Posted on 11/23/2001 5:25:09 AM PST by LarryLied
Despite the "friendly" Sunbelt's purported ease and opportunity, the "unfriendly" North continues by far to have the best quality of life.The United Way now reports that Minnesota (of which I am genetically half a native, which may undermine the good data here) is the best state, in economic well-being, education, health, civic engagement, safety and the environment. Having visited this Midwest Finland, I am not surprised. And I find New Hampshire's Number 2 rating apt, too, having inhabited that rocky realm of rectitude, responsibility and (usually) reasonableness for four years.
Ditto the others in the top 10: Connecticut (even with Hartford!); Massachusetts; Vermont; Maine; Wisconsin; Iowa; New Jersey, and, yes, even Rhode Island, hardly a state at all!
Meanwhile, the bottom 10 are all in the Sunbelt, the worst New Mexico, and then Louisiana.
Maybe it's mostly the weather. The North's bracing and wildly variable climate energizes people and encourages planning and careful citizenship. And it's probably better for you, because cold is bad for bugs. Even the post-war wave of air-conditioning hasn't let previously soporific Southern schools, offices and factories overcome the North's paradoxical climatic advantage.
And Northerners tend to be less mobile, and so less likely to slide into that appalling anomie in which the American Dream is pursued by folks wandering the roads in search of pots of gold that turn out to be tin, and leaving no forwarding address. But then, it is easier to wander about where the weather is warm. Thus the pervasive trailer parks in the Sunbelt, and enough social problems to make you ask if the Sunbelt's growing national power is a good thing. (Don't show this to my Tennessee relatives.)
ADVANTAGES
Relatively low cost of living and real estate - I am able to afford two lakefront places, one on the north shore of Lake Superior and the other on an inland lake. Both year round homes with about 5 acres of wilderness and 300 ft of lakeshore. I could probably not afford this anywhere else that I know of.
Education - Two local public universities and a private one and Minnesota has an outstanding collection of small liberal arts colleges which are a little more affordable than out east
Safety/good place to raise kids/decent public schools
Climate (see also below) - Year round hunting and fishing possibilities. Climate is an advantage for those of us who like to be outdoors in the winter. Certainly not everyone.
Scenic beauty -'nuff said.
Outstanding healthcare virtually everywhere in the state. Duluth is a town of about 85K with a multispecialty clinic of over 300 physicians.
DISADVANTAGES
Remote - It's not the end of the earth but you can see it from here. Some limitations with airtravel, restaurants, retail sales, other niceties.
Taxes - Some of the highest state taxes in the nation.
Economy - This end of the state has not been as successful as the other end. Iron mining is on the downturn and shipping of wheat to foreign countries is much lower than it used to be. Not a lot of heavy industry or large employers to support the community.
Climate - (See above) - Winter can be rough if you sit inside all the time. The people that do the best up here get outside and take up physical activities.
Terminally democratic region I live in.
It's a matter of who drew first blood. You Southerners have a bad habit of starting a fight and then complaining about the outcome of the fight. :^) (#3Fan post)
#3 has a great point. I remember the day I moved to NC like it was yesterday, though it was 5 1/2 years ago. I pulled into the parking lot of the townhome complex I had rented a place in. I parked my Dodge Ram infront of my place and the guy living in the townhome next to mine was out front. I step out of my truck and no more than 5 seconds after my foot hit the ground did he look at me and loudly say "NY! Great, another god damn yankee." He then turned around and went inside.
Well, seems the redneck hick started it for I hadnt even been out of my car more than 5 seconds nor had a chance to even say hi to him. Since he was a jerk he was quickly introduced to my Gibson Explorer and 300 watt Peavy amp and Kustom tower amps.
This has been the best thread on FR in quite some time. Been fun too but I have things to do. Anyway, if these local rednecks do not deport me, I intend to die here, as a transplanted yankee redneck that loves the south, its people and its weather. You all have a nice day.
For the northerners who want to move south and be part of our communities, they are welcome, always have been.
But the carpetbaggers and the Yankee history revisionists such as yourself can stay up north...and "fix it".....
Sherman and Grant were enough, thank you very much. We don't need any more "help" like that.
You need to learn that when you're rude to the world, the world will be rude back. Read the first part of this thread and look at all the rude comments from your fellow Southerners before there was one answer from a Northerner.
I knew NC was far more than a single city long before I moved here. And before I moved here I had spent a total of 3 days in the state because I drove from Buffalo to Charlotte to see Metallica.
There are such things as MAPS! Look at any map of NY and you will see far more than a little dot with NYC next to it.
No Yankees. We got somethin' worse.
Californians!
I meant where I live. I don't live in New York.
You sure do selective reading UP HERE...and since when is Illinois the North?
Probably since there were more Illinoisians fighting and killed against the Confederacy in the Civil war than any other Northern State. (I bet this gets a bigoted response from some "Southern Hospitalitists".)
Are you and the guy from Illinois playing tag team? He responds to my posts to you and you respond to my posts to him? No matter, okay I take note that you didn't bring up slavery...it is usually people in the border states that do that...and then they accuse us of still fighting the war. They keep wanting us to admit they were "right" ...fat chance.
Now in response to your pig pickin' skills...do you just pick 'em...or kill 'em yourself? And does it get cold enough in whatever part of NC you are in to do that? I am assuming you are talking about your youth in rural New York. We always did our hog killings in the late fall after the crops were in and the weather was cooler.
Also, the reason I tried to make a point to you about the different areas of the country is because I have found in my travels that the country is not divided by regions as much as it is divided by big city, small town, and rural. Small town people seem to be the same all over, north, south and west.
They have a long ways to go, they won't be doing that any time soon in Dona Ana county, there's a lot of creative housing.
Do you have any source whatsoever for this "information"? The only part I can see that might be true is the part about the Freedmen's Bureaus running Southern schools - the schools they ran were for black people, by the way, not all Southerners.
I was referring to what you said about the illegal aliens in NM. You also have them there.
It's also easier to be wealthy if you free all the slaves in the South and don't free the ones in the North, as your Mr. Lincoln did.
Anyone can win a historical argument if they omit facts.
No offense, but what is the big deal about those desert states? The dry air appeals to the elderly but that's about the only advantage I can see. I prefer the greenery of the Eastern states.
It was a cultural shock because I never heard of having to do that before. Also all I see there are fences and once you get used to the wide open spaces, it's impossible to go back. I'll take bears and coyotes over people any day.
So why are you on the internet arguing with me instead of frolicking with the bears in your back 100 acres? :^)
You ducked the point....you said you only had AMERICANS up there....that may be true in Springfield or Lansing, but I doubt it.
Of course, if you are just looking to have a fun flame thread, all rightee now why you dumb ole yankee cretin, why doncha remove yore member from your dogs rear end, dint yore momma teach ya that that hain't dignified nor nuthin? Stop and think a little,,,and t'nuther thing, don't even be thinkin about trying to pull what ya'all did a hunnert 4rty years ago, jiss two of our big hair gals could clean yore carpet baggin' clocks, and still have time to make cornbread this afternoon fer supper! Ya'll just stay on up there, keep a-suckin on your hockey pucks, keep a-chuggin that moose whizz ya'all call beer, stay good'n'drunk like ya allus are, and here's a tip- go outside oncet in t'while and amuse yerselfs flakin them ten pound rust chunks off'n your sorry a** vee-hicles that ya'll never learnt to drive in the fust place!
;^)
transplants who love us are welcomed and loved back...:)
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