Dating in the South is Easier Then It Is In Other States

[Outcast9428]

The older I get, the more I'm starting to strongly disagree with the idea that "America" can be categorized as one nation. I used to think about things as "Americans are like this." And "we live in America." I thought about myself as an American, and generally thought of America as a country with regional variance. So I assumed dating in one area of America wouldn't be a whole lot different from dating in other places in America.

Nowadays, my thinking has completely changed as a result of having extensively traveled to and spoken to people from other states compared to when I was a kid. Even when I was in college, the changes I saw taking place on the internet were what I thought was happening across the entire country. Since graduating college, however, I have increasingly realized that people in my state aren't any different from how they were when I was in high school and middle school. I now think of myself more as "a Virginian" rather then an American. Thinking of America as one nation now makes almost as much sense to me as classifying Europe as an entire country. Saying "Americans are like this" makes about as much sense to me as saying "Europeans are like this." The difference between NYC and Alabama or West Virginia is about as big of a difference as the difference between England and Romania.

And this translates to the dating world as well. I think a lot of people, when talking about dating in America, are talking about what women are like in major metropolitan areas of the Northeast or West Coast. These are areas of the US where leftism dominates and the young women are overwhelmingly feminist. A lot of people from these areas probably thinking dating is like that everywhere. @Mercer in particular I think should take note of this thread because he seems to believe his reality in San Francisco reflects reality in the entire country.

The truth is though, when you go to the Southern US, you will find a culture where there's still a decent amount of actual conservatism kicking around. Some places, like Arkansas, Utah, and Alabama, are much closer to a traditional society then people would expect anywhere in the US to be. Let's look at some statistics showing this...

Marriage rates compared:

The marriage rate per 1,000 people is very different depending on which state you live in...

The marriage rate for California was 3.2, in Washington it was 4.8, in New York it was 4.5, in Michigan, it was 4.2, in Illinois it was 3.9, while Massachusetts had a marriage rate of 4.

If you go to the South, on the other hand, the marriage rate becomes 5.5 for North Carolina, 5.7 for South Carolina, 5.3 for Texas, 5.7 for Mississippi, and 5.6 for West Virginia.... These aren't the states that have the shockingly high rates of marriage compared to other states though. The states that truly have very high marriage rates compared to the rest of the country are Alabama at 7.2, Tennessee at 7.3, Arkansas at 7.8, and Utah at an astonishing 8.4 (the same marriage rate that all of America enjoyed from 1958-1962). So basically, in Utah specifically, people are getting married about as much as people in the 1950s did. If you go to Utah, your chances of getting married are twice as high compared to if you live in Michigan.

Even Massachusetts compared to say, North Carolina though? Marriage is still about 30% more common in North Carolina then it is in Massachusetts. You automatically have a 30% better chance of marrying in a given year simply by moving to North Carolina.

Now let's look at the average ages people marry by state, once again, this varies a lot more from state to state then people think it does.

The average age of marriage in New Jersey was 28 for women, 30 for men, in California, 27 for women, 30 for men, New York, 29 for women, 30 for men, for Florida, 27 for women and 29 for men.

In the South, however, it looks more like this... In North Carolina it is 26 for women, 28 for men, In Tennessee and Texas it is 26 for women and 27 for men, in South Carolina it is 27 for women and 28 for men, in West Virginia it is 26 for women and 27 for men. Again though, these aren't the states where you see the biggest differences. The biggest differences were seen in Oklahoma and Arkansas, at 25 for women and 26 for men, in Kentucky it is 25 for women and 27 for men... But Utah takes the cake once again at 23 years old for women and 26 for men.

This means moving to a different state not only increases your odds of getting married but could help you get married at a younger age too. Although these numbers are well below what I think they should be, the fact that there's a difference of two or three years in most of these states I think is a significant one.

I would also argue that in the South, while hookup culture certainly exists, it isn't nearly as genuine of a hookup culture. You don't really see intentional one night stands so much as people having sex early in relationships and giving up on dating that person because the sex was bad. I would also argue that hookup culture is much more of a thing among black people here then it is among everyone else. That being said, even the black people here don't seem to be as promiscuous as white people are in places like New York City, California, and Florida. If you specifically look at the other races, actual conservative values are VERY competitive with liberal values. Most white people who have kids are conservative. Not right-leaning, quasi conservative either but actual conservatives. Among the young people, on the other hand, I would say most of them are liberal. Conservatism is still a very visible minority, even among the high school teenagers here though.

I think hookup culture is a bit worse in some areas of the South then in others though. Despite what people claim, I think hookup culture is worse in South Carolina then it is in North Carolina and Virginia. South Carolina is weird. People's Southern accents are stronger but their behavior is a bit more like Florida behavior then in Virginia and North Carolina where being polite, not being loud in public, or overly expressive is much more of an expectation. Its probably worse in Georgia because of Atlanta, but all the degeneracy in Georgia is really concentrated in Atlanta.

Don't bother with Florida, its not really a Southern state even if its geographically Southern. Even though I dated a girl from Florida I really really do not recommend it. I genuinely believe she is one of the best girls Florida has to offer and it still didn't work. Florida is weird in that, even I must confess that getting into a relationship short term in Florida is probably easier then it is anywhere else in America, including the most conservative states... What's extremely difficult is trying to maintain anything in Florida. Florida is one of the most radically liberal environments I've ever experienced. Trying to find a wife in Florida is hopeless.

One of the biggest things about the South that is different from the West Coast or the North though is that, if your wife commits adultery on you, you actually have some rights. North Carolina state law not only says your wife cannot receive any alimony and you would get preference when it comes to child custody, but you can even sue her paramour. One guy successfully sued for millions of dollars. Mississippi and Utah have similar laws. In other Southern states like Virginia, you can't sue the paramour but your wife will have a really hard time getting alimony if you can prove adultery took place.

My personal recommendation, if you want as conservative as possible and don't care about living in a more rural, or undeveloped place, I'd recommend Arkansas or Alabama. If you are like me, however, you want good development and are more into suburbs, I'd recommend North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or Virginia instead. Personally I don't recommend living in West Virginia unless you just want to be as isolated as humanely possible. West Virginia is a tad bit more conservative then Virginia itself is but not by as much as you'd think given the voting patterns. If you don't mind living in a rural area, I think Alabama and Arkansas have much stronger religious conservative values whereas West Virginian people are more rednecky and libertarian.

[WanderingProtagonist]

The older I get, the more I'm starting to strongly disagree with the idea that "America" can be categorized as one nation. I used to think about things as "Americans are like this." And "we live in America." I thought about myself as an American, and generally thought of America as a country with regional variance. So I assumed dating in one area of America wouldn't be a whole lot different from dating in other places in America.

Nowadays, my thinking has completely changed as a result of having extensively traveled to and spoken to people from other states compared to when I was a kid. Even when I was in college, the changes I saw taking place on the internet were what I thought was happening across the entire country. Since graduating college, however, I have increasingly realized that people in my state aren't any different from how they were when I was in high school and middle school. I now think of myself more as "a Virginian" rather then an American. Thinking of America as one nation now makes almost as much sense to me as classifying Europe as an entire country. Saying "Americans are like this" makes about as much sense to me as saying "Europeans are like this." The difference between NYC and Alabama or West Virginia is about as big of a difference as the difference between England and Romania.

And this translates to the dating world as well. I think a lot of people, when talking about dating in America, are talking about what women are like in major metropolitan areas of the Northeast or West Coast. These are areas of the US where leftism dominates and the young women are overwhelmingly feminist. A lot of people from these areas probably thinking dating is like that everywhere. @Mercer in particular I think should take note of this thread because he seems to believe his reality in San Francisco reflects reality in the entire country.

The truth is though, when you go to the Southern US, you will find a culture where there's still a decent amount of actual conservatism kicking around. Some places, like Arkansas, Utah, and Alabama, are much closer to a traditional society then people would expect anywhere in the US to be. Let's look at some statistics showing this...

Marriage rates compared:

The marriage rate per 1,000 people is very different depending on which state you live in...

The marriage rate for California was 3.2, in Washington it was 4.8, in New York it was 4.5, in Michigan, it was 4.2, in Illinois it was 3.9, while Massachusetts had a marriage rate of 4.

If you go to the South, on the other hand, the marriage rate becomes 5.5 for North Carolina, 5.7 for South Carolina, 5.3 for Texas, 5.7 for Mississippi, and 5.6 for West Virginia.... These aren't the states that have the shockingly high rates of marriage compared to other states though. The states that truly have very high marriage rates compared to the rest of the country are Alabama at 7.2, Tennessee at 7.3, Arkansas at 7.8, and Utah at an astonishing 8.4 (the same marriage rate that all of America enjoyed from 1958-1962). So basically, in Utah specifically, people are getting married about as much as people in the 1950s did. If you go to Utah, your chances of getting married are twice as high compared to if you live in Michigan.

Even Massachusetts compared to say, North Carolina though? Marriage is still about 30% more common in North Carolina then it is in Massachusetts. You automatically have a 30% better chance of marrying in a given year simply by moving to North Carolina.

Now let's look at the average ages people marry by state, once again, this varies a lot more from state to state then people think it does.

The average age of marriage in New Jersey was 28 for women, 30 for men, in California, 27 for women, 30 for men, New York, 29 for women, 30 for men, for Florida, 27 for women and 29 for men.

In the South, however, it looks more like this... In North Carolina it is 26 for women, 28 for men, In Tennessee and Texas it is 26 for women and 27 for men, in South Carolina it is 27 for women and 28 for men, in West Virginia it is 26 for women and 27 for men. Again though, these aren't the states where you see the biggest differences. The biggest differences were seen in Oklahoma and Arkansas, at 25 for women and 26 for men, in Kentucky it is 25 for women and 27 for men... But Utah takes the cake once again at 23 years old for women and 26 for men.

This means moving to a different state not only increases your odds of getting married but could help you get married at a younger age too. Although these numbers are well below what I think they should be, the fact that there's a difference of two or three years in most of these states I think is a significant one.

I would also argue that in the South, while hookup culture certainly exists, it isn't nearly as genuine of a hookup culture. You don't really see intentional one night stands so much as people having sex early in relationships and giving up on dating that person because the sex was bad. I would also argue that hookup culture is much more of a thing among black people here then it is among everyone else. That being said, even the black people here don't seem to be as promiscuous as white people are in places like New York City, California, and Florida. If you specifically look at the other races, actual conservative values are VERY competitive with liberal values. Most white people who have kids are conservative. Not right-leaning, quasi conservative either but actual conservatives. Among the young people, on the other hand, I would say most of them are liberal. Conservatism is still a very visible minority, even among the high school teenagers here though.

I think hookup culture is a bit worse in some areas of the South then in others though. Despite what people claim, I think hookup culture is worse in South Carolina then it is in North Carolina and Virginia. South Carolina is weird. People's Southern accents are stronger but their behavior is a bit more like Florida behavior then in Virginia and North Carolina where being polite, not being loud in public, or overly expressive is much more of an expectation. Its probably worse in Georgia because of Atlanta, but all the degeneracy in Georgia is really concentrated in Atlanta.

Don't bother with Florida, its not really a Southern state even if its geographically Southern. Even though I dated a girl from Florida I really really do not recommend it. I genuinely believe she is one of the best girls Florida has to offer and it still didn't work. Florida is weird in that, even I must confess that getting into a relationship short term in Florida is probably easier then it is anywhere else in America, including the most conservative states... What's extremely difficult is trying to maintain anything in Florida. Florida is one of the most radically liberal environments I've ever experienced. Trying to find a wife in Florida is hopeless.

One of the biggest things about the South that is different from the West Coast or the North though is that, if your wife commits adultery on you, you actually have some rights. North Carolina state law not only says your wife cannot receive any alimony and you would get preference when it comes to child custody, but you can even sue her paramour. One guy successfully sued for millions of dollars. Mississippi and Utah have similar laws. In other Southern states like Virginia, you can't sue the paramour but your wife will have a really hard time getting alimony if you can prove adultery took place.

My personal recommendation, if you want as conservative as possible and don't care about living in a more rural, or undeveloped place, I'd recommend Arkansas or Alabama. If you are like me, however, you want good development and are more into suburbs, I'd recommend North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or Virginia instead. Personally I don't recommend living in West Virginia unless you just want to be as isolated as humanely possible. West Virginia is a tad bit more conservative then Virginia itself is but not by as much as you'd think given the voting patterns. If you don't mind living in a rural area, I think Alabama and Arkansas have much stronger religious conservative values whereas West Virginian people are more rednecky and libertarian.

I swear when you brought this up, I started getting sexual thoughts in my head of me going down south, findign some checkered shirt wearing girl with freckles that walks around bare foot, and just having wild hill billy sex with her. XD, I'm not insulting the South just saying that thought seeped into my head. Hell my mom is from Mississippi and my grandmother still lives there.

[Outcast9428]

The older I get, the more I'm starting to strongly disagree with the idea that "America" can be categorized as one nation. I used to think about things as "Americans are like this." And "we live in America." I thought about myself as an American, and generally thought of America as a country with regional variance. So I assumed dating in one area of America wouldn't be a whole lot different from dating in other places in America.

Nowadays, my thinking has completely changed as a result of having extensively traveled to and spoken to people from other states compared to when I was a kid. Even when I was in college, the changes I saw taking place on the internet were what I thought was happening across the entire country. Since graduating college, however, I have increasingly realized that people in my state aren't any different from how they were when I was in high school and middle school. I now think of myself more as "a Virginian" rather then an American. Thinking of America as one nation now makes almost as much sense to me as classifying Europe as an entire country. Saying "Americans are like this" makes about as much sense to me as saying "Europeans are like this." The difference between NYC and Alabama or West Virginia is about as big of a difference as the difference between England and Romania.

And this translates to the dating world as well. I think a lot of people, when talking about dating in America, are talking about what women are like in major metropolitan areas of the Northeast or West Coast. These are areas of the US where leftism dominates and the young women are overwhelmingly feminist. A lot of people from these areas probably thinking dating is like that everywhere. @Mercer in particular I think should take note of this thread because he seems to believe his reality in San Francisco reflects reality in the entire country.

The truth is though, when you go to the Southern US, you will find a culture where there's still a decent amount of actual conservatism kicking around. Some places, like Arkansas, Utah, and Alabama, are much closer to a traditional society then people would expect anywhere in the US to be. Let's look at some statistics showing this...

Marriage rates compared:

The marriage rate per 1,000 people is very different depending on which state you live in...

The marriage rate for California was 3.2, in Washington it was 4.8, in New York it was 4.5, in Michigan, it was 4.2, in Illinois it was 3.9, while Massachusetts had a marriage rate of 4.

If you go to the South, on the other hand, the marriage rate becomes 5.5 for North Carolina, 5.7 for South Carolina, 5.3 for Texas, 5.7 for Mississippi, and 5.6 for West Virginia.... These aren't the states that have the shockingly high rates of marriage compared to other states though. The states that truly have very high marriage rates compared to the rest of the country are Alabama at 7.2, Tennessee at 7.3, Arkansas at 7.8, and Utah at an astonishing 8.4 (the same marriage rate that all of America enjoyed from 1958-1962). So basically, in Utah specifically, people are getting married about as much as people in the 1950s did. If you go to Utah, your chances of getting married are twice as high compared to if you live in Michigan.

Even Massachusetts compared to say, North Carolina though? Marriage is still about 30% more common in North Carolina then it is in Massachusetts. You automatically have a 30% better chance of marrying in a given year simply by moving to North Carolina.

Now let's look at the average ages people marry by state, once again, this varies a lot more from state to state then people think it does.

The average age of marriage in New Jersey was 28 for women, 30 for men, in California, 27 for women, 30 for men, New York, 29 for women, 30 for men, for Florida, 27 for women and 29 for men.

In the South, however, it looks more like this... In North Carolina it is 26 for women, 28 for men, In Tennessee and Texas it is 26 for women and 27 for men, in South Carolina it is 27 for women and 28 for men, in West Virginia it is 26 for women and 27 for men. Again though, these aren't the states where you see the biggest differences. The biggest differences were seen in Oklahoma and Arkansas, at 25 for women and 26 for men, in Kentucky it is 25 for women and 27 for men... But Utah takes the cake once again at 23 years old for women and 26 for men.

This means moving to a different state not only increases your odds of getting married but could help you get married at a younger age too. Although these numbers are well below what I think they should be, the fact that there's a difference of two or three years in most of these states I think is a significant one.

I would also argue that in the South, while hookup culture certainly exists, it isn't nearly as genuine of a hookup culture. You don't really see intentional one night stands so much as people having sex early in relationships and giving up on dating that person because the sex was bad. I would also argue that hookup culture is much more of a thing among black people here then it is among everyone else. That being said, even the black people here don't seem to be as promiscuous as white people are in places like New York City, California, and Florida. If you specifically look at the other races, actual conservative values are VERY competitive with liberal values. Most white people who have kids are conservative. Not right-leaning, quasi conservative either but actual conservatives. Among the young people, on the other hand, I would say most of them are liberal. Conservatism is still a very visible minority, even among the high school teenagers here though.

I think hookup culture is a bit worse in some areas of the South then in others though. Despite what people claim, I think hookup culture is worse in South Carolina then it is in North Carolina and Virginia. South Carolina is weird. People's Southern accents are stronger but their behavior is a bit more like Florida behavior then in Virginia and North Carolina where being polite, not being loud in public, or overly expressive is much more of an expectation. Its probably worse in Georgia because of Atlanta, but all the degeneracy in Georgia is really concentrated in Atlanta.

Don't bother with Florida, its not really a Southern state even if its geographically Southern. Even though I dated a girl from Florida I really really do not recommend it. I genuinely believe she is one of the best girls Florida has to offer and it still didn't work. Florida is weird in that, even I must confess that getting into a relationship short term in Florida is probably easier then it is anywhere else in America, including the most conservative states... What's extremely difficult is trying to maintain anything in Florida. Florida is one of the most radically liberal environments I've ever experienced. Trying to find a wife in Florida is hopeless.

One of the biggest things about the South that is different from the West Coast or the North though is that, if your wife commits adultery on you, you actually have some rights. North Carolina state law not only says your wife cannot receive any alimony and you would get preference when it comes to child custody, but you can even sue her paramour. One guy successfully sued for millions of dollars. Mississippi and Utah have similar laws. In other Southern states like Virginia, you can't sue the paramour but your wife will have a really hard time getting alimony if you can prove adultery took place.

My personal recommendation, if you want as conservative as possible and don't care about living in a more rural, or undeveloped place, I'd recommend Arkansas or Alabama. If you are like me, however, you want good development and are more into suburbs, I'd recommend North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or Virginia instead. Personally I don't recommend living in West Virginia unless you just want to be as isolated as humanely possible. West Virginia is a tad bit more conservative then Virginia itself is but not by as much as you'd think given the voting patterns. If you don't mind living in a rural area, I think Alabama and Arkansas have much stronger religious conservative values whereas West Virginian people are more rednecky and libertarian.

I swear when you brought this up, I started getting sexual thoughts in my head of me going down south, findign some checkered shirt wearing girl with freckles that walks around bare foot, and just having wild hill billy sex with her. XD, I'm not insulting the South just saying that thought seeped into my head. Hell my mom is from Mississippi and my grandmother still lives there.

Lol maybe some areas of West Virginia

[WanderingProtagonist]

The older I get, the more I'm starting to strongly disagree with the idea that "America" can be categorized as one nation. I used to think about things as "Americans are like this." And "we live in America." I thought about myself as an American, and generally thought of America as a country with regional variance. So I assumed dating in one area of America wouldn't be a whole lot different from dating in other places in America.

Nowadays, my thinking has completely changed as a result of having extensively traveled to and spoken to people from other states compared to when I was a kid. Even when I was in college, the changes I saw taking place on the internet were what I thought was happening across the entire country. Since graduating college, however, I have increasingly realized that people in my state aren't any different from how they were when I was in high school and middle school. I now think of myself more as "a Virginian" rather then an American. Thinking of America as one nation now makes almost as much sense to me as classifying Europe as an entire country. Saying "Americans are like this" makes about as much sense to me as saying "Europeans are like this." The difference between NYC and Alabama or West Virginia is about as big of a difference as the difference between England and Romania.

And this translates to the dating world as well. I think a lot of people, when talking about dating in America, are talking about what women are like in major metropolitan areas of the Northeast or West Coast. These are areas of the US where leftism dominates and the young women are overwhelmingly feminist. A lot of people from these areas probably thinking dating is like that everywhere. @Mercer in particular I think should take note of this thread because he seems to believe his reality in San Francisco reflects reality in the entire country.

The truth is though, when you go to the Southern US, you will find a culture where there's still a decent amount of actual conservatism kicking around. Some places, like Arkansas, Utah, and Alabama, are much closer to a traditional society then people would expect anywhere in the US to be. Let's look at some statistics showing this...

Marriage rates compared:

The marriage rate per 1,000 people is very different depending on which state you live in...

The marriage rate for California was 3.2, in Washington it was 4.8, in New York it was 4.5, in Michigan, it was 4.2, in Illinois it was 3.9, while Massachusetts had a marriage rate of 4.

If you go to the South, on the other hand, the marriage rate becomes 5.5 for North Carolina, 5.7 for South Carolina, 5.3 for Texas, 5.7 for Mississippi, and 5.6 for West Virginia.... These aren't the states that have the shockingly high rates of marriage compared to other states though. The states that truly have very high marriage rates compared to the rest of the country are Alabama at 7.2, Tennessee at 7.3, Arkansas at 7.8, and Utah at an astonishing 8.4 (the same marriage rate that all of America enjoyed from 1958-1962). So basically, in Utah specifically, people are getting married about as much as people in the 1950s did. If you go to Utah, your chances of getting married are twice as high compared to if you live in Michigan.

Even Massachusetts compared to say, North Carolina though? Marriage is still about 30% more common in North Carolina then it is in Massachusetts. You automatically have a 30% better chance of marrying in a given year simply by moving to North Carolina.

Now let's look at the average ages people marry by state, once again, this varies a lot more from state to state then people think it does.

The average age of marriage in New Jersey was 28 for women, 30 for men, in California, 27 for women, 30 for men, New York, 29 for women, 30 for men, for Florida, 27 for women and 29 for men.

In the South, however, it looks more like this... In North Carolina it is 26 for women, 28 for men, In Tennessee and Texas it is 26 for women and 27 for men, in South Carolina it is 27 for women and 28 for men, in West Virginia it is 26 for women and 27 for men. Again though, these aren't the states where you see the biggest differences. The biggest differences were seen in Oklahoma and Arkansas, at 25 for women and 26 for men, in Kentucky it is 25 for women and 27 for men... But Utah takes the cake once again at 23 years old for women and 26 for men.

This means moving to a different state not only increases your odds of getting married but could help you get married at a younger age too. Although these numbers are well below what I think they should be, the fact that there's a difference of two or three years in most of these states I think is a significant one.

I would also argue that in the South, while hookup culture certainly exists, it isn't nearly as genuine of a hookup culture. You don't really see intentional one night stands so much as people having sex early in relationships and giving up on dating that person because the sex was bad. I would also argue that hookup culture is much more of a thing among black people here then it is among everyone else. That being said, even the black people here don't seem to be as promiscuous as white people are in places like New York City, California, and Florida. If you specifically look at the other races, actual conservative values are VERY competitive with liberal values. Most white people who have kids are conservative. Not right-leaning, quasi conservative either but actual conservatives. Among the young people, on the other hand, I would say most of them are liberal. Conservatism is still a very visible minority, even among the high school teenagers here though.

I think hookup culture is a bit worse in some areas of the South then in others though. Despite what people claim, I think hookup culture is worse in South Carolina then it is in North Carolina and Virginia. South Carolina is weird. People's Southern accents are stronger but their behavior is a bit more like Florida behavior then in Virginia and North Carolina where being polite, not being loud in public, or overly expressive is much more of an expectation. Its probably worse in Georgia because of Atlanta, but all the degeneracy in Georgia is really concentrated in Atlanta.

Don't bother with Florida, its not really a Southern state even if its geographically Southern. Even though I dated a girl from Florida I really really do not recommend it. I genuinely believe she is one of the best girls Florida has to offer and it still didn't work. Florida is weird in that, even I must confess that getting into a relationship short term in Florida is probably easier then it is anywhere else in America, including the most conservative states... What's extremely difficult is trying to maintain anything in Florida. Florida is one of the most radically liberal environments I've ever experienced. Trying to find a wife in Florida is hopeless.

One of the biggest things about the South that is different from the West Coast or the North though is that, if your wife commits adultery on you, you actually have some rights. North Carolina state law not only says your wife cannot receive any alimony and you would get preference when it comes to child custody, but you can even sue her paramour. One guy successfully sued for millions of dollars. Mississippi and Utah have similar laws. In other Southern states like Virginia, you can't sue the paramour but your wife will have a really hard time getting alimony if you can prove adultery took place.

My personal recommendation, if you want as conservative as possible and don't care about living in a more rural, or undeveloped place, I'd recommend Arkansas or Alabama. If you are like me, however, you want good development and are more into suburbs, I'd recommend North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or Virginia instead. Personally I don't recommend living in West Virginia unless you just want to be as isolated as humanely possible. West Virginia is a tad bit more conservative then Virginia itself is but not by as much as you'd think given the voting patterns. If you don't mind living in a rural area, I think Alabama and Arkansas have much stronger religious conservative values whereas West Virginian people are more rednecky and libertarian.

I swear when you brought this up, I started getting sexual thoughts in my head of me going down south, findign some checkered shirt wearing girl with freckles that walks around bare foot, and just having wild hill billy sex with her. XD, I'm not insulting the South just saying that thought seeped into my head. Hell my mom is from Mississippi and my grandmother still lives there.

Lol maybe some areas of West Virginia

Got me all curious to look up photographs of this place since you talk about it quite often. Virginia I mean.

[Outcast9428]

The older I get, the more I'm starting to strongly disagree with the idea that "America" can be categorized as one nation. I used to think about things as "Americans are like this." And "we live in America." I thought about myself as an American, and generally thought of America as a country with regional variance. So I assumed dating in one area of America wouldn't be a whole lot different from dating in other places in America.

Nowadays, my thinking has completely changed as a result of having extensively traveled to and spoken to people from other states compared to when I was a kid. Even when I was in college, the changes I saw taking place on the internet were what I thought was happening across the entire country. Since graduating college, however, I have increasingly realized that people in my state aren't any different from how they were when I was in high school and middle school. I now think of myself more as "a Virginian" rather then an American. Thinking of America as one nation now makes almost as much sense to me as classifying Europe as an entire country. Saying "Americans are like this" makes about as much sense to me as saying "Europeans are like this." The difference between NYC and Alabama or West Virginia is about as big of a difference as the difference between England and Romania.

And this translates to the dating world as well. I think a lot of people, when talking about dating in America, are talking about what women are like in major metropolitan areas of the Northeast or West Coast. These are areas of the US where leftism dominates and the young women are overwhelmingly feminist. A lot of people from these areas probably thinking dating is like that everywhere. @Mercer in particular I think should take note of this thread because he seems to believe his reality in San Francisco reflects reality in the entire country.

The truth is though, when you go to the Southern US, you will find a culture where there's still a decent amount of actual conservatism kicking around. Some places, like Arkansas, Utah, and Alabama, are much closer to a traditional society then people would expect anywhere in the US to be. Let's look at some statistics showing this...

Marriage rates compared:

The marriage rate per 1,000 people is very different depending on which state you live in...

The marriage rate for California was 3.2, in Washington it was 4.8, in New York it was 4.5, in Michigan, it was 4.2, in Illinois it was 3.9, while Massachusetts had a marriage rate of 4.

If you go to the South, on the other hand, the marriage rate becomes 5.5 for North Carolina, 5.7 for South Carolina, 5.3 for Texas, 5.7 for Mississippi, and 5.6 for West Virginia.... These aren't the states that have the shockingly high rates of marriage compared to other states though. The states that truly have very high marriage rates compared to the rest of the country are Alabama at 7.2, Tennessee at 7.3, Arkansas at 7.8, and Utah at an astonishing 8.4 (the same marriage rate that all of America enjoyed from 1958-1962). So basically, in Utah specifically, people are getting married about as much as people in the 1950s did. If you go to Utah, your chances of getting married are twice as high compared to if you live in Michigan.

Even Massachusetts compared to say, North Carolina though? Marriage is still about 30% more common in North Carolina then it is in Massachusetts. You automatically have a 30% better chance of marrying in a given year simply by moving to North Carolina.

Now let's look at the average ages people marry by state, once again, this varies a lot more from state to state then people think it does.

The average age of marriage in New Jersey was 28 for women, 30 for men, in California, 27 for women, 30 for men, New York, 29 for women, 30 for men, for Florida, 27 for women and 29 for men.

In the South, however, it looks more like this... In North Carolina it is 26 for women, 28 for men, In Tennessee and Texas it is 26 for women and 27 for men, in South Carolina it is 27 for women and 28 for men, in West Virginia it is 26 for women and 27 for men. Again though, these aren't the states where you see the biggest differences. The biggest differences were seen in Oklahoma and Arkansas, at 25 for women and 26 for men, in Kentucky it is 25 for women and 27 for men... But Utah takes the cake once again at 23 years old for women and 26 for men.

This means moving to a different state not only increases your odds of getting married but could help you get married at a younger age too. Although these numbers are well below what I think they should be, the fact that there's a difference of two or three years in most of these states I think is a significant one.

I would also argue that in the South, while hookup culture certainly exists, it isn't nearly as genuine of a hookup culture. You don't really see intentional one night stands so much as people having sex early in relationships and giving up on dating that person because the sex was bad. I would also argue that hookup culture is much more of a thing among black people here then it is among everyone else. That being said, even the black people here don't seem to be as promiscuous as white people are in places like New York City, California, and Florida. If you specifically look at the other races, actual conservative values are VERY competitive with liberal values. Most white people who have kids are conservative. Not right-leaning, quasi conservative either but actual conservatives. Among the young people, on the other hand, I would say most of them are liberal. Conservatism is still a very visible minority, even among the high school teenagers here though.

I think hookup culture is a bit worse in some areas of the South then in others though. Despite what people claim, I think hookup culture is worse in South Carolina then it is in North Carolina and Virginia. South Carolina is weird. People's Southern accents are stronger but their behavior is a bit more like Florida behavior then in Virginia and North Carolina where being polite, not being loud in public, or overly expressive is much more of an expectation. Its probably worse in Georgia because of Atlanta, but all the degeneracy in Georgia is really concentrated in Atlanta.

Don't bother with Florida, its not really a Southern state even if its geographically Southern. Even though I dated a girl from Florida I really really do not recommend it. I genuinely believe she is one of the best girls Florida has to offer and it still didn't work. Florida is weird in that, even I must confess that getting into a relationship short term in Florida is probably easier then it is anywhere else in America, including the most conservative states... What's extremely difficult is trying to maintain anything in Florida. Florida is one of the most radically liberal environments I've ever experienced. Trying to find a wife in Florida is hopeless.

One of the biggest things about the South that is different from the West Coast or the North though is that, if your wife commits adultery on you, you actually have some rights. North Carolina state law not only says your wife cannot receive any alimony and you would get preference when it comes to child custody, but you can even sue her paramour. One guy successfully sued for millions of dollars. Mississippi and Utah have similar laws. In other Southern states like Virginia, you can't sue the paramour but your wife will have a really hard time getting alimony if you can prove adultery took place.

My personal recommendation, if you want as conservative as possible and don't care about living in a more rural, or undeveloped place, I'd recommend Arkansas or Alabama. If you are like me, however, you want good development and are more into suburbs, I'd recommend North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or Virginia instead. Personally I don't recommend living in West Virginia unless you just want to be as isolated as humanely possible. West Virginia is a tad bit more conservative then Virginia itself is but not by as much as you'd think given the voting patterns. If you don't mind living in a rural area, I think Alabama and Arkansas have much stronger religious conservative values whereas West Virginian people are more rednecky and libertarian.

I swear when you brought this up, I started getting sexual thoughts in my head of me going down south, findign some checkered shirt wearing girl with freckles that walks around bare foot, and just having wild hill billy sex with her. XD, I'm not insulting the South just saying that thought seeped into my head. Hell my mom is from Mississippi and my grandmother still lives there.

Lol maybe some areas of West Virginia

Got me all curious to look up photographs of this place since you talk about it quite often. Virginia I mean.

Well keep in mind, West Virginia and Virginia are very different states . West Virginia is incredibly undeveloped. It’s charming, the people seem friendly but I’m not cut out for that kind of life.

Virginia on the other hand is actually a pretty wealthy and developed area. It’s a beautiful state and really safe too.

[WanderingProtagonist]

The older I get, the more I'm starting to strongly disagree with the idea that "America" can be categorized as one nation. I used to think about things as "Americans are like this." And "we live in America." I thought about myself as an American, and generally thought of America as a country with regional variance. So I assumed dating in one area of America wouldn't be a whole lot different from dating in other places in America.

Nowadays, my thinking has completely changed as a result of having extensively traveled to and spoken to people from other states compared to when I was a kid. Even when I was in college, the changes I saw taking place on the internet were what I thought was happening across the entire country. Since graduating college, however, I have increasingly realized that people in my state aren't any different from how they were when I was in high school and middle school. I now think of myself more as "a Virginian" rather then an American. Thinking of America as one nation now makes almost as much sense to me as classifying Europe as an entire country. Saying "Americans are like this" makes about as much sense to me as saying "Europeans are like this." The difference between NYC and Alabama or West Virginia is about as big of a difference as the difference between England and Romania.

And this translates to the dating world as well. I think a lot of people, when talking about dating in America, are talking about what women are like in major metropolitan areas of the Northeast or West Coast. These are areas of the US where leftism dominates and the young women are overwhelmingly feminist. A lot of people from these areas probably thinking dating is like that everywhere. @Mercer in particular I think should take note of this thread because he seems to believe his reality in San Francisco reflects reality in the entire country.

The truth is though, when you go to the Southern US, you will find a culture where there's still a decent amount of actual conservatism kicking around. Some places, like Arkansas, Utah, and Alabama, are much closer to a traditional society then people would expect anywhere in the US to be. Let's look at some statistics showing this...

Marriage rates compared:

The marriage rate per 1,000 people is very different depending on which state you live in...

The marriage rate for California was 3.2, in Washington it was 4.8, in New York it was 4.5, in Michigan, it was 4.2, in Illinois it was 3.9, while Massachusetts had a marriage rate of 4.

If you go to the South, on the other hand, the marriage rate becomes 5.5 for North Carolina, 5.7 for South Carolina, 5.3 for Texas, 5.7 for Mississippi, and 5.6 for West Virginia.... These aren't the states that have the shockingly high rates of marriage compared to other states though. The states that truly have very high marriage rates compared to the rest of the country are Alabama at 7.2, Tennessee at 7.3, Arkansas at 7.8, and Utah at an astonishing 8.4 (the same marriage rate that all of America enjoyed from 1958-1962). So basically, in Utah specifically, people are getting married about as much as people in the 1950s did. If you go to Utah, your chances of getting married are twice as high compared to if you live in Michigan.

Even Massachusetts compared to say, North Carolina though? Marriage is still about 30% more common in North Carolina then it is in Massachusetts. You automatically have a 30% better chance of marrying in a given year simply by moving to North Carolina.

Now let's look at the average ages people marry by state, once again, this varies a lot more from state to state then people think it does.

The average age of marriage in New Jersey was 28 for women, 30 for men, in California, 27 for women, 30 for men, New York, 29 for women, 30 for men, for Florida, 27 for women and 29 for men.

In the South, however, it looks more like this... In North Carolina it is 26 for women, 28 for men, In Tennessee and Texas it is 26 for women and 27 for men, in South Carolina it is 27 for women and 28 for men, in West Virginia it is 26 for women and 27 for men. Again though, these aren't the states where you see the biggest differences. The biggest differences were seen in Oklahoma and Arkansas, at 25 for women and 26 for men, in Kentucky it is 25 for women and 27 for men... But Utah takes the cake once again at 23 years old for women and 26 for men.

This means moving to a different state not only increases your odds of getting married but could help you get married at a younger age too. Although these numbers are well below what I think they should be, the fact that there's a difference of two or three years in most of these states I think is a significant one.

I would also argue that in the South, while hookup culture certainly exists, it isn't nearly as genuine of a hookup culture. You don't really see intentional one night stands so much as people having sex early in relationships and giving up on dating that person because the sex was bad. I would also argue that hookup culture is much more of a thing among black people here then it is among everyone else. That being said, even the black people here don't seem to be as promiscuous as white people are in places like New York City, California, and Florida. If you specifically look at the other races, actual conservative values are VERY competitive with liberal values. Most white people who have kids are conservative. Not right-leaning, quasi conservative either but actual conservatives. Among the young people, on the other hand, I would say most of them are liberal. Conservatism is still a very visible minority, even among the high school teenagers here though.

I think hookup culture is a bit worse in some areas of the South then in others though. Despite what people claim, I think hookup culture is worse in South Carolina then it is in North Carolina and Virginia. South Carolina is weird. People's Southern accents are stronger but their behavior is a bit more like Florida behavior then in Virginia and North Carolina where being polite, not being loud in public, or overly expressive is much more of an expectation. Its probably worse in Georgia because of Atlanta, but all the degeneracy in Georgia is really concentrated in Atlanta.

Don't bother with Florida, its not really a Southern state even if its geographically Southern. Even though I dated a girl from Florida I really really do not recommend it. I genuinely believe she is one of the best girls Florida has to offer and it still didn't work. Florida is weird in that, even I must confess that getting into a relationship short term in Florida is probably easier then it is anywhere else in America, including the most conservative states... What's extremely difficult is trying to maintain anything in Florida. Florida is one of the most radically liberal environments I've ever experienced. Trying to find a wife in Florida is hopeless.

One of the biggest things about the South that is different from the West Coast or the North though is that, if your wife commits adultery on you, you actually have some rights. North Carolina state law not only says your wife cannot receive any alimony and you would get preference when it comes to child custody, but you can even sue her paramour. One guy successfully sued for millions of dollars. Mississippi and Utah have similar laws. In other Southern states like Virginia, you can't sue the paramour but your wife will have a really hard time getting alimony if you can prove adultery took place.

My personal recommendation, if you want as conservative as possible and don't care about living in a more rural, or undeveloped place, I'd recommend Arkansas or Alabama. If you are like me, however, you want good development and are more into suburbs, I'd recommend North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or Virginia instead. Personally I don't recommend living in West Virginia unless you just want to be as isolated as humanely possible. West Virginia is a tad bit more conservative then Virginia itself is but not by as much as you'd think given the voting patterns. If you don't mind living in a rural area, I think Alabama and Arkansas have much stronger religious conservative values whereas West Virginian people are more rednecky and libertarian.

I swear when you brought this up, I started getting sexual thoughts in my head of me going down south, findign some checkered shirt wearing girl with freckles that walks around bare foot, and just having wild hill billy sex with her. XD, I'm not insulting the South just saying that thought seeped into my head. Hell my mom is from Mississippi and my grandmother still lives there.

Lol maybe some areas of West Virginia

Got me all curious to look up photographs of this place since you talk about it quite often. Virginia I mean.

Well keep in mind, West Virginia and Virginia are very different states . West Virginia is incredibly undeveloped. It’s charming, the people seem friendly but I’m not cut out for that kind of life.

Virginia on the other hand is actually a pretty wealthy and developed area. It’s a beautiful state and really safe too.

lol I'm not moving down there I'm just trying to see why you suggested West Virgina hahahahaha. Funny stuff.

[Outcast9428]

@WanderingProtagonist Wasnt really recommending West Virginia. Like I said it’s very isolating and rural.

[WanderingProtagonist]

@WanderingProtagonist Wasnt really recommending West Virginia. Like I said it’s very isolating and rural.

Didn't look like it when I looked up photos on it.

[Outcast9428]

@WanderingProtagonist Wasnt really recommending West Virginia. Like I said it’s very isolating and rural.

Didn't look like it when I looked up photos on it.

West Virginia has long stretches of it where you will go an hour on the roads with no internet access. Some entire banks don’t even exist out there. There’s very few major corporations operating out there it is mainly small, family owned businesses. You literally see pizza restaurants set up in somebody’s trailer home.

I don’t know, West Virginia honestly felt like kind of a third world country when I went. Hungary actually feels a lot more developed despite being classified as upper middle income.

I just want to be sure, you are talking about West Virginia and not about Virginia right?

[WanderingProtagonist]

@WanderingProtagonist Wasnt really recommending West Virginia. Like I said it’s very isolating and rural.

Didn't look like it when I looked up photos on it.

West Virginia has long stretches of it where you will go an hour on the roads with no internet access. Some entire banks don’t even exist out there. There’s very few major corporations operating out there it is mainly small, family owned businesses. You literally see pizza restaurants set up in somebody’s trailer home.

I don’t know, West Virginia honestly felt like kind of a third world country when I went. Hungary actually feels a lot more developed despite being classified as upper middle income.

I just want to be sure, you are talking about West Virginia and not about Virginia right?

When I typed it in google search this is what I got. https://www.google.com/search?q=west+vi ... =955&dpr=1 photos of lots of wilderness, definately doesn't look third world though. Maybe those images are inaccurate. I mean I do believe you. I've never been over to that side of the U.S. before but you live there so I assume you would know all about it than I would.

[Outcast9428]

@WanderingProtagonist Wasnt really recommending West Virginia. Like I said it’s very isolating and rural.

Didn't look like it when I looked up photos on it.

West Virginia has long stretches of it where you will go an hour on the roads with no internet access. Some entire banks don’t even exist out there. There’s very few major corporations operating out there it is mainly small, family owned businesses. You literally see pizza restaurants set up in somebody’s trailer home.

I don’t know, West Virginia honestly felt like kind of a third world country when I went. Hungary actually feels a lot more developed despite being classified as upper middle income.

I just want to be sure, you are talking about West Virginia and not about Virginia right?

When I typed it in google search this is what I got. https://www.google.com/search?q=west+vi ... =955&dpr=1 photos of lots of wilderness, definately doesn't look third world though. Maybe those images are inaccurate. I mean I do believe you. I've never been over to that side of the U.S. before but you live there so I assume you would know all about it than I would.

It’s not really third world but it’s a little bit like one. The images are not inaccurate, the wilderness in West Virginia is beautiful. But you do see a lot of houses out there that look like they were built in the 1800s and are very messy farmlike land. It’s kind of a feeling you get when you’re there. West Virginia seems very isolated from everything going on in the rest of the country. That is a good thing in some respects, but it’s not for me. The vastness of the wilderness is kind of intimidating and a lot of the buildings along rural stretches of the road I didn’t feel comfortable entering. It’s like it was too foreign…

Which is incredibly weird because I never felt that way in Hungary. Not even in the countryside of Hungary. It’s very weird to me that a state right next door to my own feels more alien and exotic to me then another country on a completely different continent.

[WanderingProtagonist]

@WanderingProtagonist Wasnt really recommending West Virginia. Like I said it’s very isolating and rural.

Didn't look like it when I looked up photos on it.

West Virginia has long stretches of it where you will go an hour on the roads with no internet access. Some entire banks don’t even exist out there. There’s very few major corporations operating out there it is mainly small, family owned businesses. You literally see pizza restaurants set up in somebody’s trailer home.

I don’t know, West Virginia honestly felt like kind of a third world country when I went. Hungary actually feels a lot more developed despite being classified as upper middle income.

I just want to be sure, you are talking about West Virginia and not about Virginia right?

When I typed it in google search this is what I got. https://www.google.com/search?q=west+vi ... =955&dpr=1 photos of lots of wilderness, definately doesn't look third world though. Maybe those images are inaccurate. I mean I do believe you. I've never been over to that side of the U.S. before but you live there so I assume you would know all about it than I would.

It’s not really third world but it’s a little bit like one. The images are not inaccurate, the wilderness in West Virginia is beautiful. But you do see a lot of houses out there that look like they were built in the 1800s and are very messy farmlike land. It’s kind of a feeling you get when you’re there. West Virginia seems very isolated from everything going on in the rest of the country. That is a good thing in some respects, but it’s not for me. The vastness of the wilderness is kind of intimidating and a lot of the buildings along rural stretches of the road I didn’t feel comfortable entering. It’s like it was too foreign…

Which is incredibly weird because I never felt that way in Hungary. Not even in the countryside of Hungary. It’s very weird to me that a state right next door to my own feels more alien and exotic to me then another country on a completely different continent.

How come you didn't stay in Hungary? Why did you return back to the States? That's got me curious since you actually did leave and get to see what the other place is like, and if you enjoyed it more. What brought you back to the United States? Hell first time I get the chance to leave and if I can afford to stay elsewhere I'm never coming back here. If only the U.S. could of stayed how it was during my childhood years...But it didn't. My home state is in shambles, and I can't do anything to repair the damages. And I really have no interest living in any other state anymore. Years ago I was going to move to Colorado, but the snow would kick my ass. At one point Arizona, but the heat would be even worse than the damn cold.

[Outcast9428]

Didn't look like it when I looked up photos on it.

West Virginia has long stretches of it where you will go an hour on the roads with no internet access. Some entire banks don’t even exist out there. There’s very few major corporations operating out there it is mainly small, family owned businesses. You literally see pizza restaurants set up in somebody’s trailer home.

I don’t know, West Virginia honestly felt like kind of a third world country when I went. Hungary actually feels a lot more developed despite being classified as upper middle income.

I just want to be sure, you are talking about West Virginia and not about Virginia right?

When I typed it in google search this is what I got. https://www.google.com/search?q=west+vi ... =955&dpr=1 photos of lots of wilderness, definately doesn't look third world though. Maybe those images are inaccurate. I mean I do believe you. I've never been over to that side of the U.S. before but you live there so I assume you would know all about it than I would.

It’s not really third world but it’s a little bit like one. The images are not inaccurate, the wilderness in West Virginia is beautiful. But you do see a lot of houses out there that look like they were built in the 1800s and are very messy farmlike land. It’s kind of a feeling you get when you’re there. West Virginia seems very isolated from everything going on in the rest of the country. That is a good thing in some respects, but it’s not for me. The vastness of the wilderness is kind of intimidating and a lot of the buildings along rural stretches of the road I didn’t feel comfortable entering. It’s like it was too foreign…

Which is incredibly weird because I never felt that way in Hungary. Not even in the countryside of Hungary. It’s very weird to me that a state right next door to my own feels more alien and exotic to me then another country on a completely different continent.

How come you didn't stay in Hungary? Why did you return back to the States? That's got me curious since you actually did leave and get to see what the other place is like, and if you enjoyed it more. What brought you back to the United States? Hell first time I get the chance to leave and if I can afford to stay elsewhere I'm never coming back here. If only the U.S. could of stayed how it was during my childhood years...But it didn't. My home state is in shambles, and I can't do anything to repair the damages. And I really have no interest living in any other state anymore. Years ago I was going to move to Colorado, but the snow would kick my ass. At one point Arizona, but the heat would be even worse than the damn cold.

Part of me doesn’t feel like I really can leave anymore. I have questioned before what I am doing on this forum since I don’t actually plan to leave the US anymore.

It’s not because I’m not personally willing to move but because I can’t leave my mom and dad. Back when I was dating my ex, the idea of me potentially moving to Florida to be with her… It made my mom so sad. If I really could choose I’d actually choose a place like Japan or Thailand so I can be around Asian people lol but I simply can’t do that to my mom and dad. Plus, even though it’s not as traditional as I would like, Virginia is at least okay. Its not perfect but it’s a decent place to live. It’s not like my college was where I was so depressed I was borderline suicidal at one point.

It’s a big reason why I’ve become more interested in Filipina girls instead of Japanese and Thai girls. I know Japanese and Thai girls are not willing to relocate like Filipina girls will.

I’ve been talking to this girl next door though. She’s a really cute Asian girl. I’m gonna ask her out soon. If that goes well I suppose I won’t even be searching the Philippines anymore.

I love traveling though, I love visiting other places and seeing what they are like. Traveling alone is worth the money and experience to me even if I can’t live there.

[WanderingProtagonist]

West Virginia has long stretches of it where you will go an hour on the roads with no internet access. Some entire banks don’t even exist out there. There’s very few major corporations operating out there it is mainly small, family owned businesses. You literally see pizza restaurants set up in somebody’s trailer home.

I don’t know, West Virginia honestly felt like kind of a third world country when I went. Hungary actually feels a lot more developed despite being classified as upper middle income.

I just want to be sure, you are talking about West Virginia and not about Virginia right?

When I typed it in google search this is what I got. https://www.google.com/search?q=west+vi ... =955&dpr=1 photos of lots of wilderness, definately doesn't look third world though. Maybe those images are inaccurate. I mean I do believe you. I've never been over to that side of the U.S. before but you live there so I assume you would know all about it than I would.

It’s not really third world but it’s a little bit like one. The images are not inaccurate, the wilderness in West Virginia is beautiful. But you do see a lot of houses out there that look like they were built in the 1800s and are very messy farmlike land. It’s kind of a feeling you get when you’re there. West Virginia seems very isolated from everything going on in the rest of the country. That is a good thing in some respects, but it’s not for me. The vastness of the wilderness is kind of intimidating and a lot of the buildings along rural stretches of the road I didn’t feel comfortable entering. It’s like it was too foreign…

Which is incredibly weird because I never felt that way in Hungary. Not even in the countryside of Hungary. It’s very weird to me that a state right next door to my own feels more alien and exotic to me then another country on a completely different continent.

How come you didn't stay in Hungary? Why did you return back to the States? That's got me curious since you actually did leave and get to see what the other place is like, and if you enjoyed it more. What brought you back to the United States? Hell first time I get the chance to leave and if I can afford to stay elsewhere I'm never coming back here. If only the U.S. could of stayed how it was during my childhood years...But it didn't. My home state is in shambles, and I can't do anything to repair the damages. And I really have no interest living in any other state anymore. Years ago I was going to move to Colorado, but the snow would kick my ass. At one point Arizona, but the heat would be even worse than the damn cold.

Part of me doesn’t feel like I really can leave anymore. I have questioned before what I am doing on this forum since I don’t actually plan to leave the US anymore.

It’s not because I’m not personally willing to move but because I can’t leave my mom and dad. Back when I was dating my ex, the idea of me potentially moving to Florida to be with her… It made my mom so sad. If I really could choose I’d actually choose a place like Japan or Thailand so I can be around Asian people lol but I simply can’t do that to my mom and dad. Plus, even though it’s not as traditional as I would like, Virginia is at least okay. Its not perfect but it’s a decent place to live. It’s not like my college was where I was so depressed I was borderline suicidal at one point.

It’s a big reason why I’ve become more interested in Filipina girls instead of Japanese and Thai girls. I know Japanese and Thai girls are not willing to relocate like Filipina girls will.

I’ve been talking to this girl next door though. She’s a really cute Asian girl. I’m gonna ask her out soon. If that goes well I suppose I won’t even be searching the Philippines anymore.

I love traveling though, I love visiting other places and seeing what they are like. Traveling alone is worth the money and experience to me even if I can’t live there.

Yeah, and your in your 20s still also. I will be 36 on Oct 10th. I know the feeling of not wanting to leave your parents though, most people I know don't even care about their parents at all, at least it seems that way to me that they don't care.

[MrMan]

The older I get, the more I'm starting to strongly disagree with the idea that "America" can be categorized as one nation. I used to think about things as "Americans are like this." And "we live in America." I thought about myself as an American, and generally thought of America as a country with regional variance. So I assumed dating in one area of America wouldn't be a whole lot different from dating in other places in America.

I've spent time in the South, the Midwest, Hawaii, and otherwise just travelled in the US, except for some time when I was little in Pennsylvania and when I was really little in NYC, California, and Washington. But I just remember scenes here and there. So maybe I don't relate to some of the awful experiences @Mercury and other posters post about because I haven't lived in the same places.

Marriage rates compared:

The marriage rate per 1,000 people is very different depending on which state you live in...

The marriage rate for California was 3.2, in Washington it was 4.8, in New York it was 4.5, in Michigan, it was 4.2, in Illinois it was 3.9, while Massachusetts had a marriage rate of 4.

If you go to the South, on the other hand, the marriage rate becomes 5.5 for North Carolina, 5.7 for South Carolina, 5.3 for Texas, 5.7 for Mississippi, and 5.6 for West Virginia.... These aren't the states that have the shockingly high rates of marriage compared to other states though. The states that truly have very high marriage rates compared to the rest of the country are Alabama at 7.2, Tennessee at 7.3, Arkansas at 7.8, and Utah at an astonishing 8.4 (the same marriage rate that all of America enjoyed from 1958-1962). So basically, in Utah specifically, people are getting married about as much as people in the 1950s did. If you go to Utah, your chances of getting married are twice as high compared to if you live in Michigan.

Some of these places do have a lot of conservatives-- people who think the gay and trans agenda are bad, and women who have never heard of 'the patriarchy' and don't take stuff like that seriously.

In the South, however, it looks more like this... In North Carolina it is 26 for women, 28 for men, In Tennessee and Texas it is 26 for women and 27 for men, in South Carolina it is 27 for women and 28 for men, in West Virginia it is 26 for women and 27 for men. Again though, these aren't the states where you see the biggest differences. The biggest differences were seen in Oklahoma and Arkansas, at 25 for women and 26 for men, in Kentucky it is 25 for women and 27 for men... But Utah takes the cake once again at 23 years old for women and 26 for men.

Some southern states have high divorce rates, but this compared to states where people don't marry in the first place.

I think hookup culture is a bit worse in some areas of the South then in others though. Despite what people claim, I think hookup culture is worse in South Carolina then it is in North Carolina and Virginia. South Carolina is weird. People's Southern accents are stronger but their behavior is a bit more like Florida behavior then in Virginia and North Carolina where being polite, not being loud in public, or overly expressive is much more of an expectation. Its probably worse in Georgia because of Atlanta, but all the degeneracy in Georgia is really concentrated in Atlanta.

I've been to South Carolina recently. I don't have my thumb on the pulse of hookup culture anywhere. I do wonder where you were getting your 'sample'. Was it Charleston, Columbia.... I mean for the stronger hookup culture.

There are also plenty of conservatives in the Atlanta area. The Atlanta area is huge and sprawling, not just the city of Atlanta.

Don't bother with Florida, its not really a Southern state even if its geographically Southern. Even though I dated a girl from Florida I really really do not recommend it. I genuinely believe she is one of the best girls Florida has to offer and it still didn't work. Florida is weird in that, even I must confess that getting into a relationship short term in Florida is probably easier then it is anywhere else in America, including the most conservative states... What's extremely difficult is trying to maintain anything in Florida. Florida is one of the most radically liberal environments I've ever experienced. Trying to find a wife in Florida is hopeless.

Aren't parts of northern Florida still part of 'the south' culturally?

One of the biggest things about the South that is different from the West Coast or the North though is that, if your wife commits adultery on you, you actually have some rights. North Carolina state law not only says your wife cannot receive any alimony and you would get preference when it comes to child custody, but you can even sue her paramour. One guy successfully sued for millions of dollars. Mississippi and Utah have similar laws. In other Southern states like Virginia, you can't sue the paramour but your wife will have a really hard time getting alimony if you can prove adultery took place.

I didn't know that. It's good they still have something useful in the law on that topic.

My personal recommendation, if you want as conservative as possible and don't care about living in a more rural, or undeveloped place, I'd recommend Arkansas or Alabama. If you are like me, however, you want good development and are more into suburbs, I'd recommend North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or Virginia instead. Personally I don't recommend living in West Virginia unless you just want to be as isolated as humanely possible. West Virginia is a tad bit more conservative then Virginia itself is but not by as much as you'd think given the voting patterns. If you don't mind living in a rural area, I think Alabama and Arkansas have much stronger religious conservative values whereas West Virginian people are more rednecky and libertarian.

I don't really know much about West Virginia. Many years ago, I drove through WV and into Ohio after spending time in Georgia. In Georgia and parts of the South, every so many miles (or tens of miles in a rural area) on the Interstate, there is a gas station, and usually at least some fast food to eat. If you get into West Virginia, you can go places where there is almost nothing. Also, roads are set up weird in that area. Like in Columbus, you can be on some road, like 8th street, and you have to turn right on a road and turn left to get back on 8th street. Maybe Georgian roads were developed later, or whoever laid them out did it more sensibly.

I made the mistake when driving eastward through Alabama once, of deciding to get something to eat with the family after getting out of Birmingham. I was heading through Memphis into Arkansas and then to Oklahoma, up 78. My wife hates McDonald's, and it was hard to find anything to eat besides McDonald's... at a gas station, and gas station food. I did a little searching on my phone, and the population density once you get east of Georgia is pretty low. Tennessee is reasonably densely populated for a Southern state.

I followed my GPS to various restaurants, and they were closed. One had plants growing out of the ceiling. I stopped at a gas station and asked where a restaurant was, and someone pointed me to a Mexican restaurant in view of where I was pumping gas, so we got a reasonably decent Mexican meal. Mexicans have settled throughout the Southeast, some of them opening restaurants. So it is possible to get decent Tex-Mex food even in little towns sometimes.

You don't have to live in Podunkia to get married. If you want a conservative Southern girl, they exist in the cities in the South also.

If you get the rural areas, or around a US military base, a lot of people say 'yes sir' and 'yes ma'am' all the time. I also find that people tend to be kind of friendly, and it is easy to strike up a conversation with strangers. If you walk by a stranger in a southern town or ride an elevator, you might say 'Hello' to a stranger you don't know. It's not, "Who are you looking at?" Or "Why are you talking to me? I don't know you?"