Isn't the South made up of as many culturally, politically, and historically diverse regions as the North?
No one would lump Idaho and Southern California, Western Washington and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, or upstate New York and the Greater Chicago area together into one undifferentiated mass labelled "The North," would they? Then why do the same with regards to the South?
Regards,
We have some fine universities and top notch hospitals.
Most of the rural areas have air ambulance svc. you can join.
I live in a small town 45 miles from Tusc. and 90 from B'ham. Locally, we are suffering from lack of jobs, but it has made the housing market far more affordable for retirees moving back, and a fairly good retirement means a high standard of living here.
Our small local hospital has a state of the art operating and ICU unit, and helicopter ambulance svc.to B'ham's specialty hospitals. We have a jr. college and it is 45 miles to UA, Tuscaloosa, so many commute.
Beautiful country here, and you can get a lovely home 2 to 3 thousand sq ft. for 150 to 250 thousand. Also go out of town a few miles and get some acreage. Property taxes are one of the lowest in the nation. In Tusc. and B'ham, probably 300 to 500 thousand for same size house.
AL also has the Robert Trent Jones golf trails from north to south, and we are half a day's drive to mountains in TN or white sand beaches of the FL andAL panhandle.
vaudine
Do people really do that? Sure, some people may think there's an undifferentiated "South" somewhere, but even Northerners are pretty savvy about the differences between North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, or Louisiana and Mississippi -- even if it's only the difference between the one where the banks or Atlanta or the Cajuns are and the other one. Northerners do seem a bit more aware of differences between Southern states than they do Western states, if only from long car trips to Disney World.
Ironically, it may be more Southerners who promote the idea of a "solid South" who lump together very different states and areas together than Northerners.