[Moose4]

In all seriousness, we have a lot already. South Carolina is becoming an extremely popular retirement destination--we aren't Florida yet, but we're in their rear-view mirror. Down around Hilton Head in particular, there's a Sun City down there.

Actually, most of the Northerners I've known that moved to the South, either here in SC or in Virginia where I grew up, have been great. It shouldn't come as any surprise that the biggest a-holes out of the entire bunch were college professors that taught at the snotty, private women's college near where I lived (Sweet Briar College, if you need 'em). Typically, the folks that come here from up North aren't looking to bring their problems down here with them. They like the things that make the South distinctive...friendly people, a slower pace of life, lower cost of living, lower taxes (generally).

Of course, I don't live in a very large city...Atlanta, Charlotte, Richmond, places like that are a different matter. They have been thoroughly sterilized of most things distinctively Southern. Atlanta's basically turned into Detroit with better winters and fewer potholes; the only thing keeping Charlotte even halfway Southern at this point is all the NASCAR fans; and Richmond has aggressively been exorcising its Civil War heritage to try to become some sort of second Indianapolis or Cleveland.

}:-)4

[rdb3]

...and Richmond has aggressively been exorcising its Civil War heritage to try to become some sort of second Indianapolis or Cleveland.

Sounds great to me.

[Corin Stormhands]

and Richmond has aggressively been exorcising its Civil War heritage to try to become some sort of second Indianapolis or Cleveland.

Well, that all depends on who you talk to. Richmond's incompetent and corrupt city government/council continues to try to erase Richmond's history and continues advocating throwing billions of dollars into new projects to rennovate downtown. But Virginia's southern heritage (and that is NOT just the Confederacy) is alive and well in the surrounding counties.

The battle continues.

[sultan88]

"...and Richmond has aggressively been exorcising its Civil War heritage to try to become some sort of second Indianapolis or Cleveland..."

Thanks for the ping Corin. Actually this is very true. I was appalled to learn that the Valentine Museum (the official museum of Richmond history) in it's school education programs only refers to the Confederacy as a bad thing because it was wrong to rebel, while at the same time praising the slave uprising led by Gabriel because it was good to rebel against oppression.

And they only mention Thomas Jefferson in connection with his affair with Sally Hemings, but at the same time have created a paean to the first african american female banker, Maggie Walker.