Comparison of Kentucky vs Florida vs Mississippi

[Garcon1986]

Hi if I had an enormous struggle to relate with anyone in Mississippi, will I do any better if I move to Louisville Kentucky? I crave the deep intellectual connection with a woman who is geeky about something, and my failures have been detailed on previous threads.

Will Louisville give me an easier time dating than Mississippi or is the culture similar?

[Gretchen12]

Whereabouts in Florida? I love those beaches heading south of the Kennedy Space Center.

[SumGuy]

Why limit yourself to those three options?

[basil67]

What are the attributes of the towns/cities where you have connected well with people?

[Veronica73]

Any reason why you are sticking with the south?

[preraph]

You can google the population and racial breakdown for each city. Jackson Mississippi is mostly black and Louisville is mostly white. Neither have much Asian population.

 

Louisville would still be a southern lifestyle (I find nothing wrong with that - I think it's a lot friendlier) and is probably a better standard of living, but there isn't much in the way of blended cultures there either. It will maybe be more about auto and horse racing than Mississippi is as they are both a thing there.

[Garcon1986]

Whereabouts in Florida? I love those beaches heading south of the Kennedy Space Center.

 

Once upon a time I was in North Florida/ University of Florida. The dating there was great as it was a large college town.

 

Any reason why you are sticking with the south?

 

To break into the northeast with the kind of Cardiology I do, you need really good mentorship and lots of resources to conduct lots of first author research papers. I never had those resources and managed with the little projects that were realistic at my colleges. The universities in the Northeast still have requirements that far outstrip what I am capable of.

 

What are the attributes of the towns/cities where you have connected well with people?

 

I have just got back from Bethesda Maryland on a business trip where I brought one of my colleagues to introduce her to the world of Cardiology research (she's almost a doctor). The level of connection was spectacular. I could look her in the eye and talk about comedians, joke, help her with Cardiology, talk about her college days, and generally let her feel at ease while the academic side of things were getting taken care of. I admire her very much because she is extremely smart, and can talk my ear off about fun experiences she had in college. So, even though she is a classic Southerner, I earned myself a new wonderful colleague and friend. Unfortunately for me she was taken long ago so there was nothing romantic. I did get the opportunity to meet her friend, who was a ridiculously beautiful legislative assistant on Capitol Hill, helping write legislation about cybersecurity and homeland security, for a senator. It was helpful to already have street cred from my colleague. That way, we got the "creepy or not creepy" problem out of the way. I got to sit down and have a conversation about working for the government, and shenanigans from her high school days in France (she's now a graduated masters in public policy). I could relate with the international side, and her deep insight and enjoyment of her work. She's taken but I went home with a hugh sigh of relief to realize that I actually still have social skills. I've never been this happy my whole time in the South, for that one day.

 

I would be over the moon if I could marry a woman similar to either of those in the future.

 

With most people in MS, if they are smart enough to have this level of geekiness, they've become uncomfortable talking with me because I'm trying to meet them for the first time as an unknown. There is some invisible factor that makes bonding with these folks from scratch incredibly difficult (although I've had scattered success at church). If they are regular folks without this level of "joie de vivre", I get bored pretty quickly because I don't see that level of geekiness and insight into the world. I am sick of socializing about beer, football, and horses. I've given it a college try to be interested in those things, but I have been categorically unable to be genuine. If I try to get introduced by Mississipians to new social groups, they introduce me to other Chinese people who are only there on 1 year visas. I try to hang out with Chinese from China but feel out of place too.

 

I could potentially go to the Northeast if I abandon my career choice and be a general pediatrician for a while. But my training might go to waste. In my business conference, when I introduced myself as a trainee from Mississippi, there were visible feelings of discomfort. When my old colleague and friend introduced herself as the Cardiology fellow from Massachusetts General Hospital (not the one I brought to the conference), everyone wanted to talk to her.

 

Would staying in Mississippi and driving 2h 30 min to New Orleans one way, and 6 hours to Tennessee every single weekend be worth it? Seems like a tremendous amount of work to get a date.

[Veronica73]

I don’t know man. You have a better feel for you career and what’s available than probably anyone on here has.

 

But disregarding your job prospects...and also given that I am somewhat prejudiced...I’d avoid anywhere that is considered “the Bible Belt” if I were you. It doesn’t seem Christian, but from my *admittedly* limited experience, there seems to be an awfully high correlation between racism, a preference for homogeneity, and the Bible Belt.

[SumGuy]

I can see how Boston area could be difficult. I can see how Mississippi could be considered unimpressive, yet by most metrics Mississippi is alway one of the least healthy states weight and cardiac wise, so lots of experience.

Have you tried out West? Colorado, California, Oregon, Washington? Believe it would have more of what you are looking for.

[Tamfana]

I could potentially go to the Northeast if I abandon my career choice and be a general pediatrician for a while. But my training might go to waste. In my business conference, when I introduced myself as a trainee from Mississippi, there were visible feelings of discomfort. When my old colleague and friend introduced herself as the Cardiology fellow from Massachusetts General Hospital (not the one I brought to the conference), everyone wanted to talk to her.

 

No training goes to waste in the long run. People wrack up credentials all the time. I think going to the Northeast is the way to go for many reasons not just for dating.

[preraph]

I think you'd love Florida. Florida is fantastic except for hurricanes and the fact you can't swim in fresh water due to gators. It's diverse. 3% Asian. Big mix, lots of Cubans. They make good sandwiches and brownies!

[LuckyM]

An unusual choice you have. Perhaps neither one. Louisville and Missisippi are not well known for intellectuals. Depends on the subject and if you will be at a strong university. For Ph.D.s even less so. The higher your education, the less opportunity you will have anywhere. The more you know of the subject, the less you will learn or get something from this exchange. As an intellectual myself, I know this, especially if you have a particular specialty.

[preraph]

I'm sorry I can't resist. Oprah Winfrey, Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner are all from Mississippi.

 

Abraham Lincoln, Diane Sawyer, Johnny Depp all from Kentucky.

 

Garcon, you like salsa and other dancing. I think Florida is the main place for that in the U.S.

[Eugeleh]

Hi if I had an enormous struggle to relate with anyone in Mississippi, will I do any better if I move to Louisville Kentucky? I crave the deep intellectual connection with a woman who is geeky about something, and my failures have been detailed on previous threads.

Will Louisville give me an easier time dating than Mississippi or is the culture similar?

 

 

Are you set on a hardcore academic career? I'm not surprised the Paeds Cardiology has a limited market for most applicants.

Are you considering private practice scenarios which would demand some general paeds but allow you to focus to some degree on your subspecialty?

 

Based on the portrait you've painted of yourself in your posts I would posit that you'll never really feel at home in the heartland or south. Louisville is closer to more cosmopolitan locales than your current home, but still heartland.

 

If academia is crucial to you then you may be forced to sacrifice a bit of your personal life for your career.

[gaius]

I don't know enough about Louisville to comment, but if the only thing that turns you on is a woman talking about the chemical composition of the new moons they just discovered orbiting Saturn then I don't think Florida would be right for you. Lawn maintenance and college football are generally the most common topics.

 

Boston is a lot more pretentious and international like that, at least parts of it.

[Trail Blazer]

Get out the bible belt and head to the Pacific NW. Seattle would be a great town for you, although Portland is also great, too, but I'm biased. I don't know, man... I've never been down south - except for Houston and other remote areas of Texas for work - but I kind of figure unless you're that unless you're Christian, the whole region would be one giant clique that you'd not fit in well to.

[mr_ybor]

Get out the bible belt and head to the Pacific NW. Seattle would be a great town for you, although Portland is also great, too, but I'm biased. I don't know, man... I've never been down south - except for Houston and other remote areas of Texas for work - but I kind of figure unless you're that unless you're Christian, the whole region would be one giant clique that you'd not fit in well to.

 

 

Pacific NW is overrated as hell. Austin, TX is blue A.F. Cool town. Here in Tampa it's cool, so is Miami. I mean if you like **** weather, than move up there if you want. I'd pass if I was you.

[Trail Blazer]

Pacific NW is overrated as hell. Austin, TX is blue A.F. Cool town. Here in Tampa it's cool, so is Miami. I mean if you like **** weather, than move up there if you want. I'd pass if I was you.

 

There's no doubt the weather isn't flash up here. Portland rains so much, but quite often it's not even decent rain, just drizzle. But hey, I grew up in Idaho, have lived in Portland for 14 years - I'm used to it.

 

I do find the Texas summers a little overbearing when I'm out in the field. However, for a vacation -Texas, or indeed Florida, is perfect weather at the right time of the year.

 

My only suggestion was that the OP doesn't seem to connect well with southern women, whether that be culturally, religious reasons or otherwise. Yet, for his work, it would seem that a big city would help.

 

Seattle is a large city with a lot of opportunities for professional people. It's a place where I doubt he'd be looked down upon by peers in his field for residing, and somewhere that he'd have a lot more success with dating than somewhere like Mississippi.

[mr_ybor]

Seattle is a large city with a lot of opportunities for professional people. It's a place where I doubt he'd be looked down upon by peers in his field for residing, and somewhere that he'd have a lot more success with dating than somewhere like Mississippi.

 

Seattle is obscene expensive, bordering on Sad Francisco financial rape... plus you have to deal with the snobby Seattle Freeze.

 

Better than hillbilly Mississippi, but better than Austin or Tampa? Yeah, no.