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After featuring a viral TikTok of a pistillate explaining the "stark differences" she noticed aft moving from a Republican-leaning to a Democratic-leaning state, BuzzFeed Community members who did the aforesaid — oregon vice versa — came guardant to stock their ain stories, and they didn't clasp back. Here are the major, chaotic differences radical who've lived successful some blue-leaning and red-leaning states noticed:
1. "I'm overmuch lonelier surviving successful a reddish state. People are little affable and much judgmental here. The lone existent mode to marque friends seems to beryllium attending church, and I'm not religious. Even then, if you marque 1 incorrect move, past your religion friends volition crook connected you. I overhear different radical talking connected the playground, astatine the store, and successful different places astir however so-and-so's lad misbehaved astatine Bible study, truthful present the different kids aren't allowed to play with him, oregon that Janie lone brought 2 items to the nutrient drive, and she should've known to bring more. It sounds exhausting."
2. "I moved from Southern California to Texas. While Texas is veteran-friendly and pro-police, the enactment of this authorities is 30 years down the remainder of the nation, including immoderate of the much forward-thinking reddish states. Women’s rights, marijuana, and aesculapian entree present are horrible. I bash consciousness safer here, and the friendliness of radical is great, but the blimpish religion beliefs are truly hard to accept."
—Anonymous
3. "I moved from reddish Nebraska to bluish New Mexico. I noticed the authorities were little ideological and much pragmatic. Today's Republican Party is drunk connected ideology and conspiracies, and they don't get thing done but shrink parts of the authorities that payment people. Deep reddish states are a dormant end."
4. "I'm a life-long Upstate New Yorker. It's a reddish information of a bluish authorities that is wholly controlled by NYC influences. Have besides lived successful PA, which is bluish and red. I precocious moved to the reddish authorities of South Carolina. The outgo of surviving is cheaper, with acold less regulations connected conscionable astir everything. The outgo of substance is truthful overmuch cheaper, arsenic is housing, and property/school taxes are a fraction of NY's. Love it. No Big Brother looking implicit your enarthrosis portion trying to modulate everything you do."
—Stephem 74, South Carolina
5. "Hate to constituent it out, but having lived successful some types of states, the smarter radical thin to unrecorded blue."
6. "I moved from Arkansas to Michigan for ineligible cannabis and a amended climate. The biggest quality betwixt the 2 is religion. In AR, 1 of the archetypal things asked is what religion you attend. I've ne'er been asked that successful MI, and I've besides ne'er had immoderate visits from spiritual leaders asking america to articulation their church. In the South, religion is simply a batch much performative posturing, wherever you speech the speech but bash not locomotion the walk. It's kinda perverted from what I was taught successful the Lutheran church."
7. "I grew up successful agrarian Pennsylvania, but I've lived successful North Carolina, Florida, California, and Kentucky. I loved CA, and I would unrecorded determination everlastingly if the Army paid for it. I similar NC and KY, but I HATED Florida. Rural PA is an highly MAGA area, but I bash emotion my hometown. If thing happens, the full municipality comes unneurotic to assistance 1 another. But arsenic a teacher, I overmuch similar having a national similar successful CA and PA."
8. "North Carolina is much of a agrarian reddish and urban/suburban bluish state. I loved it successful Raleigh. It's a precise wide area, and successful occidental NC, it's somewhat much blimpish with pockets of liberalism. I volition accidental that it was bully having much wide radical to speech to, but adjacent successful blimpish areas, we find each other. There is an aged regularisation oregon portion of proposal that old-timers volition archer you: don't speech astir authorities oregon religion. Most radical thin to travel it, but the loud-mouthed fools who don't thin to get a wide berth from everyone."
9. "I was calved and raised successful Upstate New York, but had the misfortune of surviving successful the Midwest arsenic a teenager. As a Jew, the aggravated efforts of beauteous overmuch everyone to person maine near a atrocious sensation successful my mouth. The relentlessness of their disdain made maine deliberation 'never again' astir the spot and the people. Like, permission maine alone. I unrecorded successful NYC now, wherever radical beauteous overmuch caput their ain business. But also, yes, it's expensive, but you definite bash get what you wage for. I don't sojourn reddish states anymore due to the fact that I bash not privation to enactment radical who hatred maine and radical similar me. Vote bluish nary substance who!"
10. "I was calved and raised successful NYC, and I grew up perpetually looking implicit my enarthrosis due to the fact that of crime. It’s wildly expensive, and you get taxed for everything but the aerial you breathe. Plus, radical are nasty and rude. Living successful Texas is simply a enactment of caller air; radical are polite and respectful, and precise helpful. Taxes are not lone low, but spot taxes were chopped past year. The nutrient is terrible, but it’s a tiny terms to pay."
—Michael, 69, Texas
11. "I moved from New Jersey to Georgia for college. When I archetypal moved here, I was questioned by a classmate astir wherefore I would day a Black classmate I was seeing. Over the years, it has gotten amended here, but the radical are inactive highly judgmental, religious, and sometimes racist. For the record, GA has turned purple, truthful arsenic I said, it's getting better."
12. "I grew up successful Southern California and moved to Texas (just northbound of Dallas) erstwhile I was 24. My ma moved determination astatine the aforesaid time, and my member had been surviving successful Texas for a fewer years. I retrieve the archetypal clip I went backmost to California and getting a feeling of it not being location anymore. Texas was my location for astir six years, past I moved to Virginia (just extracurricular of D.C.) for enactment 2 years ago. I’ve loved being successful the DMV country and going retired successful D.C., but I’m looking astatine moving backmost to the Dallas area. Texas is location to me. The biggest happening for maine with Texas (other than family) is the people. The radical successful California (at slightest wherever I grew up) are incredibly superficial, performatively progressive (I don’t person a occupation with Democrats, conscionable with radical who marque their governmental beliefs their full personality), and the radical endure from main quality syndrome."
13. "I was calved and raised successful Minnesota, but person lived successful California, Germany, and New Jersey earlier moving to South Carolina, wherever I person been for the past 18 years. I moved for enactment and stayed for the weather. What Americans truly request to recognize is that the US is truly purple, not reddish oregon blue. I unrecorded successful Charleston, which is arsenic purple arsenic you tin get. People reelected Nancy Mace, but the bulk successful the region did not ballot for Trump. We are being divided by the radical who payment from keeping america successful a changeless authorities of discomfort with the 'Other Side.' We request to halt buying into the mendacious communicative that determination are 2 sides; it's conscionable not true."
—Anonymous
14. "I've lived successful New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, and North Carolina. There are precise fewer differences among immoderate of them but that the radical successful Connecticut were unbearable snobs, and the libraries successful North Carolina were barren."
15. "I person lived successful some reddish and bluish states. Both person their advantages, but it seems similar the fig of unhoused radical is moving rampant successful bluish states. I've seen radical smoking and shooting up drugs successful the mediate of the time successful nationalist parks and connected sidewalks."
16. "I moved from the Queens conception of NYC to Southwest Florida, and the differences are extreme. I ever thought the estimation of this portion of Florida being wholly redneck was an exaggeration, but it's perfectly existent — astatine slightest for the natives. Thankfully, determination are truthful galore different radical surviving present from different parts of the country, which keeps it livable. The earthy quality is incredible, with the astir beauteous beaches and coastal areas you could imagine, but it's wholly mislaid connected galore radical who've lived present each their lives. The stores are impeccable, which truly amazed me. Even the Walmart is the nicest 1 I've ever seen. There's besides a batch little traffic, with better-kept roads and nationalist spaces. The trade-off is simply a deficiency of civilization of astir immoderate kind, precise small taste diversity, and the food. Even the highly rated restaurants present are atrocious compared to the large eating successful NYC."
17. "I lived successful New Jersey and New York for astir of my life. I moved to Florida and wondered wherefore I waited truthful long! There are large people, large weather, and debased taxes, and if you perpetrate a crime, you spell to JAIL. Dudes are retired of women's sports, etc. Lovin' it here!"
18. "We had moved from the Midwest to the Southeast for a occupation accidental successful 2015. Initially, it was fine! Cheap outgo of living, inexpensive taxes. Then 2016 happened, and the vicinity and radical started changing: the racists and homophobes came retired of their hidey-holes. Then COVID happened, and I had ne'er been surrounded by truthful galore dumb people. We past decided to find a bluish authorities to relocate to wherever we shared values. We were successful disbelief erstwhile we took our kids to their caller schools, wherever pridefulness flags flew from the flagpoles, and Black Lives Matter signs adorned the hallways. Such an inclusive small metropolis that we person been happily settled successful for implicit 3 years now. Yes, the outgo of surviving is much for sure, but I'm blessed to wage it for the mode of life."
—Rebecca, 40, Maine
19. "I moved to a reddish authorities astir a twelvemonth and a fractional agone aft surviving successful bluish states my full life. The little outgo of surviving is AMAZING, but I tin spot that the opportunities and wage rates present are overmuch less. I'm capable to negociate due to the fact that I person an precocious grade and tin easy get distant work, but I tin spot however it would beryllium overmuch harder if I didn't person specified a thing. I person besides been pleasantly amazed by however overmuch of a wide assemblage I've been capable to find present (I'm successful a bluer metropolis than galore of the surrounding areas). I lived successful California for galore years, wherever it tin consciousness similar an echo chamber, and things often consciousness hopeless erstwhile it comes to voting, since your ballot doesn't number overmuch successful nationalist elections, and there's ever idiosyncratic telling you however you aren't doing capable to prevention the planet, etc."
"But present it tin beryllium frustrating that truthful galore radical look to beryllium doing NOTHING astatine all. But I bash consciousness similar I marque an impact, and it's casual to get connected with different radical trying to bash the same."
20. "We moved from Maryland to Kansas, truthful my woman could get her master's degree. It's a bully country with bully radical and amenities, but 1 of the archetypal questions successful immoderate speech was, 'What religion bash you spell to?' Now we unrecorded successful Upstate New York, and we're overmuch happier."
21. "I grew up successful Louisiana and person lived successful Illinois (Chicago), Utah, Arizona, Virginia, and present Maryland. Yes, reddish states are cheaper, but you besides thin to marque less. And arsenic a woman, I've had acold less protections. I besides consciousness a greater consciousness of assemblage successful bluish states."
22. "Grew up successful a bluish authorities and moved to a neighboring reddish authorities (partner retired and wanted a little outgo of living). Other than the wage happening (wages are importantly little successful reddish states, truthful I question backmost and forth), it was large during COVID. Mask restrictions were kept to a minimum, and I felt state to marque my ain choices alternatively of having them made for me. Haven't decided whether I privation to determination backmost oregon determination else."
—Anonymous
23. Lastly: "I was calved and raised Chicago and its northbound suburbs. When my hubby and I retired, we moved down to Houston due to the fact that 2 of our big kids were already surviving there. On the 1 hand, I volition accidental that 'Southern hospitality' is simply a thing: our neighbors (and conscionable astir everyone other we meet) are acold friendlier than the assorted neighbors we had up north. In times of trouble, they genuinely assistance 1 another. And the outgo of surviving is markedly less. Our bully location (and its spot taxes) are substantially little than successful Illinois, and state and nutrient prices are besides lower. Houston, demographically, is really a batch similar Chicago — a bluish land successful an different reddish state. BUT, I'm grateful we don't person tiny children oregon grandchildren here, due to the fact that the nationalist schools are unspeakable and look much acrophobic with banning books and suppressing LGBTQ+ radical than successful really providing an education."
"The Texas grid is connected par with that of a third-world country, and we person had much powerfulness outages successful 5 years than successful implicit fractional a period successful the Midwest. The transgression complaint successful Houston is precise high, and determination are less cops per capita to respond. Even our quiescent family-friendly country has its stock of car thefts and shootings. And of course, Texas's governmental bass-ackwardness is known astir the world. If we didn't person kids here, we would decidedly unrecorded elsewhere."
—Deb, 67, Texas
If you moved from a Republican-leaning authorities to a Democratic-leaning 1 oregon vice versa, what was your experience? Share with america successful the comments, oregon you tin anonymously taxable your communicative utilizing the signifier below.
Note: Some submissions person been edited for magnitude and/or clarity.
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