Best Part of Living in a Red State?

[Jack_Dawson]

I can see the obvious downsides. Surrounded by ignorance and tea party wackadoos. Having Louie Gohmert as your Rep, Ted Cruz or Jeff Sessions as your Senator. Or Nathan Deal as your governor. Or Bobby Jindal.

But as a lifelong Blue-Stater who might be moving to a Red State for work (DEEP red...in the deep South), there must be good things, right? One obvious one seems to be housing prices. Unreal compared to the left coast. Anything else? Just looking for some upside.

[William769]

1. The weather.

[BillZBubb]

30. Maybe, but that's just the winters.

The summers are hotter than hades with high humidity. Lots of big mosquitoes. Lots of bigger roaches.

[William769]

31. You got me there.

Also the biggest roach I have seen so far is in the Governor's Mansion (Florida).

[jberryhill]

105. Isn't he term limited? It seems an eternity already

[RebelOne]

50. I live in red north Georgia, moved here from South Florida,

and you do not know what high humidity and big mosquitoes are like unless you have lived in South Florida. And the roaches down there are huge and they fly. I believe that we have the best of weather here in Georgia. Summers are hot, but the extreme heat only lasts for a couple of months. Then we have beautiful fall weather. I love the winter, but this winter was brutal. I had four busted water pipes. That never happened in past winters.

Right now, it is spring and the temperatures are hitting the 80s. I hate 80- and 90-degree weather. I had enough of it in Florida year-round. But at least I know there will be some relief from the heat in a few months

[HockeyMom]

51. Moved from NY to South Florida

Just for work, not the weather or lifestyle. I am back in NY for a few months. It is now 53 degrees and almost May. Nights are still in the high 30s or low 40s. Not normal for this time of year, BUT whenever I start complaing about it, I stop and check the weather at home in Florida. It's 88 degrees and humid, and only going to get worse until JANUARY.

I will put on an extra sweatshirt in NY and just ENJOY it while I can.

[avebury]

71. I used to think that but not anymore.

I moved from the NE to the red state of Oklahoma. Last winter was the coldest winter since I moved here. It was ridiculous. And summers can be a roller coaster ride on how hot it can get and how dry. In 2011 I think I mowed my lawn maybe 5 times all year long but we had a total of 63 days with a temp greater then 100. If you decide to buy a house, take into consideration:

1. How well the house is insulated (to deal with hot/cold temps)
2. Tornadoes (while tornadoes can be erratic, I have noticed that they often to follow kind of a set route depending upon where they start). For example, I would personally never buy a home in Moore, OK because it is a tornado magnet (I don't care what anybody else thinks).
3. Now you have to take into account earthquakes which seem to becoming more frequent events. A friend and her husband built a new house within the last 5 years and they already have a crack in the ceiling of their garage from earthquakes. An area has to be earthquake free for a set number of days before you can qualify to buy earthquake insurance.
4. Water quality might become an issue between droughts and fracking.
5. Fleas and ticks are difficult to get rid of. You need 3 straight weeks of temps below 32 degrees to kill them off and it just doesn't happen here.

[LWolf]

94. I'll take cool and wet any day.

What else?

[Shandris]

2. You'll find that the people who are accused of 'hate hate hate hate'...

...while there is some of that (naturally), are also more giving than you'd imagine if you give them half a chance.

Come in with the idea you're right on everything and you'll hate these states. Assume you're right on a lot, wrong on some, and be willing to fight for either and you'll be welcomed by conservative church-goers and fellow liberals alike. We're on the poor end of the spectrum generically speaking, and solidarity on the oddest things is more part-and-parcel than one imagines. Oh...and most of us don't know, nor care, who our 'representative' is. A very small % elect them, and few people care what the latest thing they've said is (a fact which frustrates me to no end sometimes!).

This is the small-to-medium town red state perspective; capital cities and whatnot are a bit more divisive, more politically inclined (slightly), and so on. For instance, my region is well under 100,000, with a lot of small isolated 3-4,000 people communities. Good luck, hang in there, and remember that no matter how obnoxious the neighbor, someone near you still makes a sugar cream pie that those blue state coast'ers would kill for!

[Jack_Dawson]

4. Great perspective, thanks

I talked to one guy in a similar situation who loved it. Said everything down south was "Sir" and "Ma'am" and people were generally more polite.

[dixiegrrrrl]

41. You gonna live in a city or a small town?

Big diffference down here.

People ARE a lot more polite, esp. in rural areas.

You may find your new neighbors will drop by to introduce themselves.

Since you WILL be surrounded by Republicans, avoiding issues of politics and religion is really important.
Talk instead about sports ( football is KING) and other casual topics, at least till you get to be known better.

find out soonest if you are in torndao or hurricane areas and then pay close attention to storm weather.
The neighbors will really like being approaced with any questions about storm history in the area, trust me.

[Jack_Dawson]

46. Excellent advice

And good thing I'm a huge football fan so at least I'd have that. Neighbors introducing themselves would blow me away - in a good way.

Should this go forward, I'd be living in a mid-sized city (is ~200,000 people mid-sized?)

I've never seen a tornado, so that would be very trippy. I'd definitely be asking the neighbors about those!

Thx again.

[RKP5637]

3. I lived in a red state that progressed to red-red-red. I didn't see much upside to it and the cost

housing was not cheap. However, moving into the deep South the housing prices can be uplifting. One thing, southern people can be quite nice and charming, but best to stay away from any discussion remotely of politics and/or religion. I had one friend that had to do that, they gave them a pay uplift and a three year contract that a job would be waiting for him back in a blue state.

I've had some good friends from the south, and we got along fine. You just might find yourself with a sore tongue biting it to hold back on words! LOL!

Depending where you are, you also might like the slowed down pace. I found that if you roll along with people from the south, it can work well, as I mentioned many many people in the south are extremely pleasant, just stay away from the hot button topics. What's funny, I learned later that some of my more left neighbors thought I was somewhat of a RW republican. LOL. So, you never know.

[LadyHawkAZ]

5. Moving away from it

But seriously... Utah was absolutely, stunningly beautiful. That was the good thing about it. You should go see it while there's still stunningly beautiful public lands there to see. They might be sold soon.

I have no good things to say about Arizona.

[Jack_Dawson]

7. I heard Arizona has a nice canyon of some sort...

But I did get a speeding ticket there so I hear ya.

[LadyHawkAZ]

9. I think I heard something about a canyon too

It's funny. I know consciously that there are good things in this state; I just cannot bring myself to use them to defend the state. Arizona is awful. Utah is so goddamn lovely that it melts your heart into a puddle and you forgive it the stupidity of its inhabitants. Arizona is so horribly awful that you can stand looking at, say, the majestic red rocks of Sedona, and still find yourself thinking, "Fucking John McCain!!".

[sweetloukillbot]

108. Tucson is wonderful and the state itself is gorgeous

There's cool wildlife areas in the south - with parrots and jaguars even!
I even like the part of Phoenix I live in. Parking for events isn't a pain, traffic isn't too bad unless you live out in the sprawl.
It's less than a day's drive from Mexico, San Diego, LA, Vegas, skiing (well maybe not this past winter).
The state government is at least good fodder for Daily Show reports :-/
But the Northwest Valley suburbanites, retirees, ASU bros and 30K millionaires from Scottsdale suck. Not to mention the Paultards and militia fucks in the rural areas.

[jberryhill]

106. Nice Canyon is often overlooked

[Warpy]

6. Well, it's pretty country and the weather is decent for more of the year than it is

in most blue states. If you like outdoor activities, you'll be happy. It also gets really steamy down there in July and August and I'm talking steam bath that you can't get up and leave. AC helps, but just.

The food is also better down south. If you ignore the abominations like the deep fried everything including butter, you can eat really well there.

You will be asked what church you go to by nearly everybody you meet. That's how folks are sorted out down there and it gives acquaintances a rough guide in how not to trample your doctrinal toes.

Also, the Confederate battle flag doesn't mean quite the same thing there. Yes, the people who fly it are likely to be clueless and bigoted. It still means something else.

Really, if you keep an open mind and take people as they are, you should do OK.

Housing prices are definitely cheaper. Termite inspections have to be every couple of years or so. Mildew is a constant enemy. You'll also encounter a devil called the chigger or red bug. It's too far south for black flies, so I guess that makes up for it.

The cities have pretty much turned blue. The rural areas are what keep most of the states a reddish purple. You won't be completely lost.

[Jack_Dawson]

8. Just Googled "Chigger"

Now I'm kinda scared.

You're not the first person to warn me of the church question. What's a polite way to say I was raised Catholic but now for several reasons (Like, I find those views abhorrent) I just don't go? Or am I just supposed to say Unitarian? Will I be demoted for saying I'm agnostic?

[femmocrat]

12. You can always say,....

"My mama told me to never discuss politics or religion, bless her heart. Y'all have a nice day now."

[Jack_Dawson]

15. Not half bad...

[okaawhatever]

16. You also have the cicadas depending on where you're heading. Cicadas only come out once every

13 or 17 years. The sound will drive you nuts. Here's a minute and a half video of cicada fun.

Seriously, as to the South. You should do well because you were educated elsewhere, you will be paid much more than if you started out here (companies usually keep the salary the same for transferred employees) and if you're being transferred with a good company you'll probably be locating in a pretty high-end area. Many of the issues you'll avoid because you'll have high pay, a good education, and a company that won't jerk you around. Companies that move from blue states don't start acting like red-state companies for years. They know their workers won't tolerate it.

Where in the south are you moving? If you don't want to be too specific just give us an idea.

[Warpy]

17. Just say you're not religious

It covers a lot of territory, lapsed Catholic (one step up from Satanism) along the way. Don't label yourself, just leave it open. You'll get invitations to church from everybody you meet. Eventually they'll just give up but that's going to take time. You'll also have people praying for you for busting a shoelace. Just remember it's keeping them out of bar fights.

Oh, and they'll occasionally say "Well, bless his heart" about somebody. That is not a compliment nor is it a blessing.

[avebury]

72. I would totally recommend staying away from talking religion

and politics unless you know you are talking to a progressive (particularly at work). In deep red states like Oklahoma, people just are not rational about those topics. Until recently I always worked in an office with at least a few progressives. Now I work in an office with a lot of religious conservatives and I keep my mouth shut and keep to myself for the most part. Around religious conservatives you need to be aware of not damaging your own career.

And you really need to look at the politics and how the legislature functions in the state you are considering moving to. For example, in Oklahoma, our Governor and State Legislature are bat sh*t crazy to put it mildly. Their focus is on passing intrusive, unconstitutional laws, the crazier the better (and then having the State AG defend them in the inevitable lawsuit). They are pretty destructive and stuff like that needs to be taken into consideration.

I am stuck here until at minimum I retire. If I were younger I would be more apt to move to another country then to a deep red state (although I often feel like I have moved to a third world country, I just never thought that it would be within the US).

[Jack_Dawson]

99. Yikes

So...how did you end up there, and why can't you move?

[avebury]

111. I was looking for somewhere that had a

decent size city and lower cost of living. I am stuck here until I receive retirement age (if I want to have a decent retirement check). I should have known better as my parents were both originally from Oklahoma and I grew up hearing about Oklahoma politics.

When I first moved here there was a better balance between democrats and republicans but over the last few years it has tilted to blazing, bat sh*t crazy colored red. It is actually become scarier each year because more and more people are buying into the tea party/Fox reported ideology which is insane to say the least. What is even more insane is that I recently saw a chart that showed the change in the number of Republicans, Dems, and Independents and there are actually more registered Democrats in Oklahoma then Republicans and it is the Republicans that are getting voted into office.

There are some nice people here but it is truly like living in a third world country with a Fascist style of government.

[broiles]

81. Plant the lawn with St. Augustine-no chiggers.

[Jack_Dawson]

100. What the heck is St. Augustine?

I don't get out much.

[NOLALady]

101. St. Augusting Grass.

[broiles]

112. It's a grass that chiggers hate.

[Are_grits_groceries]

68. One chigger can drive you slap damn crazy and do almost anything to get rid of it.

Putting nail polish over the bite is the best method.
If you ever get a bunch of them, you will seriously think about setting yourself on fire.

[Warpy]

75. Nail polish only provides momentary relief

because of the sting.

Chigger facts: they're the only creature that doesn't shit, something that makes them especially ornery. They don't burrow under the skin, they inject digestive juices, slurp until they're full and drop off to make baby chiggers. The saliva is what provokes the intense itching.

Next time, try cortisone cream and Benadryl lotion, alternating them. It's the only combo I know of that will stop the reaction before you claw your skin through to the muscle.

I often think of relocating to one of the saner place in the south, say Asheville NC. Then I think of chiggers...

[Sgent]

93. They are absolutely terrible

I much rather be stung by a wasp a dozen times than have one chigger bite. In addition, chiggers tend to land on you and then search out particularly sensitive areas.

Benedryl (orally) + prescription steroid can really be helpful. Hydrocoritsone is better than nothing, but when I lived in chigger country I always kept a tube of something stronger around.

[former9thward]

10. The weather.

With the exception of southern CA the weather is pretty lousy most of the time in Blue states.

[scarletwoman]

13. Well, as we say in Minnesota, it keeps the riff-raff out.

Honestly, even though we just came through one of the most brutal (snow and cold) winters in memory, I wouldn't trade living here for anywhere else.

[former9thward]

18. I lived in Chicago for many years.

I traded....

[scarletwoman]

20. I lived in Alaska for 6 years.

I traded, too.

[hollysmom]

109. isn't Alaska a red state?

[2naSalit]

26. Haha!

I moved to the northern Rockies on purpose... wildlife, scenery and I love the weather and seasons that you can tell apart! Plus the skiing! I also don't mind that the nearest shopping mall or big box store is a good 100 miles away. Wouldn't want to go and live anywhere else even if I am surrounded by red-state mentality. If you're a good person to your neighbors they'll still watch your back even if they don't like your flavor of politics... at least in this part of the woods.

[dflprincess]

29. I'm with you.

I can imagine escaping for January & February but I can't think of any place I'd want to live full time.

I suppose I might feel differently if Dayton hadn't won in 2010 and the voters hadn't come to their senses and threw the Republicans out in 2012. Living in a cold Mississippi (or Georgia, Florida, Arizona, etc) might have lost its appeal.

[hollysmom]

110. I love Blue state weather, and seasons

I rarely use air conditioning in the summer, just open my windows for much of the spring through fall. Do have to heat in the winter though.
The key is have deciduous trees. People who don't want trees near their house generally don't like weather. I have air conditioners that are used only when it is very hot and humid (like mid 90's). I tend to keep the house cool in the winter and use local heaters in the rooms I use.

Until you walk through the park in the spring and see everything blooming and greening up, you feel rebirth, it is wonderful. it helps if you grow native trees and plants as well.

That said, the red states tend to have beautiful dramatic country. And sometimes dramatic dangerous weather.

[al_liberal]

11. The state makes all the difference.

I'm a Chicagoan living in Huntsville Alabama. Alabama is backwards as fuck, but we're not leading the nation in backwards fuckary. It seems that Tennessee has taken over that mantle.

I'm constantly reminded that Huntsville isn't Alabama, but it certainly is. Huntsville put Neil Armstrong on the moon, is mainly an engineering city, but the most cited climate change denier is a Prof at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

21. brunswick stew from Gibsons

that is good stuff.

[okaawhatever]

33. Huntsville may still be Alabama but what made Huntsivlle is the Federal government and the people

who came from other states. That is the difference. If it weren't for the space program and the secondary and tertiary businesses that rely on it, Huntsville would be like all of the other small cities in Alabama.

[Hoyt]

36. I agree, Huntsville is markedly cooler than most of Alabama.

[rickford66]

37. Spent a month in Huntsville earlier this year.

The Space Museum was fantastic. Toured Cathedral Caverns. Mostly worked 10 hours a day. Seems like most people were from somewhere else. The Mom and Pop restaurants were decent. I wouldn't want to be there in the Summer. I know what Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee and South Carolina are like. It'll be hot enough here in upstate NY.

[SwampG8r]

107. love that town

the spite house and all the historic homes
the civil war stories on the walking tour pretty much depict Huntsville as a hotbed of pro union politics with spies and whatnot
very fun
and what is the bbq place across from the courthouse ?
its in a little gas station sized building
but that guys ribs and sauce........
and dreamland yummm

[RainDog]

14. barbeque n/t

[IDemo]

19. Idaho - Unparallelled natural beauty,

and yes, low housing costs as I'm finding out in researching other states in my job hunt. An almost complete lack of severe weather or natural disasters, though we are on the same geological stretch as Yellowstone and did have a strong quake 30 years ago.

Boise has been consistently at or near the top of many "Best Place to Live" or "Best Place to Raise a Family" lists.

And despite popular opinion, most folks here are not survivalist/militia/neo-nazi affiliated nor sympathetic to that way of thinking.

That said, I'm really trying to get to Washington, Oregon or even a New England state for a change of pace.

[democratXX]

23. Stay in Idaho

We need more Democrats here! Especially in the rural areas.

[IDemo]

24. I've been here since the Watergate era

I think I've done my time!

[2naSalit]

28. I spent

enough time in Idaho and because I like the area so much, I jumped the state line and now reside and vote in MT. But New England is okay, grew up there for the most part. I like it there but it's kind of crowded compared to here in the rural parts of the Rockies.

[IDemo]

35. The parts of Montana I've been through have been beautiful

There was a job fair here yesterday for a company looking for people in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota. I was ready to attend until I checked them out online and found out they're a fracking company..

[TexasTowelie]

22. Complaining about our Repuklican leaders.

It makes your day if you need something to gripe about.

[Notafraidtoo]

25. For me only one.

Everything is cheap because there is no good jobs, no one makes any money compared to the big blue states so food is cheap and so is housing. Other than that its hell.

[larryjf]

27. Red state blues

Last edited Sat Apr 26, 2014, 11:19 AM - Edit history (2)

People here in Oklahoma are real nice people, help you in a heart beat. Just dumber than dirt.

[spanone]

32. ummmmmmm.....

i'll get back with you......ummmmmm...maybe....tennessee here....good things?....lemme see......good music here in nashville.

[IDemo]

34. Fast women and beautiful horses?

[Lex]

38. You can be in a very blue county in a red state.

That helps a whole heckuva lot.

[Tom Ripley]

39. ^^THIS^^

Athens, GA.

[Tom Ripley]

40. Plenty of homemade meth and open book STD tests!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

42. I know a great one. If you happen to be a writer, boy oh boy will you have MATERIAL! nt

[Fumesucker]

43. Don't have to put up with a bunch of know-it-all ultra liberals

You know, the kind who make DU suck and cost Al Gore the 2000 election thanks to Saint Ralphie of Naderia.



Wherever I happen to be I can rest assured that I'm the most liberal person in the room, there's something to be said for knowing one's place.



You'll also get to brag about how a mere two inches of snow would never have kept you from going anywhere you wanted any time you wanted back up Nawth.

[Katashi_itto]

44. I wouldn't trade New Orleans for anywhere in the country.

[Jack_Dawson]

47. I went there once in June. Walked a block and had to change shirts.

Does one acclimate to that climate?

Fantastic food btw.

[Katashi_itto]

48. I havent gotten used to it. But thats July Aug Sept thats the worst.

[Aerows]

55. Not really

but you take the good with the bad, right? I grew up in New Orleans and now live about 55 miles east of it on the Gulf Coast. Yes, we have oppressive humidity and heat in the summer, but the food and the cultural celebrations are fantastic. Who doesn't like a crawfish boil? Who doesn't like a mess of boiled crabs and shrimp? You always know what is for lunch on Monday, too

[Katashi_itto]

96. +1000!

[Aerows]

56. Muffelattas, Gumbo

and you always know what is for lunch on Monday .

[KamaAina]

83. What is for lunch on Monday?

[Aerows]

90. The most delicious dish

on the planet

[JI7]

85. new orleans itself is blue

[RainDog]

45. If you live near a University

You will find a lot of people with whom you share a lot of opinions (assuming it's a state U, not religious college)

Every town in the south with a major university is full of liberals...and every other part of the nation, as well. Also, Universities are the venues for a lot of cultural events. They hold performances/readings, etc. from professors, students and bring in performers.

It costs more to live near a U, tho, b/c it's a preferred location for a lot of people. But if you're coming from the left coast... depending upon the city... pffft. It's expensive around Rice, for instance - but even so probably not comparable to the west. But Houston is a major city and that area also houses museums, etc.

Avoid the suburbs. That's where mega-church goers often live.

[bluestate10]

49. Have to agree with you. If I was unlucky enough to have to live in a red state,

it would be big cities for me all the way.

[Skittles]

52. endless number of stupid people to taunt

YEE HAW!!!

one good thing I will say about Texas: spectacular sunsets - just beautiful

[PasadenaTrudy]

53. Asheville, NC

If I had to leave CA for a "red" state, I'd go to Asheville. I think that's the only place I'd fit in. Low humidity up in the mountains, too

[Aerows]

54. Good for gardening

and if you like wildlife, there will be plenty of it.

Neighbors tend to be very friendly, too. Sure, there are tea party wackadoos but they are just the vocal minority.

[AnalystInParadise]

57. People in red states have been nicer to me overall

I have lived in four red states and three blue states in my life. The red states were Texas, Arizona, Kentucky, and Louisiana. The blue states were California, Hawaii and New Mexico. And to be bluntly honest, the kindest friendliest, nicest people I ever met were in Texas, Hawaii and Arizona. The meanest most hateful people I ever met were in California and Kentucky. Kentucky I could have understood, but Cali was a huge eye opener. I am part Hispanic and don't speak Spanish, well I understand it, but don't speak it. Most of the hate in Kentucky was typical redneck bullshit I expected. The hate from Hispanics in Cali when I told them I didn't speak Spanish and didn't care to learn was so surprising. It was unreal. Texas and Hawaii by far are filled with the nicest people I have ever met, of all races. I never once have been insulted, made to feel like I don't belong or felt threatened by LEO's in either state. As it stands now I am living in Texas again, but I would be happy to stay here or go back to Hawaii, Arizona and New Mexico are tied for third. I will never set foot in Kentucky or California again if I can help it.

[Jack_Dawson]

59. Apologies from California for your subpar experience.

I've never heard of that happening, but then again I'm white (with some Portugese) but nothing close to what you encountered. Were people in California mean overall, or just Mexicans being mean to other hispanics?

[AnalystInParadise]

65. It was a mixed bag in Cali.

I lived in the Temecula area, and then up again in the Angels Camp/Manteca area. For the most part the people down in San Diego were an equal mix of rude and polite. Specifically anytime it came up I didn't speak Spanish. It only came up two or three times in the years I lived there, but it was enough to be kind of upsetting. As for Angels Camp, it was ok up there, most people in my neighborhood kept to themselves. But my time down in San Diego ruined me for California. I might not speak it, but I understand when I am being insulted. The crap in Kentucky was the usual BS. I am half Hispanic, Half Russian so I look very distinct, Very blue eyes, blonde hair, but dark skin and you can see the beautiful mixture of Indians and Spanish that occurred in Mexico in my facial features. So the crap in Kentucky was typical BS you get from the rednecks. It was the Mount Washington/Bardstown area.

As for Texas and Hawaii, I am from Texas originally and have met the nicest people here all my life. I was curios about Hawaii because of the whole "Haole" mythology. But the people in Hawaii were also so incredibly nice. I am trying to get another job out there right now as I love Texas, but dislike El Paso. I am a waterman and the climate here in West Texas is not for me.

[LeftyMom]

60. "Didn't care to learn" is your problem.

You were disrespectful to people. They returned the favor.

Thanks for staying away, we don't want you here.

[AnalystInParadise]

64. WTF?

My family preferred we speak English at home, my grandfather started the the trend, my dad continued it and I made sure my kids spoke English at home. If they wanted to learn another language, that's awesome, but just because they are 1/4 Hispanic I did not feel they needed to learn Spanish. My son took 3 years of German in High School and my daughter did not take any languages. They were encouraged to make up their own mind, and neither of them cared to learn Spanish. I did not know it was a requirement for me to learn Spanish since I am part Hispanic. Interesting that you acted just like the people in California acted towards me. You just proved my point for making a CHOICE. I guess pro-choice for you does not extend to language. I disrespected no one, they spoke to me in Spanish, I responded that I don't speak Spanish and it went ugly from there. I owe no one an apology for what language I choose to speak, nor is it ok for me to be criticized for my choice.

[Jack_Dawson]

102. Ignore that nut.

Come back and I'll buy you a beer.

[DemocraticWing]

61. Kentucky is very much a "where do you live" experience.

Some parts are great, some are not.

[Nevernose]

87. IME, So California is far ruder than No California

Don't get me wrong, as Randy Newman once sang, I love LA. However, I have never been exposed to such a density of rudeness, ever.

New York is a far friendlier town, despite the reputation, than LA. As are Chicago, Seattle, Rome, Paris, Dallas, Mexico City, and literally every other town I've been to on four other continents.

And in retrospect, the Latino neighborhoods were all pretty chill.

[DemocraticWing]

62. It's not all bad.

People on DU tend to ignore this, but it's not like Southern states are unanimously conservative. Sure there are going to be backwards doofuses if you live in a particularly bad area, but big cities and college towns are almost always pretty liberal. Even the small towns have their charms, and I'd warn you from just assuming everyone is a Republican even if the representatives are. Republicans like to keep poor people from voting everywhere, and the South is the prime example of that, so the representatives don't always indicate how the average person feels.

Even when you see Republicans win with 60-70% of the vote, please understand that having 30-40% on your side means that in a room of 1000 people, there are a few hundred Democrats and a couple hundred more who are probably moderate Republicans. It's even more important to remember that in the parts of the south (Georgia, much of Kentucky, etc.) which are 55-45...in these places you're not too far away from being a swing state.

Also there's lots of good food in the South, and if you know where to look, a distinct culture that does create worthy experience. Not everything is radio country, there's plenty of alternative music coming out of the South too. And any city or college town worth its salt has a symphony. Southerners are also very interested in their own history, and if you like that kind of thing, there are history museums and historical sites all across the region.

[Jack_Dawson]

104. Great post. Sorry am late to responding. n/t

[yuiyoshida]

63. Maybe the food...

Of course no matter where you go...you normally find good food.

[Gary Garrison]

66. The landscape

Nothing good about GOP politicians.

[B Calm]

67. If you like living on gravel roads, then Indiana is the place

to be. They don't want higher taxes for road improvements.

[Recursion]

69. The food and the music can be good (I grew up in Mississippi)

So, yeah, food and music there are pretty much top of the line -- catfish is the one American cuisine even NYC can't get right.

You can be the "big fish in the small pond" in whatever your arts scene is (then again if you're in Austin or somewhere like that the pond is pretty big too).

Also, red states are actually full of really cool people, as much as it may surprise some here...

[hobbit709]

70. Housing Prices? Here in Austin?

[avebury]

73. Can be sticker shock

I have a friend who wants to retire to the Austin area. Her and her husband went down at Christmas to drive around and look at houses and were shocked at the housing prices.

[unblock]

78. i looked into buying when i was in grad school

all i could afford at that time would have been right under a flight path, so naturally i said forget it and kept renting.

of course, since then, they moved the airport and austin grew by leaps and bounds and that property probably has quadrupled in value....

[tanyev]

74. One piece of advice:

Take some of that money you're saving on the house and get a storm room. If you're building a new house, get it installed while the house is being built. If you buy a house that's already built, get one that can go underground or one that bolts to your slab. That was the first thing we invested in after we paid off the mortgage. After years of watching bad weather coverage and nervously pulling all the coats out of the coat closet, the peace of mind we now have knowing we can run into the garage and flip the bolts on a door designed to withstand an F5 was worth every penny.

[kelliekat44]

76. Take all of that money you are saving and move back east as soon as you can. nt

[dionysus]

103. [phone] new england is the best!

[LanternWaste]

77. Like any region, red states have nice people to meet...

Like any region, red states have nice people to meet, nice places to visit, nice food to eat, and interesting things to learn.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

88. You also learn that you and your conservative neighbors do have common ground

My experience is that when you get past memorized political talking points, people have a lot in common that transcends politics. Kids, sports, food, and other common interests.

[madville]

79. Housing for sure

The county I'm in has 20,000 people and the largest city is 4,000.

I have a decent house built in 1994 on one acre of land. Similar properties sell around here right now between $75k-100k. Property taxes are $680 annually and homeowners insurance is $598 a year.

I'm 12 miles from the closest small town also so the star gazing is awesome without all the light pollution and it's usually very quiet.

[Raffi Ella]

80. Atlanta is great, actually.

I'm a native but I don't meet many others who can claim that, people that move here usually love it. You'd never know you were in the South really until High Summer when it gets so hot you can't go outside midday other than to and from your car unless you can take a shower afterward. And I guess there are a lot of Churches, one on every other street corner practically but some of them are pretty little buildings, so there's that.

And on Sunday grocery stores are pretty much ghost towns, which is really awesome. oh! and we can now buy beer on Sundays! which I never thought I'd see.

Plus, the nightlife, outdoor festivals and concerts, Mountains to the North and beaches to the east and Florida's and Alabama's coasts are a just a few hours drive away.

There's lots of wide open clean green space here as well, parks as well as wilderness to explore. As far as food goes you'll find some out of this world restaurants. BBQ, fried chicken, grits and sweet ice tea are not to be missed.

[RebelOne]

84. I live in Woodstock, just northwest of Atlanta.

I moved here from Miami in 1989. I am in a very red county, but the people here are wonderful.

Yes, I love being able to buy alcohol on Sunday. My sister lives in Ellijay and still cannot buy alcohol on Sunday. And Sunday is when I do my grocery shopping as there is plenty of parking at Kroger and no long lines at the checkout.

I am so happy that I moved to Georgia and should have done it a lot earlier.

[DFW]

82. Dallas is pleasant most of the year

Of course, I don't mind 100°F heat if it's dry (wild horses couldn't drag me to live on the gulf coast), and spring, fall, and half the winters are downright pleasant. Plus, there is a huge progressive contingent in Dallas--alternative everything (except cops, and there are rotten cops most everywhere, it seems, not just in the south).

Of course, I am stationed in Europe most of the year anyway, and have to contend with the shitty weather (German Rheinland), sky-high prices for everything (along with 50% income tax with NO health coverage, plus an additional 19% VAT on everything), unyielding, uncaring, arrogant, power-obsessed bureaucracy, protected organized crime (complain all you want, no one will do anything about it except change the subject), and homicidal drivers that aren't afraid to die, as long as they can take you with them.

Of course, Europe has its positives, too, just like most red states (not sure about OK and MS--never spent much time there). I wouldn't stick around if it didn't, cool job or not.

From a song on John Mayall's "Turning Point"

"Some people may treat you ugly
Some treat you beautiful, too.
That's the way life is all over.
So look for the good things for you."

[JI7]

86. there are Blue Areas within Red states

just as there are some red areas within blue states.

which area are you moving to ?

[d_r]

89. barbecue

seriously.

[KamaAina]

91. With two exceptions: SC and AL

SC uses mustard in its BBQ sauce. AL manages to top that -- with mayonnaise!!

[d_r]

98. I know that somewhere does that

but honestly, I lived in Alabama 15 years and never had it. But sometimes I can dig a little yellow in the sauce, gives it some twang.

[ohheckyeah]

92. Sweet tea and ham biscuits.

Much cheaper housing than in most areas.

[JazzFanInTX]

95. I retired to the Austin suburbs and love it.

It's actually a tiny blue island in a red state. Travis County voted 60 percent for President Obama in 2012. Within the Austin city limits, I've heard that housing prices are high, but I'm in the suburbs and paid 143k for a 1900 square foot single-story home built in 2005. That was at the bottom of the market in 2011, and it's since been assessed at a hair over 150k.

It's a friendly place. I love it here. I've never been out front about political affiliation, having worked in the defense business, which is dominated by right-wingers. Great music scene here, even a very good jazz scene, which surprised the heck out of me.

Pros (in my area): Affordable housing, ethnic diversity, friendly people, no state income tax. Texas-sized breakfast tacos!
Cons: Property taxes are high, but that's understandable given no state income tax. Traffic in Austin gets pretty insane, but I'm away from that in my area, and being retired, only need to do local driving unless I go to a concert in the city.

[NuclearDem]

97. Being on the ground making changes.

Actually working with your red state neighbors changing hearts and minds.