ranked in the top five or so.
We’ve lived in multiple states from Colorado to Wyoming to Florida and such but came here from so-so North Carolina for the COL advantages and access to the mountains (highest peaks east of the Mississippi are just around the corner). Most of all the people here in TN have done it for us, who are all genuinely warm, nice and neighborly.
Check out Johnson City, Cookeville, Jonesborough, Knoxville, Chattanooga and areas around Nashville. You’ll be close to the GSMNP and Atlanta too in the areas further to the west of ETN with lots of great choices in-between. Good luck!
You’ll find folks in TN and neighboring VA to be the most hospitable and salt of the earth types of people you’ll ever meet. It’s why Tennessee is such a highly desirable area for those to relocate and retire to, and is the top state in the nation to move to now, but has always ranked in the top five or so.
We’ve lived in multiple states from Colorado to Wyoming to Florida and such but came here from so-so North Carolina for the COL advantages and access to the mountains (highest peaks east of the Mississippi are just around the corner). Most of all the people here in TN have done it for us, who are all genuinely warm, nice and neighborly.
Check out Johnson City, Cookeville, Jonesborough, Knoxville, Chattanooga and areas around Nashville. You’ll be close to the GSMNP and Atlanta too in the areas further to the west of ETN with lots of great choices in-between. Good luck!
When looking for a place to retire, we covered TN , north to south and east to west. We really wanted to like it for tax purposes. To each his/her own, but NC stood out more to us. Of special note were/are the quaint small towns. The only town we found in TN that we seriously considered was Franklin, south of Nashville. We had heard so much about Tellico Village, so we visited there, but ultimately decided we wanted to be ‘in the mountains’. Not sure where this poster is getting his facts, but 2 separate sources (Forbes, 2020; Money Wise 2021) ranked NC ahead of TN in terms of where people are moving into. It should be noted that the ranking was close with NC edging out TN 3 to 5 and 6 to 7. This is somewhat surprising given the tax situation is considerably better in TN. It appears that people are willing to pay more in taxes to live in NC.
When looking for a place to retire, we covered TN , north to south and east to west. We really wanted to like it for tax purposes. To each his/her own, but NC stood out more to us. Of special note were/are the quaint small towns. The only town we found in TN that we seriously considered was Franklin, south of Nashville. We had heard so much about Tellico Village, so we visited there, but ultimately decided we wanted to be ‘in the mountains’. Not sure where this poster is getting his facts, but 2 separate sources (Forbes, 2020; Money Wise 2021) ranked NC ahead of TN in terms of where people are moving into. It should be noted that the ranking was close with NC edging out TN 3 to 5 and 6 to 7. This is somewhat surprising given the tax situation is considerably better in TN. It appears that people are willing to pay more in taxes to live in NC.
I agree, the difference between NC and TN is substantial if factoring the towns themselves. The Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge area is virtually charmless and the only similar town with some kind of charm in TN were places like Elizabethton or Maryville. Knoxville has it's moments but isn't really "in the mountains". WNC is rich with options outside of Asheville like Hendersonville, Brevard, Saluda, Black Mountain, Sylva, Bryson City, Waynesville, Burnsville and Spruce Pine.
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