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Well I moved to Kentucky from Alaska, and you can't get more northern then that! ha! Haven't heard anyone called a "Yankee" that I recall around here. It's hard to know where to move when you don't know if you'll feel comfortable or not. If you are looking for cheaper housing and such, then WY, ID, WA, OR and MT would probably be out of the question. We looked into WY, but couldn't afford it there. And we love Colorado, but it's more expensive then here too. Do you have an RV where you could travel and do some camping and exploring in several areas? I can tell you that we find KY to be cheap living. Reasonable land prices can still be had.
OH, MO, IN would not really be consider southern states, but Midwestern. Maybe southern MO would be more southern.
Expectations can be high about any area in the USA. There is no Utopia that I know of. It's what you make of it though. If you are friendly, I believe people will likewise respond.
As a northerner by birth, and a west coaster in heart, I am not sure if anywhere in the Kentucky would be a fit, cause I have no southern pride, no northern pride, and I love the west coast conservative Montana sort of libertarian spirit. So I am hesitant about moving anywhere there still might have a strong state pride in the southern regions of the USA. Things like that don't matter to your atypical Idahoan, or Washingtonian, or Montanan.....so I don't wish to live somewhere and be addressed as just another yankee, as stuff like that don't exist here out west. If I could afford the homes in Boise Idaho or in WA state I would stay, but I cant, so I am trying to find a more affordable rural area, where I can buy a house with some acreage and basically be left alone. States like KY, IN, OH, MO, and AR fit that bill, yet they are mostly southern states, so I am not sure how welcome I would be. Ohio is too flat, and just don't interest me, KY seems nice, with plently of homes with acreage in my price range.....south central Indiana may be the best fit because I am a northerner, and most likely will never hear the term yankee there.....yet I have heard that Indianans are not the nicest, most welcoming types, and can be awfully reserved, and I have read some not so nice things about Indianans in general on CD threads in recent weeks, so I am stumped on where to take the risk and where to move to, if anywhere in KY, or in Indiana. At least in Indiana I would not be reffered to as a Yankee though. I talked to one lady once in KY, on the phone, who had a property for sale, and she was living in CA at the time, she told me that she thought CA was ten times friendlier than her home town in KY. Just worried I may be another Yankee, invading a southern state, and treated accordingly. True or not I don't know, but I have started looking more up in Indiana at homes.
Kentuckians refer to Midwesterners and Northeasterners more as "yankees." If you're from the mountain west, California, or Alaska, you're not as likely to receive that label. Most of the time it is meant to be a teasing form of endearment, and if you come with a good personality and an open mind then you'll be fine. For the record, Kentuckians are still referred to as "yankees" in the deep south because it never formally seceded from the Union during the Civil War, and we still border the Midwest, so there it is.
Southerners do lament many times, and rightfully so, about the more brusque, abrupt ways transplants from areas like NYC, DC, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, and even Evansville and Cincinnati can bring to the south. These "yankees" tend to be from more reserved parts, or sometimes just plain less friendly parts, of the country and these ways can really, really rub Southerners the wrong way. Southerners call these people "damn yankees" or just plain "a***oles." This label can apply to transplants from places like Miami and L.A., too. But like I said, just don't possess those attributes, or at least leave them at the door, and you'll get along fine.
I've met hardcore, unapologetic New Yorkers, accents and all, who at least came with open minds, good personalities, and great work ethic; when I was still living in the South, I had no problem accepting and regarding them as members of my community. Interestingly enough, I've met Northeasterners in the south (NY, NJ, Mass, etc.) that have actually been quite engaging and, as a rule, tried to appreciate their new home; some Midwesterners I've met are so reserved and stuffy that they are much more difficult for Southerners to get to know (and honestly, vice versa). I'm sure I'll get some flack on here from somebody from Indiana or Wisconsin, but it has been what it has been for me... But these are just generalities.
This same rule has applied here in California. The natives are truly a mixed bag personality-wise. I haven't really had any problems with transplanted Northeasterners (although a few still desperately wish that LA/Orange County/Ventura was a West Coast NYC/Long Island/Westchester). But some of the transplanted Midwesterners have rubbed me the wrong way (not all to be certain, I had a Midwestern boss and she was great).
south central Indiana may be the best fit because I am a northerner, and most likely will never hear the term yankee there.....yet I have heard that Indianans are not the nicest, most welcoming types, and can be awfully reserved, and I have read some not so nice things about Indianans in general on CD threads in recent weeks, so I am stumped on where to take the risk and where to move to, if anywhere in KY, or in Indiana. At least in Indiana I would not be reffered to as a Yankee though.
I'll give you some advice. If you move to Indiana, do not refer to those people as "Indianans". They are known as "Hoosiers" and they take a lot of pride in being a "Hoosier" so, needless to say, they take it seriously. I can pretty much guarantee you will never hear a Hoosier refer to their self or any other Hoosier as an "Indianan". I doubt if you will ever hear the word "Indianan" used in a sentence inside the State of Indiana.
You might ask, "what's a Hoosier?" Well, the I way I describe it, a Hoosier is a hillbilly raised in Indiana. There is a high percentage of Kentuckians who live in Indiana, as there is a high percentage of Hoosiers in Kentucky. Lots of going back and forth between the 2 states. I have heard it said that there are more native Kentuckians in Indianapolis than any other city in the world outside of Louisville and Lexington.
I don't think you'll get too much of the Yankee crap in Indiana or Kentucky. You'll find that more in the Deep South than in the upper South and Lower Midwest. Although I will say that Confederate Flags are very popular in Indiana. I've seen them in yards, on license plates, on truck windows, and in some houses and trailers they are cleverly used as living room curtains.
I have been concerned due to so called reservedness of Midwesterners like this one poster stated in his thread....I seem to notice that this reservedness runs from the Midwest all the way to WA state, with Montana being the eexception and N Idaho....so maybe KY is an overall friendlier place then Indiana? I was curious as to how Berea KY was as well...as far as living...
Most anywhere you go, you're going to be treated the way you treat other people. Sometimes you just have to make the first move and warm up to the stranger instead of the other way around. The vast majority of Hoosiers are good, honest, hard working, patriotic people. They ain't gonna treat you bad. People in Montana are no different than anywhere else. I'd venture to guess that a high percentage of Idahoans and Montanans are from the Midwest or are descendents of Midwesterners. After all, most Montanans and Idahoans have a thick Upper Midwest accent. The Midwest is on the way to Montana no matter where you come from, except the west, If they seem friendlier or less reserved than Hoosiers, it could be that Idaho and Montana have so few people and so sparsely populated that in the remote parts the natives are just glad to see and talk to another living and breathing human being.
Last edited by qwertyasdf; 06-30-2014 at 08:50 PM..
and yea I have always felt that Washingtonian's were reserved and hard to get to know, but I felt the Midwest was similar, but Montana? that's a gem of a place to me, ultra friendly, easy to strike up conversations, ..
Berea is nice. I go there a lot. Very artsy college town. We got there and walk all over town shopping. I don't know what it would be like to live there however. I get the idea that it's more laid back. I think it's more liberal around there. I've met some artist that moved there from other places. The people that I talk to seem to love it there. You'd have to go north to Richmond or Lexington for other shopping and amenities. medical and all that. Berea has Wal-Mart. Is about a half hour north or London on I-75.
cool I am open to checking it out...does the state of KY have personal property taxes on vehicles that have to be pair ever year? Do cars require inspections every year as well? Any property tax exemptions for disabled veterans in KY? Thanks
Last edited by folkguitarist555; 07-01-2014 at 08:47 PM..
We used to have to get our cars inspected every year, but they stopped that awhile ago. Yes, there is property tax on cars. When your car is new it's very expensive, but goes down each year. Mine is now about 120.00 per year to renew each year. Lots of various taxes added on too. It's the one thing I don't like about here. Keeps me from buying a new car right now. Indiana does too, but Ohio doesn't. It's cheaper to register a car there. My car is a 2003. I don't know about the disabled VA, you might have to check with motor vehicle to see about that.
Property taxes on homes varies per county. Grant is kind of high, Boone is lower. Some cities are higher. But for the most part it's not too bad. Like on a house of 130,000 you'd pay about 1200.00 per year in our county. Some cities charge a property tax too which can add to that. I don't know what property taxes are in Berea.
I always go to tax-rates.org and check sales, property and state income taxes for each state.
And I go on Zillow.com to look at houses, and it will break down the taxes. Kind of gives you an idea. Plus you can get street view and look around a neighborhood.
Also I have Google Earth. And I love that! I got to different areas, and do street view.
I go to this site often to check taxes too. It's been very helpful.
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