Some Southerners think that all transplanted Northerners do is point out things about the South we dislike. Once again (read sarcasm), you are incorrect.
This is a Northerner's Top 10 things that I love about the Triangle (in no particular order):
No Traffic
I know people who travel on 40, 440, 70 and/or 55 daily may disagree with my claim that there is no traffic. However, trust me, there is no traffic here. Traffic is when it takes you 2 hours, every day, to drive 30 miles. Traffic is sitting at a stand still on the highway and there is no accident or ice on the road to justify it. My 8 hour work days up north was easily a 12 hour day, door to door (when it didn't snow).
College Sports
You can argue with me should you choose, but there is not a better state for all 4 major sports than New York. In football we have 3 teams (Jets, Giants, Bills); two baseball teams (Mets, Yankees), two Basketball Teams (Knicks, Nets) and three hockey teams (Islanders, Rangers and Sabres). I would actually argue that many New Jersey Devil fans would consider themselves New Yorkers as well. We are passionate fans. However despite the once proud basketball program of Saint John's, a few good professional NFL players out of Hofstra and new surge of athletics from Stony Brook, there is very little interest in college athletics. We, as a community, do not go to games, grow up watching games and generally don't understand the college fandom.
However, the sense of community that college sports fosters is amazing. The excitement, the passion, and the days spent with family and friends are unmatched in the pricey professional sport environment. I would encourage every New Yorker to visit the triangle on any given fall Saturday. More so, I would challenge anyone to find a more electrifying 4 days than the ACC basketball tournament.
Ability to Relax
This is so hard for me to describe, but I feel I must try. Since moving to the South, I have learned the art of the exhale. I can't remember a time in my life before when I actually sat back satisfied and relaxed. There is the right here to not worry about corporate ladders all the time. There is the freedom to not be 100% on at all times. There is an unwritten permission to take time for one's self and family regardless of the needs of corporate America.
Manners
By no means am I saying that northerners as a whole don't have manners nor am I saying that all southerners do. However, overall, the south wins the manners battle. Children refer to me as Miss (or the less preferable Ma'am). We hold doors for others. We allow people to cross the street. Please, thank you, your welcome, pardon and "if you don't mind" are in constant use. Something about common courtesy makes my soul smile.
Clean Roadways
This is something that you may not notice everyday. However when you leave the area, it is something you will appreciate. I don't know if as a community the south litters less or that the clean up efforts are better. I suspect there is just less littering, but either way, it is nice to stop at a traffic light and not spend the wait trying to count the number of cigarette butts and/or get tempted by fast food wrappers.
Weather
The summers are hotter for longer, but who doesn't love summer? The winters aren't as cold and aren't as long. Snow may come in some form every year, but often it is not enough to cause a northerner to even call it snow. Even so, most people will get one snow day, at least, a year. On that day, you will normally be able to take an outdoor walk later that day.
Chick-Fil-A
Chicken soaked in pickle juice and then fried? Then dunked in a bit of secret Chick-Fil-A sauce? Cute cows begging us at every event to eat more chicken? Yes Ma'am!
Neighborhoods
There are some drawbacks of subdivision living, but the good outweighs the bad multi fold. Neighborhood living provides a number of benefits including a sense of community, recreation (pools, parks, tennis courts, etc.), and protection of home values with Homeowners Association enforcement. There is no need to spend your summer cleaning your pool or traveling to a community pool. I have no worries that my neighbor will paint their home neon orange and let the grass grow to a second story level. If they do, I know it will be addressed without a feud.
Crime Rates
No area of this country is free of crime. There is no place that you can move where you will be 100% safe for your lifetime. Maybe it is a sense of community or maybe it is the ability to relax, but something provides us with a greater safety in our daily lives.
Cornhole
I'll never forget the first time someone asked me if I played corn hole. I was convinced that they had just vulgarly insulted me. Now, I have learned to love those silly bean bags and slabs of wood. Not only is it a fun game, but it is a great way to mingle, form bonds and my sure fire way to liven up any get together. I can't believe this hasn't caught on up north yet.
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