What was surprising and different when you moved to a new town?

I grew up in Northern New Jersey and all the cars were sedans. When I was 22 I moved to the Seattle area and was stunned by ratio of pick-ups to sedans, there were so many tall vehicles!
When I moved back to the North Eastin 1999, I was surprised at the number of people who drove really clean pick-ups, for most of them it was simply a statement, not an indication of profession or utility.

@canidmajor That’s a good one. I too grew up where most people had sedans and sportscars, and it was very different in some cities. In fact, where I grew up in Maryland the residents couldn’t park pick-up trucks in front of our townhomes, so the few that had them, had to park them in a different location.

Moved from a large city to a Town of 5000 and the difference was striking!
First the atmosphere of calmness and easygoing people who were very friendly.
The clean streets and people on bikes or walking more so than driving cars.
The people here only drove cars to get to farther places , like campsites and natural attractions etc
The prices of everything was cheaper than the city at first but now almost comparable.
The ease of getting around town as only two blocks away and one has access to trails and mountains,waterfalls,etc
The fresh air, no more exhaust fumes!
The community spirit in helping the less fortunate.
The community events, various and socializing easily.
The feeling of being in a large accepting family.
One doesn’t have to travel the world during Tourist season as the world is at our doorstop..and friendly too!
Met so many from other countries that are always smiling and sharing stories etc
No one gets lost here as the Business center is only a two main streets where variety reigns.
The residential areas are diverse, apartments, townhouses, single dwellings, duplexes etc
safe playgrounds for children, a dog park for pets, and recreation area all year round.

All kinds of active sports are offered, classes to upgrade ones schooling , arts center,huge library, volunteer positions in all capacities, Government Parks dept jobs,French and English school as well as learning to speak English and or other languages.
I have never felt so more at home as when I moved to here Jasper National Park!

I grew up in the wonderfully social correct Bay Area. About 5 years ago I moved to Shasta County, which is Republican Red. I knew the people here would be more likely to be racist gun nuts, and they are.
What I didn’t expect was the large number of homeless, and drug addicts. I didn’t think it would be so bad in a red county.

When I first moved to Lexington, Ky, I was shocked at the liberal culture of most of the downtown area. A lot of gay bars, political acitivists, and restaurants owned by die hard progressives. Lexington also has a thriving art scene

I live about a 50 mile distance from where I grew up, and the places I have lived have all been within three counties, so the culture is pretty much the same. What I found, when working in a small city that is kind of out of the way, with an “upstate” atmosphere, was that the women didn’t wear makeup, whereas every other area I’ve been in, in these three counties, women are pretty made up and “posh” looking.

@rockfan When I lived in TN most of my friends were very conservative, but then I also new people in the arts scene, and there was a part of town that was liberal and progressive similar to how you describe. Not only were there liberals there, but some of my conservative friends weren’t as evil as liberals want to think. I learned a long time ago you can’t assume about people just based on the stereotypes of the area they live in. We also can’t assume we understand their way of thinking if we have never lived in their circumstances.

@jca2 Where I live a lot of people go grey. This was not the case in most places I have lived, not even other places in Florida. You also reminded me when I moved to Florida I wasn’t used to how casual everyone dresses, and the open sandals every day. Now, that’s my normal, and having to dress up, or bundle up is an effort.

I moved from the Bay Area to Reno and I was most surprised by the lack of traffic. In the Bay, there are certain times of day when you should not leave your home because everything will be gridlocked. There’s just no such thing here. There’s also just so much space here. You really start to feel boxed in in the Bay Area. Everything is crowded, every plot of land is occupied and owned, you have to go far into the hills to find empty space. Here there’s ranch-land and forest within the city limits. I was also surprised by how politically mixed it is here. This is more or less a 50/50 red/blue area. A moderate like me feels more at home here. And just like back in the Bay, no one here seems to give a shit that I’m gay. Which is always a concern when moving to a new town.

The people and the way they act
I have moved to a town in Kentucky and there isn’t much southern hospitality going on.