Anonymous wrote:I know the type. They are UMC to “rich” in their demographic.

Graduated college debt free. Family money. Huge cash outlays from one or both families. Throw in an inheritance, maybe a trust fund.
Both families of origin gift them max allowable tax free annually. Parents pay for vacations, home improvements. Legacy memberships at country club, Junior League, college alumni.

Exactly. Grandparents pay the kid's private school tuition too.

Anonymous wrote:The most important question about being rich or not in Alabama was whether their lawn was pristine and no weeds and super green?
Bcs if I like something about the south, it is their pride in their lawn and their neighbourly competitions to keep the lawn the best.
Yes, they do care and compare. I'd like to spill over to Maryland.

This!! My uncle from down South (where I am from too) always comments on the lack of pride in lawns here when he visits.

The only thing I’ve ever envied about anything Alabama is their elite football team. They can keep everything else

I hate the way people make presumptions about the South. I’m a flaming liberal, but some of you need to get out of your bubble. Also, the poster who said “just be friends” with those people is 💯.

Anonymous wrote:My weekend took me to Alabama due to a wedding and I ended up befriending a few people at the wedding and going to their homes. One couple I met is a lawyer and stay at home mom. They live in a 5000 sq ft home and drive a Lexus and an Audi. They had a live in nanny. The kicker is that their house is only worth $450k and he is a solo attorney in a suburb. Would you consider these people rich or just middle class in the right area to live a nice lifestyle? Yes I’m being materialistic and terrible thinking these things.

I live in a southern state. 5000 sq ft is larger than mine (I’m solid middle class). We drive a mini van and a 16yo small suv. Lexus isn’t that special though… Audi is a little more.
Live in nanny .. very much above us.

Home worth is not a factor because 5,000 sqft would be at minimum 800k in my area.

This is upper middle class or greater.

maybe. maybe not. nanny is probably some form of an au pair; nanny gets housing and the family potentially pays less than they would to a more typical live-out nanny. this is a thing in this area too. if you make 300-500k but live somewhere with low cost housing, that leaves lots and lots of money leftover for expensive cars, vacations, private school.

I know the type. They are UMC to “rich” in their demographic.

Graduated college debt free. Family money. Huge cash outlays from one or both families. Throw in an inheritance, maybe a trust fund.
Both families of origin gift them max allowable tax free annually. Parents pay for vacations, home improvements. Legacy memberships at country club, Junior League, college alumni.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In flyover country you don't have to make 7 figures to have two cars and a nice house. That's just crazy DC thinking.

Turns out most of the country is way nicer and has a way higher standard of living than DMV.

Standard of living can be relative.

If you are not within a 10 minute drive or walk from school, library, doctors, groceries, I don't care how large your house is: my standard of living is better than yours.

My house is 2000sq ft, and the most important feature when buying was being close to everything. We can walk to pretty much all of these things. Each kid has their own bedroom, and we have a guest room. 3000 more sq ft will not add much to my quality of life.

You do realize that most in flyover country have all that for less cost?! I grew up in KS and the schools were some of the best in the country, we could get everywhere in 5 min, everyone had at least 2 cars and all kids had their own bedroom. What we didn't have was all the gross smells and homelessness. Oh, and there was much less snobbery than here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UMC. I lived in Alabama for a few years and the COL lets you live very well. It’s like stepping into the mid 90s but with your 2025 paycheck. Unfortunately, the crazy classist, racist, prosperity Christian, pro Trump culture was enough of a reason to leave.

I’ve been to Alabama many times and I’m from up north. I’ve rarely seen this behavior. It’s a stereotype just like the deranged hippy lefty. Very few people are openly like this. It’s what people think if they’ve never been.

Laughable that you think that. Its a racist cess pool.

I’ve never seen people discuss race and class more than on DCUM.

Same.

People here are snobs that think they're better because they are in a bigger city. It's just snobbery. People are just as racist and classist in DC S they are in the south.

Anonymous wrote:In flyover country you don't have to make 7 figures to have two cars and a nice house. That's just crazy DC thinking.

Turns out most of the country is way nicer and has a way higher standard of living than DMV.

Standard of living can be relative.

If you are not within a 10 minute drive or walk from school, library, doctors, groceries, I don't care how large your house is: my standard of living is better than yours.

My house is 2000sq ft, and the most important feature when buying was being close to everything. We can walk to pretty much all of these things. Each kid has their own bedroom, and we have a guest room. 3000 more sq ft will not add much to my quality of life.

Anonymous wrote:Omg this thread is hilarious. Mountain Brook, Alabama is beautiful, wall to wall white collar professionals, one of the top 30-50 most affluent suburbs in America, and also one of the nation’s most highly ranked school districts with a fantastic pyramid. The university of Alabama medical center in Birmingham is a tier 1 academic/research hospital, better than any university or private hospital in DC.

Mountain Brook is ONE suburb of the biggest city in the state. And STILL it’s incredibly affordable compared to most cities.

Anonymous wrote:Omg this thread is hilarious. Mountain Brook, Alabama is beautiful, wall to wall white collar professionals, one of the top 30-50 most affluent suburbs in America, and also one of the nation’s most highly ranked school districts with a fantastic pyramid. The university of Alabama medical center in Birmingham is a tier 1 academic/research hospital, better than any university or private hospital in DC.

Yea but that’s clearly not where these people live because you cannot get a house for $450k in Mountain Brook.

One thing’s for sure OP, the people you met are a lot smarter than most of the arrogant, parochial and ignorant people on this thread!

Omg this thread is hilarious. Mountain Brook, Alabama is beautiful, wall to wall white collar professionals, one of the top 30-50 most affluent suburbs in America, and also one of the nation’s most highly ranked school districts with a fantastic pyramid. The university of Alabama medical center in Birmingham is a tier 1 academic/research hospital, better than any university or private hospital in DC.

They are rich. They have a huge house and live-in staff and one stay-at-home parent and so carefree they invite new people over to their home on a whim.

Just because the numbers are different than yours doesn't mean they aren't living richly. If you were forced to live in central Dubai or Monaco on the average DC income and thus lived in a box, would you still consider yourself rich (or UMC)?

Just because some choose to live in a HCL area doesn't mean others who live richly in other areas aren't ... rich. They are. choice of profession impacts this as does family money but still...I'd consider them rich, yes. Quite