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Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston would fit the bill for hard-working environments. But that's kind of contrary to looking for laid-back environments.
I think you would find these cities to be a nice compromise between northeastern city life and Deep South life, with the benefit of a mild but humid (in summer) climate. I think you would have huge culture shock in a small southern town like Valdosta, GA, but that you would find Atlanta or Houston familiar but new at the same time.
All in all, your posts and poll suggest to me that you would not be happy with rural southern living and that you would be better off in a big city.
maybe, and also I don't know the specific names of other parts in the south . Maybe you can enlighten me.
well, there's the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, and Mississippi River Delta, along with the Blue Ridge, Great Smokies, the Cumberland Plateau, and the 2 you mentioned: Appalachia and Ozarks
with that being said, I think most people prefer the Piedmont, it has the most moderate climate out of every region(though summers are still HOT).
I'm not very informed about either the Ozarks or Appalachia, but I always believed that those two areas have their own distinctive culture that is not shared with other parts of the South.
In correct terms, Appalachia covers a wide area.
When brought up in conversation, people tend to picture in their mind something very different. I think the original question is too broad. According to the map, I live in Appalachia yet I would not say that you are going to find the same qualities in my part as you would northern Alabama or eastern Kentucky.
I like many areas of the South. I like Louisiana with its Cajun/Creole culture, Kentucky with its trees and hills, Tennessee for the same and Graceland, Texas for its variety of landscapes, and the South Carolina for its beaches. I found that there are friendly people in the South.
I would not live in the South due to the humidity but like to visit it occasionally.
Having been there several times, it is still wierd for me to see trees all over the places. In the Northern Plains, there are trees around the farms, near rivers and land, and in small goves, but there are lots of open farmland. The difference is interesting and not all bad.
I am hoping to make a trip to the South next year to visit a friend who moved down there from Nebraska.
Dixieodwo's probably on to something about the relatively mild climate in the Piedmont. You'll find hot summers in most of the South, except maybe well up in the mountains, but I guess if you've been living in Miami you're used to steamy summers, and they don't last quite as long in the Piedmont. If you're looking for city amenities, I'd suggest Charlotte or vicinity, which seems less spread out and suburban than the Triangle area. I think you said you'd like some intellectuals around you. If you think you'd like the very distinctive character of a college town, so distinctive that many people seem to either love college towns or hate them, without a lot of middle ground, you might consider Athens, GA. College town, bunch of professors and grad students around, reputation for a good music scene, very Southern in character, close enough to Atlanta for a day trip.
Summers along the coast will be a little milder than they are inland, but not too many large cities along the southeast coast. The biggest Southern coastal urban area north of FL is southeastern VA (Norfolk, etc.). I can't say from personal experience, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but from what I've heard that area may not be a powerhouse for urban culture. Any good-sized city will have some culture and nightlife, though, so . . . I dunno, maybe you could get inside info on the VA forum.
Speaking of VA, how close to a large city do you need to be? Given your preference for city livin' (or proximity to), one problem with either of the Southern mountain regions you've mentioned is that there are no larger cities right in the mountains. But in VA you've got some nice smaller cities in the mountains, like Charlottesville, Roanoke (sp?), maybe Blacksburg, and you're kind of close to D.C. Also, how about Richmond? Not a really big city, but not tiny either, and has lots of history, classic architecture in the older sections, museums, etc. You said you're from Boston. Well, I kind of have the picture that if you were to shrink Boston, place it on another river but upstream about sixty miles inland, and give it milder winters and a Southern flair, you'd have Richmond. And, Richmond puts you about an hour and a half away from D.C., near the big-city amenities but far enough from D.C. to really be in the territory of laid back Southern culture.
Everything you just said. Where are people the most content? This is just about opinions, I'm not trying to start any type of argument.
Everyone is looking to move to "The south" where people are more "content". Well, guess what you have when everyone moves there? Malcontents. Case study- Florida.
When brought up in conversation, people tend to picture in their mind something very different. I think the original question is too broad. According to the map, I live in Appalachia yet I would not say that you are going to find the same qualities in my part as you would northern Alabama or eastern Kentucky.
I'm sorry, but that map is bogus. There is no way that Mississippi is part of Appalachia. The highest elevation in the entire state is only 806 feet above sea level.
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. Maybe you can enlighten me.
