I've lived in a decent number of states (GA, IN, VA, WI, TN, etc.). Alabama was my favorite. The state's probably one of the best at striking the nature/expansion building with actively setting aside land at a local level for wilderness as sprawl threatens areas (not really by state government, but by private ownership or local municipalities/counties), so there's this notable urban/wilderness mix going on in its most urban areas. Local business tends to put a lot of effort into local communities even if business practice can be pretty bad. Also, while not chain adverse, locals don't tend to measure "making it" by getting national chains to come in as much as some other southern states; it tends to be on the more "buy local" side for the South.

There's also a general lack of pretentiousness with its offerings. Books-A-Million is an Alabama based chain, and BAM vs Barnes & Noble give a pretty nice description of what I mean. Even in the wealthy areas (which are more well off than many expect), there's a thrifty practicality that just turns away from things that are expensive just for the sake of exclusion (gated communities not that common in the state), but still liking quality. Milo's is a bit of an example: no one's going to call Milo's fancy, but it's also typically considered one of if not the best mass-distributed sweet teas.