Do you consider Northern California the Pacific Northwest? (Los Angeles, San Jose: transit, area)

[Surftown831]

I'm surprised that the coastal region (not inland) of Northern California is not more often considered to be a part of the Pacific Northwest region. To me it seems that the weather, the politics, the geography and the culture all closely resemble Cascadia, so much that I would personally consider it to be the southern most point of the Pacific Northwest region. Even San Francisco, which is the most southern point of what I consider Northern California, seems to fit perfectly in with the major PNW cities of Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. They all share very similar politics, histories, counter-cultural attitudes and weather. Thoughts?

[04kL4nD]

NO

They share a few superficial similarities, but SF and the Bay Area have more in common with the rest of California than Oregon or Washington.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

NO

They share a few superficial similarities, but SF and the Bay Area have more in common with the rest of California than Oregon or Washington.

yes and no. I think they resemble both.

[BVitamin]

Originally Posted by UNLV09

I'm surprised that the coastal region (not inland) of Northern California is not more often considered to be a part of the Pacific Northwest region. To me it seems that the weather, the politics, the geography and the culture all closely resemble Cascadia,

I agree.

so much that I would personally consider it to be the southern most point of the Pacific Northwest region. Even San Francisco, which is the most southern point of what I consider Northern California,

Not San Jose?

seems to fit perfectly in with the major PNW cities of Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. They all share very similar politics, histories, counter-cultural attitudes and weather. Thoughts?

Yes, SF does share similarities with Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.

The PNW region, as defined by the U.S. gov, I find rather confounding; Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming are included in that particular region.

[KC6ZLV]

Originally Posted by UNLV09

I'm surprised that the coastal region (not inland) of Northern California is not more often considered to be a part of the Pacific Northwest region. To me it seems that the weather, the politics, the geography and the culture all closely resemble Cascadia, so much that I would personally consider it to be the southern most point of the Pacific Northwest region. Even San Francisco, which is the most southern point of what I consider Northern California, seems to fit perfectly in with the major PNW cities of Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. They all share very similar politics, histories, counter-cultural attitudes and weather. Thoughts?

You are thinking in stereotypes. The NW is a fairly diverse place geographically. The climate in Grants Pass is very much like the Sacramento Valley. Bend has a similar climate to Reno, as does some places in Eastern Washington.

I don't think Portland is anything like San Francisco. San Francisco has a very sharp transition to a dry season starting around this time of the year. Wet weather Portland's just seems to taper off in May and sprinkle through the summer before turning wet again in September. The people in the two cities are very different. A fair amount of people in San Francisco always seem to be worked up about something political that is a non-issue everywhere else. I would say the people in Portland and Sacramento are more alike. Very similar in that people don't get too excited about much.

Those are just my observations.

Quite often you will see California and Nevada lumped into the Southwest. I can see some application to this for parts of Southern California and Las Vegas, but Sacramento and San Francisco are in no way Southwestern.

[KC6ZLV]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

NO

They share a few superficial similarities, but SF and the Bay Area have more in common with the rest of California than Oregon or Washington.

Sorry, but SF doesn't have much in common with anyplace anywhere.

[BlackShoe]

Originally Posted by KC6ZLV

Sorry, but SF doesn't have much in common with anyplace anywhere.

About the closest we could come would be to say that it has much in common with pre 1991 Moscow of the Soviet era.

[la_fuerza]

I consider everything north of Redding to be the Pacific Northwest. Cities like Eureka, Arcata, Weed, , Shasta City, and Yreka definitely look and feel like the PNW. Those cities are closer driving distance to Seattle than Los Angeles.

[Curmudgeon]

Not at all. More like a Pacific Mid-West.

[krudmonk]

Far Northern California doesn't consider places like Sacramento and the Bay Area to be northern at all. I'd say those parts way up north could be considered PNW. Shasta and Lassen are the southern reaches of Cascadia, too.