How "Southern" is Charlottesville? (Richmond, Roanoke: stats, office, racist)

[GROC]

Originally Posted by Filmmy Teefis

I've been in the N.C mountains for around 2 years from Chicago and I love it here in the mountains. Asheville has 68k population and is full of kids of every color and type. Lots of mixed-race families (a good thing); lots of kitchy touristy shops and resturants, not much else. But, it's a huge area of commerce and activity and is very vital to the economy in this area. Asheville has a UNC extension that many kids are very proud to be in as it's got many many applicants; millionaire houses destroying the mountains...there's more "northerners" than southerners here! And I came here to be in the South not the North!
If you move South and complain about it and talk about how great your Northern home was, well, don't expect much.
I've heard great things about Austin and it's warmer there than the Southeast!
Good luck where ever you go!

I agree, no matter where you go to live, if you don't like it ...move! ...stop complaining! On the other hand, the ones complaining about the Northerners moving in and purchasing mountain property...and destroying the mountains, well, it seems to me that the best solution would be for the (towns/regions/districts, et al) to enact regulations regarding the sale of mountain property. Would it be fair to assume the ones "selling" these properties are Southerners? Is it fair to bash the Northerners who buy it?
It's also apparent that you have become one of the complainers by your statement, (there's more "northerners" than southerners here! And I came here to be in the South not the North!) Like I said in my first sentence of this post, if you don't like it ...move! ...stop complaining! or otherwise as you said, (don't expect much).
This North/South bashing has to end, neither side is perfect and all that this bashing does is perpetuate the stereotypes that already exist. Doesn't anyone have any constructive suggestions/methods that will help heal, instead of continually tear apart? What is it going to take for people to realize the "past is the past"...and to leave it in the past?

[Rhett_Butler]

Yes, it's just so easy to "pick up and move" whenever you have any dissatisfaction with the area you are residing in, ESPECIALLY in this economy... [/sarcasm]

[GROC]

Originally Posted by Rhett_Butler

Yes, it's just so easy to "pick up and move" whenever you have any dissatisfaction with the area you are residing in, ESPECIALLY in this economy... [/sarcasm]

I get your sarcasm , the Northerners seem to be the ones who do all the complaining (I guess ) according to some...all I'm saying is, if you can't enjoy where you are living, if you don't give it a chance to work...then move!...why burden anyone with your negativity?

[WineFoodMusic]

A very enlightening post. Makes me want to sip some blue Bombay while reading the feedback


Charlottesville sounds like a very appealing area to me.

I'm hard of hearing. I love blues, but to hear the music I have to crank the volume up. During warmer days the windows would be open and therefore the neighbors might hear me playing the music.

What kind of a response am I likely to get from neighbors ? I'm basically a friendly fun loving person and very mindful about infringing on other people personal space. That includes the "sound space".

Also, I was born in Germany. Became a citizen in 1965.

[cryschap]

I didnt even take the time to read through all this but I find it amusing what northerners think of us "southerners" Charlottesville isn't southern in my opinion, you don't hit the south until you hit NC and thats not total southern. VA just isnt southern to me, its not quite northern either, its one of those stuck in between places like WV, KY and TN, all of which people consider semi southern but I don't. You wanna see southern head to Georgia or Mississippi!

[Stan2009]

I lived in Charlottesville, VA and I lived in New England (Boston and Hartford) and I found that the culture is generally more intolerant and racist in New England than it is in Virginia. In fact, from what I have seen and heard New Englanders tend to be more provincial in their mindset and culture, and with that, more intolerant and narrow minded. Also, they are not nearly as friendly as people are in the South.

[Richmonder27]

Originally Posted by cryschap

I didnt even take the time to read through all this but I find it amusing what northerners think of us "southerners" Charlottesville isn't southern in my opinion, you don't hit the south until you hit NC and thats not total southern. VA just isnt southern to me, its not quite northern either, its one of those stuck in between places like WV, KY and TN, all of which people consider semi southern but I don't. You wanna see southern head to Georgia or Mississippi!

Virginia is Southern. Its the oldest of Southern states !
It was Southern long before Alabama even existed.

Its just not Deep South.

[01va571]

Originally Posted by cryschap

I didnt even take the time to read through all this but I find it amusing what northerners think of us "southerners" Charlottesville isn't southern in my opinion, you don't hit the south until you hit NC and thats not total southern. VA just isnt southern to me, its not quite northern either, its one of those stuck in between places like WV, KY and TN, all of which people consider semi southern but I don't. You wanna see southern head to Georgia or Mississippi!

Miiiisssiiissssiiipppiii

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by cassidygal

It's not the cold that gets me. It's the lack of sunny days for 9 months out of the year. Way too depressing. It gets to you after a while.

I'm not an expert on Virginia, but Charlottesville is a college town. I've visited many times and it is a beautiful place. The Raleigh-Chapel Hill area is actually VERY liberal with UNC there. My friend goes to law school at Chapel Hill and that place has more activism than some schools in the north. But honestly if you are from all the way up in Maine, Maryland or even the South Jersey shore or the Delaware coast will be very sunny in comparison.

Charlottesville is not racist. It is a mostly white area but that does not necessarily make it racist. My family is Asian American and my dad's friend and their family own a few restaurants in Charlottesville and have lived there happily for decades and their kids all want to stay on in the area. Wherever you go, just respect the culture and try to fit in and not make a point to show that you're different. Don't think racism is lesser or nonexistent up north seriously. A diverse city jsut means people keep their racist views to themselves, like somebody in Portland is probably not going to use a slur in public because he'll probably get his a___ kicked.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by scorlock

C-ville is very southern (rebel) and Jeffersonian. Remember that Thomas Jefferson was the guy who said America should have a civil (revolutionary) war every so often to keep the despotic government officials from gaining too much power. The people of C-ville wholly claim and embrace T. Jefferson and all of his ideas of a "free" society (in fact I think many of them still believe he walks the hills of Monticello...), where "free" means - without government intervention into individual rights.

Everything about C-ville is permeated by the shadow of Mr. Jefferson; architecture, politics, religion, business, education, etc. Being "free" also entitles one to be ignorant or naive. Yankees (Northerners) that I have met here in Central Va, ALWAYS do NOT fit in at first. People will expect you to visit politely in the grocery line, hold doors for other people, allow people to merge in traffic, and say excuse me when you bump someone in public, ALL of these things you will not be accustomed to when coming from the North (Yankee) part of the country.

YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY in Central Va unless you are prepared to become a more "cultured" human being, polite and respectful. PLEASE STAY in the North if you are not willing to change who you are and be more refined and tolerant. Northerners are the most selfish, self-centered, intolerant people in America, with exception of maybe Californians. Here, you are just another free-citizen expected to carry your weight in society; PLEASE DON'T COME!!!! STAY AWAY, FAR AWAY!

And don't be so naive about prejudices...such things exist EVERYWHERE and are based on anything people can use to separate themselves to feel better about who they are, whether it be ethnicity, gender, sexual morality, political, religious, education, family status, appearance, wealth, social status, you name it, etc. With your narrow-scope of human understanding typical of Yankee Northerners, I will HIGHLY recommend staying where you are at and continuing to live within your own self-generated fantasy world.

I'd say holding a door open for someone and saying excuse me when you bump into someone is basic manners. If people up north don't do that then maybe they should have been taught better growing up.