Are there any specific states in the United States that are more laidback with more respectful people than Connecticut? (fit in, sales)

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by LINative

Winter is the downtime for coastal communities and while it is not something like the Jersey Shore, the Connecticut coast does get it share of tourists. So it a good idea to visit the area after the summer crowds.

That is why here on Long Island, one of the best times to visit the tourist areas is after Labor Day. The water is still warm (it takes a while for the ocean to cool down) in September and even into October but everything is so much less crowded. The exception is the farmstands as you move into fall.

That is probably why Katherine Hepburn was at the family vacation home (Fenwick) on the Connecticut shore, when the hurricane struck. September is a great time to visit the Connecticut shore, although not on September 21, 1938!

Oh yeah, I'm sure Mystic Seaport and Old Saybrook get swarmed with crowds like many other New England waterfront towns do in the summer. I actually plan on visiting eastern Long Island and taking the ferry over from New London for a long weekend in mid-September. It will be my first visit to LI.

My husband is being recruited for a job in Groton, CT so we were down to have a look at the area and see if we liked it and also get a better idea of what towns we liked and which ones we'd take a pass on. We're still mulling this over as it would require managing a property in Vermont from a distance. But yeah I really liked the area, and the food is amazing.

You had mentioned in a previous post that Litchfield County is full of wealthy people that can be demanding, even in a rural setting like the Litchfield Hills. On account of the OP, the impatient rushed vibe extends beyond Fairfield County into the scenic hills of the NW corner. By contrast, our observation of the coastal towns east of New Haven to the RI state line has a more relaxed less hurried feel, which I've generally felt on past visits there in the summer. Maybe the Southeastern part of the state is more laid back, polite, and cordial than the whole western part of Connecticut. I don't know the state well enough to say. I won't say SE CT is friendly, it's reserved like anywhere else in New England. But I-95 gets quite a bit less white knuckle driving once you get past New Haven since you move further away from the power commuter regions. SE CT also has less of a NYC/Boston connection.

IDK, when we went to Cape May and the Jersey Shore last summer, I had three people flip me the bird while driving there. Damn Bennys! It was more comical than anything to me, because... Jersey! I thought the people I encountered there were fine, didn't come off unfriendly, south Jersey is more relaxed. And I'm guessing eastern Connecticut may be less on edge than Western CT. Perception is everything. Having moved around and then moved back to New England, I'm pretty well adapted to this part of the country. Many people think Vermont is the friendliest state in New England. It can be, but it also can be down right curmudgeon at times.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Bashkim

So I'm going to be considering a move in the near future - possibly far from where I live now (Connecticut), and well my main question is, are there any parts of the country that are more down to earth, less hustle and bustle?

Like here in Connecticut it's pretty much a Northeastern vibe - people rushing to work like nutjobs, people rushing to go to park on the weekends like nutjobs, people tailgaiting you on any major road for no reason other to be jerks and what have you....

I'm just curious are there any parts of the country (states, specifically) that are more low key, down to earth, with more respectful and laid back people that don't do these things?


Or at least less than the Northeast?


Any advice would be great - thanks.

I can’t believe I missed this thread. I’d be VERY careful where you move. On the flip side of living in a slower paced area is the intense frustration of getting things done quickly.

Years ago a close family member moved to the rural south for a slower, less expensive life than they had in Connecticut. The problem they encountered there was that no one felt compelled to complete anything in a reasonable length of time. He built a manufactured home but workers build the foundation, to install the home and connect utilities and then landscape and finish the home took longer than it would have to build from scratch. The same thing goes for all services there. Everyone has a “we will get to it when we get to it” attitude. It’s very frustrating. In addition you should consider that career opportunities in those slower paced locals are also significantly less.

I agree with LINative that you should consider Connecticut’s Quiet Corner in the northeastern part of the state. It might be the next step down from Litchfield County. Good luck, Jay

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by Bashkim

So I'm going to be considering a move in the near future - possibly far from where I live now (Connecticut), and well my main question is, are there any parts of the country that are more down to earth, less hustle and bustle?

Like here in Connecticut it's pretty much a Northeastern vibe - people rushing to work like nutjobs, people rushing to go to park on the weekends like nutjobs, people tailgaiting you on any major road for no reason other to be jerks and what have you....

I'm just curious are there any parts of the country (states, specifically) that are more low key, down to earth, with more respectful and laid back people that don't do these things?


Or at least less than the Northeast?


Any advice would be great - thanks.

There is more to the Northeast than the NYC Metro. Just move a few miles north or west of where you are and you should find what you are looking for.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I can’t believe I missed this thread. I’d be VERY careful where you move. On the flip side of living in a slower paced area is the intense frustration of getting things done quickly.

Years ago a close family member moved to the rural south for a slower, less expensive life than they had in Connecticut. The problem they encountered there was that no one felt compelled to complete anything in a reasonable length of time. He built a manufactured home but workers build the foundation, to install the home and connect utilities and then landscape and finish the home took longer than it would have to build from scratch. The same thing goes for all services there. Everyone has a “we will get to it when we get to it” attitude. It’s very frustrating. In addition you should consider that career opportunities in those slower paced locals are also significantly less.

I agree with LINative that you should consider Connecticut’s Quiet Corner in the northeastern part of the state. It might be the next step down from Litchfield County. Good luck, Jay

The South is the polar opposite of the NYC Metro. There are lots of places you can live that are less fast-paced that are not in the South.

[Bowery]

I would never understand people that find rural parts of the US to be "stressful." Spend 1 week in a third world country and NYC will be a breeze.

[ChrisMT]

I live in the Mountain West and have visited the NY, NJ, CT and MD area on business and some sightseeing road trips. I have traveled all over the country by RV.

So from my personal experience the Northeast area is definitely the most harried, crowded and uptight part of the country I have visited....second is Montana !!!! LOL !!!! No joke though, the most 'flip-offs' for random reasons on the road has been in Montana, but it's not crowded with people obviously. Montana was surprising to me in others ways....like much of it is privately owned...not as much access to public lands as you would expect...the same for much of Northern Idaho and other mountainous areas of some states that seem to be sparsely populated.

The Northeast is just crowded and bustling and uptight compared to everywhere else I've been, especially compared to the laid-back West/Mountain West and very friendly South/Midwest. It was also very expensive for EVERYTHING, not just gas or food or lodging or TAXES....EVERYTHING down to the tip for a taxi driver was off the charts expensive...maybe comparable to the Bay Area of California...but it seemed worse lol...

Of course Big City, Anywhere is more harried, but compare Boise to Boston.....yes, East Coasters live a more stressful life overall. They tell me this when they move to Northern Nevada after retiring...so relaxed here, so much open space and less regulations and taxes...they love it.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by ChrisMT

So from my personal experience the Northeast area is definitely the most harried, crowded and uptight part of the country I have visited, second is Montana !!!! LOL !!!! No joke though, the most 'flip-offs' for random reasons on the road has been in Montana.

I think because Montana is so big and there's so few people that whenever for once in their lives Montanans experience something that one might consider to be labelled as "traffic" they are more likely to get annoyed by it rather than us veterans in the deeper bowels of civilization.

My father for example has only commuted maybe, at the longest, a distance of 5 miles. On surface streets. In his entire life at least for work or school. Ironically he also did a semester in Montana. I try not to let him drive whenever there are going to be high traffic conditions because the way he gets angry is just...baffling. Like yes you are driving on the I-4 in between Orlando and Tampa it's not going to be a good time but also the Eyesore is just part of the daily lives for some people. They are used to it. My father only drives in horrible road conditions, traffic wise, very rarely. For him it may as well be the worst experience on planet Earth. And he expresses that often. Not to the point of flipping people off but just like cursing on the inside of the vehicle. Worst part is is that he could just be sitting passenger and be like that too. For me, someone who braves Atlanta daily, these things rarely affect me except the semis which for some reason seem extra reckless here. Like isn't the tractor close to half a mil before including the trailer and it's inventory, so why are you driving crazy? It's like they are driving with murderous intent almost.

Also back to the thread topic I am convinced that literally anywhere is going to be more laidback than the Northeast corridor. Maybe not by a whole lot for some areas but to some degree, yes. I have family who live along the I-95 in between Baltimore and Philadelphia with farmland and they are still hustle and bustle. And they live on farmland with exurban development around them. There really is no escape in that part of the country I'm convinced because if it would be anywhere, it would be in the ruralish areas and it most certainly isn't.

I know Maryland is not Connecticut but I feel like just being within NYC's sphere of influence is enough.

[Matt Marcinkiewicz]

Originally Posted by arr430

If you break down on the road, remember this -- The fewer cars on the road, the sooner one will stop to offer help. The population density is inversely proportional to the willingness to help.

Same goes for the sidewalk, or the bike path, or the store aisle. Bystander Effect.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by ChrisMT

So from my personal experience the Northeast area is definitely the most harried, crowded and uptight part of the country I have visited....second is Montana[!!!! LOL !!!! No joke though, the most 'flip-offs' for random reasons on the road has been in Montana, but it's not crowded with people obviously. Montana was surprising to me in others ways....like much of it is privately owned...not as much access to public lands as you would expect...the same for much of Northern Idaho and other mountainous areas of some states that seem to be sparsely populated.

Oh that was Beth Dutton. Don't mind her. She's got a bit of a homicidal chip on her shoulder, but she'll get you to the train station. Rip will lead the way.

[SunGrins]

There is no place in the US more laid back than the land of mañana, New Mexico. The respectfulness is always through the eye of the beholder. Traffic can get out of hand on the urban interstates -- meaning Albuquerque -- or in the congested areas of Santa Fe. Some of that might be tourists from Connecticut. The state population is less than Brooklyn, NY.