1. When we moved to the south from Florida, my wife had similar reactions. Native Miamian, lives there her entire life bar the few years she lived and worked in Orlando.

   The culture shock of moving to “the South” went much the same way for her, but growing up in Podunk Midwesternville had already prepared me.

   Unfortunately the area I’m living has been deemed so awesome to live in, all the Californians, New Yorkers, and Beltway Bureaucrats want to move here and fuck it all up. Great.

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2. The ironic part is that if you live in smaller cities in Florida, it’s the same way. We don’t walk around the neighborhoods without smiling and waving at people we never see or interact with except to smile and wave. When we pass other cars coming into or out of our neighborhood, drivers we’ve never seen wave at each other. We smile at people we pass in the aisles at Publix.

   Only in the big, blue cities in the big blue counties is it like you’re both talking about.

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   1. True everywhere. NY State, CA (outside of the coastal clown shows), western MA, and most of Illinois are perfect examples of what you are talking about. Get away from urban, and people act differently.

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      1. If Wikipedia (that font of all knowledge ) is to be believed, living in an urban environment is a risk factor for schizophrenia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_factors_of_schizophrenia#Urbanicity

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3. Here in rural Kansas shooting the breeze with total strangers is the rule rather than the exception.

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4. I moved from a big Florida city to a small, rural one in the Panhandle. Yes, it is still Florida — not southern Alabama. Yes, it is the South. Strangers smile at you and say hello. Cashiers are friendly and say, “Have a blessed day.” We had a natural disaster shortly after moving here, and everyone pitched in to clear roads and assist neighbors even before the storm had passed. People don’t lock doors here. The neighbor leaves her keys in the car. My husband spent his first year here shaking his head at large equipment left out unguarded. (“That would be gone in ten minutes in Orlando.”)

   We do lock our doors, and we are trying to get our neighbor to do so, too. It’s only a matter of time before the uglier parts of the world arrive here. But the change is awesome!

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   1. Similar here in rural NH. I think the simple fact is that small town people are sociable, they wave, they stop to chat, etc. Even in New England where people have a reputation for keeping to themselves. I think that is true, but only in comparison to other parts of the country. By city standards, we’re still quite outgoing and friendly and sociable.

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5. Smile, be polite, and have a plan to kill anyone you meet.

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6. Every time I visit the south, it takes me a bit to get used to Southern Hospitality, but I quickly fall into it and reciprocate. I am always shaken to my core the first time a cashier says, ” How y’all doin’ today? Didja find everything you was lookin’ for?” After the initial shock of having someone wanting to have a conversation with a total stranger during what to me is normally a cold, silent transaction, I can’t help but respond and engage. Very quickly it becomes waving a driver into traffic, holding a door for folks, offering to help someone carry something heavy, or the biggie… pulling over, getting out of my car, and removing my hat and bowing my head for a passing funeral. You see where I live, a funeral procession is an annoying inconvenience for other drivers, even one that has a police escort. People will cut in and through the procession with blowing horns and raised middle fingers.

   Here in New England, I truly live in the land of assholes, and it takes me even longer to get used to when I return. Even though I live in a small rural town, most people want you to just MYOB.

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7. I too live in new england and MOST rude annoying people are “from away” as we call them. Just because they have an in state lic plate dont mean they FROM here. The wife n I notice a distinctive difference once we cross that Mason/Dixon line, people generally ARE more polite and friendly. Meanwhile I judge people on how Im treated and act accordingly

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8. “… accept that people are simply being nice for no other reason than they are truly nice.”

   I am reminded of an experience at the 2001 Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia.

   Our space on the base was divided into regions, one of them being the South. Each region had staff tents where leaders (and staff) could come to get way from the Scouts for a bit. They were for adults only.

   Due to a contamination of the lunch available in kiosks for everybody, we were directed to a staff tent. In front was a sign stating “adults only”. My then 12 year old son was refusing to enter. I said that we are instructed to go there and we needed to get lunch. It being the Southern district, several people stopped by our table to see if we had enough to eat, did we want ice for our water bottles, did we want to take anything extra with us.

   That was my first exposure to Southern hospitality. That I have clear memories 20 years later tells you how much of an impression it made.

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9. Yer BS meter is good and you’ve got the life experience, you’ll get the hang of it. Just wait till they like you enough to start bringing around the cobblers and pecan pies!

   Heck years after moving up to the Godless North I still catch myself waving to passing cars and greeting folks in the mornings with a howdy or ‘good’n’you?

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