Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Both NJ and SoCal have stereotypes. NJ stereotypes are quite untrue (refineries, lol) and tend to be skewed towards the negative. SoCal stereotypes (sunny warm weather, palm trees, bubbly people), whether true or not, are generally skewed towards the POSITIVE. That is the difference.
Both NJ and SoCal are popular choices to live in, and expensive, for similar reasons - close to cities (where people work!), close to beaches, and close to wildnerness/mountains/forests. That is why both areas are desirable and expensive. Now, what puts NJ in more of an advantage for me personally, is that you have all those things I just listed literally within an hour's drive! Cannot be said about SoCal. Also, in my opinion, being close to NYC beats being close to LA. Or San Diego (although I do like San Diego ... but it feels like more of a big town than a city. I know, I know, population-wise it's very large, but I'm talking about feel).
Here's my thought. People are generally "charmed" by palm trees and nice weather. That's why many people are voting for SoCal. If people were given an overall tour of North NJ (good, bad, and ugly), and then given an overall tour of Southern Cal (good, bad, and ugly), then this poll would be much closer to 50-50.
But many people vote based on stereotypes, and that is just human nature. If I voted in a poll on Wyoming vs Idaho, neither of which I've been to, I'd have to vote on stereotypes as well.
I'm not completely disagreeing with you here, but don't you see the irony in this post? You're only seeing the cookie cutter architecture in SoCal but you have a problem with people ignorantly generalizing NJ? I mean do you really think Beverly Hills and Bel Air look like Anaheim? C'mon, there's more variety in SoCal than you're acknowledging here. Even if NJ has better architecture per capita (which I'm neither agreeing with nor refuting), SoCal has more than just cookie cutter homes. NJ may get a much worse rap than it deserves, but so does LA in many cases.
OK, fair enough ... but if you re-read my post, I said that "everywhere I've been, all I've seen is cookie cutter architecture". Which is actually true. I'm a bit of an architecture nut, and bear in mind I am used to the historic architectural details of Manhattan and Brooklyn, Jersey City, and Hoboken...every brownstone is a gem of it's own and a unique piece of art. So maybe I am jaded by that, but honestly, I was largely unimpressed by what I saw in LA, San Diego, etc from an architectural perspective.
. SoCal stereotypes (sunny warm weather, palm trees, bubbly people), whether true or not, are generally skewed towards the POSITIVE. That is the difference.
rampant materialism, pollution, traffic, fake people, wildfires, etc...are NOT positive stereotypes at all. SoCal gets just as many negative stereotypes as it does positive ones.
Quote:
Both NJ and SoCal are popular choices to live in, and expensive, for similar reasons - close to cities (where people work!), close to beaches, and close to wildnerness/mountains/forests. That is why both areas are desirable and expensive. Now, what puts NJ in more of an advantage for me personally, is that you have all those things I just listed literally within an hour's drive! Cannot be said about SoCal.
I'm 8 blocks from the ocean, 10 minutes from Downtown, a 45 minute drive from mountains/forests, and a 90 minute drive to the desert (which NJ does not have). LA is the same way in many parts, the mountains, wilderness, beach, and city can all be within a 30-60 minute drive.
Quote:
Here's my thought. People are generally "charmed" by palm trees and nice weather. That's why many people are voting for SoCal. If people were given an overall tour of North NJ (good, bad, and ugly), and then given an overall tour of Southern Cal (good, bad, and ugly), then this poll would be much closer to 50-50.
Why? B/c you prefer NJ that means others should too?
rampant materialism, pollution, traffic, fake people, wildfires, etc...are NOT positive stereotypes at all. SoCal gets just as many negative stereotypes as it does positive ones.
I'm 8 blocks from the ocean, 10 minutes from Downtown, a 45 minute drive from mountains/forests, and a 90 minute drive to the desert (which NJ does not have). LA is the same way in many parts, the mountains, wilderness, beach, and city can all be within a 30-60 minute drive.
Why? B/c you prefer NJ that means others should too?
No. Because NJ negative stereotypes are more abundant than CA negative stereotypes. That, and palm trees and idealistic images of Southern CA charm people and make them think happy thoughts. That's the way it is here on the East Coast anyway.
To the NJ people I have a question. Can anybody tell me the name of this town? When my daughter was playing ice hockey, we went to a prep school someplace in northern NJ. All I remember is that we took the GWB and it was only a very short ride from there.
The town was built on the cliffs. The houses were great big tudors way above street level. The prep school was at the very top elevation. We had to climb about 50 steps cut out of the rock to get to it. There were woods and I think a stream. The school also was a big brick tudor style building. You could look out and see the river from the school grounds.
It was like being back in a English country village. I absolutely LOVED that place. I am sure it must be VERY expensive there.
Anybody have any idea where this is?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
