I've lived in the South all my life. Born and raised in northern Alabama, I'm no stranger to thick accents and intense football rivalries. But why should anyone else want to live in the South? My opinion might be just a little biased just because I couldn't imagine living anywhere else in the world, but I will say I have traveled to New York, California, and several places out of the country, and I felt so out of place. There are just some things down here you can't get anywhere else!
Warm Weather
If you are anything like me, then you absolutely cannot stand cold weather. Summer in the south is a different world. Temperatures can reach up to 115 degrees, and if you're lucky, a cool 85-degree day might roll along every now and then. Winters down here are pretty mild. We rarely see snow and the average temperature is around 35 degrees. Although it would be nice to build a snowman on Christmas Eve, I would much rather be able to cool off in a cold pool on a hot day with a sweet tea in my hand.
Football
Obviously, college football is a big thing down south. The SEC holds some of the best college football teams in the nation. Tailgates and Saturday night football parties consume the fall, as people anticipate what the new season will bring. Being from Alabama, I am no stranger to rivalries. While growing up, kids would constantly get into arguments about who was better: Auburn or Alabama? I mean obviously Mississippi State is the best, but that is an argument for another day.
Southern Hospitality
Now, this one is sort of a biggie. If you travel anywhere north of Tennessee or west of Louisiana, expect the southern charm to quickly wear off. During my travels, I have been absolutely dumbstruck by the amount of rudeness and overall ignorance people have when it comes to common courtesy. I'm not saying every single person raised in the south is a saint, but 99 percent of the time, we will hold the door open for you or at least say "thank you" if you hold the door open for us. I don't know why people born in the south have much better manners than those up north, but boy am I glad my mother raised me right.
Beautiful Beaches
If you picture a beach in your head right now, you'll probably picture white, silky sands and clear blue waters. The south has got your back! The Pacific Ocean, in my opinion, is disgusting. The beaches are rocky and the water is always too cold. I will admit Mississippi and Alabama waters are not perfectly clear, but I would take them any day over a California beach. Florida, on the other hand, is unbeatable. Millions of tourists travel there each year to see these beautiful beaches and to sit back and relax with their families. Why travel all the way there when you could just live there?
The FOOD
Ok, this is most definitely the most important reason you should live in the South. Food is probably the most important thing to me in this cold, hard life and living in the South makes it so much easier to find good food. In the mood for some fast food? Ok, Whataburger, Chick Fil A, and Raising Cane's are fantastic options. Want something a little more traditional? Hit up a diner and grab a meat and three. For those of you that don't know what a meat and three is, it's a choice of meat (fried chicken, Salisbury steak, meatloaf, etc) with three sides. Hey, we may be #1 in obesity, but we are also #1 in happiness!
So, I hope I have successfully convinced you to move to the South. These are pretty great reasons to live here, in my opinion, and I couldn't imagine living without these things in my life. I think everyone should experience living here at least once in their lives.
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