[marysally]

I have lived in Huntsville for 8 years now -- moved here from Houston. I don't think you have to worry about "rednecks" here. Most of my friends here are not from here (from upstate NY, Indiana, California, Nevada, Missouri, Minnesota, Germany, The Netherlands, and Texas) and there's not a "redneck" in the bunch. About 10 years ago there was a large influx of people moved here from St. Louis to support Redstone Arsenal. There is an expected 8000 to 10,000 people relocating from the DC area to support the latest BRAC. The leading edge of this influx is supposed to arrive in November. I doubt that there will be any "rednecks" in that group. Even if you happened to run into a "redneck", I doubt that they would attack your children. It's not the hospitable thing to do! Where do people get these ideas!

[helix139]

if you are looking for diversity come to Florida [cut] and if I were you I'd not move anywhere in the south. you are gonna find "rednecks" everywhere. good ol' boys live all over the south and I hope it stays that way. keep yourself safe don't move somewhere where you are gonna be at work one day and say to your boss who rides a atv, loves nascar, and hunts coon on the weekend, " I just can't stand those **** rednecks here!" You set yourself up for complete failure. Go to Florida....not the panhandle.

[momof2dfw]

Hey, I call myself a "redneck". For those from "The South" there are good "rednecks". Now what you are probably wanting to REALLY stay away from and probably mean more than anything yet trying to be nice about it is you want to stay away from what we call "white trash" or "wt" (and yes this also comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, races, religions, region/state and on every socio-economic level). Why I call myself a "redneck": I believe in hard work, nothing for free, respect and responsibility for myself and others, value of family, honesty and I am who I am w/ no airs about it and I will help out others in need no matter what. I have nothing to hide and everything I have can be gone in an instant. I am somewhat conservative (I am afterall a Baptist, ) yet I am not here to judge others or their lifestyle so I am more "liberal" than some. Shot, most of us are the same, conservative in the fact that we believe in hard work and all of the things I listed above and open to others of all shapes, sizes, colors, races, religions, etc. You will find "rednecks" in EVERY single state and region. You will find "trash" in every single state and region. I guess it is just the fact that some people want to use the term "redneck" in a bad way that it totally is not that kind of "gets me". When what they really mean is someone that is more what is more appropriately called "trashy". If ya know what I mean .

[josephhawkinson]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

Hey, I call myself a "redneck". For those from "The South" there are good "rednecks". Now what you are probably wanting to REALLY stay away from and probably mean more than anything yet trying to be nice about it is you want to stay away from what we call "white trash" or "wt" (and yes this also comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, races, religions, region/state and on every socio-economic level). Why I call myself a "redneck": I believe in hard work, nothing for free, respect and responsibility for myself and others, value of family, honesty and I am who I am w/ no airs about it and I will help out others in need no matter what. I have nothing to hide and everything I have can be gone in an instant. I am somewhat conservative (I am afterall a Baptist, ) yet I am not here to judge others or their lifestyle so I am more "liberal" than some. Shot, most of us are the same, conservative in the fact that we believe in hard work and all of the things I listed above and open to others of all shapes, sizes, colors, races, religions, etc. You will find "rednecks" in EVERY single state and region. You will find "trash" in every single state and region. I guess it is just the fact that some people want to use the term "redneck" in a bad way that it totally is not that kind of "gets me". When what they really mean is someone that is more what is more appropriately called "trashy". If ya know what I mean .

I know what ya mean As I stated earlier I did not want to insult or offend anybody but we are limited to the common vocabulary and perceived meanings of words rather than what they actually mean. I hate to use the label "redneck" but had to, "white trash" sounds more offensive anyways.
My family and I are conservative but there are certain things we would like to avoid, such as racism, religious fanaticism, hatemongering and similar things where logic and reason disappear. Constitution, traditional family and social values are our priorities but part of being modern is also having a tolerant approach towards other views and that's where we are. We do not necessarily approve many things we hear yet we listen with respect and want to be listened to in the same way. Thank you for your post and help

[JWilliams]

Originally Posted by josephhawkinson

Thank you all for your replies. I am aware of the overall tendencies in the south; political ,social etc. I like to converse with different people and can call myself friendly for the most part. I would have no problem respectfully listening to even the most out of whack stuff some bigot can utter however I am somewhat concerned with the not-so-tolerant mindset of the so called "redneck" , in case my children or myself said something of their dislike. As I stated earlier I am a conservative myself and do not support gay marriage etc however I like to think I have the brains to know right from wrong despite my political motivations. Additionally, I would like my children grow in an environment with traditional values, respect to others, friendliness yet without the racial baggage and religous fanaticism that is seen in some southern areas. I hope this is not too much. I have a friend who has been living in a suburb of Chelsea,AL for over 5 years and he said he has not experienced or heard any of what I am concerned with so far. He is the one who made me think of a possible move to AL mostly for economical reasons. My wife and I have been thinking about FL, TX and AL. Central FL was our first choice yet home prices are still up there, AL Real estate on the other hand seems more reasonable and the weather is milder compared to TX and FL. That's where we are now, still thinking.

Look, where I come from has about 1% conservatives and the most socialized, liberal I-want-to-live-on-the-government people imaginable and I have settled into AL pretty well. I do not give a hoot about college football, as the locals do, but if you're willing to put up with a little change, you can do well. People are definitely very friendly overall, I personally have seen little racism (in 5 years that's pretty good, though obviously it exists for some people and in some areas it's worse...I am not a minority, but I've seen personally zero racism from whites to blacks down here; what little I have seen has been the other way around). If you realize it's not from where you're coming, it'll quite possibly work out well for you.

I know what ya mean As I stated earlier I did not want to insult or offend anybody but we are limited to the common vocabulary and perceived meanings of words rather than what they actually mean. I hate to use the label "redneck" but had to, "white trash" sounds more offensive anyways.
My family and I are conservative but there are certain things we would like to avoid, such as racism, religious fanaticism, hatemongering and similar things where logic and reason disappear. Constitution, traditional family and social values are our priorities but part of being modern is also having a tolerant approach towards other views and that's where we are. We do not necessarily approve many things we hear yet we listen with respect and want to be listened to in the same way. Thank you for your post and help

Religion is strong here. You see people praying at restaurants (try seeing that in NYC!). There are whackos everywhere in the country, but you can easily find moderate churches by the spades if you want to, where people will go to church and then have a get together later and get drunk; it's not all fire and brimstone. Many people here take no offense to being called a redneck, and there are plenty of well educated people here, too. It took me a while to get used to people talking competently about tech with a thick southern drawl and "y'all", but you'll get used to it.

[brandoni57]

[cut]

In my Hometown HUNTSVILLE (#1 most affordable city in the US, highest population of engineers in US, highest income in state, 1 in 10 population have a PHD, etc etc.) there is an area Hampton Cove that is generally the wealthiest suburb in town, set against mountains and lakes with the Robert Trent Jones golf trail and dozens of subdivisions of beautiful large brick homes. Go into the Wal Mart on that end of town and you will see a few "rednecks." Get over it. IF You want to raise your kids in the fastest growing city in Alabama with the best schools in the state, the most affordable Housing in the nation, the best economy in the state, with a diverse culture of Asians, Middle Easterners, Hindus, Jews, Blacks, Whites, Conservatives, Christians, Atheisists, Liberals, and overall highly educated people, move yourself to Huntsville. Ask the others from St. Louis and Seattle and California etc. who have made the trek to huntsvegas... THEY DON'T WANT TO MOVE BACK to wherever they came from, it doesn't make sense economically and it sure doesn't make sense when you stop to enjoy the great things Huntsville has to offer.

And to correct someone who said there was nothing to do in Huntsville:
An Article in today's paper talked about how Huntsville is marketing to young professionals and how much progress the nightlife has made in the last few years, especially downtown, over 20 bars and nightclubs and restaurants with thousands visiting every friday night and more developments like hotels, clubs and condos being built and planned. Also mentioned are the current developments: BRIDGE STREET (opening in ONE Year) in the nation's second largest Commercial Research Park will house a WESTIN hotel with condos on the top floors as well as man made lakes with water taxis, upscale european style shopping, restaurants, clubs, a theatre with coctail lounge and restaurant section, a symphony orchestra performance hall, a bowling alley/dance club, etc. etc. Stuff is being built dude, I don't know when the last time you were here. Huntsville didn't have a fifth of the stuff it does now four years ago.
To correct another from earlier, it is 5,000 to 10,000 JOBS moving here from Washington DC, not people... so in people roughly 10,000 to 20,000 people.

[JWilliams]

Originally Posted by brandoni57

And to correct someone who said there was nothing to do in Huntsville:
An Article in today's paper talked about how Huntsville is marketing to young professionals and how much progress the nightlife has made in the last few years, especially downtown, over 20 bars and nightclubs and restaurants with thousands visiting every friday night and more developments like hotels, clubs and condos being built and planned. Also mentioned are the current developments: BRIDGE STREET (opening in ONE Year) in the nation's second largest Commercial Research Park will house a WESTIN hotel with condos on the top floors as well as man made lakes with water taxis, upscale european style shopping, restaurants, clubs, a theatre with coctail lounge and restaurant section, a symphony orchestra performance hall, a bowling alley/dance club, etc. etc. Stuff is being built dude, I don't know when the last time you were here. Huntsville didn't have a fifth of the stuff it does now four years ago.
To correct another from earlier, it is 5,000 to 10,000 JOBS moving here from Washington DC, not people... so in people roughly 10,000 to 20,000 people.

Heh, it was about four years ago I'm glad it's taking off there. I do visit on occasion but never into town, though there is a nice marathon every December!

[lookingfortheperfectplace]

Originally Posted by brandoni57

[cut]

In my Hometown HUNTSVILLE (#1 most affordable city in the US, highest population of engineers in US, highest income in state, 1 in 10 population have a PHD, etc etc.) there is an area Hampton Cove that is generally the wealthiest suburb in town, set against mountains and lakes with the Robert Trent Jones golf trail and dozens of subdivisions of beautiful large brick homes. Go into the Wal Mart on that end of town and you will see a few "rednecks." Get over it. IF You want to raise your kids in the fastest growing city in Alabama with the best schools in the state, the most affordable Housing in the nation, the best economy in the state, with a diverse culture of Asians, Middle Easterners, Hindus, Jews, Blacks, Whites, Conservatives, Christians, Atheisists, Liberals, and overall highly educated people, move yourself to Huntsville. Ask the others from St. Louis and Seattle and California etc. who have made the trek to huntsvegas... THEY DON'T WANT TO MOVE BACK to wherever they came from, it doesn't make sense economically and it sure doesn't make sense when you stop to enjoy the great things Huntsville has to offer.

Hi, I plan on moving out to Huntsville area , probably Athens, and was woundering if you knew of any fun places for kids. I'm from Ca and I know I won't have the same stuff. Do you know of any places to go to for a train freak? Also, would we fit in if we are not religious? None of this is stopping us from moving there, just curious. Thanks

[brandoni57]

man you can fit in as well as you decide to. I'm getting sick of people asking if they aren't religious how will that affect me. if you want to meet the most people possible you go to church! with the exception of 35% of the congregation people are in there simply to meet people, that's it. if you don't go to church do what you can my friend.. get involved, be personable at work, join a country club, befriend neighbors, go dowtown for drinks every weekend. The bottom line is church is the easiest way and least expensive way to make friends, and the easiest way to raise kids.. because you let someone else do the work too.

Athens is ok.. I would advise against it, if you could live close live on the madison side of Huntsville, you'd be better off in Madison county or Madison City Limits, better schools. My father commuted most of his life from Huntsville to TVA in athens just so we didn't have to live there. Huntsville has all sorts of little parks and museums for the kids, I dont know the ages of your kids but there is plenty to do outside hiking biking, etc, take them downtown to feed the geese, kids love that.. actually my finance wants to do that every week almost , sports are huge here too, they will probably be big into football, soccer, hockey, and baseball.

[brandoni57]

Originally Posted by JWilliams

Heh, it was about four years ago I'm glad it's taking off there. I do visit on occasion but never into town, though there is a nice marathon every December!

yeah, one thing about Huntsville is we've always had great places to eat, now we are getting a lot more of that to choose from, plus a lot more places to drink, and lot of clubs and the shopping/entertainment is going to be off the wall when that bridge street development is completed next year. Developers are working hard to bring more people downtown too by building condos. Huntsville isn't a Vegas and will never be, but to all of the 20 something locals rasied here, we know it as "Huntsvegas".. because we see the progress.