# Is the South the worst region in America to live in? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 25, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093 "2011-11-25T23:35:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/81 "2011-11-27T01:44:39Z")
> [@Sigma](#): > > Is it just my imagination or does the South have the highest percentage of self-righteous and close-minded people in America? It’s just your imagination. You’re seeing what you want to see, which is kind of amazing considering you have an enormous plank in your eye. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/82 "2011-11-27T02:50:34Z")
> [@Naxos](#): > > They do, you’re right, but they don’t overturn the majority vote of the South for Republicans. > > Even if a simple majority election vote count would be established, which is impossible to happen only because of Republican interests, the South would still vote Republican at a substantial majority. No, look at Virginia, North Carolina, or Florida last time around. And the electoral colleges is around not just because of “Republican interests”. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/83 "2011-11-27T03:07:40Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Tennessee is so full of right-wing nuts & screwballs that you can’t swing a cat without clobbering one in the face with a cat. Somewhat funny if we take your statement and insert a few substitutions: Tennessee is so full of left-wing hippies & tree huggers that you can’t swing a cat without clobbering one in the face with a cat. It all is a matter of perspective isn’t it? I am sure the people you refer to in your statement have the same views of New York, California etc … But it does show your tolerance in the ability of the citizens of this country to have a choice and believe in something other than what you do. And we wonder why nothing ever gets accomplished. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/84 "2011-11-27T03:09:03Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I guess I don’t get out enough. I’ve lived in very religious Alabama for many years and don’t remember the last time my lack of church membership was a problem for me or for my non-church going mother even (who was from a generation that really defined themselves in part by church affiliation). Other than with my Holiness sister (and family doesn’t count), I associate with people who are either open minded Christians or non-theists like myself and it simply doesn’t come up. Likewise, though I’m a bit further north, in Tennessee. I’m openly atheist, bisexual, and liberal, and none of those are ever a problem for me, personally or professionally. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/85 "2011-11-27T03:26:45Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > I’ve met plenty of people from the south and they’ve all been, um, courteous. Until you tell them you voted for Obama, **or that their imaginary god is simply a murderer…** Why the fuck would you tell anybody that? “Your imaginary god is simply a murderer.” Is that something any decent person would say to someone else’s face? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/86 "2011-11-27T04:03:29Z")
Except for a few years of schoolin’ that I did up North and some years that I spent down in Miami, I have spent the majority of my life in the South. Born and raised in the Deep South and now live in Virginny. I think I led a sheltered life in some ways by growing up Atlanta. Atlanta has plenty of natives, but lots of transplants too. So I didn’t hear a lot of deep Southern accents until I went to college, where I attended classes with kids from rural and suburban areas from all across the state and region. Yeah, there were a lot of _interesting_ attitudes expressed around me. A lot of people still fighting the Civil War and defending their heritage and craziness like that. But it’s not like other states are paragons of virtue. I saw much ignorance while I lived in NJ. People are just as provincial up there as anywhere else–and in some ways even moreso because they draw lines around various sub-cultures (Polish-American, Irish-American, Cuban-American etc.) that people don’t even _see_ down South. I never saw raw poverty in Atlanta like I saw in NJ. As a black person, I’ve seen overt racism firsthand twice in my life. Once in Pensacola, FL and once in Newark, NJ. I’ll grant you that there are probably more unapologetic racists down in the South. But there are just as many covert ones up North. It’s a matter of opinion which poison is better or worse. As for the weather, that’s another matter of opinion and personal tolerance. I like mild winters and not-so-bad summers, so Virginia fits my preferences well. I hate oppressive humid summers, so I cannot envision moving back down to Atlanta (or anywhere in Florida) anytime soon. But the South does not have a monopoly on bad summers. I would just about die as a kid when I’d have to visit my grandmother in Gary, IN during the hot-as-hell summer. And in the winter the place would be covered in six feet of snow! That ain’t no way to live, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/87 "2011-11-27T04:09:47Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Why the fuck would you tell anybody that? > > “Your imaginary god is simply a murderer.” Is that something any **decent** person would say to someone else’s face? Bolding mine. You answered your own question, my dear. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/88 "2011-11-27T04:32:49Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Why the fuck would you tell anybody that? > > “Your imaginary god is simply a murderer.” Is that something any decent person would say to someone else’s face? Well, as a greeting, I guess it is a little on the brusk side. ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/89 "2011-11-27T04:34:17Z")
As a fifth-generation Texan (why yes sir, I do take pride in that) I think the OP is guilty of the same kind of ignorance he is most afraid of. I live in South TX and the cost of living is very low, the economy is better than a lot of other states right now, the food is delicious and the people are friendly. We are a cultural melting pot and we like it that way. You can find small minds in small towns all over America; you can find them anywhere. I can’t convince you, of course; you just might have to take a trip and find out. Most people are pleasantly surprised and, yes, charmed, by what they find here. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/90 "2011-11-27T09:20:14Z")
Heh, I’ve had friends from down South (KY, TX, AR, to be specific) say that they think being from the Northeast is a fate worse than death. They see us as overeducated, holier-than-thou snobs :boggle: ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/91 "2011-11-27T12:21:22Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Heh, I’ve had friends from down South (KY, TX, AR, to be specific) say that they think being from the Northeast is a fate worse than death. They see us as overeducated, holier-than-thou snobs :boggle: I suppose I am an overeducated, holier-than-thou snob. I’m not sure why that doesn’t make me a “real American,” though. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/92 "2011-11-27T14:15:47Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Heh, I’ve had friends from down South (KY, TX, AR, to be specific) say that they think being from the Northeast is a fate worse than death. They see us as overeducated, holier-than-thou snobs :boggle: Did someone actually accuse you of being overeducated? Use those exact words? Because I’ve never heard anyone on any point in the spectrum from farmer/coal miner to professor/physician minimize the importance of education. No one in the South enjoys being poor, and all kids are pushed hard to learn any sort of trade or earn a degree in order to lift themselves as far as possible above the poverty line. If anything, there is a bit of magical thinking involved here, that the mere possession of a bachelor’s degree will give one an advantage over the neighbors. (In truth, trade and union jobs are more plentiful here than those requiring a degree, and factory workers and coal miners often make far more than teachers, civil servants, and other public service jobs.) You may have been met with some envy if you have a higher degree, but derision because of your education? Surely not. ---
**Author:** ![Peeta\_Mellark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Peeta\_Mellark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peeta_Mellark)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/93 "2011-11-27T14:42:11Z")
Well sheeeit. I’d better tell e’er’body to quit college in all dem fancy schools we gots down hayer. Wouldn’ want nobody to go’n get _educated_. Guess dis mo-leck-oo-lar genetics degree woulda just been a waste a ma tam. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/94 "2011-11-27T14:53:24Z")
> [@Peeta\_Mellark](#): > > Well sheeeit. I’d better tell e’er’body to quit college in all dem fancy schools we gots down hayer. Wouldn’ want nobody to go’n get _educated_. > > Guess dis mo-leck-oo-lar genetics degree woulda just been a waste a ma tam. Doncha be uppity, Boy, or I’ll smack yo momma right in 'er piehole. ---
**Author:** ![Horseface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4af34b/32.png) [@Horseface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseface)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/95 "2011-11-27T15:12:49Z")
I have lived in the South almost my entire life and have rarely felt left out. Some of the most close minded people I have met are from the North. It is a shame when busy bodies have to spread nonsense like the OP is spewing. FWIW I am from the North and graduated college from a Northern school. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/96 "2011-11-27T15:38:36Z")
> [@Quintas](#): > > No doubt, the south goes republican. But those maps that paint the country red and blue by state give a skewed impression I think. We have a winner take all system even if the vote is 54/46. If a red state is is 54/46 in favor of republican and a blue is 54/46 democrat, the silly red/blue maps make it appear their is a much greater political divide than in reality. If you look at a presidential election map by **county** , then you have blue islands floating in a sea of red. Democrats dominate urban areas and Republicans dominate the rural and suburban areas. Democrats did better in 2008, but is doubtful they will do that well in 2012. My point is that a urban area in the south, like Atlanta or Houston, may be more liberal than rural counties in Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/97 "2011-11-27T16:07:53Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Just a guess but did you live in Austin? Sure wasn’t the South Plains, I can tell you that. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/98 "2011-11-27T16:16:42Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Nowhere in America more closely culturally resembles Pakistan than Tennessee. Are you implying that most of the people in Tennessee are Muslims or is Pakistani just a general purpose insult for you? ---
**Author:** ![White\_Unicorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d26b3c/32.png) [@White\_Unicorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Unicorn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/99 "2011-11-27T17:08:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by OpalCat > > My experience living in Georgia is that people are on-the-surface friendly without exception. What they actually think is anyone’s guess. This is my experience living in Texas. In Southern Ohio, I found many more blunt, non-politically correct people and I enjoyed it. I think Texas is much more willing to accept all cultures and is more welcoming of migrants. But, I’d rather be in the North, because I understand them and fit in much more. As for religion, I think the small town I was in in Ohio was much more judgemental of outsiders to their religion, but Texas tries to convert more people. Texans see atheists as unenlightened individuals that need to be saved, Southern Ohioans see them as devil people. lol. Really I don’t think the south or north is “better.” But I much prefer my Northern, light hearted people that are ignorant when it comes to politically correct terms. They amuse me and at least I know what they actually think as opposed to knowing what they think they should think. ---
**Author:** ![LegsAkimbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@LegsAkimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LegsAkimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093/100 "2011-11-27T19:45:50Z")
I live in north Florida, which is basically south Georgia, and I hate it. Really, REALLY hate it. Prior to moving here decades ago (work-related), we lived in Ohio, NC, Maritimes of Canada, and NM. All of those places had normal people living in them–they weren’t all normal, but there was a balance. As someone mentioned above, the first question anyone wants to know about you is what church you go to. And I mean the FIRST. “Nice to meet you, what church do you go to?” As someone else mentioned, they are monumentally two-faced–they will smile and be all sugary sweet to your face and then talk trash about you when you leave. Someone else mentioned that they will help out anyone in need, and there is some truth in that, though it’s not quite as willingly offered if your church answer was that you don’t go to church. Our mail carrier brought a package from a funeral home to the door and (keep in mind that we don’t know our mail carrier other than to wave to) asked “Was it a relative?” We will be leaving here in 984 days. Yes, I am counting the days. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-south-the-worst-region-in-america-to-live-in/604093.md?page=6)