Texas... they act nice but they don't trust ANYONE. Not their employer, neighbor, government (Jade Helm anyone?)... nobody. It's all a smiling twangy southern farce of friendliness covering their inability to trust anyone.

A good friend of mine moved to NC years ago and was shocked by the people that act 'normal'... but were seething with racism underneath.

When his daughter started school and developed a best friend, my friend and his wife started doing things with the little girlfriends parents. Meeting them at the local pizza joint so the kids could have fun, inviting them over for dinner, etc on a Saturday evening.
Time flies and their class (2nd grade, 7 years old I believe) had a project where they would write a letter to another kid at the school in a different class. They were learning how to use the mail, address envelopes, etc...

A penpal...

My friend was helping his daughter write her reply to the first letter she had received from her penpal. He asked if her friend had received a letter yet. He told me his daughter looked confused and when he asked her what was wrong, his daughter told him...

"I think she is getting a new penpal."

He asks... Why?

"Her penpal was black."

My friend was mortified. We talked a long time on the phone about how they sure don't prep you for shit like that when you are growing up. He told me "These people have been to my house several times... I never caught a whiff of this sort of hatred, they totally hide it! So now I'm screwed and have to start trying to figure out a way for my daughter to develope a new best friend, because I do NOT want her being close to kids being taught that sort of crap at home."

I think that was one of the first phone calls where we didn't rattle on and on about cars. Had to deal with "Bubba" crap he was experiencing in North Carolina.

I’ve only lived in NC. So far, I love the Asheville/Leicester area best.

I moved from N.C. to Houston 4 years ago.
More, bigger churches here, but N.C takes the cake on religiosity!

I grew up in California, then lived in Alabama for a bunch of years & now I'm in Minnesota. California was nice. Alabama can fuck the fuck off. Minnesota feels like home.

Florida is a mixed bag. Obviously a lot of religious folk, and you do often see a bunch of crazies on the news. But we have a lot of colorful and amazing people. I just spent an hour at work talking to my team about space and atheism and the like.

I could write a book here. I agree with your Minnesota/North Carolina comparison. In the north east, people don't waste time in conversation that southerners and central Americans. A southerner in the northeast could be easily offended by being asked 'Who are you?" without any preliminary small talk. A Northerner can be delighted by southern charm, but easily annoyed by someone still talking to them as they are backing out of the driveway. The northwest is mixed. You can walk into a grocery store and come out with 10 new friends, and 10 new reasons to loathe Californians. ( No offense to Californians meant here!!!). One uniting thing everyone has, is that they all accused me of being dead when trying to sleep in my car at a rest area. The people in India that I encountered were either extraordinary. They were either very friendly, warm, and giving, or guarded at first, then they opened up to you. Obviously, I am not religious, but considered it a huge honor when they asked me to dance with them during one of their major religious festivals.

I’m in Minnesota but am not stand offish. I know it’s supposed to be a German/Scandinavian trait but myself and most of my friends are pretty touchy-feely.

I am mostly from KY. WHen I moved to Maine one of the locals :kindly: pulled me aside and instructed me how to say Good Morning ( was not perfunctory enough) SHe even made me practice it a few times in front of her.Not a lot of religious overtones there.
Alabama was all friendly as long as I might go to their church but i can't say anyone treated me badly related to that.'
Indianapolis was pretty similar to Louisville Generally friendly NOt a lot of emphasis on religion. Other places I was working in the mental health field in very small communities so I had to keep to myself

People in Alabama are friendly...not so much in Tennessee. LOL...In Nashville a lady heard my accent and said to me "We don't like Mexicans." I answer "Neither do I." The expression on her face was priceless.

In NY people are not inviting

I've lived in several states, and traveled to a number of others.
The WORST place I've ever lived and traveled to is Texas.

Baltimore is filled with assholes mostly.

New Mexico is pretty nice.
Good folks, where I am, and great weather.
I've lived in NY, MA, FL, TX.....and now here.
Should have been here decades ago.

I've heard that North Carolina is beautiful.

Here in England the regional characteristics are really pronounced, since there's so little space. You can drive barely a hundred miles and be amongst people who talk with an entirely different accent and have entirely different views... Heck, even going ten miles out of Brighton, where I live, puts you suddenly amongst a much larger religious presence and sensibilities.

In my country, the South is much more liberal and open-minded, but people aren't particularly open, whereas the Northerners are a warm, forthright and friendly bunch.... So long as you're white and hetero. ?

Pretty much the same as in NC and MN.

Born in Malaysia, lived in SD for about three years, Singapore eight years and now In Brisbane ( Australia) about sixteen years. Of the many people I’ve met along the way, must say Kiwis are the best whatever colour they may be, and Singaporeans are the most racist without even knowing it. Malaysian food is great, but they drive very aggressively like most of Asia, and South Dakotans were very pleasant in the mid to late 80’s, especially the Vietnam vets. Btw, I am thinking of cycling/touring the South Island (NZ) next year; if anyone is interested to accompany let me know please.

A rural vs. urban difference in part. And going back to origins: a Scots-Irish vs. Northern European difference

I grew up in Ohio, people were overwhelmingly closed minded and judgmental. I am in southern California now and it seems people are way more accepting of other people's uniquenesses. I enjoy the diversity here, Ohio was not very diverse at all.

Hard to read most people from a cold start. It's cosmopolitan here so different folks have different expectations. But I find if you're polite you'll get some good personal stories.

Everywhere I have lived and traveled the people are generally friendly but most societies are just ate up with so many different confirmation biases that one just has to ignore in order to function in that society.