Most native Atlantians have moved away and took the southern hospitality with them (Atlanta: live, versus)

[Larry X]

Southern hospitality is NO myth! I just moved back here from Ohio (Dayton) and the difference is night and day (from a young black man perspective.) In Dayton strangers will say nothing to you in public. They look at you crazy and keep walking or they just nod their head in hello and keep going. My wifes parents have been in the same home almost 30 years and they dont even know there neighbors. Since I've been back here in just over a month my wife and I have had numerous conversations in public with strangers, black, white, and other. White people (strangers) will talk to here in GA! not in Ohio though, generally speaking. I've heard many people from the north say southerns are too nosey just because we spark conversation.
The other day I was in a UPS store, my order was less than a dollar, I had no cash and this black couple (foreigners) offered me dollar to pay for it. Its the same way in South Carolina, southern hospitality is real, and I love it! Happy to be back.

[Georgiafrog]

It's because all of us native Atlantans have moved OTP. This thread cracks me up. Transplants who are the quickest to disparage everything they can about the area that they chose to move to thinking that the locals cannot see their general attitude and respond accordingly. "Oh, I've found most New Yorkers to be the nicest people in the world, and southern hospitality is a myth!", says the New York transplant with a superiority complex. Shocking. Look. When you move somewhere, try to get a tiny bit of understanding of the locals. Is there even a Georgia native posting in this thread besides myself? I love the fact that people have come here and improved the economy, but please take off the blinders. Your actions cause the reactions.

[afonega1]

I am a natie Georgia.South Georgian and I really think the rudeness is reactionary.

When I talk to people ,they seem amazed because I don't have a noticeable accent and I am well travelled.

Its annoying when people have this surprised look on your face when you describe a normal upbringing and good manners.
Im very pokite to everyone and easygoing but I could see how someone else from Georgia would get annoyed.
Everybody responds differently,I just shrug stuf off.

Atlantans in general can be less than friendly.Its not that way in other parts of Georgia.

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by JC84

As someone who has spent exactly half her life in Boston and half down south, I agree-- to a Southerner, Northerners are "rude", "blunt" etc...but you know where you stand with them, they typically don't play the "polite to your face while stabbing you in the back" game. It took me a long time to get accustomed to that cultural change. Another personal observation- people here are very flakey with social plans for some reason. I rarely ran into this in Boston. I don't know why this is, but it's something a few of my fellow transplants have noticed as well.

You are so right!That annoys the hell out of me.Im Southern and Im not like this at all but many people I have met are very flakey with social plans.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Larry X

Southern hospitality is NO myth! I just moved back here from Ohio (Dayton) and the difference is night and day (from a young black man perspective.) In Dayton strangers will say nothing to you in public. They look at you crazy and keep walking or they just nod their head in hello and keep going. My wifes parents have been in the same home almost 30 years and they dont even know there neighbors. Since I've been back here in just over a month my wife and I have had numerous conversations in public with strangers, black, white, and other. White people (strangers) will talk to here in GA! not in Ohio though, generally speaking. I've heard many people from the north say southerns are too nosey just because we spark conversation.
The other day I was in a UPS store, my order was less than a dollar, I had no cash and this black couple (foreigners) offered me dollar to pay for it. Its the same way in South Carolina, southern hospitality is real, and I love it! Happy to be back.

I'll do you one better: I'm a white guy, and I constantly get a kick out of the number of black women that call me sugar, baby, honey, sweety and darling -- and I return the favor!

Yesterday, driving back to Savannah, I stopped to get gas at a rural station and that very conservation transpired. Mind you, I didn't start it; the sweet girl behind the cash register called me "honey" first. "You need anything else sweety? Have a nice day sugar!"

You don't get that anywhere else in the country, and I don't care how jaded you are -- to me that's genuine.

It also tells me that there's a lot more respect between the races down here than lots of folks give us credit for, though I'm sure many people would say a conservation like that between a white man and a black girl is still disrespectful and racist. Sorry, I just don't see it that way.

As to the OP: There are just as many native Georgians living in Metro Atlanta as always, it's just that they've been highly diluted by in-migrants from other parts of the country and world. I know that a remarkable number of my high school classmates returned home after college and still live in the suburb where I grew up. And most of those who don't live in the town live in an adjacent county or somewhere else in the Metro. Thanks to FB, I am aware of those who've moved elsewhere in the country, and it's fewer than a couple of dozen.

Another thing that I remember from years ago, when I was fresh out of college. Going out to the bars in Atlanta, I was of course constantly running into friends from high school and college (UGA). But guess what? So were all my new friends who had moved to Atlanta from other states. It was amazing. Even those from North Carolina were constantly running into old classmates or frat brothers. I asked what the chances of me seeing UGA friends in Charlotte or Raleigh, and they laughed. Of course, this was many years ago but I don't think it's changed that much.

[JC84]

Originally Posted by Georgiafrog

It's because all of us native Atlantans have moved OTP. This thread cracks me up. Transplants who are the quickest to disparage everything they can about the area that they chose to move to thinking that the locals cannot see their general attitude and respond accordingly. "Oh, I've found most New Yorkers to be the nicest people in the world, and southern hospitality is a myth!", says the New York transplant with a superiority complex. Shocking. Look. When you move somewhere, try to get a tiny bit of understanding of the locals. Is there even a Georgia native posting in this thread besides myself? I love the fact that people have come here and improved the economy, but please take off the blinders. Your actions cause the reactions.

........Have you ever lived anywhere else? You don't seem to have much perspective about the obvious cultural differences and why people see others as they do.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by Larry X

Southern hospitality is NO myth! I just moved back here from Ohio (Dayton) and the difference is night and day (from a young black man perspective.) In Dayton strangers will say nothing to you in public. They look at you crazy and keep walking or they just nod their head in hello and keep going. My wifes parents have been in the same home almost 30 years and they dont even know there neighbors. Since I've been back here in just over a month my wife and I have had numerous conversations in public with strangers, black, white, and other. White people (strangers) will talk to here in GA! not in Ohio though, generally speaking. I've heard many people from the north say southerns are too nosey just because we spark conversation.
The other day I was in a UPS store, my order was less than a dollar, I had no cash and this black couple (foreigners) offered me dollar to pay for it. Its the same way in South Carolina, southern hospitality is real, and I love it! Happy to be back.

I am from Ohio and will attest to the above. I never really spoke to people in public in Ohio. That is just not the norm and we don't feel the need to get in people's business lol. That is why they didn't speak to you. Also, people feel they have better things to do than sit around and chit chat.

That said, I do like the friendly conversation in Atlanta and the south in general. I do think it causes things to take longer than they should (another reason in Ohio why they don't talk, we like to get things done quickly generally and that was a big issue for me in regards to a culture shock when I came here and people chit chat in various businesses and government offices and so it takes 3-5 times longer to get stuff accomplished versus in Ohio. I don't like to waste time talking in most instances).

I also think the no talking thing comes in handy in regards to panhandlers and such. I had never encountered people walking up to me asking me for money in Ohio and I do feel it has to do with the fact that if people come up and speak to you like that, you are cautious that they might be up to no good and will be on guard. And I remember being taught how to "look crazy" while walking on the street lol. It was called "looking hard" and is a mechanism used to steer away people from approaching you on the street. It even works here in Atlanta at times when I see someone I know is going to ask me for money.

In regards to neighbors though I wonder about your in-laws! We always knew all our neighbors even ones that were down the block and around the corner and basically just in our neighborhood. I am from Toledo though and people have said we Toledoans are very nice compared to other areas in Ohio. Even though there is nearly 300K people there, it is kind of like a small town in various parts of town and I grew up in the "old" south end and knew practically everyone within 20 blocks of my house, white, black, Asian, and Hispanic, didn't matter.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Prove it.

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

How?

Bless her heart, just ask what kind of coke she wants and then y'all sit down and talk 'bout your mamas and them.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by Listennow32

Idk.. I've heard it alot around here haha. Futhermore.. I'd have to agree with one of the other posters. Southern Hospitality is definitely alive. I think ya'lls definition is a little narrow. Southern Hospitality is more than opening doors and having proper manners. Its being able to hold on friendly conversations with the cashiers at the local supermarket and people around you joining in, its the people who slow down and offer rides to the people walking home with lots of groceries, its pulling to the side of the road when a funeral procession or an ambulance goes by. Its people stopping and helping out confused strangers that are visiting the city.

IMO its alive in well. that's one of the reasons I love Atlanta. It's a big city, but it has that small time charm.. (FOR ME its like that, maybe not for other people, but I feel it and I love it lol)

All of those things happen all over the country. There's nothing southern about it.

[arjay57]

I don't think pleasant banter is unique to the south. The first time I was in NYC I went into a restaurant for breakfast and the waitress said, "What'll it be, honey?"

I've heard similar talk in cities all over the place.