Hayden Panettiere: Living in Nashville Gives Me a Sense of Normalcy

Hayden Panettiere carries her niece off of the beach after enjoying the sun together on Wednesday (February 19) in Miami, Fla.

The 24-year-old actress just covered the March 2014 issue of Southern Living magazine – here’s what she had to share:

On living in Nashville: “The people here are amazing. Living in Nashville gives me a sense of normalcy that I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get back in my life. When I first got here, all my defenses were still up, and I was waiting for that world to suddenly creep back in. When it didn’t, I realized that I can live a normal life here with people who don’t judge you based on what you do or who you are in the public eye.”

On her own Southern roots: “My mom is from Kentucky and my grandmother is from Corpus Christi, so I had a better understanding of the South than the average person moving from New York. At my core, this is the kind of person I am and want to be. I like being in a place where people appreciate the little things and don’t need a lot of stuff to be happy. You can put a group of Southerners in any scenario and they’ll have a good time.”

For more from Hayden, visit SouthernLiving.com.

FYI: Hayden is wearing a tbagslosangeles green tunic and a Eugenia Kim hat..

15+ pictures inside of Hayden Panettiere enjoying beach time with her niece…