It's not just northerners (Charlotte, Concord: sale, crime, house prices)

[Carolina_native]

Originally Posted by jesjenmom

Have the people of North Carolina every considered it as a compliment that people are moving INTO NOT OUT OF their state?

When we come to N.C. to visit we found the people very friendly and the life to be very good! Where we are born is not our choice and we can't help it if we COME FROM another area!

I would hope that the famous Southern Hospitality is still alive and well and that you can welcome someone who has fallen in love with your state through CHOICE just as much as someone ACCIDENTLY (not by his/her choice) BORN THERE!

I dont consider myself "accidentally born here" but I do feel blessed to have been born here in NC. "American by birth, SOUTHERN by the grace of God!"

[Carolina_native]

I agree that not all people moving into the area I live in are from up north, but the vast majority are.

I see this by talking with people and the amount of out of state license plates on the road.

The most common plates from up north in NC: (from my observation)

1. New York, with New Jersey being a close second.

The most common Southern plates: (VA and SC not included)

1. Florida

2. Georgia

3. Alabama

And last year I started seeing California plates being more common.

[nyxmike]

Originally Posted by Carolina_native

I dont consider myself "accidentally born here" but I do feel blessed to have been born here in NC. "American by birth, SOUTHERN by the grace of God!"

Uh, yea OK.

You know, I find it funny that everyone says it is the people moving from other places who are "tearing everything down and paving over everything." Actually, it is the developers (which to your suprise, are probably local). If you build it, they will come.

[Carolina_native]

Originally Posted by nyxmike

Uh, yea OK.

You know, I find it funny that everyone says it is the people moving from other places who are "tearing everything down and paving over everything." Actually, it is the developers (which to your suprise, are probably local). If you build it, they will come.

Never heard the quote, then you can tell you are definitely not from round here.

Its not that I dont realize that the transplants arent forcibly tearing everything down, I never said that. I do believe most dont care what gets bull dozed though. If I moved to a new state and was wanting a new house here and a new Walmart there, I wouldnt care what they tore down or paved over to get it built, but when it happens to you its different.

I would put a moratorium on new building until the infrastructure catches up if I had the power. But I would have developers and transplants who had their move down here delayed because of the moratorium screaming in my face about it, so what do you do?

I dont know what area of NC you have moved to or are moving to but if its in the Lake Norman area get ready for traffic and overcrowding ok?

Shouldnt get upset with me because its not that I mind people who move here, its that they all move to the same places further burdening the strained roads and schools.

[just_sayin']

Originally Posted by Apple Annie

Good post Penney, very well said.

Iminformed says: "it is the "yankees" moving to NC that are causing the problems".

It is not the Yankees moving to NC, we find mostly it's the NY, NJ, LI'ers coming from FL who are rude, pushy, overbearing and know it all. Most locals wish the Floridians would stay put or head to another state. Ditto for the CA's who come in and start throwing money around like they think we've never seen money here before, and everyone wears their Osh Kosh B'Goshes to church.

Hendersonville, Flat Rock and the surrounding towns were discovered many many years ago by the wealthy Charlestonians. It's not the northerners who discovered this area.

I think you misunderstood....that is not what I believe, that is what apparently many (but agian, not all) NC'ers seem to believe. I was making a blanket statem....ent for the opinions of those I was addressing. I probably could have worded it better...it does seem a little confusing. My point was that while I agree that the large influx of newcomers to certain areas of NC is defintily putting a strain on everything there...it is not just "yankees" who are coming and bringing up the demand....it is just as much (if not more) people from other southern states and other parts of North Carolina that are coming here in droves.

[Skipstone]

I'm originally a southerner, but I've lived all over the country for the last 20-25 years. I've practicially lost my lovely southern accent now. Some southerners have no idea I'm from the south at all. I've only been called a yankee once in the 6-7 years I've lived here.

Whereas, when I lived in the Pacific Northwest I was referred to as Magnolia Mae twice within a one year period. I wish I wasn't serious.

People everywhere know how to make enemies.

I have good friends all over the country and I have come to greatly appreciate people from different regions because everyone has strengths, along with some weaknesses. We're all humans afterall.

My point is that no matter where you live in this great country of ours, you'll find a few people here and there who don't like you for one reason or another. It may be due to an accent, or other factors totally unrelated to where you came from. You can seldom know for sure what ails somebody.

I once lived in the NYC of south Florida and I can tell you that some northerners got very impatient with me on occasion because I like taking my time. The number of horn beeps I got at traffic lights would outnumber the stars of heaven. My children were actually shoved out of grocery lines a couple of times. And a friend of mine had an elderly lady, complete with northern accent, steal a turkey from her grocery cart and declare it hers.

Here's the deal: If you remember just these seven things, you'll find people more amiable to welcoming you in the South.

1. Be courteous at all times. Southern culture is very big on being courteous and gentle in approach. Keep your horns to yourself. (No pun intended.)

2. If you talk fast, then some southerners will perceive it as rude, even if you don't mean it as such.

3. Respect southerners holding to their Christian beliefs - because most of them do.

4. Don't give the impression you think things are done better up north or people are more intelligent. Share the positives you see here in both the history, the southern culture, and the people.

5. Southerners place high value on morality. Respect it. If you don't like it, the move someplace where you'll be happier.

6. Realize that forests and natural landscape are very important to most southerners. Twenty-five years ago builders left a lot of trees up when they built houses here. Since the population boom has happened, developers are coming in droves and wiping out huge acreages to build homes for newcomers. If huge acreages around the state of New York were being wiped out to make room for transplants, New Yorkers wouldn't be too happy either. So try to have empathy where possible.

7. Never smirk at a southerner's accent. They'll never forget it and even if the southerner continues smiling, you'll pay in some way you'll regret. The Civil War is over, so keep it buried.

Adhering to the above courtesies will immeasurably improve any newcomer's chances of feeling welcome. The bottom line is to respect the differences you see no matter where you go, unless they really fly in the face of your convictions, morals, or worldview. If the worldviews of most people in an area you move to don't fit your own values, then move where you feel more comfortable. The South isn't going to change just because you're here, just as NYC would never change just because I'm there.

I'm in no way implying that anyone sharing on this thread hasn't done the above. I don't know any of you from Adam. I'm simply sharing wisdom nuggets gleaned from my own experiences for what it's worth.

I wish everyone well.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by Skipstone

I'm originally a southerner, but I've lived all over the country for the last 20-25 years. I've practicially lost my lovely southern accent now. Some southerners have no idea I'm from the south at all. I've only been called a yankee once in the 6-7 years I've lived here.

Whereas, when I lived in the Pacific Northwest I was referred to as Magnolia Mae twice within a one year period. I wish I wasn't serious.

People everywhere know how to make enemies.

I have good friends all over the country and I have come to greatly appreciate people from different regions because everyone has strengths, along with some weaknesses. We're all humans afterall.

My point is that no matter where you live in this great country of ours, you'll find a few people here and there who don't like you for one reason or another. It may be due to an accent, or other factors totally unrelated to where you came from. You can seldom know for sure what ails somebody.

I once lived in the NYC of south Florida and I can tell you that some northerners got very impatient with me on occasion because I like taking my time. The number of horn beeps I got at traffic lights would outnumber the stars of heaven. My children were actually shoved out of grocery lines a couple of times. And a friend of mine had an elderly lady, complete with northern accent, steal a turkey from her grocery cart and declare it hers.

Here's the deal: If you remember just these seven things, you'll find people more amiable to welcoming you in the South.

1. Be courteous at all times. Southern culture is very big on being courteous and gentle in approach. Keep your horns to yourself. (No pun intended.)

2. If you talk fast, then some southerners will perceive it as rude, even if you don't mean it as such.

3. Respect southerners holding to their Christian beliefs - because most of them do.

4. Don't give the impression you think things are done better up north or people are more intelligent. Share the positives you see here in both the history, the southern culture, and the people.

5. Southerners place high value on morality. Respect it. If you don't like it, the move someplace where you'll be happier.

6. Realize that forests and natural landscape are very important to most southerners. Twenty-five years ago builders left a lot of trees up when they built houses here. Since the population boom has happened, developers are coming in droves and wiping out huge acreages to build homes for newcomers. If huge acreages around the state of New York were being wiped out to make room for transplants, New Yorkers wouldn't be too happy either. So try to have empathy where possible.

7. Never smirk at a southerner's accent. They'll never forget it and even if the southerner continues smiling, you'll pay in some way you'll regret. The Civil War is over, so keep it buried.

Adhering to the above courtesies will immeasurably improve any newcomer's chances of feeling welcome. The bottom line is to respect the differences you see no matter where you go, unless they really fly in the face of your convictions, morals, or worldview. If the worldviews of most people in an area you move to don't fit your own values, then move where you feel more comfortable. The South isn't going to change just because you're here, just as NYC would never change just because I'm there.

I'm in no way implying that anyone sharing on this thread hasn't done the above. I don't know any of you from Adam. I'm simply sharing wisdom nuggets gleaned from my own experiences for what it's worth.

I wish everyone well.

I adhere to almost all of that except I talk fast. I didn't realize it until someone mentioned it to me. I'm starting to understand why some of the natives may perceive me as being rude.

[BrianH1970]

Here's the thing: I was just watching a program this evening that had some people addressing some of NC's problems. Some of the major ones are the stress on the school systems, the roadways, a few other things as well. So the attention turned to the fact that North Carolina is still using "old economy" and that's going to have to change at some point. There's a demand for more schools, more roads. That money is going to have to come from somewhere because the NC infrastructure is no longer working. So figure that at some point much of the open land is going to be developed on similar to the way it's been in New Jersey to keep up with the demand.

I came from central New Jersey. The central part of that state experienced a huge population explosion within the past 7-8 or so years with people moving from the northern part to the central part. Foresty-type areas were bulldozed to make way for Walmarts, car dealerships, etc.. Route 9 in Old Bridge has a Home Depot and a Lowes, same side of the highway, a few minute walk from each other. Housing complexes are sprouting everywhere. Roads are being expanded in ways that even I thought weren't possible to accommodate. So take into account demand as well as cost to the infrastructure, well, you can figure out who's pockets that cash will be coming from. Sure the New Jersey government may be one of the most corrupt in the nation in terms of taxes, insurance, etc.. But when it comes to demand such as housing, again, figure it out.

Regardless of where anyone's coming from (whether it be from the north east or other parts of the south), they're all winding up here. Give it ten, fifteen years and North Carolina will suffer what I'm calling "The Florida Complex"...a state that once was affordable that is no longer. In New Jersey they would advertise new homes starting in the 650's and making it seem like you're getting a bargain.

And the really sad part, one that eats at me, is that by staying here, I'm doing my part, no matter how small, to add to this. Granted if/when I leave someone else is bound to take my place. You guys were here first. I saw what happened to New Jersey. If the mentality of "people from the south don't care for people from the north" actually exists, if it does, it'll show itself once that 200,000 dollar home goes for about 600,000 due to people from the northeast outbidding one another. And I'm not sure if I'd really blame you.

[nyxmike]

Actually, I don't think North Carolina will ever reach Florida or NY/NJ home prices. Look at Atlanta and Georgia - Atlanta is just as cheap as anywhere in NC and the same for Georgia. Both have been growing at an amazing rate, very similiar to NC. Florida has the Everglades and the ocean and limited land to build - that is what makes the home prices skyrocket. Same for parts of NY and NJ, which are mostly built out (atleast the parts that are commutable to the city). There is not a lot of room for new construction, etc. Cities in NC are not bounded by anything, and can therefore keep sprawling (which can be a bad thing - traffic and pollution), and that is how they remain cheap.

[nyxmike]

Originally Posted by Carolina_native

Never heard the quote, then you can tell you are definitely not from round here.

Its not that I dont realize that the transplants arent forcibly tearing everything down, I never said that. I do believe most dont care what gets bull dozed though. If I moved to a new state and was wanting a new house here and a new Walmart there, I wouldnt care what they tore down or paved over to get it built, but when it happens to you its different.

I would put a moratorium on new building until the infrastructure catches up if I had the power. But I would have developers and transplants who had their move down here delayed because of the moratorium screaming in my face about it, so what do you do?

I dont know what area of NC you have moved to or are moving to but if its in the Lake Norman area get ready for traffic and overcrowding ok?

Shouldnt get upset with me because its not that I mind people who move here, its that they all move to the same places further burdening the strained roads and schools.

Oh, I have heard of the quote before.

My parents moved to South Charlotte. I go to college back in NY, but I am actually looking into a school in Atlanta since I have changed my degree and they have the one I would like to study.

No offense to Charlotte or NC, but when I lived there I felt like I was still in the Civil War Era. Hopefully that will start to change. I don't get that feeling in Atlanta (which is ironic since it was burnt down). Georgia as a whole, well I am sure that is a different story but hey, I actually like Atlanta so it is worth it to me.