I grew up near Athens, Alabama...in the 1970s. Its almost like the concept of “BC” and “AD”...because Athens and the south today....isn’t anything like the Athens of the 1970s. There is no comparison...things have improved and changed to a huge positive throughout the entire region.
Years ago...if you were smart enough to attend a local college...the only good local jobs were school teacher jobs or Browns Ferry. Today...Huntsville is a mecca for technology and military-related jobs.
Medical? In the old days....if you had anything drastic...you drove to Birmingham or Nashville. Today...you can have almost any procedure in the world done there locally. Almost every community has doctor-support...something that didn’t exist in 1970.
Want to travel? In 1970...you had to be ultra-rich to afford airline tickets in the local area. I knew of no one who travled by air. Most still drove or rode Greyhound. Today....more than half the local population takes a trip per year via the local airport...to Aruba or Dallas or Paris.
Its still true that some hardcore southern attitudes remain...but they have been watered down to some degree. You can still depend on your neighbor when you need their help. You can still count on southern hospitality when its necessary. You can still find friendly faces in every crowd. A front porch is still the best place to make new friends.
“A front porch is still the best place to make new friends.:
AWWWWWWWW.......so true