Friendly people in Northern Alabama? (Huntsville, Arab: transplants, to rent, house)

[relo854]

Thinking about relocating from Rhode Island to Huntsville/Decater area. Being from the North, have heard that majority of Southern people don't welcome us to their neiborhoods....any comments are appreciated.

We're in our early 50's and tired of the "attitude" and the weather New England has to offer. We are middle class people who will be looking for jobs and a modest home in a decent area. We are looking for a place to call home where the people are friendly and a more passive enviroment...thank you

[Keeper]

You won't find that to be true in H'ville. There are people from all over the US and the world here due to Redstone and many other businesses who support the Army and the space center.
If you are open and friendly, the people here will be the same with you. I have found people here very friendly, most southerners will speak (say 'hi) or just make small talk if you smile at them.
Ya'll come on down for a visit..

[lookingforahome]

i just bought a house outside of Huntsville and am in the process of moving from Michigan. as keeper said the people here are open and friendly. many of the folks i have met here are transplants and they have all been pleasant. the people on this site are very informative, just give them info on your preferences for housing prices, type and areas, school and medical requirements and so forth. good luck from an x-Northerner .

[dbkeel1]

Come on down. We love it!

[Keeper]

Just a little insight into H'ville area from my perspective. The first time I lived in H'ville was 65-70. H'ville was a small town that all of a sudden had a hugh influx of people from all over the country and the world to work at Redstone and Marshall Space Center plus IBM and others. It was hard to find a place to rent back then. Most of the people you met were not from H'ville originally.
Now a days there are a lot of little/big towns around H'ville within a 30-45 minute drive during rush hour to work in H'ville. If you are looking for less expensive homes you should check out the surrounding area if you don't mind the drive and like the idea of small town living. Of course, I am prejudice to Arab, but there are many other areas that are almost as nice
To check on home prices check out valleymls. If you want suggestions as to where you should live, tell us what you want in an area and a house. We are all really good at tooting our own city
Come down for a visit and check us out.

[irvm]

If you avoid telling everyone "how we did it in Rhode Island", you'll be fine.

Common sense says if that's how you did it in ___ (fill in the blank),
and you're leaving ____, then maybe doing it that way wasn't such a good idea.

[IDVague]

relo854, I don't think you will find people to be any friendlier than they are in No. Alabama in general. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, lol.

One point that has already been made by others is the problem that some have had adjusting to the southern lifestyle without referencing the "way it is up north". I think that is a common problem when people move south strictly for the warmer weather. The south is not "the north with higher temps and no snow". You get the warm weather but you also get everything else, and it may not be 100% to your liking.

Give it a chance, and it just might grow on you. ;-)

[relo854]

We're not thinking about a move only to get away from the cold weather. New England is a very EXPENSIVE, fast paced, rude atmosphere. Of course, we get in return what you give out. I'm sure rude people get rude back....no matter where you are... The majority of the people up here are rude first!! I'd like some examples of "the everything else" between Norhern living and living Alabama.......

[rnc76]

Originally Posted by relo854

We're not thinking about a move only to get away from the cold weather. New England is a very EXPENSIVE, fast paced, rude atmosphere. Of course, we get in return what you give out. I'm sure rude people get rude back....no matter where you are... The majority of the people up here are rude first!! I'd like some examples of "the everything else" between Norhern living and living Alabama.......

People are VERY rarely rude here first. Most are very welcoming of outsiders, I'm only speaking for Huntsville because that is what I know.

You won't have quite the history everywhere around you like you do in RI. There has been a lot of new development in N. AL in the past 20 years, so you will have a lot of "sprawl" type development that I find unsightly. That isn't to say AL lacks history, it just hasn't been preserved as well as in New England. The NIMBY attitude also isn't nearly as prevelant here.

Your proximity to the coast will probably be an adjustment. In RI, there is water everywhere. You can go to Newport, Cape Cod, Block Island, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard... all within a short drive or ferry ride. It is a 5-6 hour drive to the Gulf Coast from Huntsville, although the water is a heck of a lot warmer and the sand is beautiful. We have LOTS of large lakes in this area though.

You will miss some of your regional foods. Good luck finding a clam bake in N AL. Italian food is generally not up to the standards found in the NE, though there are a few exceptions. Portuguese sweet bread? Forget it. Good seafood is hard to come by in the northern part of the state and it is expensive when you do find it. BBQ is AWESOME here though. Southern style home cooking is everywhere. There are lots of chains. I think New England is much more supportive of locally owned restaurants. Here, you really have to search out the local places. There are some very good local places but everyone seems to go to Outback, TGIFs, Olive Garden...

Basically, you have to appreciate what this area offers. Better weather, lower cost of living, nice people, pretty scenery, great job market, awesome BBQ... Missing the things RI offered isn't bad, just don't harp on it the way some transplants do.

[relo854]

I don't understand why people would move to a differant location and then compare or complain about what they had. If all the stuff was so important to them, the why do people move????

The things you mentioned are no big deal to us.....any other differances?