[jhoff76]

Hi All,

I am a New Jerseyan considering a move to the South, specifically Mississippi or Alabama (Florence-Muscle Shoals area). I happened to be watching a YouTube video recently about Natchez, MS and one commenter stated that a Natchez resident warned him of the following:

"All are welcome to visit but outsiders of any race are not welcome to live ... if you're not a Natchezian you're not going to make it here ... locals will starve you out."

I was disappointed to hear this and it put me off of Natchez and Mississippi as a whole. My question is, are those same exclusionary beliefs present in Alabama?

Thank you.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by jhoff76

Hi All,

I am a New Jerseyan considering a move to the South, specifically Mississippi or Alabama (Florence-Muscle Shoals area). I happened to be watching a YouTube video recently about Natchez, MS and one commenter stated that a Natchez resident warned him of the following:

"All are welcome to visit but outsiders of any race are not welcome to live ... if you're not a Natchezian you're not going to make it here ... locals will starve you out."

I was disappointed to hear this and it put me off of Natchez and Mississippi as a whole. My question is, are those same exclusionary beliefs present in Alabama?

Thank you.

I don't even know if it's true about Natchez. Or other areas in Alabama - maybe in very rural areas it is? No idea. But here, just about everybody is an "outsider" and most seem to like living here. There are 11 houses on my cul-de-sac and nobody is a local native (a couple are from other parts of the state).

[GreggT]

Originally Posted by jhoff76

Hi All,

I am a New Jerseyan considering a move to the South, specifically Mississippi or Alabama (Florence-Muscle Shoals area). I happened to be watching a YouTube video recently about Natchez, MS and one commenter stated that a Natchez resident warned him of the following:

"All are welcome to visit but outsiders of any race are not welcome to live ... if you're not a Natchezian you're not going to make it here ... locals will starve you out."

I was disappointed to hear this and it put me off of Natchez and Mississippi as a whole. My question is, are those same exclusionary beliefs present in Alabama?

Thank you.

My wife and I have lived all over because of my job. Hardly ever more than two years in one place or state. We have been welcomed in ever place we have lived which included Puerto Rico AND a couple places in Mississippi.
We have found that how you are accepted is not a function of the community you moved to but you yourself and your efforts to blend in.
Who ever told you that is not your friend and in fact must live a miserable life!

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by GreggT

My wife and I have lived all over because of my job. Hardly ever more than two years in one place or state. We have been welcomed in ever place we have lived which included Puerto Rico AND a couple places in Mississippi.
We have found that how you are accepted is not a function of the community you moved to but you yourself and your efforts to blend in.
Who ever told you that is not your friend and in fact must live a miserable life!

It was mentioned in a YouTube video, as described in the OP.

[Threestep2]

UTube is the best way to determine if a geographic area might be a personal fit. Wikki is second best.

[7 Wishes]

"Try That in a Small Town" (sigh!)

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by GreggT

My wife and I have lived all over because of my job. Hardly ever more than two years in one place or state. We have been welcomed in ever place we have lived which included Puerto Rico AND a couple places in Mississippi.
We have found that how you are accepted is not a function of the community you moved to but you yourself and your efforts to blend in.
Who ever told you that is not your friend and in fact must live a miserable life!

There's wisdom in this. Although I don't think 'blend in' is the precise phrase. I think that 'be open to others' might be more apt. By that, I mean, don't fall into the trap that some transplants do and assume it will be just like from whence you came. Or, worse, that you're moving to Tobacco Road. Judging by the OP's original post, I'm pretty sure he or she is not that kind of person.

An example.

When we lived in our Birmingham suburb, a couple moved in down the street from Connecticut. So, naturally, being good Southerners, half the neighborhood descended on them with casseroles, brownies, and offers to help in whatever way we could.

The husband was awesome. Funny guy, talkative, and just gregarious as hell. We were cracking jokes with him in about five minutes. Their two kids were running around the yard with the neighborhood kids within moments.

The wife was kind of another story. When she walked out their front door and saw several of us bringing food, she looked at us as if we were an alien species. "Huh. I've read that people like you exist." And it wasn't said as if it were a joke.

Okay, that raised a few eyebrows, but we soldiered on.

Mind you, this suburb is the wealthiest in the state. The schools are top notch, typically ranked in the top 1% in the country. There is an abundance of shopping, from toney boutiques to whatever. In other words, it wasn't as if they had moved to Hooterville. We had all our teeth, read books without pictures, and our wives could attend a State Department dinner and point out all the mistakes in the place settings. Post graduate and professional degrees abounded in that little group gathered on her front yard. In sum, our collection of lawyers, executives, doctors, and university professors hardly lived up to whatever stereotype was swirling around in her head.

Undeterred, she immediately started telling us how annoyed she was to move down here to the sticks, worried that her kids would get a subpar education, and a breathtaking assortment of other minor faux pas. About the only thing she didn't express was her worry about stumbling upon a Klan rally if she was out on Friday nights. An ongoing litany of complaints about the heat, the logistics of the move, and whatever else crossed her mind.

We always invited them to the neighborhood parties. The husband started making friends without any problem. But the wife struggled with adjusting. It was like she couldn't get a bead on the culture. It wasn't that she needed to conform--far from it. But when she started every conversation with complaints about the place or the assumption that everybody she met was a knuckle-dragging rube until proved otherwise, it tended to put people off a bit. Southerners, generally speaking, are positive people.

I guess what I'm saying is that it's important to understand and respect cultural differences without necessarily kowtowing to them. Be your own person, but don't make assumptions about whoever you're talking to.

[jhoff76]

Originally Posted by Threestep2

UTube is the best way to determine if a geographic area might be a personal fit. Wikki is second best.

I never said it was. Just doing a bit of research and asked a question.

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

Pshaw. Yes, there are areas that fit the stereotype. But there are parts of Mountain Brook that has just normal people. We moved to Mountain Brook, weren't part of the country club/martini/RotaryClub crowd and made plenty of friends.

You'll notice I deliberately used the past tense in my post. I'm sure there have been positive changes since the 1980s, but I'm also sure a lot of the entrenched attitude has simply gone underground - hence my suggestion of that article about UAT.

[Winter Coven]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

"Try That in a Small Town" (sigh!)

I recommend that you don't.