Thinking of moving South

Yeah, the first snow of the season is magical. After that, not so magical.

One other thing to consider about the south -- if you're at all prone to seasonal depression, you'll be better off in the south, because of all the sunshine. I was one of those people. I lived in Illinois and Utah, and every winter, along with the cold, overcast weather would come a low, melancholy mood. It would hit every January or February. That stopped when I moved south. So if you're at all prone to seasonal depression, that may be worth factoring in.
 
I think you should move to Florida, get a pet gator then work on being the best Florida Man you can be.
 
Yeah, the first snow of the season is magical. After that, not so magical.

One other thing to consider about the south -- if you're at all prone to seasonal depression, you'll be better off in the south, because of all the sunshine. I was one of those people. I lived in Illinois and Utah, and every winter, along with the cold, overcast weather would come a low, melancholy mood. It would hit every January or February. That stopped when I moved south. So if you're at all prone to seasonal depression, that may be worth factoring in.


I think I have a high threshold for that. I currently work 5pm to 1am. I'm cool with working to 4am or sometimes 5am.

What's gets me down is freezing from working outside and mild cabin fever from staying indoors more. I also a sort of get that from long haul trucking to which sucks. Audio books help some with that.
 
I've lived in WI most of my life, and now IA for the last 7+ years. I love my falls and winters too much to give up a ski season, although lately it has been trash anyways. Southwest area would be the only way I'd move south so skiing was still possible. Maybe when I'm older I'd think about the south. As back asswards as I think places like Mississippi or Louisiana is in terms of politics, it's always had an odd charm to it for me.
 
As back asswards as I think places like Mississippi or Louisiana is in terms of politics, it's always had an odd charm to it for me.

New Orleans is interesting and getting real Cajun food is awesome, but I don't know about the epic disaster weather and hurricanes. (Someone should build a wall?)

I also don't know how heavy the accent gets, especially in Mississippi.
 
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New Orleans is interesting and getting real Cajun food is awesome, but I don't know about the epic disaster weather and hurricanes. (Someone should build a wall?)

I also don't know how heavy the accent gets, especially in Mississippi.

Depends where you are. In the larger cities or university towns, accents are pretty mild. If you stray 30 miles from town into the rural areas, the culture gets more backwoods and the accents get thicker. I actually like the southern accent, until it gets so thick that it sounds dumb and redneck. But a moderate southern accent sounds good to my ears. It feels kind of casual, friendly, and relaxed.

Btw, one plus of living down south is more latitude for eccentricity. You wouldn't think it would be that way -- the stereotype is that everyone down here is locked into bibles and traditional conservatism. Although there is plenty of that, there is also a lot of leeway for eccentricity and individualism. It's sort of a contradiction, and I don't know how to explain it. All I know is, I've met a lot more eccentric characters down here than I ever met in decades of living in so-called "weird" California. I think that's part of the "odd charm" that Viktor mentioned.

I'd beware of of Louisiana. Great seafood, and New Orleans is fun to visit, but it's one of the most poorly governed states around.
 
Depends where you are. In the larger cities or university towns, accents are pretty mild. If you stray 30 miles from town into the rural areas, the culture gets more backwoods and the accents get thicker. I actually like the southern accent, until it gets so thick that it sounds dumb and redneck. But a moderate southern accent sounds good to my ears. It feels kind of casual, friendly, and relaxed.

Btw, one plus of living down south is more latitude for eccentricity. You wouldn't think it would be that way -- the stereotype is that everyone down here is locked into bibles and traditional conservatism. Although there is plenty of that, there is also a lot of leeway for eccentricity and individualism. It's sort of a contradiction, and I don't know how to explain it. All I know is, I've met a lot more eccentric characters down here than I ever met in decades of living in so-called "weird" California. I think that's part of the "odd charm" that Viktor mentioned.

I'd beware of of Louisiana. Great seafood, and New Orleans is fun to visit, but it's one of the most poorly governed states around.

Okay this is some good cultural insight. I would have expected New Orleans to have wider latitude for eccentricity as they have Mardi Gras, but I didn't realize the rest of the south was anything like that except maybe 'Weird Florida'.

That's good advice on the accents and good to know. Sometimes it's not just the accents but regional slang that throws me for a sec and I'm not sure if I'll get away from that even in the cities.
 
Okay this is some good cultural insight. I would have expected New Orleans to have wider latitude for eccentricity as they have Mardi Gras, but I didn't realize the rest of the south was anything like that except maybe 'Weird Florida'.

That's good advice on the accents and good to know. Sometimes it's not just the accents but regional slang that throws me for a sec and I'm not sure if I'll get away from that even in the cities.

Well, it does depend on where you live. I think I got lucky.

Then again, I tend to attract oddballs, so maybe that's why I see the individuality.

And yeah, the slang does take a while.
 
I think you run into eccentric people anywhere in rural areas, even up north. America is such a huge place and I think every area has their own little weird things that seem totally normal to people who live there.
 
Well, people in the south east like boiled peanuts. That seems fvcking eccentric to me. :txbconfused:

I have seen this at travel stops in the South and I don't know if this is how they make peanut butter in a shell or what is going on. :confused:


Boiled-Peanuts.jpg




Boiled-Peanuts-2-700x692.jpg
 
I think you run into eccentric people anywhere in rural areas, even up north.

Right, but I wasn't referring to rural areas. I don't live in a rural area. I think it's a bad idea to live in a rural area, if you're living down south. It gets too "country" and redneck.
 
My driving is so sucky I shoudln't be allow anywhere more than a mini SUV. But good luck whereever your destination.
 
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I live in Arkansas and I have all my life. Just like all places you have good and bad aspects. About the cold, you’ve seen weather I have never known or experienced. I really don’t know what ‘real cold’ is and I hope I never do honestly.

My recommendation is Dallas/Fort Worth. I know someone who has moved there recently and he likes it. Of course the summer is hot but the rest of the year the weather is mild. My best friend lives in Houston and he and his family are sick of the flooding. But city was built on a coastal flood plain and the hurricane that remained stationary for days was unbelievable.

Best of luck to you.
 
I live in Arkansas and I have all my life. Just like all places you have good and bad aspects. About the cold, you’ve seen weather I have never known or experienced. I really don’t know what ‘real cold’ is and I hope I never do honestly.

My recommendation is Dallas/Fort Worth. I know someone who has moved there recently and he likes it. Of course the summer is hot but the rest of the year the weather is mild. My best friend lives in Houston and he and his family are sick of the flooding. But city was built on a coastal flood plain and the hurricane that remained stationary for days was unbelievable.

Best of luck to you.

I heard there are houses near Houston that some a******s actually built in the Reservoirs.

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/06/tide-high-wading-through-hurricane-harveys-damage-audio/

I'm not sure about living right in D/FW, but I've been to small town just south of there called Mansfield, TX that had a massive industrial park.

Lot's of possibilities to consider as well as finding a good company in these locations.
 
After looking at some job leads, it looks I'm looking at South Alabama or Pensacola, FL in the pan handle. I'm not sure what to expect culturally or just from things to do in nearby towns. Being by the gulf could be interesting.

It looks like some companies based in this area could have drivers running toward parts of Texas and back, so I would still spend time in Texas before running back to my home terminal.

I still have time to consider this before I quit my current job and pack up.
 
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It's not that bad. I can't remember the last time we had 100 degree weather. It's been averaging 90 for the past couple of weeks. The worst is late July and August, when it will be in the mid-90s. It melted me when I first got here, but you get used to it. It's really hot for about 3 months, then it's good the rest of the year. Can't beat the winters. They are like fall elsewhere. Winters really don't exist.

I think the main thing people have to think about when moving south is the cultural/political differences. If you can handle those, it's a nice place to live. If you can't see yourself feeling comfortable with that, find somewhere else to set up shop.

About that, though... There are a lot of unfair stereotypes (and some fair ones, too). When I moved down here, I had all those stereotypes in my head -- backwards, racist, ignorant, Jesus freaks, thumb-up-the-ass rednecks, lots of racial tension, etc. Turns out, that''s all true. No, just kidding. It's only about 25% true.

My biggest problem when living up north were those kind of arrogant stereotypes.

Every place has its s***heads, North included. Having spent a large portion of my life in Colorado, I tend to like cooler weather, but am surprised how manageable the Heat is here in 'west' Texas. I love this place, honestly.
 
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I've lived all over the darn place, but not as much out west. I once drove from Florida to Alaska to work for six months. (I've lived in AK for a summer and a winter) I'm in the Colorado mountains now... That's probably not what you're looking for. For Florida, I kind of grew up in the Tampa/Clearwater/St Petersburg area, and I'm still partial to that area, but I would probably never live in FL again, unless I were close enough to the water to hear the seagulls.

Honestly, North Carolina is fantastic, with a mix of a lot of things that I love. You want coast? You want mountains? It's not as nice as northern Cali, but it's close to that for the east coast, and the vibe feels more relaxed than a lot of southern states, imo. North GA is also good in some spots. I also agree with whoever mentioned Charleston, as well as Savannah, GA, which is also only two hrs drive to Jacksonville, GA. (Not my favorite FL city, but it's got ok beaches)

Florida is backwards; the further south you go, the closer you are to the North, with the exception of Miami, which exists simultaneously as a borough of New York and a suburb of Cuba.

The South in general is also warped; if you're driving long distances, you'll find in the South that no matter what direction you're driving, you're always happy to leave a state but even sadder to be in the one you just entered. This does not seem to include North Cackalacky, however, as North Carolina and Virginia seem to be much less of a s***show for some reason. But it's some sort of "the grass is always s***tier" effect somehow.
Having lived in both Florida and Maine, these two states are line bizarre cousins(...but not really) I've always said that the farther you go northeast of Boston, it's like going back down south. The accents get less discernable, and the pickup trucks get higher.
 
Having lived in both Florida and Maine, these two states are line bizarre cousins(...but not really) I've always said that the farther you go northeast of Boston, it's like going back down south. The accents get less discernable, and the pickup trucks get higher.


Michigan has that to, but not as obvious. It's there when going way the hell North to the Westside of the Upper Peninsula. It'f fvcking ridiculous. I unfortunately lived there for a while and regularly saw people there flying the Confederate Battle Flag.

My guess is a weird Rebel mentality leads people to adopt this crap when they live on the fringe of the nation or kind of isolated. They also have resentment about being Taxed by Lansing and feel they're getting little in return from the 'Trolls' under the Bridge.
 
Thinking about the plan more. At first, I'll probably try to setup near Mobile, AL to get established since I have relatives there. Then I'm in no hurry to rush into get an apartment if I get one at all.

If I drive off 2 weeks at a time, getting an apartment would be a waste of money. They'll probably let me use their place as my Address which just means my mail collects there and I have a place I can put on my License just for the purpose of having a residence. I'll probably give them some modest rent money for the trouble. Also, with no regular rent, I could make a serious dent in my student loans.

Depending on how I feel about the area, I might move a second time. I'm honestly not that excited about Alabama as a destination, but we'll see. Some of the companies have terminals scattered around the country and I like living close to them so I don't have to worry about where to park the truck or my car when I'm away.

I found a company in this area called Trimac that might have a dedicated run to Texas and back pulling Tankers. I went ahead and started my Hazmat afterall for this job so that is getting processed by the DMV. They haul stuff that is Toxic Poison, not fuel or explosives or acids; at least on this account.

They have several terminals around the south so I could probably transfer to another fleet division.

I'm also looking at Schneider, but I hear good things about Trimac.

https://www.trimac.com/locations

chemical.jpg
 
The further south you go the more racist it gets until you hit Florida. Then, in Florida, the racism gets less and less the further south you go. It’s like a gradient.
 
The further south you go the more racist it gets until you hit Florida. Then, in Florida, the racism gets less and less the further south you go. It’s like a gradient.

Stuff like that is why I never use CB Radio. Its as bad as the worst trash talk online including racism.

For what its worth, I hope getting a fully upgraded license with more responsibility leads to working around better people and less rednecks.

The Tanker takes care as the liquid will slosh and surge inside. If you slam the breaks for some reason, a wave will surge and slam the truck forward. I've never driven one so ill need training.

There are also non-liquid bulk tankers for things like frac sand I could also consider.
 
“You talkin to me?”

I mostly mean Lumper services, but most people here wouldn't know what Lumpers are.

In other cases, ridiculous Grocery Warehouses will break down every pallet as they come off so it's not like just waiting for the pallets to be unloaded. The driver waits for literally every item to be counted.
 
Michigan has that to, but not as obvious. It's there when going way the hell North to the Westside of the Upper Peninsula. It'f fvcking ridiculous. I unfortunately lived there for a while and regularly saw people there flying the Confederate Battle Flag.

My guess is a weird Rebel mentality leads people to adopt this crap when they live on the fringe of the nation or kind of isolated. They also have resentment about being Taxed by Lansing and feel they're getting little in return from the 'Trolls' under the Bridge.
I've seen that flag several times, at least in sticker form, up in Maine. Of course, I've seen it a lot more in the south, but somehow it seems all the more ridiculous in the northern-most part of the eastern coast of the US.
 
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I mostly mean Lumper services, but most people here wouldn't know what Lumpers are.

In other cases, ridiculous Grocery Warehouses will break down every pallet as they come off so it's not like just waiting for the pallets to be unloaded. The driver waits for literally every item to be counted.

Damn that sucks. I usually take around 45 mins to load or unload a full truck load and have them ready to hit the road.
 
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