The South is America’s most dynamic region

The South is the most dynamic region in the United States today

Lesson summary

Hi there everyone, it’s Jeff and this is Plain English, where we help you upgrade your English with stories about the world. And the corner of the world we’re focused on today is the South—specifically, the southeast of the United States. Figure from Texas to Florida, and as far north as Tennessee and Virginia. It’s a big region. But it’s America’s fastest-growing region. The South is booming. On Monday, you heard that a lot of people have left the Midwest. Well now you know where they’re going.

In the second half of today’s lesson, I’ll show you how to use the term “safety net.” This is lesson number 695 of Plain English. So the full lesson is at PlainEnglish.com/695.

The South: America’s most dynamic region

A few decades ago, Atlanta, Georgia, had just a couple of tall buildings . Austin, Texas, was a sleepy university town. And Florida was a place old people went to live out their last days .

No more. The South is now America’s most dynamic region. Out of the twenty fastest-growing metro areas in the United States, fourteen are in the South—and that includes all of the top eight fastest growing metro areas.

I’m talking about cities like Raleigh, North Carolina; Orlando, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee. And then there’s Texas: Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas are all attracting new arrivals —new people and new companies .

Why is everyone moving to the South ? There are a few reasons. First, the economic environment in the South is friendly . Manufacturers are drawn to the South because labor unions are not as strong and government regulation is not as heavy . Other employers are attracted to the South for its well-educated workforce and lower cost of living .

Taxes on companies and people are lighter in the South than in other regions . Texas, Florida, and Tennessee have no personal income tax . Land for new factories and offices is affordable . States offer generous tax incentives for companies to move their headquarters —and their employees —there. Over 80 large companies have moved their headquarters from California to Texas just in the last few years.

The COVID-19 pandemic helped the South, too. Southern states tended to have fewer restrictions on movement during the pandemic. Businesses reopened faster in the South than in any other region. There were fewer mask mandates than in other states . And, adjusting for age and other factors, the South didn’t suffer more COVID-19 deaths than other states did.

Southern states were rewarded for those policies. When remote work became possible, a lot of employees decided to leave their high-cost homes in the Northeast and the West Coast and move south, where the weather was nicer and where the houses are newer, bigger, and cheaper—and where the COVID-related rules were not as strict .

The weather in the South is generally pleasant. It’s hot and humid in the summer. Summer can be brutal . But a lot of houses in the South are new, and they come with efficient air conditioning , so the southern heat is more tolerable than it once was. Winters are generally mild.

For all those reasons, the South is booming —and now it has a diverse economy . It was once mostly agricultural . But now, you can find a little of everything. Dallas and Houston are very well-diversified cities , home to about 50 Fortune 500 companies between them. Austin, Texas, is a tech hub .

North Carolina has something called Research Triangle Park, a high-tech research park with over 300 companies and 65,000 employees all in one business park. Nashville is the home of country music ; New Orleans and Memphis have strong music cultures , too. Miami is the country’s gateway to Latin America.

Atlanta is a media capital—Turner Broadcasting, which includes CNN, is based there. Several movies and TV shows have been filmed in Atlanta. It hosted the Olympics in 1996. Atlanta is also strong in services , like consulting and finance . And the city has the world’s busiest airport .

The South is an unequal region . While some parts of the region are booming , with tech jobs , manufacturing , and services, other Southern states are among America’s poorest . Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama have some of the lowest average incomes of any states, even after adjusting for the lower costs in the region.

And remember how people love the low taxes in the South? That cuts both ways . Public spending on things like education, roads , and health care is lower than in other areas of the country. The social safety net is weaker here than in other regions.

What about outdoor activities ? Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina have great beaches . The Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia and the Carolinas offer great opportunities for hiking , biking , and sightseeing .

College sports is huge in the South. The Southeastern Conference, or the SEC, is the most popular and most successful conference in college football. In many places in the South, college football is more popular than the NFL, the professional league. Universities of Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Florida; Auburn University; Florida State University; Clemson—these might sound like universities to you, but to some people, they’re religion.

I joke, of course. Actually, if there’s one region of the U.S. most associated with religion, it’s the South. The South is often called the “Bible Belt” for the strong Evangelical Christian tradition . Out of the fifteen states with the most self-identifying Evangelical Christians, thirteen are in the South.

There’s even something called a “megachurch.” A megachurch is a church with a large membership . The largest, Gateway Church, is near Dallas. It has over 100,000 members. Each service might attract 10,000 members in person , and there are multiple services per week—and of course megachurches have a strong online presence .

There’s a concept in the United States called “southern hospitality.” It means people in the South are warm, friendly, and welcoming . And that’s largely true .

If you like food, you’ll never be bored in the South. The South has a long growing season , so you can find fresh ingredients year-round . Southern barbecue is delicious. The Gulf Coast—Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida—that area has great seafood . You can find catfish , crawfish , blue crab , shrimp , grouper , red snapper , and more.

Jeff’s take

The South also has—and this is not even a matter of opinion , this is just a fact —the best grocery store in the country, maybe in the world. It’s called Publix. Publix is like everything you want a supermarket to be. And if you’re ever in the South, especially Florida, and you see a Publix—stop and get a sandwich. Publix subs are the best.

Okay, so what have we done? The northeast , the west coast , the Midwest , and now the South. We’ve got one more episode like this left; we’ll do that on Monday. We’re going to combine the southwest and the mountain west into one episode. Those two together on Monday, and then you will have an idea of what it’s like to live in every region of the contiguous United States.