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Yep

The South put itself up for sale….Yankees just paid the asking price.

Developers around here are paying as much as $50,000 an acre for property. It’s hard for folks of modest means to pass up that kind of money in this economy.

I understand…. But some of those developers are Sons of the South.

Traditionally they always have been. The new wave around here are Russian decent. Very clannish, it seems the entire process being contained within the group. Kind of a co-op isolated from as much outside trade labor as possible.

Yep, some developers are local, while others are corporate giants from around the country. All are getting rich at the expense of our culture and rural land. The destruction has to be seen to be believed. It really is sad to see the changes taking place. Our constitution industry down here is massive. A rural kid in N.C. ought to consider relocating to a state that’s losing population, once they are grown. My teenage son has already expressed interest in living in rural Pa., where we have roots. He grew up going up there several times a year and really loves the area. SW Pa. isn’t too far from home, so getting back this way now and then is no big deal.

The developer that has purchased land around us is a local that went from being the milkman when I was kid to one the largest developers in the area.
I drive by his house to get to our place through the No Outlet neighborhood.

Our area[New River Valley] is one of if not the fastest growing areas in the state.
Residential development has not even remotely slowed here.

It's bad and good all at the same time, and it's doubtful that this will be our primary residence 10 years from now.
Going to enjoy the solitude and hunting opportunities of our acreage for as long as it lasts then cash out.

Blame the owners who don't care who the buyer is, or where they are from

Around here most are what I call the unshorn and the unshaven, not particularly fond of showering or bathing. They have an aura around them for sure, some just plain stink. Lotsa marijuana growers and meth cooks.

Tim,

You know I’m a Yankee that could get along in the South. However, other than visiting a couple weeks in winter to go shoot, there is little that attracts me. On the whole I find the people welcoming, and the food can be exceptional. However, a little sun goes a loooong way down there. Way too long and high.

And if I didn’t have family here, I would be gone. Most likely to someplace in South Dakota.

Regardless of loyalties between 1861-65, there is alot in common, culturally speaking, between the peoples of Appalachia in PA and WV, and the rest of the mountains on down into GA. I'm from western PA and remember being shocked at how different people in eastern PA were the first time I went there. It seems that PA can be divided between folks who are either Pennsyl-tucky or Pennsyl-jersey.

A rural Southerner could find a lot in common with those in the middle of Pa. Along with those around I80 and above. Finding work may not be so easy.😉 Along with the winter chill.

When a big NBA star bought a place on the Kenai River just down from a friend/coworker of mine, first Larry put up a life size cutout of the guy's chief rival in the NBA, and "Hi, ******" sign at the cabin when the guy was out fishing.

Later, Larry commented to me," Well, there goes the neighborhood! Let just one millionairei in......"

Great observation! Pennsylvania is two completely different states within one state border!
Some people, even on this board, cannot or will not differentiate the two, and as a conservative “Pennsytiuckian” it aggravates me no end!
Out In Wyoming a few years ago, Penny and I were browsing through a nice privately owned gift shop. We had both picked some items up for purchase for folks back home. The guy asked where we were from, ands we proudly answered Pennsylvania.
He sorta sneered and said that’s a good place to be “from”.🤬
We both put the items back and left without a word
By the same token though, we ourselves occasionally apply the same misspoken logic to other states.
I have seen most all of the lower 4&, and I can tell you that CA, NY, MD, VA, and some other “blue states” suffer the same misconceptions and prejudice.
Judging someone by the color of their skin, or where they call home is about as stupid as you can be.
I always try to like and treat people with respect and courtesy. At least until they give me a reason not to.

I tell people all the time that hillbillies and rednecks are not the same species.

Problem is you left without word….it could have been handled two ways. Both could have made an impression.

Ran into a rancher in Wyoming…. North or South….if you were from E of the Missouri he thought you odd. He thought I dressed funny. I thought his slicker and pearl buttons were a little strange myself.

We hunted together for a week…. And ended up as friends.

Having lived in Wyoming almost 20 years you might have mistaken prejudice towards PA with a general prejudice actual Wyoming residents have of outsiders. The boom and bust cycles of the energy/mineral industries and the massive influx of out of state plates in the summer and during hunting seasons has made many very cynical of "outsiders".

So us Crackers are felling left out .

Both of you guys point out that we could’ve and probably should’ve handled it differently.
Maybe talking to the guy would’ve cleared up some misconceptions he had, and we would probably have come away friends! But the sorta sneer cut the talking short.
We got to talking to a guy and his wife in Bel Forche SD over supper on our way out to Montana.
We were friends by the time we finished, and came away with an invitation to come back and hunt antelope and muleys on their ranch!😀
I wish I had gotten his phone number.
I have found in my travels that people really ain’t all that different. Most everyone has things that they can agree on. I think I can honestly say that I could live in any state, as long as it’s not crowded, and live a completely happy life. But I know I would sure as heck miss these beautiful mountains and valleys that will always be my home.
With me, my redneck background and good upbringing, makes me easy to get along with. Even a black fellow from Baltimore, dyed in the wool Cravens fan, which I hate, got to become pretty good friends working together.
He hates the Steelers as much as I hate the Cravens, but it was a friendly rivalry, because we had many things we agreed on. 😀
Just the same though, I don’t know how many times on this board I have been hammered as a union supporter, that I voted fr that oddball democrat who’s a senator, and other stupid crap.😀
Some people just refuse to grow up, I guess.