What kind of job would require someone to move South?

Question

I'm writing a story and for the background information I need my protagonist's parents to move from a heavily Catholic area in Long Island, New York to a rural, Protestant community in the south (like Alabama, Miss., Georgia, etc.). My idea is to have them move for job-related purposes. I've witnessed this in the real-world so I know it's believable, but the jobs I've seen (mostly military) wouldn't apply well to my characters.

Any ideas?

Thanks for your input.

P.S. Sorry if this is in the wrong category. I'm not sure where to put it.

Answer 1

Maybe manufacturing, it is the sunbelt/nicknamed the "rustbelt" region where a good portion of America's industrial output is located.

Answer 2

You don't really give enough info for character development...for example, what time frame (20's,. 30's, today), how old are they, what occupation.  For example, if you place them back in say the 50's, 60's or 70's, you could place them in a mill town in say Lowell Massachusetts (heavily Catholic :) and have them move south to follow the textile mills as they closed.  If you did it today, you could have them follow the automotive industry south as foreign company such as BMW, Nissan, etc. open up plants.  If they are professional, have the father move from a commuting job (LI to NYC) to follow the banking industry (many of the larger banks are located in the South now).