I knew someone who lived in Georgia due to a job he landed in Atlanta for three years and here is the good and the bad that he had to say.
The Good - 1.) Atlanta- as there is a great nightlife and cool people to meet despite the horrendous congested traffic 2.) Savannah - He was stating the people there are as hospitable as it gets and he had lots of fun there. 3.) The food- as he believes it makes New England's food (where i'm from) seem bland in comparison. 4.) The wheather is nice most of the year around with the exception of the summer where it felt downright brutal he claims. He says he felt like he was going to suffocate a few summer days while there.
Now the Bad. 1.)Mentality- Once traveled outside of Atlanta he says the mentality gets very 'southern' and old fashioned (not that that's a bad thing but bear with me). He was stating even though Atlanta and Savannah he believes has gone a long ways and has made strides in accepting minorities, gay marriage and etc. the mentality of a lot of the small towns has changed very little over the years. He was saying how they still cling to obsolete/old fashioned ideas and beliefs.
2.) superfical friendliness and backstabbing - He was saying a lot of people were friendly (to ones face that is) in the small towns but it is a thinly disguised facade. If you didn't have a lot of the beliefs a lot of people there had you were marked off immediately even though they'd still be polite face to face. So, if you weren't a baptist (usually there most common religion), weren't white, and was a northerner or someone without a southern accent you were, in a lot of cases, marked off , gossiped about, and was an outsider. He's seen people supremely friendly to someone elses face only to backstab and gossip about him/her to there little click or group of friends on how they didn't approve of him/her because they weren't for example religious in sunday school the way they see fit or about his/her personal habits and they would forever judge that person badly. Of course, backstabbing happens everwhere but he claims he's seen more backstabbing there in one year while there than 10 years in New England(where we live). He was dissatisfied with the extreme judgmentalness of the people while there.
2.) Religious zeolots - he comments on the over religious atmosphere (not to say religion is bad. It's actually an excellent thing and i'm a believer in god myself) but plenty of people there didn't like it if you weren't baptist and some would even shun you for it. He was agnostic and was not accepted as "one of them" because of this even though he was a believer in god/the bible and etc. He said there were some that were religiously nuts.
3.) behind on the times of some social issues - Yes, he was commenting on how a lot of people down there were still against inter-racial marriage, gay marriage, and etc. and there is still racial polarization in many towns. I mean of course one could disagree with mixed race marriages and gay marriages and most would be accepting and its there right but he felt the people wrote another off immediately if he disagreed with their beliefs even if said in all diplomacy. So much for freedom of speech lol The closeminded nosy neighbors and intolerance made him want to move back up to Mass. where we reside.
Anyways, i guess if one is to move down there the best idea is to stick with the big cities such as atlanta, savannah, and etc. and stay away from the small towns (which are more likely to stick to old beliefs) or live in the neighborhoods where there are fellow transplants where these people are more willing to be accepting. Feel free to correct me on this as this was my friends perspective. Anyways, I hope this helps.
