TN culture questions (house, school, live)

[lavender_blue]

I will find them the same way I find them where I am now. I just think I'll find a lot more of them in TN. Your assumption that I will knock on doors based on their political signage is rather humorous.

You seem a little offended or something, not sure why. And a tad judgmental. Regardless, I have a right to want to hang out with people with whom I share the same values. Just as you do Thanks again for your input.

[2mares]

Originally Posted by lavender_blue

Would love to hear from native Tennesseans on if/how TN culture has changed since the influx of people from all over flocking to what is mostly a red state. Maybe it hasn't really changed at all, but I suspect there are some changes.

I'm also wondering about how my family will fit into TN - will it be easier with this new influx of people? Harder? A big reason why we're considering as our new home is because it's a conservative state that will most likely stay conservative for some time to come. We are Christian, but we don't go to church. For various reasons, we don't really feel like joining a church is something we'd want to do. Religion is a private thing for us, for the most part. Can you assimilate well in TN if you don't join a church? At this point, having moved all over the US (and my husband is not American, to boot), we are sort of outliers wherever we go. I am hoping we'll find like-minded (i.e., conservative) people in whatever community we end up in, at the very least though.

The bold, no way. You can not fit in anywhere in the state if you aren't a regular church goer that's the rule. Just kidding.
I am amused every single time when a poster assumes everyone in TN is evangelical or extreme right wing or a racist ("Im a minority, we are a mixed couple will we be accepted in TN") .

I moved here as a teen in the mid 70's. My family's roots are here in rural bible belt TN. When I first came I cant tell you how many times I was asked what church I attended and who was my daddy.

Changes I have noticed over the 45 years I have lived here are that religion is less the center of life although it is very important to the majority in rural areas anyway. While it is heavily conservative I do think it has become more liberal and progressive and diverse.
I live in a very small town population ~3K. It use to be 99.9% white, Christian, dry, everything was closed on Sunday, except DQ, and close half a day on Wednesday (evening church). Now everything is opened, we have Latinos, AA, Indians and a few Asian families, two liquor stores and you can buy beer on Sunday.

Most people dont care one way or another if you attend church, they may ask you if you do and invite you to church then thats the end of it. Most I know are conservatives but no one really cares your political leanings either, although I try to avoid getting in any religious or political debates. I've learned most times it best to just smile and nod if I disagree.

I'm sure you will be able to find like minded people.

[Geneyus]

This thread reminds me of another one I saw where a mixed couple asked if they'd be safe moving to some Southern state. All of the replies were people laughing or confused about what the issue was.

[Montezia]

I grew up in a town an hour away from Nashville. It was a military town and I noticed quite a few New Yorkers and Californians at the University I attended to at the time. Most universities tend to lean liberal and that was the case at mine. But the surrounding area is proabably a mix honestly especially given the large military base there. So you're going to have a constant flux of people from different places.

It's very family oriented. And even though the environment was liberal TN is pretty family oriented and people tend to marry younger. I don't know if I'm right but the transplants tend to just blend in.

However I've been noticing some things in the news and I believe there are changes happening now that wouldn't have occurred a few years or even a decade ago. Outside of the major cities I'm having a hard time believing TN will ever become too liberal. Maybe purple but TN and most of the south have been conservative for a very long time.

[lavender_blue]

Thank you, Montezia. I appreciate your input.

[Normashirley]

@2mares, too funny about not going to church, in your #13 post, lollollol. That is a misnomer everyone seems to have, lollollol. The only thing about living in the Bible Belt that I find annoyingly hypocritical is these states allow Sunday public hunting, when hunting season comes in.

The laws may have changed in the last few years but OH and PA do not allow Sunday public hunting. You can hunt your own property but don’t get caught in public areas if one wanted to keep their guns and license. It was the only day we horse riders had to enjoy a ride thru the woods or even down a back road without worrying too much about getting shot::
*****

The formula for finding like-minded folks is pretty simple— the KISS principle as we say in the horse world:

1. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

2. Don’t try to change the established norm. Nobody cares about “—but it was done THIS way, where I come from”

3. Mom always said “when in Rome do as the Romans do, as long as it isn’t illegal

One nice thing about horse people, regardless of venue —- our first and primary interest is talking horses — probably our second and third as well

[2mares]

Originally Posted by Normashirley

@2mares, too funny about not going to church, in your #13 post, lollollol. That is a misnomer everyone seems to have, lollollol. The only thing about living in the Bible Belt that I find annoyingly hypocritical is these states allow Sunday public hunting, when hunting season comes in.

The laws may have changed in the last few years but OH and PA do not allow Sunday public hunting. You can hunt your own property but don’t get caught in public areas if one wanted to keep their guns and license. It was the only day we horse riders had to enjoy a ride thru the woods or even down a back road without worrying too much about getting shot::
*****

The formula for finding like-minded folks is pretty simple— the KISS principle as we say in the horse world:

1. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

2. Don’t try to change the established norm. Nobody cares about “—but it was done THIS way, where I come from”

3. Mom always said “when in Rome do as the Romans do, as long as it isn’t illegal

One nice thing about horse people, regardless of venue —- our first and primary interest is talking horses — probably our second and third as well

I never considered no hunting on Sundays.
But here you know not to mess with hunting or football.

Hunting season tends to cause anxiety. I generally stuck to the pay to ride areas during gun season. Still decked out in orange. Unfortunately Im not riding these days. I'm down to my old alpha and she will probably be the omega too. Got her when she just turned 2, she is 31 and blind as a bat now. I sure miss it though.

[Normashirley]

Originally Posted by 2mares

Unfortunately Im not riding these days. I'm down to my old alpha and she will probably be the omega too. Got her when she just turned 2, she is 31 and blind as a bat now. I sure miss it though.

My goodness, give that gal a smooch on the snoot and a scritchie in her favorite place for me. You have been a phenomenal caregiver to her

The horse that was born on my parents farm made it to 29 when I had to lay him to rest. That was in 1989 and I still miss the big motored rascal. Not a mean bone in him but he was full of go and it took a 20-25 mile ride in the mountains to slow him down at the end of the day. Arab/Saddlebred and tough as nails

My last two are 25 & 26 - Tennessee Walkers. The 26 yr old is still rideable- it’s me that can’t get on and go, but they are here until their end times

***

In the very rural section of NE Ohio, where I grew up, there was no monkey-fussin’ around if a hunter got caught off his own property hunting on Sunday — kiss your huntin’ stuff goodbye; NW PA wasn’t any better, lollol

[2mares]

Originally Posted by Normashirley

My goodness, give that gal a smooch on the snoot and a scritchie in her favorite place for me. You have been a phenomenal caregiver to her

she is tough as a pine knot and mean as a rattle snake during dog days. Still. Love her though. Its going to kill me when her number is up.

[alaskaflyer]

Originally Posted by lavender_blue

Would love to hear from native Tennesseans on if/how TN culture has changed since the influx of people from all over flocking to what is mostly a red state. Maybe it hasn't really changed at all, but I suspect there are some changes.

I'm also wondering about how my family will fit into TN - will it be easier with this new influx of people? Harder? A big reason why we're considering as our new home is because it's a conservative state that will most likely stay conservative for some time to come. We are Christian, but we don't go to church. For various reasons, we don't really feel like joining a church is something we'd want to do. Religion is a private thing for us, for the most part. Can you assimilate well in TN if you don't join a church? At this point, having moved all over the US (and my husband is not American, to boot), we are sort of outliers wherever we go. I am hoping we'll find like-minded (i.e., conservative) people in whatever community we end up in, at the very least though.

What time window are you assuming? TN wasn't truly a red state until recently, depending on your definition of "recently." One of the reasons it is more red that it used to be is partially because of the people flocking there.

Before 2000 (I know, an eternity) I lived in an area that was represented by Democrats in the state senate, the US House, and the governor's office, and by Republicans in the state house and the US Senate. And this was not a large city. Very purple. Years and years before that it was blue, though the Democratic Party was different then.

I think you will find like-minded people wherever you move there. On the other hand, if you move to a very rural area, there can be few community things to do outside of church - or more accurately, church related activities tend to be the overwhelming majority of things to do, socially. If you have kids in school then you will have school activities, of course.