{"id":3377,"date":"2015-11-11T08:31:41","date_gmt":"2015-11-11T15:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=3377"},"modified":"2015-11-11T08:44:18","modified_gmt":"2015-11-11T15:44:18","slug":"regional-roundup-3-the-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=3377","title":{"rendered":"Regional Roundup 3: The South"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Southern_United_States\" target=\"_blank\">South<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0is not just &#8216;the part of the US that is not in the north&#8217;, but the cultural South, most of which was in the Confederacy in the Civil War. This includes everything from\u00a0Virginia\u00a0down to the Florida Panhandle\u00a0in the east and then and everything below the Midwest up until the Texas and Oklahoma borders.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/southern_usmap_region_accurate.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3619 size-medium aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/southern_usmap_region_accurate-300x197.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the video:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_74712\"  width=\"700\" height=\"394\"  data-origwidth=\"700\" data-origheight=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZaHEiNbzM9k?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The South was less developed than I expected. I thought being older than the Midwest, that it would have more. The cities and towns were often further apart\u00a0than I expected.\u00a0The Coastal South seemed to be doing better than the Inland South (with a few <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1788\" target=\"_blank\">exceptions<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The Inland Southern states seemed extremely poor, especially\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1847\" target=\"_blank\">Mississippi<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1839\" target=\"_blank\">Arkansas<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1735\" target=\"_blank\">Alabama<\/a>. There was far less in the way of construction in those states and much more in the way of abandoned grocery stores and gas stations (whereas most of the nation has the opposite and constructive seems to be a positive sign that an area is thriving or at least not doing too badly). Tennessee was an exception to this.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1788\" target=\"_blank\">Nashville<\/a>\u00a0is doing well and the people of Tennessee seemed more willing to talk to us than everyone in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi combined. That said, \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1810\" target=\"_blank\">Memphis<\/a>\u00a0was a bit scary.<\/p>\n<p>Something else to note is that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America#Battle_flag\" target=\"_blank\">these<\/a>\u00a0are not at all common in the South:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1744\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-25-11.25.26-e1440621916675-300x298.jpg\" alt=\"2015-08-25 11.25.26\" width=\"300\" height=\"298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-25-11.25.26-e1440621916675-300x298.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-25-11.25.26-e1440621916675-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-25-11.25.26-e1440621916675-1024x1018.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We saw about 10 of the min the whole large region and we actually saw a few of them outside the South. It just isn&#8217;t anywhere near as prevalent as the media would have the world think.<\/p>\n<p>That said, I think the South is still very much suffering from having lost the Civil War. It appears that it takes generations to recover from this kind of thing. I can see why some Southerns are still annoyed. We met a few of them, and they made good cases for their annoyance, telling us stories of Northern soldiers carrying off the wealth of their region. However understandable this is though, it is absolutely a downside, as it means the region is still doing less well than much of the rest of the country. That said, there are still surely lovely Southern cities that are succeeding.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly all of the South is a giant forest, as is true in the Northeast and some of the Midwest. This particular forest contains many noisy insects and becomes something of a jungle in the summer. We frequently wore noise canceling headphones to read in the South simply because they were so loud in some places.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Our favorite city<\/strong> was easily the gorgeous\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1450\" target=\"_blank\">Charleston, South Carolina<\/a>. People were extremely warm and friendly. The city is beautiful\u00a0and well run. It is right on the water, which gives it pleasant weather and beach access. In addition, the architecture, though on the older side, seemed extremely well maintained. We also spoke to someone who said they are purposely trying to build up a tech industry in their city, so clever them. This is definitely a city to consider.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-28-13.58.40.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1457\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-14-14.39.09-1-e1441121466658-256x300.jpg\" alt=\"2015-08-14 14.39.09-1\" width=\"256\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-14-14.39.09-1-e1441121466658-256x300.jpg 256w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-14-14.39.09-1-e1441121466658-873x1024.jpg 873w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-14-14.39.09-1-e1441121466658-300x352.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We were told Charleston is expensive for the region, but the region is extremely inexpensive, so I think if we were to pick Charleston, this would not be a problem.\u00a0Even if we don&#8217;t move there, we will definitely visit again. The rest of South Carolina is not bad either, and it was definitely our favorite Southern state.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Runner up<\/strong> goes to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1899\">Lafayette, Louisiana<\/a> and the state of Louisiana generally. The Cajuns are a warm, open people. I\u00a0don&#8217;t think we are quite into the same things the locals were (for instance, I don&#8217;t think Chris could see himself hunting in a swamp), but it was a really pleasant place to be, and I do think we will be back to Louisiana to visit.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1907\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/2015-09-01-14.34.50-e1441210108896-300x261.jpg\" alt=\"2015-09-01 14.34.50\" width=\"300\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/2015-09-01-14.34.50-e1441210108896-300x261.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/2015-09-01-14.34.50-e1441210108896-1024x891.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/2015-09-01-14.34.50-e1441210108896.jpg 1876w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Honorable mention<\/strong> goes to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1788\">Nashville, Tennessee<\/a>. I can&#8217;t really imagine us living in the capital of country music as neither of us are country fans, but that said, it is a thriving, attractive city. If Southern culture and country music are for you, this is a great Southern city.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1795\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-27-16.19.56-1-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"2015-08-27 16.19.56-1\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-27-16.19.56-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-27-16.19.56-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-27-16.19.56-1-230x230.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-27-16.19.56-1.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Tennessee is also home to the best pork either of us have ever eaten, which was in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1810\">Memphis<\/a>, not Nashville, but even so, you eat well in Tennessee:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1815\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-28-13.58.40-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"2015-08-28 13.58.40\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-28-13.58.40-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-28-13.58.40-1024x576.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Secondary honorable mention<\/strong> goes to the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1371\" target=\"_blank\">Raleigh, North Carolina<\/a>\u00a0area. As with much of the South, I&#8217;m not sure the weather and level of insects is for us, but like Nashville, they are doing well.\u00a0They also have Red Hat Linux, which is a big plus for them:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-10-13.03.12-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1380\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-10-13.03.12-2-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"2015-08-10 13.03.12-2\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-10-13.03.12-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-10-13.03.12-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2015-08-10-13.03.12-2.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A minor addition here is a comment on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Maryland\" target=\"_blank\">Maryland<\/a>. Even being very small, it\u00a0defies region. We spoke to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1311\" target=\"_blank\">people there<\/a> and they seemed unsure what region they were in, so we came to the conclusion that it&#8217;s not exactly\u00a0Northeastern or Southern, though the weather and insect levels felt more Southern to us. Much of it is a suburb of Washington D.C., which may be part of why it&#8217;s so hard to classify as proximity to the capital means that people from all over the country live there.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1311\" target=\"_blank\">Parts of it <\/a>are\u00a0rich, beautiful and expensive. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1302\" target=\"_blank\">Parts of it<\/a> are a bit rough. One particular part of it, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/?p=1068\" target=\"_blank\">Annapolis<\/a>, looks like it could be Brighton, England&#8217;s sister city, or at least a first cousin. The size, price and downtown area were eerily similar. We probably won&#8217;t live there unless we can make a very large amount of money, but we did very much enjoy visiting it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-18-13.27.01-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1054\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-18-13.27.01-1-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"2015-07-18 13.27.01-1\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-18-13.27.01-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-18-13.27.01-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-18-13.27.01-1-230x230.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-18-13.27.01-1.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The same goes for Washington D.C. itself. It is neither Southern nor Northeastern due to people from all over the country being there and politics overriding any strong ties to the neighboring regions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-19-15.09.48.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1071\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-19-15.09.48-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"2015-07-19 15.09.48\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-19-15.09.48-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-19-15.09.48-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2015-07-19-15.09.48.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0South\u00a0is\u00a0is not just &#8216;the part of the US that is not in the north&#8217;, but the cultural South, most of which was in the Confederacy in the Civil War. This includes everything from\u00a0Virginia\u00a0down to the Florida Panhandle\u00a0in the east and&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[178,297,126,124,127,153,155,78,199,197,123,193,185,135,150,184,129,81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alabama","category-analysis","category-annapolis","category-baltimore","category-bowie","category-charleston","category-georgia","category-kentucky","category-lafayette","category-louisiana","category-maryland","category-mississippi","category-nashville","category-north-carolina","category-south-carolina","category-tennessee","category-virginia","category-west-virginia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3377"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3671,"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3377\/revisions\/3671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hijenx.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}