I agree with Macmillan about attitude and accent.
I moved from New York City to Dawson County, in the mountains of north Georgia, in the early 1980's. I was probably the only Yankee living in the county. However, even though I had been warned by many other Georgians about the dangers of me living in that county, I was only met with kindness and grace. Other "immigrants" were not as fortunate.
I then moved to a rural county in northern New Mexico, where as an "Anglo" I am in the minority. Again I have only been met by kindness and grace by the other two dominant cultures (Spanish and Indian).
I can only believe that the reason is attitude and accent. The attitude part can be readily understood by the reader. The accent part is a little more difficult. Everyone knows that I am not from here. I do not attempt to parody the local's speech, but I do attempt to pronounce names and places as the locals do. It goes a long long way.