The Big Differences Between Northeast America and Southeast America

In the past couple years I have taken notice to some major differences between the northeast and the southeast in America. I grew up mostly in New Jersey (and I lived in Pennsylvania a few times as a kid). I traveled to central Illinois for college, moved down to Florida for a bit and have been living in Georgia for the past six months. The differences between living in the northeast and the southeast seem like nothing more than differing funny accents to most people but I am here to tell you, there is more to it than that!

Living in the northeast is completely different from living in the southeast. For starters, people in the north are not as nice. Sure, you have idiots no matter where you go in this country but the stereotypes that New Yorkers and folks from Jersey are mean are pretty much true. I am accustomed to walking down the street and saying hello to people only to get a nasty stare right back. Down here in the south most people are friendly. Southerners usually take the time to ask you how your day is going and have your back. Up north you can forget about any of that. It is rare for strangers to strike up a friendly conversation up there. People usually stick to their own business and don't care how others feel.

In the north you have to deal with a much higher cost of living. In central New Jersey a one bedroom apartment will run you about $1,000 per month. Down here the price of a one bedroom apartment is usually around $400-$450 per month. Most cigarettes cost about $6 per pack but down south they are usually between $3-$4. Everything is just plain cheaper in the southeast. Going hand in hand with the cost of living, the minimum wage is higher in the northeast than in the southeast.

The most crime affected areas are normally major cities. There are more major cities in the northeast (New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, etc.) than there are in the southeast (Nashville, Atlanta, etc.). So you can expect more criminals when living in the northeast.