For the first 18 years of my life I lived in the same house in a rural town in central Florida before I decided to venture off 1,000 miles to New Brunswick, NJ. A majority of the people who know I am from Florida always ask me why I would leave sun-soaked beaches and annual passes to Disney World. The reason I left the Sunshine State for the Garden State is because I knew it would be the best learning experience for me. Going to Rutgers and living in New Jersey makes me feel like I am in the center of the universe.
Below are a five reasons why the north is better than the south:
1. You are almost always a train or car ride away from New York City. Rutgers students can get on a train and be in New York City in under an hour. Also, Philadelphia is only 66 miles away and Washington D.C. is 200 miles.
I feel trapped when I go home now because I am hundreds of miles away from being in a city half as exciting as New York or even Philadelphia and D.C. There is also limited mass transportation in the south, which makes getting places much more stressful than the north where mass transportation is essential to living.
2. The food. There is nothing like getting a Philly Cheesesteak in Philly or a slice of New York pizza in NYC. Cities in the south don't have the specialties that cities in the north have. The Chinese food is better, the Greek food is better, the Italian food is especially better. I miss the food the most when I go home and visit Florida.
3. Better concerts/shows. Being surrounded by so many major cities means more opportunities that your favorite comedian or band will be playing nearby. Southerners can't go see a taping of the Late Night show as easily as northerners can. The venues and resources the north has to offer far exceed those in the south.
4. Mountains AND beaches. The great thing about living in the north is one hour you can be skiing through the mountains and the next hour you can be sitting on the beach. The north has the best of both worlds!
5. Snow days. Waking up to the news that class has been cancelled because of snow is one of the best feelings ever. It is much better than hurricanes because one snow day probably won't shut down your school for a week or two, causing the district to add on school days into your breaks, where one hurricane could put your entire life at a standstill or turn it upside down.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change a thing about where I grew up. But as a young adult and college student, I know this is the best place for me to be personally, socially, and professionally. I am not ashamed to be from the south, but I am proud to go to school in the north.
