ciyates Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Mississippi, then Louisana, after that Maine, next Ohio, and lastly Indiana (which is more racially prejudiced than Mississippi :confused:) Now if you want to leave the country I would rank it Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain but keep in mind I hated living in Spain so I maybe a little biased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have lived in VA, WV, NC, IA, and MN. For kindness, sincerity, and sense of community and immediate "belonging", I'd have to give VA/WV the vote. The nastiest, coldest, least compassionate, rudest people I have ever met are in NY- not the city, mind you, but in small-town, small-minded, small-hearted NY. I'd give anything to get out of this horrid place! (Sorry. I really have tried to like it here. but after a decade of having people turn on you for no reason whatsoever, I'm done!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I've lived in a half dozen or more states. There seem to be nice and rude people everywhere. Different regions have different cultures so what is rude and what is nice may seem different until you adjust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 The nastiest, coldest, least compassionate, rudest people I have ever met are in NY- not the city, mind you, but in small-town, small-minded, small-hearted NY. This was a bit of my experience also. Sorry you're going through this. :grouphug: I tend to prefer cities (more diverse). NYC was much friendlier than I had dreaded, and, once again, no one gave a hoot where I was from. If they did, it was more out of friendliness and curiosity, not out of some sort of possible xenophobia ... :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvingLife Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Western Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Vermont. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalom22 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I've lived in 8 states around the country. Texas or Oklahoma were the nicest. I am an Okie who lives in Texas. Does that make me doubly nice? :D I have to vote for Texas and Oklahoma also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoorsy Type Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have lived in big city Oklahoma, little town, Oklahoma, and Bend, Oregon area. We met many friendly and warm people in Oregon. All of those people originally came from other states, though. :lol: Most of my friends in Oregon came from SoCal, and they were the friendliest people I have ever met. I have lived almost all of my life in Oklahoma. I think the bigger cities and suburbs have the friendlier people. When I lived in a small town, I didn't make any friends and always felt alone. Sure, strangers would come up to me in the store, but they were all elderly people who wanted to see my baby. I do think that the bigger cities in Oklahoma are friendlier than Bend, Oregon, but I wouldn't move for that reason. :tongue_smilie: I'm only here because my family lives here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratford Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Of the places I've lived, Pennsylvania (both Western and Southeastern.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have lived in VA, WV, NC, IA, and MN. For kindness, sincerity, and sense of community and immediate "belonging", I'd have to give VA/WV the vote. The nastiest, coldest, least compassionate, rudest people I have ever met are in NY- not the city, mind you, but in small-town, small-minded, small-hearted NY. I'd give anything to get out of this horrid place! (Sorry. I really have tried to like it here. but after a decade of having people turn on you for no reason whatsoever, I'm done!) It doesn't have to be KY. I've lived in small towns all over the country and they are always the absolute worst. Give me the big city any time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Some parts of California have not had friendly people, but Marin is friendly. Orlando and New Orleans were both filled with awesome people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I am in western wyoming and I think everyone is fabulous here. Laguna, CA WZS THE LE AS ST friendly place. My SIL lives there. Stuck up anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Jen* Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Not the South! (sorry to all of those who love the South, but it is not easy unless you were born here) Most kind and accepting was New Mexico. I loved it there. I would say the exact opposite. I am hating the attitude I am getting from people in New Mexico (especially people originally from the area) Although the area we live in Alabama is a large population of people that are new to the area. People are a lot more accepting and loving toward outsiders when not many of the people you meet are truly from the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Upstate NY. Small towns, friendly people, extremely helpful neighbors....it's so refreshing after leaving the small minded nastiness of Brenham, TX. It's weird how opinions differ. You think warm Southern hospitality, and colder, distant Northerners. We've experienced the opposite. I still see a divide, politically, but up here people(for the most part) keep it to themselves instead of ramming it down your throat. Same for religious views. Yay to the Fingerlakes!!! This is a joke, right? I'd really like to meet some of those friendly, helpful NYers you describe, but I think they're just part of some fairy tale!:glare: ETA: Ya' know, I think Chucki may have a very good point. Small towns can be very, very different from big cities, and not always in a good way. I think I may have had a very different experience had we lived in, say, Rochester. Edited February 16, 2012 by flutistmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 California, Florida, Alabama, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, and Oklahoma for us. No where was any different than any other - people are pretty much all the same every where we have lived :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 small minded nastiness You think warm Southern hospitality, and colder, distant Northerners. We've experienced the opposite. up here people(for the most part) keep it to themselves instead of ramming it down your throat. Same for religious views. Yes, some of that small-minded nastiness reminds me of "The Help" - sugar-coated hypocrisy. ;) Again, I think that everywhere has nice and not-so-nice people. It all depends and can be quite individual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Philadelphia. I always find it puzzling that so many think that the South and the Midwest are so friendly. They are only that friendly to those they perceive as "like them". If you DARE open your mouth to disagree or if they find out that you are not a theist you'd better start running. The torches and pitchforks are coming out! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Philadelphia. I always find it puzzling that so many think that the South and the Midwest are so friendly. They are only that friendly to those they perceive as "like them". If you DARE open your mouth to disagree or if they find out that you are not a theist you'd better start running. The torches and pitchforks are coming out! :glare: I've lived in OR most of my life and the opposite is true there in the tri-county. If they find out you are a theist or conservative there are issues lol. The suburbs are nice. Newberg, OR is an extremely friendly town. I am in UT now and I find it very surface friendly. People are very kind and helpful. If you aren't part of the homogenous population though (esp in the southern end of SL valley) it is VERY hard to break into the group of people to actually be friends with them. However as acquaintances, the people are super duper nice. I do feel really isolated here though. I don't think it is intentional however, just they are very busy with their group of friends in their wards. Eastern TX people were just bend-over-backwards-friendly and would chat with a perfect stranger for hours. I really liked it there! I think a lot of it was that our values aligned closely with things such as men opening doors, saying yes ma'am and no ma'am, etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 We've lived in IN, OH, CT, CA, NM and SD I grew up in Ohio but I really think it's been the most friendly. Parts of CA are very friendly (we lived in L.A. but the snob factor is huge). I did not find people in NM very friendly (we did not live in the Rio Grande valley). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 If you DARE open your mouth to disagree or if they find out that you are not a theist you'd better start running. The torches and pitchforks are coming out! :glare: :iagree: I've lived in OR most of my life and the opposite is true there in the tri-county. If they find out you are a theist or conservative there are issues lol. I lived in Ptld for many years and loved it - except for the weather. As soon as I'd leave to the smaller towns, my experience was not so good. One lady at Costco told me to "go back where I came from." :glare: :confused: I always felt like a foreigner in the smaller towns, etc. Mind you, this was in Gresham. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommamia Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 This is a joke, right? I'd really like to meet some of those friendly, helpful NYers you describe, but I think they're just part of some fairy tale!:glare: ETA: Ya' know, I think Chucki may have a very good point. Small towns can be very, very different from big cities, and not always in a good way. I think I may have had a very different experience had we lived in, say, Rochester. Yes, Rochester and NYC (surrounding areas) are entirely different. Different accents, different attitudes. We live in a large city now. It is not necessarily unfriendly, just almost too large to be friendly. Everyone is rushing and not very outgoing. I've been meeting friendlier folks as I've ventured into the country a bit more. Maybe it's the stress of city living? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Of all the places I have lived (CA, FL, TX, VA (several cities), NC, CT, RI, WI) I have found where I am now to be the most genuinely friendly place to live. We are in the Abingdon/Bristol area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 One lady at Costco told me to "go back where I came from." :glare: :confused: I always felt like a foreigner in the smaller towns, etc. Mind you, this was in Gresham. :glare: Oh.My.Goodness. What a snot. I'm so sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocCityMom Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Upstate NY. Small towns, friendly people, extremely helpful neighbors....it's so refreshing after leaving the small minded nastiness of Brenham, TX. It's weird how opinions differ. You think warm Southern hospitality, and colder, distant Northerners. We've experienced the opposite. I still see a divide, politically, but up here people(for the most part) keep it to themselves instead of ramming it down your throat. Same for religious views. Yay to the Fingerlakes!!! :iagree: We live in Rochester though, so not exactly a small town, but a small city (compared to NYC and Boston, two cities in which we used to live). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I've lived in the midwest, the south and in CA. The midwest (KY, MO, IL) were equal when it came to kindness and overall friendliness, tying with TX, and a huge margin between TX and CA. After having lived in the midwest for 16 years and going back to CA to visit, the difference was astounding. Before living in the midwest, I lived in Los Angeles county and San Diego County, combined total of 18 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 :) The only part of FL I consider 'south' is the rural panhandle..the rest are transplanted others? We have lived in CO, GA, WA, TN, AL...spent time 6 weeks or more in CA, NJ, PA... Out of those GA or AL wins ) Yep, we are in North East Florida. As they say the further North you go the more 'Southern' it gets. :lol: This area is definitely Southern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Perspective is funny because I felt the same when I went from the South to IA and OR. It felt like you had to be born there to fit in and since we weren't it was very hard. Yep, I am certain it is more native vs. non-native than southern vs. non-southern. However, it is more intense here. I did not have as much trouble fitting in in St. Louis or Albuquerque. We are orginally from Arizona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RaspberryPie Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Not the South! (sorry to all of those who love the South, but it is not easy unless you were born here) This!:iagree:So true. I love Wisconsin and Illinois the people are the friendliest I have ever come across. Edited February 16, 2012 by RaspberryPie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txhomemom Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I am partial to Texas since I am from here, but I think we have pretty friendly people and out of all the cities I have lived in around Texas I think Austin is the friendliest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Yep, we are in North East Florida. As they say the further North you go the more 'Southern' it gets. :lol: This area is definitely Southern. So true! lol I live in South Florida (very close to Miami) and it's like living in another country. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have lived in CA and TX. Definitely TX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmmiSays Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Seriously?? I'm curious the general location of where you live.... I lived in Roseburg, Oregon for a couple of years when I was a child. It was wonderful. Beautiful land and kind people. I have very fond memories of that place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Pennsylvania and Washington (I've lived in SC, WA, IL, Guam, and PA) Edited February 16, 2012 by mommaduck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I've lived in four states. Nebraska wins, hands-down. The midwest in general is likely to be more friendly, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susann Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 We've settled in the Indianapolis area after about 15 transfers throughout OH, KY, TN, NC, SC. We love the Hoosier hospitality and saw a lot of people that we impressed with it during the super Bowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I've lived in four states. Nebraska wins, hands-down. The midwest in general is likely to be more friendly, IMHO. And yet, I've had the exact opposite experience (Southern Illinois and Missouri). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) I've lived in four states. Nebraska wins, hands-down. The midwest in general is likely to be more friendly, IMHO. I briefly stopped in Nebraska while driving across the country. The minister's wife who ran the hotel -- which appeared to be totally empty -- wanted to put me in a dirty room. I declined. She looked peeved. The stifling hot air all night long and the smell of cow, well, they do not a pretty memory make! I find westerners and midwesterners friendly enough, but only in the South have I had teenaged boys tell me how cute my kids are when stopped at a gas station. Then again, I found Parisians to be nice enough so my perspective may be weird. I hope to go to NYC soon! Edited February 16, 2012 by stripe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 :iagree: I lived in Ptld for many years and loved it - except for the weather. As soon as I'd leave to the smaller towns, my experience was not so good. One lady at Costco told me to "go back where I came from." :glare: :confused: I always felt like a foreigner in the smaller towns, etc. Mind you, this was in Gresham. :glare: Sorry about the Gresham comment. They are going through a time of great upheaval. When I was a kid, Gresham was a small suburb of Portland. It was very community orientated with people whose families had lived their for generations. With the gentrification of North Portland and housing prices rising, it has pushed a lot of the gangs out into Gresham. So you have a mix of people who don't want to leave what was their nice small town, and a lot of gangs. It has gone from a town to a city in it's own right. It really is having a lot of growing pains. No one should ever say that to anyone, I don't think it's right, I just thought some context might help. One of the things that I love most about Oregon, is the fact that so many people stay here. I still have about 20 friends from High School that I am in touch with and see on a regular basis. I love that. I also have a lot of new friends. With Mentor Graphics here, we have a large Indian Population. It is just so much fun getting to go to Dandiya festivals, and having friends from different places. I do live in a SW suburb of the city and I just love it. Have any of you watched Portlandia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) :iagree: I lived in Ptld for many years and loved it - except for the weather. As soon as I'd leave to the smaller towns, my experience was not so good. One lady at Costco told me to "go back where I came from." :glare: :confused: I always felt like a foreigner in the smaller towns, etc. Mind you, this was in Gresham. :glare: I should have been more specific sorry :tongue_smilie: Gresham is HORRIBLE these days! I had a couple of friends that lived in that area when I was younger and it was pretty nice. Now there is scariness over there in some parts of the Gresham area. We were on the southwest side-Beaverton/Tigard/Sherwood area. Edited February 16, 2012 by ds4159 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Sorry about the Gresham comment. They are going through a time of great upheaval. When I was a kid, Gresham was a small suburb of Portland. It was very community orientated with people whose families had lived their for generations. With the gentrification of North Portland and housing prices rising, it has pushed a lot of the gangs out into Gresham. So you have a mix of people who don't want to leave what was their nice small town, and a lot of gangs. It has gone from a town to a city in it's own right. It really is having a lot of growing pains. No one should ever say that to anyone, I don't think it's right, I just thought some context might help. One of the things that I love most about Oregon, is the fact that so many people stay here. I still have about 20 friends from High School that I am in touch with and see on a regular basis. I love that. I also have a lot of new friends. With Mentor Graphics here, we have a large Indian Population. It is just so much fun getting to go to Dandiya festivals, and having friends from different places. I do live in a SW suburb of the city and I just love it. Have any of you watched Portlandia? Yes when I go to the yearly festival in Newberg it is just overrun with everyone I grew up with! SW side is much nicer these days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Kansas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 ... where have you felt the people were the most sincerely kind and loving? :bigear: I grew up in OK and have lived in TX too. Then moved to NY. Then NM and have been here ever since. And I think there is more variation *within* any of those regions than there is between the averages of the different regions, know what I mean? There are friendly places in OK and there are places where, well, not so much (small towns in Eastern OK are quite unpleasant, in my experience). There are friendly places in upstate NY but Lord have mercy I hope I never have to live in Duchess County again. And here in NM it's a whole different question, one of personal safety rather than friendliness. But I won't get started on that rant. I do think that OK and TX are friendlier on the surface. But you have to understand that's just the social norm there, it's what's expected, and it's not always genuine and doesn't necessarily go any deeper than just the surface. OTOH, people in Duchess County are fairly hostile on the surface, in just casual interactions such as the checkout line at the grocery store, but once you get to know them, they are as nice as anyone anywhere. It's just harder to get to know them! :001_smile: Basically, there are nice people and there are mean people everywhere you go. I stay in NM because I love the climate. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Oh.My.Goodness. What a snot. I'm so sorry! Sorry about the Gresham comment. They are going through a time of great upheaval. I should have been more specific sorry :tongue_smilie: Gresham is HORRIBLE these days! I had a couple of friends that lived in that area when I was younger and it was pretty nice. Now there is scariness over there in some parts of the Gresham area. We were on the southwest side-Beaverton/Tigard/Sherwood area. :grouphug: Thank you. It was a horribly mean comment said to me at an extremely vulnerable time. :confused: Yes, Beaverton/Tigard have always been more diverse, or at least much more diverse when I lived there from the late 80s-mid 90s. I lived in downtown Ptld and absolutely loved it, other than the weather, of course. Ptld weather is so much like British weather, and I really, really dislike both. At least with Pltd, there's some hope of a decent summer. Not so with Britain. Dh and I are cold-weather wimps. We love living in the tropics. :D Here, in this part of the world, it's 50/50. 50% of the folks like you and/or don't mind that you're here. The other 50% don't like you at. all. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 One lady at Costco told me to "go back where I came from." :glare: : I have heard that a few times here. It is very upsetting. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I've lived all over (mainly eastern side of the country, but both north & south), and I have to say the people in OK (I'm in NE OK) are some of the friendliest, most sincere people I've ever met. East TN is right up there, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I moved to east Tennessee from Florida when I went to college after high school. I was very suspicious at first with how friendly the people were. I actually thought they had an ulterior motive. Then I began to realize that they genuinely were nice people. My vote is for east Tennessee! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I've lived a lot of places and I really like my neighbors here in Va. :iagree: I was just thinking about this last night. In my last state I had such a hard time making sincere friends. I had friends but they were more distant and the relationship was more shallow. And I worked hard to deepen them for years. Boom! I move to VA and after a short time know several caring, thoughtful, sincere friends. People who -- truth be told -- I could call at 2 a.m. w/ a problem. (Not that I ever would of course.) Prior to this experience I thought people are people wherever you go. Now I'm wondering if various states have their own culture that breeds a certain kind of person -- and others move out. Just a thought. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I've lived in WV, SC, CA, TX, MA, GA, and MD. I've honestly found really nice people in ALL of those places and wouldn't pick one as friendlier. They all have different social norms, but I think a lot of what comes back to you depends upon how you behave towards them and whether or not you have preconceived notions about how people are supposed to act. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SewLittleTime Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 the least nicest were in IA. I find this interesting. We just moved to IA and I'm having a very difficult time. I have met absolutely NO ONE. Even my neighbors haven't introduced themselves to me. SAD. I don't know that they are unfriendly necessarily, but no one has actually gone out of their way to be a friend either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 I find this interesting. We just moved to IA and I'm having a very difficult time. I have met absolutely NO ONE. Even my neighbors haven't introduced themselves to me. SAD. I don't know that they are unfriendly necessarily, but no one has actually gone out of their way to be a friend either. :grouphug: Hope things get better for you soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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