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Hi all,
We are scheduled to move to next week. We have loved the Wilmington area and visited many times. The people there have always been friendly and lovely to us. I have heard in some instances that "southern" cities are not found of "outsiders", but we have never yet encountered this. This morning I was on a community forum and posted a question which included that we were moving to the area. One lady in particular out of nowhere basically tore me to shreds on the premise that her family had been in the are for 25 years (?) and I was a waste of space because I did not live there and should just stay away (among a bunch of other incoherent , rude, and frankly very mean things). I asked what I had done to personally warrant her anger which only seemed to make her go off further. I know this is one person, but apparently this is a well known person in the area and it made me feel most unwelcome to say the least. My original question involved utilities in the area, so there was no reason for me to be jumped on. She actually went so far as to insist I get a lawyer and I felt as if I and my family had been personally threatened. Is this something I will run into from time to time and should be prepare for or just a random extremely mean person? Feeling heavy hearted this morning. Thanks!
I follow a few local area groups on Facebook. There are often comments expressing hostility towards "yankees". Usually the locals will be quite polite to outsiders in person, though, since the economy around here is based on tourism and building houses for the yankees.
They did sound that way! It's funny because I didn't even say WHERE we were moving FROM, so we could have been moving from further south for all she knew. Would someone from Maryland be considered a Yankee? I mostly assume that is referring to people from NJ/NY and above. We also lived in SoCal for quite a long time (longer than MD) and are pretty laid back people in general.
I find that in general NYers stress me out (maybe not on a case by case basis) because of things like fast pace and impatience - is that what people don't like when they use "Yankee" as a derogatory term, or is there a lot more to it? Thanks so much for the insight. I just wasn't prepared to be torn apart like that as I doubt anyone would say anything close to what she said if not hidden behind a keyboard, and there really was no reason for it that I could see.
I think that some people who are local yokels in an area, think they are hotsey totsey because they have lived in an area for years. I have found that to be the case in alot of touristy areas. It's rude and immature behavior, and NO, most people are not like that, especially if you embrace the local area. If you go in and start talking about how they do things up north, or where ever, you will encounter an attitude from the locals. Go in, ask questions about the area, don't be afraid to ask about their favorite places and you will most likely make a friend. I only say this because I have moved atleast 18 times in my lifetime and have learned that people are good everywhere, and the norm is for most folks to be happy to help. Welcome to NC...from a former VA resident!
Thanks Stacey! That's kind of the impression I got, happy to hear that is not the norm. I'm not even sure how they "do things up north" or whatever, we really don't have any kind of affinity with the northeast and didn't move there by choice, which is why when we could swing it, we chose to leave it. I did laugh at the "local yokels" thinking they are "hotsey totsey" comment - hehehe!
You will encounter a few older folks that are upset about "their" Wilmington changing...like the City hasn't been around for 250 years.
Ignore them.
While they are whining about traffic, they are more than happy to take advantage of rising property values and added convenience. This is not a new phenomenon, it has been going on since around 1990 when I-40 opened. What they wont tell you is that downtown Wilmington used to be a horrible place and the revitalization is amazing. These are the same people that argued that the Wilmington Housing Authority replaced dilapidated public housing units with units that were "too nice". They will complain about anything changing so its better just to ignore them and befriend that progressive thinkers.
You're bound to run into an assh*le no matter where you go. Wilmington is no exception. That's life. Like HP91 said, just ignore them and befriend those that are genuinely welcoming. Don't let one internet troll ruin it for ya.
Ha! Thank you all for your input - the downtown IS amazing and I can completely picture what you are saying HP91 - you can't have it both ways. I'm sure those were the same people complaining about the downtown being a dump as well.
I used to live in Carteret County, twice actually. We're in Pittsburgh now but we're going to visit Wilmington in September to reacquaint ourselves with the area because we're considering moving there. People there have always been friendly to us, and it's a great combination of outdoor amenities, benefits of a (small) city, relatively low cost of living, and a reasonably diversified economy.
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That's kind of the impression I got, happy to hear that is not the norm. I'm not even sure how they "do things up north" or whatever, we really don't have any kind of affinity with the northeast and didn't move there by choice, which is why when we could swing it, we chose to leave it. 
I did laugh at the "local yokels" thinking they are "hotsey totsey" comment - hehehe!
