I don't necessarily agree that respecting another's privacy can only be found in the South; you'll also find a good deal of it in the Midwest and the West as well.

As I read this thread I was thinking of the song "Iowa Stubborn" in Meredith Willson's The Music Man -- when Prof. Harold Hill asks the River (Mason) City undertaker what "people do for entertainment in this town?", he replied: "Mind our business."

While there is a good deal of truth in The Music Man concerning Iowa, in general, the people of the Northern Midwest are some of the most friendly and welcoming I know -- but I am biased.

T.