Last edited Wed Mar 8, 2017, 10:08 PM - Edit history (1)
My parents both grew up on farms in Northern Kentucky, and the people from that area were generally very friendly. Not just their relatives, but strangers too.
Areas near Knoxville TN seemed very friendly. Restaurants were full of people talking to each other joyously, so it actually provided more "privacy" when I talked to my own family compared to some places in the East where people acted uptight and afraid to talk!
I stopped for gasoline in Tuscaloosa AL on my way to the Sugar Bowl (Ohio State vs. Alabama) while wearing some Buckeyes clothing, and a group of young people stared at me like I was crazy. I smiled and waved, and they immediately smiled and waved back. They seemed to genuinely be in a good mood after that! So that seemed nice.
On the other hand, there are some parts of Southern Ohio where several of the people acted hostile to me no matter how polite I behaved around them! I was also surprised by their strong "Southern" accents, which was far more noticeable than in the area where my parents were raised further South. I think they used to be coal mining areas. The former coal mining areas in KY seemed less friendly overall too.
Here's a recent post about an experience in Southern Ohio almost 30 years ago:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8767162
Edit:
My older brother could describe different cultures better than me because he's traveled all over the country. I think he'd agree that there's "pockets" of different behavior all over the place, sometimes not too far from each other.
I'm sure there's some former coal mining areas where the people are extremely nice and welcoming too. Like many people, I look for patterns based on my experiences (which might be too limited sometimes).
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