No, I thought they were rude because when I arrived at the school I was instantly ignored. That lasted for well over a year before I was finally "accepted" into the class. The class group I entered into had been together since kindergarten, and I, nor the other new kid that arrived the same year I did, were accepted..at all. We noticed it outside of school too..other people in sports teams, the neighborhood, etc, would have nothing to do with anyone new. If your from here, I'm not at all surprised that you wouldn't have noticed..it's something that would only have been perceptible to new people. Being quiet, especially if someone says hello to you, IS rude behavior. If you move into a new area, and everyone you say hello to ignores you because they don't know you (which happened to my entire family here) that is not what I would consider welcoming behavior. As an adult, I still find the entire metropolitan area rude. I'm talking as in terms of gross generalization of course, but people in the washington DC, New York, Pittsburg, Philly, and Boston area's tend to be generally discourteous to others.
It's obvious on the roads, in stores, pretty much anywhere you go. If you've been here your entire life, there is no way you'd notice, but if you've ever lived in other regions of the country you definitely would. I've spent time all over the states (either living, or traveling), and many area's are full of warm welcoming people that are very polite to new folks (generally speaking of course...there are polite and rude people everywhere). But that sort of warm welcome isn't something you get here, nor anywhere along the I95 corridor on the east cost really. LA is pretty bad also, but in a different way. My sister phrased that one best..in LA people are asses because of who they know, here in the DC area, it's because of what they know.
But I can at least understand why she thinks this area isn't very nice. It's better than a big city, no doubt, and I've been here a long time and I like it here, but I don't operate under the pretense that this is an easy place to move into. I know better.
And the telling thing is that catlingirl didn't take offense to some of those replies. I don't think you will get nasty replies. But, there is one difference, you are a nurse, and will always have work; especially now when so many are exiting because of Obamacare. You came from a very populous area to a place that is rural, and has had to deal with huge expansion in a short amount of time. You are either from here or came here because of the military installation, with a few in between. I can remember when I moved here 15 years ago, that the checkers at the grocery store would ask me why did I move here? They didn't want my kind. 
As always, jmo
