I would have to agree with Mississippi. Just a few of the experiences I've had when visiting a friend who is trapped there for work and due to the housing crash:

1. Its perfectly normal for someone to ask you, upon being introduced, what church you attend. If you don't attend one of the southern baptist churches, you will not be accepted into the community at all. That means you will not be invited to neighborhood parties, town events, and your kids will not be invited over to play.

2. It is near impossible to go out to eat and get food that is not deep-fried or cooked in pork fat. Similarly, if you eat basic healthier food items, you have to order them online or buy them in Jackson (the state capitol) because there just isn't enough demand for grocery stores to stock them. This includes things like unbreaded frozen fish, diet ginger ale, sundried tomato bits, fresh pasta, any sort of fruit beyond 4 or 5, and vegetables that aren't used in core southern cooking. It's nearly impossible to find any mildly ethnic ingredients other than crappy stuff like old el paso brand mexican mixes and sauces. I remember buying mushrooms from a cashier in her 50's who was astounded that there was a way to eat mushrooms that was not deep fried with ranch dressing.

3. Early on in his career in MS, my friend managed to line up a bunch of grants to take his drama students to a cultural trip to New York City to see a series of plays and to meet a bunch of professionals in the theater industry, as well as college admissions staff. This trip ended up being free for the students involved since he was going to cover a hundred dollars a student or so out of personal savings. Over half of the students that were in his class weren't allowed to go because their parents didn't want to get their hopes up, didn't agree with "big city values," or just didn't see the benefit of travelling. It's heartbreaking to think that these high school juniors and seniors, who had chosen to attend an art school, might never get the chance to see other parts of their own country, much less other parts of the world.