We all kind of balance each other out. If everyone was the same, then life would be quite boring. SoWal sometimes reminds me of "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil." I say that in the most loving way.
This comes from a gull who never wanted to live in the U.S., much less the South, after being born & raised in AL & GA. But for the past 5 years, my family and I have been down this way on work-related travel during the summer. Each time we had a break in the schedule, we'd head to 30-A, sometimes just to drive down the stretch and find peace. Late last fall, we made the jump to living here. And it was a JUMP. But I am so glad that my family and I found a place to love and cherish, here in the South, here in SoWal.
I love SoWal because of the beaches, 30-A itself, the landscapes (minus the palm trees!), the restaurants, etc. There is too much to list. There are certain views that take my breath away daily....
I also love it because of the eclectic people you find here. Some are life-long locals, some have been here for the past couple of decades and some just moved here. But we all love it, no matter what our background or belief system is. Why would anyone want to truly be around only people just like themselves?
I watch all the license tags from other states, especially from GA and think how lucky we are to live here. These people spend most of their year in the rat race, to come down here to find peace for a week or so. Those of us who live here, get that peace daily. I still cherish the days that the kids and I get out to the beach, or even drive past it. It's serene. I will never tire of it.
We live in the ultimate beauty and obviously most of us on this board are dedicated to keep it that way, whether we have lived here our whole lives or just "landed."

to each and every one of you.