Well, maybe we raised the average IQ of North Carolina 20 points Sounds like a match made in heaven. If my taxes pay for culture, good public transport, a decent educational system, fairly inexpensive public higher education, etc, I'm happy to pay them. There's a reason why people tend to say "I'm moving to {NYC, Boston, SF, Austin, DC, etc} after college," rather than "I'm moving to Jerkwater after I graduate."

And lastly, if I wanted an inexpensive small town experience, there are plenty of small university towns in New England, all of which are preferable to living down South.