Is it possible to be liberal and enjoy living in the South? (apartment, neighborhoods)
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What did you hate about Missouri? I've passed through there and it looked alright, but of course that's nothing like actually living there or spending a lot of time there.
I haven't lived in St. Louis but we've got friends there and I've spent some time there over the last couple years. The outer suburbs of St. Louis are alright but the city itself is right on par with Detroit in regards to urban decay. The northern part of the city has hollowed out significantly, and the population has dropped by 60% over the last 60 years. The St. Louis school district is pretty lousy, too, and over the past few years some of the inner city schools have shut down and those kids end up being foisted off on the schools in the suburbs. It's a pretty area, but not one I'd wanna live in.
I think as a human being, if you have basic respect and kindness for others, you will always have friends and fit in. I think those that are ostracized either in the south or anywhere in the world for supposedly being "different" are simply those that never made any effort or were combative.
The same should apply to those locals in conservative areas... There are quite a few locals that like to poke their chest out, so to speak, in regards to their political preference.. sometimes to newcomers. Perhaps in attempt to scare them out of there and not endanger their "established" way of life.
I haven't really experienced this in Atlanta and, in fact, the friends I have made have shared the same political preference as me (liberal leaning). I could say the same about Savannah (where I'm from) but there are also a very large share of conservatives there, too.
Missouri is a not very exciting.. even Kentucky is way more exciting than Missouri unless you love MLB baseball and want to talk baseball all day.
Ehhhhhhhhh...
As a Kentucky native, while I admit that Missouri isn't particularly exciting, Kentucky is a snooze.
Cincinnati, while in Ohio, is the go-to big city for many Kentuckians and it is quite possibly the major U.S. city that MOST underutilizes its potential. Nashville, TN is a great town, but more of Kentucky's population lives or is affiliated closer to Cincinnati than Nashville. St. Louis is fairly close to western Kentucky and a lot of StL Cardinals fans live in WKY, but fairly close is not the same thing as very close like Cincinnati and Nashville (and StL has had a lot of urban ills long, long before this Ferguson stuff happened). Within Kentucky, Louisville is up-and-coming, but the activities and community there are quite, shall we say, Louisville-centric. Lexington is underwhelming for a city its size.
I guess living in California has spoiled me in this respect. Even though I can see myself returning to the South at some point, it likely won't be Kentucky unless the reason is extremely compelling.
Atlanta is one of the poster children for liberalism in the traditional South. Even reasonable people who dislike Atlanta admit as much.
It is a poster child for liberalism in the traditional South. I am a reasonable person because I admit that and that fact doesn't bother me one bit.
As a side note, I moved from the traditional South (via a Midwestern city) to liberal California, where I am indeed a fish out of water despite enjoyment of living there. Do you think a few liberals bother me?
As a Kentucky native, while I admit that Missouri isn't particularly exciting, Kentucky is a snooze.
Cincinnati, while in Ohio, is the go-to big city for many Kentuckians and it is quite possibly the major U.S. city that MOST underutilizes its potential. Nashville, TN is a great town, but more of Kentucky's population lives or is affiliated closer to Cincinnati than Nashville. St. Louis is fairly close to western Kentucky and a lot of StL Cardinals fans live in WKY, but fairly close is not the same thing as very close like Cincinnati and Nashville (and StL has had a lot of urban ills long, long before this Ferguson stuff happened). Within Kentucky, Louisville is up-and-coming, but the activities and community there are quite, shall we say, Louisville-centric. Lexington is underwhelming for a city its size.
I guess living in California has spoiled me in this respect. Even though I can see myself returning to the South at some point, it likely won't be Kentucky unless the reason is extremely compelling.
Kentucky can be boring but I like it. Lot of family is close by in Cincinnati and Nashville. My gf lives in Nashville so I like being here in Lexington its really close by to visit. Nashville is a way better city than Cincinnati or St. Louis but then again just my opinion. California is a great state but the cost of living is too high. I don't feel like paying 2200 for a one bedroom apartment and I am in in heath care so I make good money. I love California to visit its probably my favorite state but not too live.. at least not right now for me.
Kentucky can be boring but I like it. Lot of family is close by in Cincinnati and Nashville. My gf lives in Nashville so I like being here in Lexington its really close by to visit. Nashville is a way better city than Cincinnati or St. Louis but then again just my opinion. California is a great state but the cost of living is too high. I don't feel like paying 2200 for a one bedroom apartment and I am in in heath care so I make good money. I love California to visit its probably my favorite state but not too live.. at least not right now for me.
There's good money to be had in healthcare in California. If you play your cards right (shop carefully on Craigslist), you can still find studio or 1BR/1BA apartments in good areas of any major CA metropolis for $1300/month or less. Well, not like San Francisco or downtown L.A., but you can just go south from SF into Daly City or north from DTLA into Burbank and find surprisingly good deals. Shop wisely, but you can make it in CA, even if gas prices go up to $5+/gallon next year due to new carbon pricing laws back there (b/c you can always take rail in the Bay Area, Sacramento, San Diego, or even Los Angeles' rapidly expanding rail network).
I do agree, Nashville is a superior city to Cincinnati or St. Louis. Cincinnati and St. Louis do, however, have the potential to blow Nashville out of the water in livability if they could shed their Midwestern cultural conservative mentalities; I could say the same for Louisville even, which is kind of Midwestern in bent. In fact, Cincinnati and environs could be a sort of San Francisco of the Midwest if there wasn't so much in-fighting between the City of Cincinnati, the Ohio suburbs, and the northern Kentucky suburbs; it's really a sad situation over there. Nashville has long had a creative bent, however, and the city has obviously done a brilliant job of using that to its advantage.
An aside: With StL and Cincinnati still living in the 1960s with regards to racial relations and Cincinnati incapable of accomplishing the greatness it deserves, I think Louisville could well be the next "on the map" city in that general part of the U.S. And I don't even love Louisville, but I call it as I see it. Louisville has a good blend (well, relative to other Midwestern cities) of civic vision, bold but careful initiatives, community pride (Louisvillians are almost as defensive about their town as Texans are about their state), and healthy population and business growth, plus an inner city that, while hardly the best in the U.S. in terms of crime, is still a bit safer than the inner cities of StL, Cincinnati, and even Nashville. (Louisville's crime stats are somewhat "low," but that's considering all of Jefferson County, not the old city limits, and no less specific neighborhoods.) Anyway, Louisville could "pull it off" if it plays its cards right.
The same should apply to those locals in conservative areas... There are quite a few locals that like to poke their chest out, so to speak, in regards to their political preference.. sometimes to newcomers. Perhaps in attempt to scare them out of there and not endanger their "established" way of life.
I haven't really experienced this in Atlanta and, in fact, the friends I have made have shared the same political preference as me (liberal leaning). I could say the same about Savannah (where I'm from) but there are also a very large share of conservatives there, too.
Natives aren't going to try to make accommodations for anyone. Whether they are liberal or conservative. It's your job to be respectful and adapt. I'm as conservative as they come and I would never dream of moving to someplace like West Hollywood or Paris and expect them to accept my views with open arms and getting into arguments with the locals just because they don't adhere to them. That is the mind of an entitled person. I keep my personal opinions to myself and be kind and respectful and I always have friends. Period. If you can't do that, don't move anywhere.
Whether it's possible or not will probably depend on whether or not you are truly an open-minded person who is able to appreciate beliefs and cultures not completely in line with your own.
Are you able to tolerate people associating with people who may think in ways other than you? If not, you're probably responsible for your own misery. While I have not ever lived in the South, I can't imagine anything you would experience living there that would keep a person who is able to appreciate differences in political and social viewpoints from being able to enjoy life. How one reacts to the world and culture around oneself is one's own choice.
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Even though I can see myself returning to the South at some point, it likely won't be Kentucky unless the reason is extremely compelling.
