I guess. There are people who have changed a lot. Carol used to be very different. Hershel used to be convinced that the walkers were just sick, that we'd be able to cure them and they'd wake up like nothing had happened. He had a barn full of them on his farm because he was waiting for the cure.
It was abandoned, aside from the walkers and a few prisoners who managed to survive. It was safe once it was cleared. Food supply, series of fences, watch towers. It was actually pretty sweet until people started getting sick and the guy from Woodbury came after us.