Sometimes I forget what the south is like

[Beeks]

For my job, I end up visiting tons of county, city and court websites. I'm currently working on southern states and DAMN, there are so many official government websites that are full of Jesusy-Jesus and Bible quotes I am blown away.

I grew up in the SF bay area and now live in the Seattle area, and I have to constantly remind myself that this is not what the rest of the country is like. I get annoyed because I tend to be more conservative than the people who surround me. I remember once I was talking to my dad, who grew up in a tiny town in the south, and I said "I'd love to live in the south someday, everybody is so nice there!" and he said "No, you wouldn't." When he was a kid they asked every week in school who had gone to Sunday School that week. If the entire class had gone, they would all get a prize. My dad was the only Jewish kid in the school, and his Hebrew School didn't count. So every week they'd ask, and every week HE was the reason the entire class didn't get a prize. Awesome, huh?

Also, I might have mentioned this on here before, but we had neighbors move in across the street from us who were from TX and were Baptists. The wife was horrified to learn of Jews living across the street and actually asked my mom where my dad's horns were. This in the 1990s!

Just some rambling thoughts, don't mind me. Just thinking that I'm so glad to live where I live!

[clibbyjo]

I love the weather and food in the south,that's about it. I had an awesome nun for a neighbor when we lived in LA., but the Baptist across the street who shunned Halloween and had "boys"(these would be AA GROWN men he called "his boys" do his yard work while he sat on his fat ass in the air conditioning)was too much for me. Of course everyone was very nice to US, a young white couple was just what they wanted as neighbors. I am sure us being "Yankees" was discussed among them in detail.I love New Orleans too,but I could NOT raise kids in that racist area so we moved back north.

I still want to move south for the heat, but it will be somewhere liberal and progressive like Asheville,Charlotte area,or maybe somewhere in GA. if I can find anywhere OTHER than Atlanta.(no city for me,must be country) Anyone know of liberal,progessive,secular homeschooling areas in the RURAL COUNTRY in the south? I have checked, but usually only outside big cities(like Atlanta) I don't want to live in.

[forever ago]

In tenth grade a kid in my algebra class decided to out me as an atheist. And then proceeded to kindly inform the teacher that I was going to bring a gun to school. Fortunately with my perfect record and general harmlessness, my sane teacher did not haul me to the office and try to get me expelled.

This was in 2007.

Everyone in the South is nice... until you get to know them. Then they turn into gossipy, uptight, backstabbing assholes. It's amazing how much of a hold the good ol' boy politics have. I think I mentioned my younger sister's graduation woes in another thread....

Fortunately in my corner of North Carolina, people aren't quite so ignorant as to wonder where a Jew's horns are, and the handful of Jews who do live here are generally accepted by everyone else. We've never had books challenged in the schools (to my knowledge, anyway). I think the reason for this is because my town is a 'bedroom community' for the Hampton Roads metro area of Virginia, and eastern Virginia is not part of the South. Yeah, you'll get a few rebel flag-waving rednecks, but it's nowhere near as Southern as the rest of Virginia. My boyfriend who lives in Virginia once went to SF and said it was like being in a completely different country.

Even though this part of NC is not quite as fucked up as the rest of the South, it's changed a lot since I moved here back in 1999 and I imagine it's completely different from how Texas was earlier in the 90s.

[Guest Anonymous]

I still want to move south for the heat, but it will be somewhere liberal and progressive like Asheville,Charlotte area,or maybe somewhere in GA. if I can find anywhere OTHER than Atlanta.(no city for me,must be country) Anyone know of liberal,progessive,secular homeschooling areas in the RURAL COUNTRY in the south? I have checked, but usually only outside big cities(like Atlanta) I don't want to live in.

Bwahahahahaha! Okay, sorry. I did actually burst out laughing when I read that, though. Athens is probably the most liberal area in GA thanks to UGA, and it's totally not liberal. Rep. Broun from the 10th district is a conservative toolbag and they keep reelecting his sorry ass. Liberal + Georgia = pretty much no. It's awful.

[Beeks]

I love the weather and food in the south,that's about it. I had an awesome nun for a neighbor when we lived in LA., but the Baptist across the street who shunned Halloween and had "boys"(these would be AA GROWN men he called "his boys" do his yard work while he sat on his fat ass in the air conditioning)was too much for me. Of course everyone was very nice to US, a young white couple was just what they wanted as neighbors. I am sure us being "Yankees" was discussed among them in detail.I love New Orleans too,but I could NOT raise kids in that racist area so we moved back north.

I still want to move south for the heat, but it will be somewhere liberal and progressive like Asheville,Charlotte area,or maybe somewhere in GA. if I can find anywhere OTHER than Atlanta.(no city for me,must be country) Anyone know of liberal,progessive,secular homeschooling areas in the RURAL COUNTRY in the south? I have checked, but usually only outside big cities(like Atlanta) I don't want to live in.

I've heard Austin, TX is pretty liberal and that it's a great place to live. Never been there myself though! I've only visited tiny towns in KY and FL, and I've been to NC once which prompted my "I want to live in the south!" comment. Otherwise I haven't spent a whole lot of time down south. If I ever move back somewhere warm it will be San Diego!

[forever ago]

I've heard Austin, TX is pretty liberal and that it's a great place to live. Never been there myself though! I've only visited tiny towns in KY and FL, and I've been to NC once which prompted my "I want to live in the south!" comment. Otherwise I haven't spent a whole lot of time down south. If I ever move back somewhere warm it will be San Diego!

What.

Okay, if you move to a major NC city, then I'll understand. If you're only saying that because you went to the Outer Banks once... you're the kind of transplant who is so clueless it's not even funny. We have a lot of transplants around here who come to the Outer Banks, think "oh, what a nice place to live!" and then tear out of their 'dream home' like a bat out of hell once they realize how much it sucks to live here year-round. Seriously, stay the hell out of eastern NC unless you're on vacation to the beach. Or you move to Wilmington, which is awesome (I plan to stay there after college).

If it's in the mountains... you better be moving to Asheville.

[Beeks]

What.

Okay, if you move to a major NC city, then I'll understand. If you're only saying that because you went to the Outer Banks once... you're the kind of transplant who is so clueless it's not even funny. We have a lot of transplants around here who come to the Outer Banks, think "oh, what a nice place to live!" and then tear out of their 'dream home' like a bat out of hell once they realize how much it sucks to live here year-round. Seriously, stay the hell out of eastern NC unless you're on vacation to the beach. Or you move to Wilmington, which is awesome (I plan to stay there after college).

If it's in the mountains... you better be moving to Asheville.

LOL, I was visiting a friend who was going to university out there, so we were only in big cities and more liberal areas. We also went out to the water to go scuba diving. I was just struck by how sweet and nice everyone was when I was there - but as somebody else mentioned I just look like your average white person and so of course they were nice. I don't scream "JEW!" or anything.

I'm not seriously considering moving - this was almost 10 years ago now.

[GolightlyGrrl]

I'm pretty well protected here in Milwaukee's liberal east side, but then I travel further west, and it's a whole different story. The bigotry and narrow-mindedness is pretty scary.

[forever ago]

LOL, I was visiting a friend who was going to university out there, so we were only in big cities and more liberal areas. We also went out to the water to go scuba diving. I was just struck by how sweet and nice everyone was when I was there - but as somebody else mentioned I just look like your average white person and so of course they were nice. I don't scream "JEW!" or anything.

I'm not seriously considering moving - this was almost 10 years ago now.

Yeah, I spent about 10 years in rural fundyland, then went to Governor's School in Winston-Salem, and was shocked at how open-minded the city folk were. Not just the ones from Winston-Salem, but from Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Asheville, and Greensboro. Every time I go to a large city my mind gets blown somehow- I spent a year of university in Wilmington (yeah, take a wild guess where I go to college...) and I still can't believe how much... freedom there is. Granted, Wilmington has its problems, every city in NC does but it's not nearly as fucked up as the rural parts. Going from rural NC to a major NC city is like moving to a different state entirely.

In NC cities people are also much nicer to non-whites, or at least they act like they are. And really, Jewish people are accepted in NC, barring some fundie freaks.

[GenerationCedarchip]

I love the weather and food in the south,that's about it. I had an awesome nun for a neighbor when we lived in LA., but the Baptist across the street who shunned Halloween and had "boys"(these would be AA GROWN men he called "his boys" do his yard work while he sat on his fat ass in the air conditioning)was too much for me. Of course everyone was very nice to US, a young white couple was just what they wanted as neighbors. I am sure us being "Yankees" was discussed among them in detail.I love New Orleans too,but I could NOT raise kids in that racist area so we moved back north.

I still want to move south for the heat, but it will be somewhere liberal and progressive like Asheville,Charlotte area,or maybe somewhere in GA. if I can find anywhere OTHER than Atlanta.(no city for me,must be country) Anyone know of liberal,progessive,secular homeschooling areas in the RURAL COUNTRY in the south? I have checked, but usually only outside big cities(like Atlanta) I don't want to live in.

Not as far south as GA or LA, but there's a secular, eclectic homeschooling community near Blacksburg, VA(home of Va. Tech). One of my friends used to live there and she'd make money on the side because a local co-op would hire her to teach high school science - she's an evolutionary biologist.

Actually, this website looks like a goldmine of secular and more moderate Christian homeschool groups for Virginia. The fundies and fundie lights tend to join HEAV around here.

http://www.vahomeschoolers.org/support/

This might help you, too. I don't homeschool, but this site popped on Google when I was unsuccessfully trying to find the name of the Blacksburg group my friend tutored for before she moved.

http://www.secularhomeschool.com/conten ... s-by-State

[clibbyjo]

Bwahahahahaha! Okay, sorry. I did actually burst out laughing when I read that, though. Athens is probably the most liberal area in GA thanks to UGA, and it's totally not liberal. Rep. Broun from the 10th district is a conservative toolbag and they keep reelecting his sorry ass. Liberal + Georgia = pretty much no. It's awful.

I liked Savannah and Tybee Island a lot ,but I know we wouldn't fit in. I hated the traffic around Atlanta,although my friend said its liberal enough for us.(she lived there for years and she is a raw foods yoga teacher. ) My GA. choices are limited to where my DH could transfer, which is Augusta, Decatur,and Dublin. I am on a secular homeschool board in GA. and they have enough of "my kind" of people around the Atlanta area I could do it as long as I could find a house on at least an acre. I want to be 1/2 an hour out of any city and I do NOT want neighbors.

VA. is not warm enough, they still get snow and freezing weather. I have said when we finally move south it will be no more snow or only a freak snow storm once in a while.

[Guest Anonymous]

I liked Savannah and Tybee Island a lot ,but I know we wouldn't fit in. I hated the traffic around Atlanta,although my friend said its liberal enough for us.(she lived there for years and she is a raw foods yoga teacher. ) My GA. choices are limited to where my DH could transfer, which is Augusta, Decatur,and Dublin. I am on a secular homeschool board in GA. and they have enough of "my kind" of people around the Atlanta area I could do it as long as I could find a house on at least an acre. I want to be 1/2 an hour out of any city and I do NOT want neighbors.

We refer to Augusta as "Disgusta." The river stinks and it's not a nice place to live, although there are some awesome indie art galleries there, so I'll give it that. Dublin is very conservative, and Decatur's rallying cry is "A city of homes, schools, and churches."

I'd love to live somewhere else. But the grass is always greener, and by all means more liberal people moving here could only improve the place. On the plus side, depending on where you are, land and houses can be purchased very reasonably. Of course the cheaper the area/farther out from metro areas you go, the more intolerant people tend to be. You can pay $500,000 for a McMansion on a postage stamp sized yard, or spend $150,000 on a three or four bedroom split level on three acres.

[clibbyjo]

We refer to Augusta as "Disgusta." The river stinks and it's not a nice place to live, although there are some awesome indie art galleries there, so I'll give it that. Dublin is very conservative, and Decatur's rallying cry is "A city of homes, schools, and churches."

I'd love to live somewhere else. But the grass is always greener, and by all means more liberal people moving here could only improve the place. On the plus side, depending on where you are, land and houses can be purchased very reasonably. Of course the cheaper the area/farther out from metro areas you go, the more intolerant people tend to be. You can pay $500,000 for a McMansion on a postage stamp sized yard, or spend $150,000 on a three or four bedroom split level on three acres.

Geez, none of those sound acceptable! Of course if "Disgusta" has Indie art galleries, that might be my best bet if I say away from the water. My husband would be working in the city,and I would stay away from the city on my 3 acres.(No split level though, must be an old house. I only like old,country houses. I'll take a farmhouse, Victorian, stone house or a southern style with a screened in porch, as long as its old)

[marmalade]

My sister moved from Oakland to Asheville (actually a small town on its borders) about 15 years ago and loves it. She's as liberal as they come and fit right in.

Chapel Hill is another consideration. Even though I'm not Tar Heel born/bred, I could live there or right outside of town. I have many friends who live just outside CH and again, they're liberal artsy types who wouldn't live anywhere else who have adopted me as an honorary UNC TarHeel.

When a friend drove me to Myrtle Beach from Charlotte (I would NEVER live outside the city down there...NASCAR and the SC border make it rather hostile to liberals), I was appalled at how there could be a church on one corner and a strip joint on the next. I've been on Broadway in SF and the road to Myrtle Beach beats San Francisco hands down. Heck, a Christian friend of mine married a Hooters girl. It's ironic how those places originated in the Bible Belt.

Not in the South, but if you could afford it, the Napa or Sonoma Valleys have warm to hot summers and are rural, stress farm to table food, and liberal. My area would probably not be warm enough for you and once you go over the hill, it gets hotter, cheaper and less liberal, although pretty much any place in the Bay Area is purple at worst. Monterey and Carmel would not meet your weather needs.

[Koala]

I'm a bleeding heart, liberal Atheist living in Alabama. Feel free to send for me anytime :lol:

[PBrooke]

I've pretty much heard nothing but good things about Austin, TX, aside from the fact that it's surrounded by Texas. If you want rural rural, it's hard to come by any liberal areas, but if you want suburban, north of Orlando isn't bad on the grand scale of the South - but there are other problems, like the general soul-suckingness of suburban life. And even some place that is not bad on the grand scale of the South will still have incidents and pockets that could shock someone from another, more liberal area.

[clibbyjo]

Yeah, southern CA. is out of my price range for sure! So is Key West which I choose in a minute if I had 1 million dollars for a trailer which seems to be the going rate :/! I have been all over the south and southwest, mostly to cities(since we live in the country we usually vacation to cities) and I yet to find the place I feel I would fit. I liked St. Augustine and San Antonio/ Texas Hill Country a lot, but not enough to move now that I know DOUG is in Texas !(Plus I need more green than Texas or the southwest has) Being a secular homeschooler in San Antonio would be more work than I am willing to do at this stage.

I haven't been to Asheville but have wanted to go for 6 years. Most likely we will go next year,but I have always felt it would be a place right for me.Everyone who knows me says I would love it and fit right in. We shall see.

I cannot move anytime soon, my kids have everything here and my co-op is irreplaceable for secular homeschooling. I would only consider it if I found a place that felt right to me.

I actually want to move to Germany or France for 2 years so my kids could go to school there and experinece the culture first hand (Oh, evil school kids and I'm not even scared to throw my kids in with them). I found a transfer job for my dh, but is was less money and I don't think we could have afforded it even if we lived outside Paris.

[slickcat79]

I still want to move south for the heat, but it will be somewhere liberal and progressive like Asheville,Charlotte area,or maybe somewhere in GA. if I can find anywhere OTHER than Atlanta.(no city for me,must be country) Anyone know of liberal,progessive,secular homeschooling areas in the RURAL COUNTRY in the south? I have checked, but usually only outside big cities(like Atlanta) I don't want to live in.

Agreed with marmalade. The Charlotte area is probably a bad idea; too close to SC and the surrounding counties are not so liberal. You would probably find more diversity there though. Orange County, NC might suit. Chapel Hill is the biggest town in it and you don't have to go far outside it to find a lot of open land. The Hillsborough area might be good.

I'm very likely moving to PA next year...I hate country living and hot weather :D

[xDreamerx]

I've never been to the South, well unless you count Disney in Florida but I don't because it's isolated and all sorts of people come there. But I have friends from there and some of the stories I hear from them shock me. A friend I go to school with has family in SC, mainly his grandfather who is almost 90. He said when he went there his grandpa kept throwing around the n-word, boy, and things like "those people". He was shocked. He was even more shocked by the fact that he said these things in public places and no one got upset or stood up to him. I realize the man's age is a factor, but still. I have another friend who lives in Alabama (Birmingham) and growing up she had to go to church with parents every Sunday, even as young adult. She didn't believe so I asked her why she didn't just tell them politely that it wasn't for her and she didn't want to go. She told me that just wasn't an option and even though her parents weren't especially religious, the larger community would look down them and perhaps even exclude them if they stopped attending. I was surprised. I mean, we always read and hear about the South and the Bible Belt etc. but I always assume those accounts are the exception or that they exaggerate, but when individuals tell you their stories it's hard to keep that opinion. It's seems like an entirely different culture, world, mindset etc.

I often forget some liberals are Southerners (Carter, Clinton, Gore).

[fundifugee]

I liked Savannah and Tybee Island a lot ,but I know we wouldn't fit in. I hated the traffic around Atlanta,although my friend said its liberal enough for us.(she lived there for years and she is a raw foods yoga teacher. ) My GA. choices are limited to where my DH could transfer, which is Augusta, Decatur,and Dublin. I am on a secular homeschool board in GA. and they have enough of "my kind" of people around the Atlanta area I could do it as long as I could find a house on at least an acre. I want to be 1/2 an hour out of any city and I do NOT want neighbors.

VA. is not warm enough, they still get snow and freezing weather. I have said when we finally move south it will be no more snow or only a freak snow storm once in a while.

I am with Lissar on this one -- 18 years in Georgia and eleven years later I am still detoxing. Awful place.

Disgusta indeed. Smelly, flat, buggy, ick. Never been to Dublin. Decatur, very urban, expensive now, but growing a reasonably nice crop of lesbian and gay folks so some parts are pretty cool. The traffic is hideous, hideous, hideous!!

Savannah/Tybee - fondly known as the Redneck Riviera. Probably will not meet your criteria.

There are a few historic rural African American towns, like Eatonville, Eatonton that have a sort-of liberal edge from the strong African American history. But as much as I loved my rural African American friends, almost all of them seem completely unable to get over hating the gayz as yet.

Chattanooga on the other hand does have a pretty cool little crop of liberal types, and doesn't feel very urban because of the mountains.

I also really liked Mentone, Alabama.

[medievalist1980]

Decatur-ite here (transplant from NYC). Yes, decatur has a LOT of churches and we haven't attended any but decatur is also home to agnes scott college (all women) and have a very large lesbian community. I know lesbian parents send their kids to parents morning out programs at local churches and participate in other activities at the churches.

Of course, we are still in the south and if you want pro-confederacy memorabilia drive to stone mnt state park and check out the relief on the mountain.

Our family takes advantage of the church going-ness of the atlanta metro area to do fun things (aquarium!) On Sunday morning where there are few crowds.

I also hear good things about lilburn which has the world's largest hindu temple and one of the top public highschools in the country.

Oh, and while decatur is kinda urban, if you live in the city of decatur it is the most walkable city in georgia. There is a townsquare with gazebo and summer concerts and everything. Gives it a small town feel. We also live near the marta. Being from NYC, walkability and public transport were important to us and, yes, we do take the marta in atlanta, but a lot of people down here are shocked by that.

It is pretty pricey tho, getting up there with buckhead.

[Alecto]

I love the weather and food in the south,that's about it. I had an awesome nun for a neighbor when we lived in LA., but the Baptist across the street who shunned Halloween and had "boys"(these would be AA GROWN men he called "his boys" do his yard work while he sat on his fat ass in the air conditioning)was too much for me. Of course everyone was very nice to US, a young white couple was just what they wanted as neighbors. I am sure us being "Yankees" was discussed among them in detail.I love New Orleans too,but I could NOT raise kids in that racist area so we moved back north.

I still want to move south for the heat, but it will be somewhere liberal and progressive like Asheville,Charlotte area,or maybe somewhere in GA. if I can find anywhere OTHER than Atlanta.(no city for me,must be country) Anyone know of liberal,progessive,secular homeschooling areas in the RURAL COUNTRY in the south? I have checked, but usually only outside big cities(like Atlanta) I don't want to live in.

Hot Springs and Eureka Springs, AR both aren't bad due to the tourism and general hippie type population in the area. Eureka is one of those odd areas that is surrounded by a lot of "typical southern" towns, but because of the cheap land, and paranormal ties, a lot of liberal folk bought land in and near Eureka. It's such an odd little place. They have gay pride, Christ of the Ozarks, a creation "museum" (it's kind of cheezy) and biker bars all living fairly harmoniously. It's the only place I know of in Arkansas that can have a biker rally and a cross dresser festival in the same weekend and have zero incidents.

[clibbyjo]

Agreed with marmalade. The Charlotte area is probably a bad idea; too close to SC and the surrounding counties are not so liberal. You would probably find more diversity there though. Orange County, NC might suit. Chapel Hill is the biggest town in it and you don't have to go far outside it to find a lot of open land. The Hillsborough area might be good.

I'm very likely moving to PA next year...I hate country living and hot weather :D

Where in PA. are you moving? If its western PA.(near Pittsburgh),there is a lot of cool, stuff going on. I will swap you your heat and country living for my cold and country living. IF you would like to stay her in January/Feb., I will gladly do it then.

[deborahlynn1979]

Koala, if you don't mind my asking, where in Alabama do you live? I'm in Birmingham.

There are pockets of liberalism all over the South, mostly concentrated in the larger urban areas.

[clibbyjo]

Alecto, I have only driven through AR, Eureka Springs sounds like somewhere I will check out.