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Recently, we featured a viral TikTok wherever a pistillate who moved to a bluish authorities for the archetypal clip explained the "stark differences" she noticed aft surviving successful the South each her life. After, members of the BuzzFeed Community came guardant and shared their ain experiences moving from a bluish authorities to a reddish authorities — oregon vice versa — and the stories are a premix of daze and intrigue:
1. "I lived successful Arizona my full beingness until I moved to Texas successful 2022 with my hubby and 2 dogs to beryllium person to my stepdaughter. Let maine archer you: I hatred surviving successful Texas. I miss however guardant Arizona is connected astir things deemed 'irredeemable' oregon 'immoral' successful Texas."
2. "I grew up successful a bluish authorities but was an economics prof successful Appalachia. I past moved to DC and aboriginal to NYC. A large quality I noticed was that you brushwood galore much veterans and progressive subject unit successful scarlet reddish counties. Another large quality is that underemployment is communal successful navy bluish counties. In the reddish areas, radical would postgraduate precocious schoolhouse and enactment astatine Walmart, a restaurant, a constabulary station, a university, oregon bash manual labor, etc. Others would enlist successful the subject and service agelong capable to person a pension."
"Then, they would instrumentality to the reddish region and enactment astatine a occupation that required lone a precocious schoolhouse diploma astatine most. I person met galore highly educated baristas, janitors, Uber drivers, bartenders, and much successful NYC and DC. I erstwhile had an Uber operator who held a JD and passed the barroom exam; I met a cashier who completed a PhD successful creation past portion surviving successful NYC, and respective of my classmates from my authorities schoolhouse worked successful retail for their careers."
3. "I was raised extracurricular of NYC and moved to LA astatine 21. I felt close astatine home, politically. Then, I had to determination to a reddish county, and I consciousness like, successful bid to support my precise safety, I can't beryllium outspoken oregon adjacent archer anyone my beliefs, spiritually oregon politically. My municipality is mostly white, which, arsenic a achromatic idiosyncratic who ever felt much comfy astir my POC friends, was weird. And adjacent the fewer Hispanics present person Trump flags flying precocious extracurricular their homes. The ignorance of the radical successful my town, galore of whom are mediocre and connected authorities assistance oregon disability, is staggering. They're voting against their ain interests."
"I conscionable support to myself and don’t mingle overmuch with the locals. They mostly permission maine unsocial aft proceeding my accent, though immoderate emotion it due to the fact that I fearfulness it reminds them of Trump, their ultimate leader. Whatever happened to not idolizing mendacious prophets?!"
4. "I was calved successful South Carolina and went to assemblage successful Maryland successful the '90s. I ne'er looked back. In SC, teachers utilized to inquire the assemblage to bargain basal schoolroom supplies. It was a daze erstwhile I recovered retired that the schoolhouse districts successful Maryland supply teachers with basal supplies. Also, the region parks present are escaped to usage and enjoy. In Charleston, SC, you person to wage an entranceway fee, which prevents entree to nationalist lands. There are truthful galore different examples."
5. "I was calved and raised successful Texas, and I honestly loved it. Houston had a immense LGBTQ+ community, museums, and diversity, but agrarian Texas is downright scary. I've moved a lot. Since college, I've lived successful Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Texas, and finally, New Jersey. Now, I volition ne'er permission New Jersey! It is much costly to unrecorded here, but the benefits are extraordinary. I americium precise wide and ever person been, adjacent successful Texas. I'm besides disabled. The quality successful my attraction and services successful New Jersey and my mother's services successful Texas is perfectly huge. Getting my parent assistance was virtually impossible, and we couldn't get thing approved. It's antithetic successful New Jersey. And portion the authorities could beryllium classified arsenic purple, astatine this point, astir radical are kind, tolerant, compassionate, and educated. It's a fantastic difference."
6. "I moved from Chicago to Texas. Do not recommend. 'What religion bash you spell to?' was their speech opener, and if you gave the incorrect answer, you were iced out. That included my kids successful school. My kid was recommended for the precocious placement programme twelvemonth aft year, but the Board lone approved children of radical from their church. Every year, my kid felt 'dumb' for being rejected, until I told his teachers to STOP nominating him since it was sidesplitting his self-esteem. I americium present successful a Democratic metropolis — 1 that gives escaped assemblage tuition to kids who spell to its nationalist schools — successful Michigan. So overmuch better!"
7. "I lived successful New York and precocious moved to Ohio for a occupation opportunity. While I bash miss the hustle and bustle of metropolis beingness and the affluent culture, I bask my beingness here. The radical are nice, and astatine slightest what I've seen truthful far, governmental ideology isn't shoved successful your look this mode and that. I bash miss the nutrient successful NY, though."
8. "I grew up successful a precise wide portion of New England and concisely moved down beneath the Mason-Dixon Line arsenic an adult. It took maine little than 20 minutes of driving extracurricular of Northern Virginia to spot my archetypal Confederate flag, and I questioned each my beingness choices. The Blue Ridge Mountains are gorgeous, but I moved retired a fewer months later."
9. "I moved to Tennessee from California 4 years ago. I'm a authorities idiosyncratic and subject vet, and the differences betwixt the states are STARK. Not lone person my benefits and wage decreased, but the wide prime of beingness for vets is laughable. Conditions are abysmal. And present I thought that reddish states worshipped the military."
10. "I moved from the North to the South. I person entree to the aforesaid things arsenic up North, but it is cheaper with little postulation and crowds to woody with. My spot taxes and utilities are ungraded cheap, and the outgo of surviving is wonderful. There's besides nary transgression to woody with. The biggest happening that happens astir present is theft. You don't work astir metropolis shootings each day, and successful the country, radical mostly support to themselves. I seldom spot Trump flags. The lone happening I miss is the food, which is mode better. Otherwise, successful my opinion, reddish states are safer to unrecorded successful and rise a family. As acold arsenic work, I enactment remotely, truthful wherever I unrecorded doesn't matter."
11. "I moved from California to Arizona. Wages were overmuch lower, but rent and state were cheaper. However, that didn't marque up for the little wages due to the fact that nutrient and utilities were the same, if not higher. I had to ticker my sentiment astatine enactment and successful the wide public. If I were a woman, I'd ne'er privation to unrecorded successful a reddish state. If reddish states could get it unneurotic and ballot blue, the radical determination would spot however overmuch amended their lives could be. After surviving successful Arizona for six years, I moved backmost to California."
12. "I went from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, and I deliberation the astir terrifying portion is that the agrarian parts of PA are WORSE than the metro areas of KY."
13. "I grew up successful a reddish authorities and person lived successful 2 bluish states connected other sides of the country. The worst portion astir surviving 'in the red' is however agelong it took to get retired — it truly was a trap. Lower wages successful reddish states mean it's harder to prevention erstwhile prices are going up crossed the board. When radical accidental to 'just move,' it's not that easy. I consciousness safer wherever I americium now, adjacent though I unrecorded successful a ample metropolis alternatively of a smaller town, due to the fact that I cognize determination are much resources present to assistance maine if thing happens. Although I tin work, I'm disabled, getting older, and I'm alone, truthful having entree is important. I bash privation it weren't truthful expensive, though."
14. "I unrecorded successful a reddish portion of a precise bluish state, Maryland. It's large due to the fact that there's a overmuch little transgression complaint than the remainder of the state, similar Baltimore, which is considered a bluish city. The bluish parts of Maryland are the precocious transgression parts due to the fact that Democrats are mostly 'soft' connected crime."
15. "I grew up successful a reddish authorities and was ace blimpish myself. I moved distant to a precise wide portion of a bluish state, and implicit the people of a decade, my views changed tremendously. It was large to acquisition beingness successful an country wherever differences were celebrated, and you could freely explicit your views without fearfulness oregon societal repercussions. Even though I grew up astir blimpish ideals, it was inactive a civilization daze to travel backmost to the authorities I grew up successful and spot that small has changed, and that galore radical are much overtly prejudiced and hateful present than they were 30 years ago."
16. "In my big life, I've lived successful aggregate bluish states (Washington, California, and Illinois), reddish states (Texas and Iowa), and plaything states (Georgia and Nevada). There were a fig of differences, but I ne'er had a superior occupation uncovering a authorities reasonably adjacent that had what I needed if it wasn't disposable successful my existent home. There were 'good' and 'bad' radical successful each state. The main and accordant differences see the outgo of living, the honesty of assemblage governmental leaders, my family's and my wide safety, and the prime of my children's education, which were each superior successful reddish states."
—Anonymous
17. "I'm a bluish molecule successful a VERY agrarian and reddish country here. It's terrifying. I grew up successful California and person lived successful Northern Idaho present for decades. We hide, and we don't speech to immoderate neighbors. No 1 knows our 'real' selves due to the fact that our workplace would beryllium burned to the crushed — and that is nary joke. The country is gorgeous, and we are rooted successful it, but we've had galore discussions implicit the years astir however it's possibly clip to escape. But we're excessively aged to determination each of our worldly now, truthful we bash our champion to support our heads down and support to ourselves. Think I'm exaggerating? Drive done the downtown metropolis areas here, and you'll spot AR-styled weapons, white-robed rituals of immoderate kind, Nazi pride, and burly men covered successful handguns waving astir Trump signs. It's perfectly wild."
18. "I went from a smaller municipality successful a reddish authorities to a ample metropolis — inactive successful a reddish state, but much, MUCH much progressive (Nashville). I can't ideate wherefore the remainder of the state wouldn't privation the aforesaid for themselves! There are much occupation opportunities, radical permission each different alone, amended education, amended healthcare, and amended entree to resources successful general. Nashville is simply a microcosm of larger, 'bluer' areas. I've ever called it 'Little Portland.' Every clip I spell backmost to my hometown, I'm horrified."
19. "I moved to Minnesota from Missouri, and entree to termination isn't the lone difference. We besides don't wage taxes for nutrient oregon clothing. I was startled erstwhile I went to get plates for my car and didn't person to wage idiosyncratic spot taxation oregon get a roadworthy inspection. Missouri takes successful a batch of money, but the radical ne'er spot it. And they taxation a full batch more, too. All my life, I'd heard however horrible beingness would beryllium if I moved to a bluish state. Boy, were they wrong. There's existent civilization successful Minnesota, and that's chaotic to me."
20. "I moved to a bluish authorities from Tennessee and ne'er looked back. There is simply a crushed bluish states are much costly and successful higher request — much freedom, nary regulations connected education, moving days, intoxicant sales, dispensaries, gambling, little overt racism, and women having bodily autonomy. I would ne'er determination myself oregon my daughters to a authorities 30 years down different parts of the country. The ignorance immoderate radical person regarding bluish states is astounding, and I consciousness similar galore conservatives connected the West Coast would beryllium considered wide successful the South and parts of the Midwest."
—JR
21. "I moved from California to Oklahoma 3 years ago. Housing and state are cheaper here, but you get what you wage for. The roads are virtually falling apart, and the nutrient is awful. I cared for my ma successful CA, and she received Section 8 lodging assistance, part-time In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) help, and bully healthcare done Medicare. I took attraction of my aunt successful Oklahoma, and determination was nothing. It was each connected me. It's astir intolerable to vote, too. You're connected your ain to find retired thing astir candidates and adjacent predetermination dates. Oddly, the 1 happening I bash similar is the weather! The thunderstorms are awesome, and there's snowfall successful the winter."
22. "I lived successful Missouri each my beingness earlier moving to the East Coast. Normal, mundane things that happened to maine successful Missouri that my coworkers were horrified to perceive astir see a feline waving a firearm astir successful a store conscionable due to the fact that helium was excited, a idiosyncratic threatening maine erstwhile I was a kid for walking adjacent their yard, being told I couldn't beryllium friends with POC, and watching a lad get arrested astatine prom for dancing with different boy. My coworkers are utilized to New England, wherever racism is much hidden and careful. They were horrified by these things. The civilization daze is extreme."
23. "I grew up successful Texas, and it was terrible. I moved to California 15 years ago, and it's been beauteous great. There is truthful overmuch much state and opportunities here, and I don't consciousness similar my rights arsenic a queer, disabled idiosyncratic are perpetually nether attack. I can't ideate ever surviving successful a reddish authorities again. It would conscionable consciousness similar going backwards."
24. "I moved from Georgia to California, reasoning I was going to unrecorded a precise romanticist beingness on the seashore and flight each of the hateful rhetoric I've encountered successful Georgia and its surrounding parts. I'm successful Huntington close now, and it's awful. It's specified a blimpish country with truthful overmuch vitriol. I didn't recognize Trumpism was eating distant successful California, too. Best of luck to each of us, I guess."
—Andy, 33, California
25. Lastly: "I lived successful bluish states for the archetypal 18 years of my post-college life. Then, I decided I needed a caller occupation and moved to a reddish authorities with a Democrat arsenic governor. I was determination for six months until the ultra-MAGA ace bulk swept the elections. I consciousness truthful screwed. I americium a single, childless feline woman who is queer and an atheist. I'm perpetually hiding who I americium and what I think, truthful it looks similar I beryllium until I get retired from nether my relocation bundle repayment contract. I'm desperately hoping that the system doesn't clang earlier I tin get a caller occupation and get the heck retired (while taking a nonaccomplishment connected the location I bought). Sure, the outgo of surviving is cheap, and I person a big, fancy house, but I don't consciousness safe, and I decidedly consciousness lonely. Plus, infrastructure, healthcare, and acquisition present suck."
If you moved from a Republican-leaning authorities to a Democrat-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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