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This question is a month old and somehow I missed it, but I'll answer it now because I actually live in the Powder Springs area right near the Paulding/Hiram line, and work in-between the two towns.
Ok - I'm known for laying it on the line, so here goes, and I assume you want true honesty, "movingout"...
Paulding has a varied mixture of people that range from Atlantans that have moved further out to get away from the city, or transplants from other areas of the country, and yes, a few "rednecks" scattered about here and there. The futher West you go the more of the redneck variety you will find. Hiram isn't that bad anymore, Dallas you'll find a few, and by the time you get to Rockmart you kind of reach the "Heehaw" area, but it's still more just very rural as opposed to hard-core redneck types.
In the last three years perhaps, there has been a trend in this area which has baffled even the real estate agents. We're getting a lot of foreign transplants who are moving here from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, The Bahamas, and so on. As in - a lot. To the point now that a particular city worker here (who is black) told me jokingly that they're afraid that Jamaican accents will be the official accent of West Cobb before long - he was joking, but let's say it was a "nervous laugh". Again, no one really knows why folks from these particular areas are picking West Cobb/Paulding over so many other places, but it's happening. Maybe it's the trend that if one makes it here they save up money then move their whole families over (?). I dunno. Just be aware that these transplants are referred to here by many as "the Island People" - not necessarily in a slanderous way, but as a generalized way.
Here lies the problems - attitudes. Apparently, cultures from "the islands" vary greatly when compared to rural Georgia. Many of the people moving here from there are what local call "very abrupt and rude" when they come into the local stores and shops. Maybe they're not really rude - maybe where they come from this is the norm, but I can say from working in a shop locally as well that yes, at least to the locals here, many of the people from these nations do SEEM quite verbally short and in a few cases, flat-out rude as heck. There have been a few instances of shop owners basically just doing the, "get the hell out and come back when you learn some manners" to a few of them, and this even includes some black shop owners, so it's not a race issue as the attitude miscommunication problems are happening with whites AND blacks locally.
I will add that what hasn't helped matters much is that a few of the folks that have come over as what we'll say less than law abiding. So once a few teens from families from these nations got caught participating in things like car and home break-ins, etc., then that didn't exactly help the image much; a few around here associate "island people" with "crime".
So honestly, I really can't answer for you if you'll be accepted in this area or not, because you're just words on a screen - I don't know how you interact with people on a one-on-one basis. If you're a personable person and friendly, respect your neighbors (no loud parties or letting your kids scream in the yard at 11pm, etc), then folks here will be quick to accept you and you won't have a problem. If however, you are abrupt or what they may perceive here as "rude", then yes, I'm going to say, you'll probably have more than one person call you, "one of those damned island people" right to your face. I've seen it happen.
So again, only you know how well you play with others. The folks out on this side of town really aren't bad - but they have a short fuse when it comes to what they perceive as "attitudes", especially from foreign transplants. Nice folks are taken in - those with those perceived attitudes are shunned.
That's my frank talk for the day. LOL
Greg, this is really an interesting viewpoint...I know personally quite a few Caribbean families moving into the Powder Springs area and they run the gamut from the upper middle class MD's moving into those 350-450K homes that feed into Harrison HS, to the lower middle class auto mechanics moving into the Compton ES district. All want the same thing for their family: a safe place to live.
Maybe it's me, but I've never noticed the trend of "rude West Indians" in Powder Springs. For the most part, everyone's been generally nice, with the exception of a few knuckleheads.
And from my day-to-day dealings in the classroom, I've found the West Indian parents to be more involved, more willing to work with us (the teachers), and their kids as a whole generally had better manners. We had more problems with the kids moving in from the city of Atlanta area...those are the parents that tend to have this "Me and my child against Cobb County Schools" attitude.
Maybe it's me, but I've never noticed the trend of "rude West Indians" in Powder Springs. For the most part, everyone's been generally nice, with the exception of a few knuckleheads.
And from my day-to-day dealings in the classroom, I've found the West Indian parents to be more involved, more willing to work with us (the teachers), and their kids as a whole generally had better manners.
Well, you started out with Caribbeans, and ended up with West Indians. LOL. I didn't say the Indians were an issue or that everyone of any one group were, although I will say that in general I agree with you - people from India seem to be friendlier. I was just saying that SOME Caribbean-oriented people coming here do seem to have a different sense of what "polite" is than some of the natives to this area.
I have attended a couple of small business owner meetings out this way and the topic of Caribbean customers came up a couple of times, and many of the business owners talked about people walking in the door and being abruptly rude(ish) right off the bat. Certainly not EVERYONE of Caribbean descent, but enough that it was a topic of conversation that many shook their heads and said, "Yep, that's happened to me". I also work in the area and I can also vouch that I've had Caribbean folks come in and instead of saying, "Hello - can you tell me if you all do this....?", they instead come in with a, "Hey - let me tell you what you're going to do for me!". (yes, really). Of course, I just throw up the hand and immediately teach them the way WE ask for things here, and they either laugh and we move on, or they leave. But regardless, yes, sometimes there is a noticeable cultural difference.
Either way, like I told the original poster, if you're a friendly person and respect others, most people here will accept you regardless of where you come from. It's just people who SEEM to have a chip on their shoulders (whether they really do or not) who run into personality conflicts in this area.
Well, you started out with Caribbeans, and ended up with West Indians. LOL. I didn't say the Indians were an issue or that everyone of any one group were, although I will say that in general I agree with you - people from India seem to be friendlier. I was just saying that SOME Caribbean-oriented people coming here do seem to have a different sense of what "polite" is than some of the natives to this area.
I have attended a couple of small business owner meetings out this way and the topic of Caribbean customers came up a couple of times, and many of the business owners talked about people walking in the door and being abruptly rude(ish) right off the bat. Certainly not EVERYONE of Caribbean descent, but enough that it was a topic of conversation that many shook their heads and said, "Yep, that's happened to me". I also work in the area and I can also vouch that I've had Caribbean folks come in and instead of saying, "Hello - can you tell me if you all do this....?", they instead come in with a, "Hey - let me tell you what you're going to do for me!". (yes, really). Of course, I just throw up the hand and immediately teach them the way WE ask for things here, and they either laugh and we move on, or they leave. But regardless, yes, sometimes there is a noticeable cultural difference.
Either way, like I told the original poster, if you're a friendly person and respect others, most people here will accept you regardless of where you come from. It's just people who SEEM to have a chip on their shoulders (whether they really do or not) who run into personality conflicts in this area.
Caribbeans=West Indians....my fault. I grew up in Miami to parents of Jamaican descent. I thought that was common knowledge
I really don't think that 100% of the time it's a case of being rude, I really think it's a cultural thing. I say that based on my own personal experiences. It's great, however, that some are quite receptive when it comes to how things are done here in Georgia.
By the same token, there is no excuse for any individual to be rude...and hats off to those taking people to task for it.
Caribbeans=West Indians....my fault. I grew up in Miami to parents of Jamaican descent. I thought that was common knowledge
.
My bad. I'm not exactly Mr Kum-ba-ya when it comes to all things cultural, myself. LOL. I associate "Indian" anything with India-Indians because we do have a number of those folks in the area as well.
Afternoon, Ya'll...LOL My family is moving to the Hiram area from FL in a few months.
I agree completely with ya Greg! We have the same issues here in FL. While my family is all Italian from Boston with me being the only one not born there (I was born in CA, raised in FL), I am a true southern "country" girl. Not interested in dealing with rudness, I don't care how its done somewhere else.
My only disagreement is with NASCAR attendees observation. While I have seen my share of toothless wonders at some venues, I grew up next to Daytona Int Speedway and attending races is getting very expensive. Its grown very "Corperate Franchised" with lots of families unable to afford to attend more than a race or two a yr now. Reading through the thread I was LOL at Capt...If he was looking for a wife, I'd be his dream girl. (JK...very happily married with children).
To the origional poster: I guess in some sense I'd be considered a "Redneckish" so from my point of view from what I can tell you'll be fine.
Anyone have any views on the Greystone sub div? Dobbins Middle School? Hiram High School?
What the heck is a Redneck? What's so bad about being one? I've heard the term, but never understood the description. Please explain.
I am a REDNECK and PROUD of it. Being a Redneck, I will tell you about me. I stand up for what I believe in, want let anyone walk all over me, If you are wrong, I will be the first to tell you. Don't see anything wrong with the Confedarate Flag. And I know there is a ton of REDNECKS out there that feel the same way. Don't mess with me and I want mess with you, and above anything else, LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE, YOU MESS WITH MY FAMILY, THEN YOU DEAL WITH ME!!!!! I take Pride in my Family and my Roots. Grew up hard, lived a hard life, so you leave me alone, I leave you alone. We {my family} own guns, deer hunt, fish, can even be found riding down some back road with a cooler of beer on the weekend, we do work during the week. For those toes I have stepped on, this is me personaly, I know that all people are not like me. Everybody has the right to their own opinion. Stay out of my business and my familys' and I will stay out of yours. But in the end, I am a nice person.
One final note to my last post on this subject. I respect all people and things. Contrary to popular belief, all Rednecks are not bad people. And NO, there's no chip on my shoulder. I am what I am and I don't apologize for it. You can either hate me or like me, it's your decision. Everybody has the right to live where-ever they choose, it's not up to me where a person decides to put their roots down, or tell them this or that, after all, we have some buearacrat {misspelled?} sitting on legistrative hill telling us. I want even get into that. So be happy, choose your own path.
I don't think you should be scared of anybody. Nobody should live in fear because of some people, it is true that alot of rednecks in ga have guns though. But alot of people have guns in ga not just rednecks so it doesn't matter.
oh oh!!!! I'm planning to move there (Paulding),,I was just reading some of the comments...........what did you guys say about rednecks?????? I'm hispanic and surely, my skin color is not necessarily white (LOL)..
Will I be in trouble???? I have 2 beautiful boys, (1 and 9),will they be treated unfairly?????
I can get along with everybody.......I'm a newyorker!!!!
Guys please be honest.......
Does that also mean that I may not be able to find a job (guidance counselor)...
I would also appreciate any assistant by someone with experience in working within the school systems....
BLESSINGS!!!
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finalmove
