With its warm weather and low tax burden, the sunshine state has long been known as the retirement capital of the US.
Yet Southern Appalachia, known for its stunningly beautiful views, is increasingly giving Florida a run for its money, Wall Street Journal reported.
The population in counties in southern Appalachia designated as retirement or recreational areas grew by 3.8 percent between April 2020 and July 2022 - more than six times the national average, according to Hamilton Lombard, a demographer at the University of Virginia.
But while older populations are attracted by cheaper living and housing cost, lower crime levels and pleasant weather with fewer hurricanes, some locals are furious about the impact this influx is having on property prices, traffic and even restaurant bookings - with one resident saying 'they should go back to where they came from'.
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I have to say that it's been 8 years next month since we moved here to Macon County and I've yet to have a single person talk shit about it.
Me moving here from California isn't something that I just throw out there, but I don't lie if anybody comments on my Okie accent and wants to know where I'm from. I do however point out that I came from Central California, farm country, and not the Fucking Bay Area or heaven forbid, Southern California.
One thing I'll never forget, though..... I was in our local gun shop and had filled out my 4473, and Brett was going over it when a hard, hard looking older gentleman came in. This old boy was tougher than I ever hoped to be when I was in my 20s. Brett decided to fuck with me right then and hollered out, "Hey Ken, where did you say you were born again?"
I gritted my teeth and muttered, "California, just like I said on the form." I did refrain from adding 'fucker' at the end.
Brett laughed and the older gentleman turned to me and said, "You're in Tennessee now, son, and that's all that matters," and he held out his hand to shake.
Same issue - I have to admit being born in California every time I buy a gun in a Texas gun shop and they always laugh and have that same response. "You got here as soon as you could." I can usually temper it with the fact that I was born on a Military base. In July. In 1959. We have a lot in common.
ReplyDeleteheh, 7/7/59 in Okmulgee
DeleteGreat story about the 'older gentleman'. Sounds like a good man.
ReplyDeleteAbout your California Okie accent, don't forget that Slim "What in 'The Wide, Wide World of Sports' is going on here?" Pickens was born and raised in a place in California just like you were. Talk about an atypical California accent.
Well fellas, I was born here, lived my first six years here and every summer till I went in the Army in 78. Then I was gone for the next 45 years, save for a couple of family reunions and too many funerals. Glad to be back. This is the only place on earth I've ever felt at home. Born Nov 59 btw. Good year for bullshiters. Eod1sg Ret
DeleteMy dad calls a lot of "those people" half backs. Retire up north, move to Florida for a couple of years, decide it's too hot and move halfway back.
DeleteBorn in Berkeley, grew up in Oakland, Hayward and San Lorenzo. Went into service in 79, retired in 99 and went to Florida because I could.
ReplyDeleteNew Yorker here. Waiting to get the eff out and retire somewhere else. In case you haven't figured it out by all the articles that Ken posts, NY is in the midst of the swirl down the toilet.
ReplyDeleteHere in Arizona, we still hate all the Commiefornians. This used to be a very nice place. And they just don't stop coming,...and the just don't stop being commies. I wish they'd just stop breathing.
ReplyDeleteI moved to NC about two decades ago. Now that I'm retired I've been trying to move to the NC mountains since about 2020. Dam is it property expensive there. If you're gonna try you better have a bundle of money. I've about given up. -sammy
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised in Texas. As an adult, I moved to West Virginia for 5 years due to my job. Then moved back to a different part of Texas. It took at least 5 years of correcting people who continued to call me Yankee, Mountaineer, Virginian, Hillbilly, etc. before they finally stopped. All in good fun, but still.
ReplyDeleteBorn in CA left the day after HS graduation, did a 30 yr tour in the northeast and now living in the great state of WY. No one here has ever dissed me for being born there. I only wish I'd been here 40 years sooner.
ReplyDeleteBIG part of the problem during Addy's custody case was the Eastern Tennessee utter HATRED of all things Florida... the fucking corruptocrat Judge ALWAYS took a shot as us 'Big City Floridians' whenever he could... Bastard. It's a MAJOR Reason we didn't win b/c we "...was interfering in her right Kinfolk"
ReplyDeleteSo just what in the FUCK is Gretchen aimright? (She's the biological Grandma FYI) Guess 'cos we weren't from TN, our relationship, and the fact we raised her for her first two years didn't count.
Born in Maine, enlisted at Travis AFB, in The Peoples Democratic Republic of Calmexistan, and when I got out at Sheppard AFB, TX, the USAF offered to pay our way back to the PDROC, I laughed and said No Fucking Thank You, we'll stay here in Texas. My dear old Dad, Retired E-8 USAF, and my brother, Retired USMC Master Gunney moved from the PDROC to Texas last year....and they brought their guns and right wing voting habits with them.
ReplyDeleteAs my lovely wife tells folks (she spent her teenage years in up-state NY): “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could…” ;-)
DeleteUp at our Legion Post I'm known as Damn Yankee and my Off Duty Supervisor/Financial Counselor of 38 years is known as Rebel (she was born in South Carolina)....all in good fun...
DeleteHere in Oconee County, Ga, White, Republican county adjacent to Athens, Ga, home of UGA and many Democrats and much diversity, I'm reluctant to say that I was born and raised in and around Atlanta.
ReplyDeleteI'm rather proud to say I'm from Atlanta, myself.
DeleteI moved from NY back in '88 to NC, i miss it like an appendix.
ReplyDeleteI tell people who catch my (softening) ny accent that Im a " recovering NYer, and tho Im northern by birth, Im southern by choice, locals cant even say that!
I've said it before, Ken, and I'll say it again: welcome home, even if you never knew this was home.
ReplyDelete--Tennessee Budd
The first time I took my Floridian girlfriend, now wife, home to East Tennessee, we were browsing the local used bookstore. I noticed the clerk, an older lady, kept looking at us as we walked the stacks. When we finally went up to check out, she looks at me and says, “Who’s boy are you?” Mind you, I hadn’t lived in this town since I was an infant, my parents had moved back after I graduated high school. I told her who my dad was and she said, “Oh, you’re little Chadd. We’re members at Coker Creek Baptist and your daddy was the pastor there when you were born.” Then, she turned to my wife and said in a flat voice, “And where are YOU from?” Blood will tell.
ReplyDeleteWell, after nearly 15 years of living in the SF Bay Area I have returned to the Midwest. Spent the last two years living near Chiraq due to family but have just recently acquired a property in God's Country (e.g. Indiana). It may not be Tennessee but it's as close as this old boy can get to it, and I'm finally returning home to Indiana after being gone for 40 years. Hope it goes as well as your move to TN has gone, Kenny.
ReplyDeleteSome readers like me don't live in the US at all but have spent time there before it went nuts (1981). I'd have stayed but you had borders back then and green cards were hard to get. Y'all talking about those great places stirs my jealousy.
ReplyDeleteI have probably said this already, but I have never been happier than I am in Macon County, TN. We arrived a dozen years ago, now, and my wife says she has never net a better group of folks anywhere else. In 2006, we drove thru TN on our way to her son's graduation from West Point and she was amazed by the trees and moderate temperatures. We thank God every day that we are here and consider it an act of providence that we ended up here.
ReplyDeleteI and all my ancestors are/were Scots Irish and I used to have a Galloway Irish accent and dialect. Raised in a part of Scotland reputed to home to sheep stealers and vagabonds either chased out of Ireland or from rest of Scotland. All rubbish. You will never find more honest folk.
ReplyDeleteWink wink.
It is only in recent years since retiring that I started reading of links to kinfolk across the pond.
Much of the dialect and words survive both sides of The Pond. I have never been ashamed of my home land or ancestors. And Sawney Bean was just fake news. Young Lochinvar was more the norm. Here's tae us. Wha's like us. Damn few, an' they're a' deid.I
Maybe that is why your words, Ken, attract me. Ye ken, the noo.