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Wherever you decide to land. I wish you a good journey. I will say this though. Much of the Southeast is going to have a family religious vibe to it. You will find pockets in some city centers, where young people flock. Where that vibe is much less. Outside it is very strong, and that's how it is. In other words you are going to feel that, and it will impact you socially. Unless that is your interest to begin with. Church is a big part of life in all the southern states. Both young and old.
I think it's a good thing to experience different areas, so I agree with what your doing. Just have the means to leave, if you find its more than you can adjust to. Otherwise have a great time.
Wherever you decide to land. I wish you a good journey. I will say this though. Much of the Southeast is going to have a family religious vibe to it. You will find pockets in some city centers, where young people flock. Where that vibe is much less. Outside it is very strong, and that's how it is. In other words you are going to feel that, and it will impact you socially. Unless that is your interest to begin with. Church is a big part of life in all the southern states. Both young and old.
I think it's a good thing to experience different areas, so I agree with what your doing. Just have the means to leave, if you find its more than you can adjust to. Otherwise have a great time.
As someone who has lived in the Midwest, New England, and the South, this is a bit overreaching. The South is religious, but I have not found the "vibe" to be overwhelming, "very strong", or intrusive whatsoever. Simply because church is a big part of life for some individuals doesn't create a default that it will automatically or more than likely result in one needing the means "to be ready to leave" anymore than there being an overwhelming majority of Democrats in the Boston area if one is a Conservative. As a general rule, no matter religious (or lack thereof), racial, political leanings, almost no matter where you live, if you're polite, not pushy, and you treat others as you'd want to be treated, you will be fine. The South is no exception. They're actually the nicest people I've come across in my travels and where I've lived. To imply that you're going to mobbed by nutty street preachers is laughable and ignorant. I know you didn't say that, but that's the image that this post portrays. Chasing phantoms and creating a picture of biased stereotypes doesn't do the OP any favors and creates a false and rather sheltered image of some really nice people.
As someone who has lived in the Midwest, New England, and the South, this is a bit overreaching. The South is religious, but I have not found the "vibe" to be overwhelming, "very strong", or intrusive whatsoever. Simply because church is a big part of life for some individuals doesn't create a default that it will automatically or more than likely result in one needing the means "to be ready to leave" anymore than there being an overwhelming majority of Democrats in the Boston area if one is a Conservative. As a general rule, no matter religious (or lack thereof), racial, political leanings, almost no matter where you live, if you're polite, not pushy, and you treat others as you'd want to be treated, you will be fine. The South is no exception. They're actually the nicest people I've come across in my travels and where I've lived. To imply that you're going to mobbed by nutty street preachers is laughable and ignorant. I know you didn't say that, but that's the image that this post portrays. Chasing phantoms and creating a picture of biased stereotypes doesn't do the OP any favors and creates a false and rather sheltered image of some really nice people.
Really then live where I do and you might really get the picture. I don't and didn't make the environment of many of the communities. To say people are igorant, because they have experienced what I mentioned. Well I wonder is all I have to say. Now I am not going to return to this young persons thread. My experiences are what has been presented to me. I didn't invent them.
Threads like this get closed because etc etc. You and your little friends can figure locations out.
I am in the same situation as you, except I am 41 , but I am single guy who grew up in the Northwest and my move to the South will be permanent, not temporary. I'm going to post my own CIty vs City thread, but yours has captivated my interest.
As of now, I am leaning on moving to Knoxville, TN, because it is in the most beautiful natural location of all the cities listed except Asheville and Greenville that are pretty much located in the mountains. Greenville is a bit closer to the mountains than Knoxville, but not by much. I've scratched Charlotte off my list and you should keep it off your list too because the city is not Southern at all and has a very suburban yuppie New Jersey banker vibe to the city. Tampa would be a good city and you probably would be able to make friends there and date there. That is one thing that attracts me to Tampa is that it is a real city, large size and you are not surrounded by a bunch of married people who are also probably part of a religious community.
That is the one downside of the South, but there are many upsides, such as culture, Southern hospitality and friendliness you don't have in more East Coast or West Coast like cities. Tampa is kind of a hybrid I hear of Miami with a little Southernness and Midwest thrown into the mix, since it is a melting pot city. Miami is much more Latino and New York/Northeastern cultured and not my cup of tea at all.
Something you have to keep in mind is if you are single and don't attend a church community you may find it hard to both break-in and date in the South. People marry young and church communities I hear are major part of the life there. Of course, so moving to smaller cities/towns you may find it hard to break in. That is the issue I am facing. Although, I am at the point where I don't think I am much dating material anymore and I need to live as cheaply as possible as have become disabled with disc problems. So, cost is a major factor for me, but maybe not for you?
If you really want a Southern culture city where you can have a social life and it easier to break-in, I hear places like Charleston, Savannah, Nashville, New Orleans, Fort Worth, etc are much easier to break into. However, if you want to live in a beautiful location that is affordable, then Knoxville tops my list. I would have said Greenville, but I have heard it is a pretty dreadful place to be a single guy in your 20s to 40s. As well, Greenville is getting expensive and the taxes in South Carolina are very high and many don't realize it. Charleston would be astronomically expensive if you include taxes, but it would have been maybe my first choice if I could afford it, even though I am a mountain person and not a beach person so much. However, the town is suppose to be the most charming in America and one of the oldest.
Another town to consider is Chattanooga. Being that you are in your 20s, you may have more luck with the college crowd, so Knoxville and Chattanooga may be a great experience for you, whereas an old geezer like me will be stuck dating dysfunctional older people, single mothers, etc, which is pretty much how it is in smaller cities across the USA where people marry young and get divorced. You are actually at a great age, unlike me, as a college scene could be a benefit to you. Despite the fact I am sure Knoxville will be bad for me if I was to pursue dating, I don't think I will let it stop me , because the outdoors and beauty of nearby Great Smokey Mountain National Park and affordability are more essential. As well, I have found the people in Knoxville area to be very friendly , social and I think the Southern Appalachian culture is probably one of the most unique and greatest in our country.
I've heard a lot of bad things about Columbia SC and it has a very high crime rate. You are best to stick with Greenville or Charleston if you pick South Carolina.
Asheville is about as liberal as San Francisco (it's called SF of the South) and if you are conservative (like me) you may find it very polarizing like living in many liberal California cities.
Winston-Salem/Triad area are also on my list of places to live.. I'd probably be open to places in Texas, but I just couldn't stand living in a place that is so flat and need greenery, mountains or at least a nice ocean. Fort Worth would be my pick for Texas..
Here are the places I am considering relocating being in your like situation, single male, conservative (but being a wee bit older than you):
Knoxville, TN
Winston-Salem/Triad area (W/S, Greensboro, High Point)
Chattanooga, TN
Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, FL
Roanoke/Blacksburg, VA (Probably would be too small and boring for me, but being in 20s , may be good for you)
Charleston, SC (Too expensive for me probably)
Greenville, SC (Not writing it off, but probably too expensive and boring for single, non-Christian guy)
The Columbia areas crime rate is lower than the Charleston areas. So that’s wrong. North Charleston has got to be the most crime ridden place in the state by itself. Instead of listening to those bad things and forming a wrong opinion of a place based on others perceptions, why don’t you visit and see for yourself.
I've heard a lot of bad things about Columbia SC and it has a very high crime rate. You are best to stick with Greenville or Charleston if you pick South Carolina.
Columbia isn't perfect but neither are Greenville or Charleston. It's an overall healthy and growing city that has more to offer than meets the eye, and if family-friendly Greenville makes the list, there's really no reason why Columbia shouldn't.
Lots of good options; I lived in both Columbia, SC for about six years and in Atlanta for a bit. I do not think you would like Atlanta. Even for me, and I was a city person as a kid, Atlanta was just...nooooo….not for me. There are lots of good options there if you want to live pretty far out but commuting could be intense.
From your list, I'd mostly recommend some of the coastal cities (Savannah, Charleston-but it's pricey to live there, Jacksonville). Richmond is pretty nice, and decently but not incredibly Southern in feel these days. Birmingham and Huntsville might be nice too actually.
If I were you given your interests, I'd probably shy away from Kansas City (not Southern), Atlanta, and perhaps Asheville. I think Louisville is a good option too and is fairly, but not incredibly, Southern.
Nashville is nice, but has changed a ton even in the past 10 years becoming a much bigger and much less Southern feeling city. I think it's great to visit; I'm not sure it's great to live in.
Columbia isn't perfect but neither are Greenville or Charleston. It's an overall healthy and growing city that has more to offer than meets the eye, and if family-friendly Greenville makes the list, there's really no reason why Columbia shouldn't.
I apologize, as I really only am going by what so many told me about the place, plus some online articles. I have to say the location is interesting being in between mountains and the ocean, although both are about 2 hours away it seems from using google maps. Greenville and Charleston both are in really pristine areas, one near beautiful mountains and the other near a beautiful and semi-tropical coastline.
I really like this thread, but only wish it could have been for a single 20s to early 40s guy, so I can be included, but I am a little bit of a 20s at heart guy , being that I am single and want to still enjoy some things in life and not hunker down in a sterile suburb working long-hours and devoting all my life to being at home with wife/kids. So, I am sure some things can still apply, but I guess I am too old for anything "college-related" and college towns annoy me. The only college town I enjoyed was Eugene, Oregon, although I have mostly just lived in the Pacific Northwest most of my life. Eugene, Oregon was the one town where college kids and old blokes like me would interact and college kids tended to be more part of the town than in their isolated little bubble. It was a weird environment and the large hippie population and veneration of local hip, funky Eugene people by college kids produced this environment. Of course, this was the 90s/early 00s and I have no clue what it is like today.
Anyhow, after looking at the high tax rates for South Carolina and considering my limited budget, I probably will not be able to afford to live in either Greenville or Charleston, the only two areas I mainly interested in. I either want to be located near mountains or a beach and not in flat area, although I don't realy know COlumbia's geography. Raleigh/Durham's geography is one reason I probably could not live there. It is just too flat. If I am going to live in a very flat, mountainless environment, there better be a nice beach nearby like Tampa.
I hear for a single guy, almost regardless of age, Tampa is probably one of the better places to live for entertainment and year-round warm weather. My friend just moved to Tampa area and is trying to get me to move down there. He lives in Clearwater area and that is my desired area, as its near the beach. He says it is fairly affordable. However, being a guy who grew up hiking up large mountains by myself as young as 12, I will say I may go nuts over time by how flat the area is.
I am actually considering moving to Knoxville, TN myself, as Tennessee has lowest tax rates, car fees, etc and Knoxville is much more beautiful location than Nasvhille and very affordable. However, I fear I will be pretty much bored and it will be hard to make friends as a single early 40 guy in the town. Also, the fact people marry young means I will be dating single mothers with a lot of baggage. However, the OP being in his 20s will have a fun time with the college aged people and being more the proper age that people marry in the Southern states.
Although, I Have to admit people marry pretty young in the Pacific Northwest outside the cities as well and divorce is sky high and you are pretty much dating single mothers who want you to raise their kids, have sketchy ex-husbands/bfs and loads of drama once you get to 40. Single professional (or even non-professional, but respectable) types just didn't exist outside the major cities in the Northwest (i.e. Seattle/Portland and lesser extent Eugene, Salem, Ashland and possibly Spokane).
Quote:
Originally Posted by NDFan
Lots of good options; I lived in both Columbia, SC for about six years and in Atlanta for a bit. I do not think you would like Atlanta. Even for me, and I was a city person as a kid, Atlanta was just...nooooo….not for me. There are lots of good options there if you want to live pretty far out but commuting could be intense.
As far as Atlanta, I am not sure what the scene is like for single Caucasian men, but some tell me its pretty limited. As well, I hear its a dreadful rat-race, with lots of traffic, sprawl and crime that radiates from its urban center all the way out to even more affluent areas. Somehow, I feel I would be better off in Charlotte again than Atlanta if I had to go to that part of the South. The one thing I like about Atlanta is its proximity to the mountains of Georgia, North Carolina and even Tennessee. But, I kind of feel like Atlanta would be a lonely and stressful place for a single Caucasian male, especially at my age.
I have no clue about Jacksonville, but most people I talk to don't like the sprawl, crime and it gets pretty roasty hot. If you are going to move to a coastal city in Florida and avoid Miami, why not Tampa Bay area? I know Jacksonville is more Southern, but it just seems for a 20 something (or even 40 something like me) Tampa would offer much more.
Not sure how Kansas City got on this list, but that is not the South at all.. I live right next to Kansas City (7 or 8 hour drive from Denver) and that is about as Middle American/Mid-west as you get.. That is outside the wheat belt of America. I will have to say I find the scenery around Kansas City to be very nice and was surprised to be honest. KC BBQ is also some of my favorite.
Last edited by RotseCherut; 05-22-2019 at 02:45 AM..
Most of the Southern states are rapidly trending blue. Virginia is blue now, and Georgia, North Carolina and Texas are moving that way as well.
Florida is, of course, the pivotal swing state.
If you want a safe red state, stick to Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina or Tennessee. Same for Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, but those are extremely poor, corrupt and largely stagnant.
I'd recommend:
Knoxville
Greenville
Lexington
Little Rock
Louisville
Tulsa, Oklahoma is another city that's underrated with what you're looking for. And it's cheap and has beautiful Art Deco to boot!
And, notwithstanding what I said about Alabama, Huntsville and Birmingham are worth a look (even if the state government is plagued by corruption).
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, being that I am single and want to still enjoy some things in life and not hunker down in a sterile suburb working long-hours and devoting all my life to being at home with wife/kids. So, I am sure some things can still apply, but I guess I am too old for anything "college-related" and college towns annoy me. The only college town I enjoyed was Eugene, Oregon, although I have mostly just lived in the Pacific Northwest most of my life. Eugene, Oregon was the one town where college kids and old blokes like me would interact and college kids tended to be more part of the town than in their isolated little bubble. It was a weird environment and the large hippie population and veneration of local hip, funky Eugene people by college kids produced this environment. Of course, this was the 90s/early 00s and I have no clue what it is like today.
