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I lived most of my life on Long Island in NY and my first 7 years in the Bronx. I also lived 3 years in Washington, DC and 12 years in Maryland. I'm now in my 7th year in Tennessee. I think I'm qualified to post on this topic.
1. Nobody has ever asked me about my religion in any place I have ever lived. More people go to church here but no one has ever pushed their religion on me. Also, I belong to a nonfiction book discussion group as part of a retiree program I belong to at the community college. The college isn't open during holidays and breaks between semesters but my book group meets once a month all year long. One of the Lutheran churches lets us use their meeting room all year long. Two other churches (other religions) let the fiction and classic book groups use their meeting rooms. We don't pay them.
2. Even the scruffiest looking native male in Tennessee will hold the door open for me and they hold it open for you BEFORE they go through it themselves. You say "Thank you" and they say, "Yes ma'am." In fact, that's how you can tell the difference between a native and a transplant or visiting male. In NY or MD I was licky if they held the door at all but in MD, when they did, they usually went through first.
3. People will chat you up here about anything, anywhere. HUGE difference from NY. There could be a long line behind you but nobody cares. It's expected. The checkout people actually converse with you. Patients in the doctor's waiting room will talk to you about anything. My doctor spends a lot of time just talking to me. Mechanics, store clerks, local government people - everybody talks to you. Never happened anyplace else I've ever lived. It's so refreshing.
4. They ask you if you need help at my supermarket when you have a lot of groceries and will go to the car with you if you need help. I've never needed help but they ask anyway.
5. At a traffic light, they don't honk the second the light has changed. In fact, if you do hear some car honk, the first reaction is to look at the license plate to see if they are from out of state. Oh, by the way, the speed limit on the Interstate here is 70 AND there are no toll roads here like in NY and MD.
6. I went for a visit to NY in 2009. I got a slice of pizza (why else go to NY? ). The person behind the counter never even looked at me and when the slice was ready just flipped it down on the counter and said the price. I felt like I was on Mars. I went to the supermarket on that same trip. The checkout person never said two words to me except for the total cost then she took her sweet time packing my groceries once she finally figured out I wasn't about to do her job.
7. And now I'm going to tell you my favorite Tennessee story. I've told it before. The first time I took my car to a Subaru dealer for service a few towns away, besides the oil change and tire rotation I asked for new windshield wipers. That was on a Monday or Tuesday. On Thursday, I get a call from them. It's raining. They want to know how my new windshield wipers are working out for me. I almost fell off my chair. That would NEVER happen in NY or MD.
8. The South as a whole seems very interested in history, a lot more than anyplace else I've ever lived and I lived in Washington, DC. I've been to re-enactments/living history events for the French and Indian War, the Civil War, WWII, the crossing of the Cumberland Gap, etc. I've been to Appalachian events, blue grass and story telling events, etc. My town played a very big role in WWII but my county is also known for mining history, desegregation history, and as a model planned community by the TVA. The state is also deep in music history. Tennessee is divided by East, West and Middle. East Tennessee is bluegrass and gospel music (Appalachian influence), Middle Tennessee is country music (Nashville) and West Tennessee is rock and roll (Elvis, Sun Records), jazz and blues (Memphis - Beale Street). Music is a big part of history events.
9. This is the first place I ever lived where college sports are more popular than professional sports. That's just an observation. I have no opinion about it.
10. News wise, NY lives in a bubble. I never realized it until I moved out.
I lived most of my life on Long Island in NY and my first 7 years in the Bronx. I also lived 3 years in Washington, DC and 12 years in Maryland. I'm now in my 7th year in Tennessee. I think I'm qualified to post on this topic.
1. Nobody has ever asked me about my religion in any place I have ever lived. More people go to church here but no one has ever pushed their religion on me. Also, I belong to a nonfiction book discussion group as part of a retiree program I belong to at the community college. The college isn't open during holidays and breaks between semesters but my book group meets once a month all year long. One of the Lutheran churches lets us use their meeting room all year long. Two other churches (other religions) let the fiction and classic book groups use their meeting rooms. We don't pay them.
2. Even the scruffiest looking native male in Tennessee will hold the door open for me and they hold it open for you BEFORE they go through it themselves. You say "Thank you" and they say, "Yes ma'am." In fact, that's how you can tell the difference between a native and a transplant or visiting male. In NY or MD I was licky if they held the door at all but in MD, when they did, they usually went through first.
3. People will chat you up here about anything, anywhere. HUGE difference from NY. There could be a long line behind you but nobody cares. It's expected. The checkout people actually converse with you. Patients in the doctor's waiting room will talk to you about anything. My doctor spends a lot of time just talking to me. Mechanics, store clerks, local government people - everybody talks to you. Never happened anyplace else I've ever lived. It's so refreshing.
4. They ask you if you need help at my supermarket when you have a lot of groceries and will go to the car with you if you need help. I've never needed help but they ask anyway.
5. At a traffic light, they don't honk the second the light has changed. In fact, if you do hear some car honk, the first reaction is to look at the license plate to see if they are from out of state. Oh, by the way, the speed limit on the Interstate here is 70 AND there are no toll roads here like in NY and MD.
6. I went for a visit to NY in 2009. I got a slice of pizza (why else go to NY? ). The person behind the counter never even looked at me and when the slice was ready just flipped it down on the counter and said the price. I felt like I was on Mars. I went to the supermarket on that same trip. The checkout person never said two words to me except for the total cost then she took her sweet time packing my groceries once she finally figured out I wasn't about to do her job.
7. And now I'm going to tell you my favorite Tennessee story. I've told it before. The first time I took my car to a Subaru dealer for service a few towns away, besides the oil change and tire rotation I asked for new windshield wipers. That was on a Monday or Tuesday. On Thursday, I get a call from them. It's raining. They want to know how my new windshield wipers are working out for me. I almost fell off my chair. That would NEVER happen in NY or MD.
8. The South as a whole seems very interested in history, a lot more than anyplace else I've ever lived and I lived in Washington, DC. I've been to re-enactments/living history events for the French and Indian War, the Civil War, WWII, the crossing of the Cumberland Gap, etc. I've been to Appalachian events, blue grass and story telling events, etc. My town played a very big role in WWII but my county is also known for mining history, desegregation history, and as a model planned community by the TVA. The state is also deep in music history. Tennessee is divided by East, West and Middle. East Tennessee is bluegrass and gospel music (Appalachian influence), Middle Tennessee is country music (Nashville) and West Tennessee is rock and roll (Elvis, Sun Records), jazz and blues (Memphis - Beale Street). Music is a big part of history events.
9. This is the first place I ever lived where college sports are more popular than professional sports. That's just an observation. I have no opinion about it.
10. News wise, NY lives in a bubble. I never realized it until I moved out.
I do believe you nailed it. My son lives in Westchester County and I don't enjoy dealing with the locals there.
I am not comparing the entire south to Mississippi. You are drawing your own conclusions here, and they have no basis. Read the opening statement and try again.
Where else in the south have you lived besides Mississippi, and where are these southerners who have never been farther north than TN/KY lol.
Where else in the south have you lived besides Mississippi, and where are these southerners who have never been farther north than TN/KY lol.
Lived in Pensacola Florida for about 6 months.
Most people I've talked to in Mississippi have not been farther north than Kentucky or Virginia, not all, but a good chunk, so they have no idea what the north is like.
Most people I've talked to in Mississippi have not been farther north than Kentucky or Virginia, not all, but a good chunk, so they have no idea what the north is like.
Hmm... I can definitely believe it for Mississippi, it's the poorest state in the country. But other parts of the south, people from GA/NC/Florida for example... unless they are still in high school, I'd find that hard to believe.
Hmm... I can definitely believe it for Mississippi, it's the poorest state in the country. But other parts of the south, people from GA/NC/Florida for example... unless they are still in high school, I'd find that hard to believe.
There are definitely some Long Islanders/New Yorkers that have barely seen glimpses of the US outside NYC metro, except for maybe a beach trip down south or a ski / summer vacation trip upstate.
Hmm... I can definitely believe it for Mississippi, it's the poorest state in the country. But other parts of the south, people from GA/NC/Florida for example... unless they are still in high school, I'd find that hard to believe.
Well especially not any of the states you listed. Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida especially are full of people who are originally from the north, but transported there either due to retirement or job relocation since each state has some fast growing metros.
I'm in east Mississippi, and western Alabama is no different than eastern Mississippi, so I may as well count them in on the same thing. The only thing setting western Alabama apart is the presence of the University of Alabama, which may draw a little bit of diversity and more well traveled people.
Also, not trying to change the subject here, but the poorest state in the country thing gets tossed arond a little too freely. Yes, the average household income in Mississippi is about $36,000 a year, lower than any other state. However, Mississippi enjoys the lowest cost of living of any state, so those wages are kind of taken out of context. $36,000 a year won't get you by in many other places, but it gets you by just fine here.
There are definitely some Long Islanders/New Yorkers that have barely seen glimpses of the US outside NYC metro, except for maybe a beach trip down south or a ski / summer vacation trip upstate.
So not that surprising.
Really!? Maybe it's not so much a southern or northern thing, but just a locale thing. I'm sure after living in New York your whole life the rest of the country looks a lot different and a lot less appealing. I worked with a guy here in Mississippi who was born and raised in the Bronx. Must have been a huge change of pace for him.
There are definitely some Long Islanders/New Yorkers that have barely seen glimpses of the US outside NYC metro, except for maybe a beach trip down south or a ski / summer vacation trip upstate.
So not that surprising.
I think I know why, though. It's such a pain in the butt to get off Long Island or out of NYC that they do it rarely not regularly. In NYC they expect the entertainment to come to them unlike us who travel to the entertainment. They expect everything to come to them. I'll bet you more of them have been to Florida, for example, on a yearly vacation or left Long Island or NYC on a business airplane trip than they have driven to any town 50 - 100 miles outside of NYC. Here, it is not uncommon to jump in your car for everything you need or want including crossing state lines, regularly. My sister probably hasn't been off Long Island in 20 years. It's just easier for me to do it here in TN.
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