13 reasons why the Northeast is the best region (tornado, incomes)

[SkyIsTheLimt]

Originally Posted by nei

Depends on where in the Northeast. Northern New England isn't much milder.

Yep.. Boston winters aren't really that mild comapared to Iowa..

[WAOrganicFarmWannabe]

The northeast USA does not have any vibe that I like. I like only sandy, tropical or beach. Hate the colonial "quaker" vibe. Hate cold, hate "raw" or mean weather and the risk of slippery surfaces in winter. don't like deciduous plants. . Love friendly people. Have not been able to make one decent close friend in the 20+ years I've been back in Philly. Very clannish. Costs too much here to have mostly misery.

Originally Posted by nep321

I have traveled all regions of the U.S. extensively and have come to the conclusion that the Northeast is hands down the best region in the country, followed by the South, then the West, then the Midwest. I used to be a hater, but now I believe that it is the "hardest region to beat." Here's why...

1. It's well established and fully developed. The infrastructure is by far the best in the nation. It's comprehensive and complete, with the most public transportation options, and the most interstate highways available between cities, and the best airport travel options. The electric and communications network is very intricate, although natural gas is still in development. Growth is now at a manageable level, because the region has reached maturity, and I think that's a good thing. In other words, self actualization has been achieved for the region. Other areas, such as California and the South still feel like they are under development and expansion is occurring.

2. It has a complete megalopolis. The 400-mile stretch between Boston and Washington is completely developed, with numerous cities and suburbs in between, offering an unparalleled amount of amenities, infrastructure and business activity. There are several other megalopolises in development elsewhere in the nation, but they're no where near the same league as this Boston-to-Washington one. Southern CA is still far behind, and other ones, such as the Piedmont and Texas Triangle are still growing and have a very long way to go.

3. It has three world class cities. New York, Philadelphia and Boston. And they're all easily drivable (or passenger trained) between each other. And they are truly world class, global cities that have a unique feel to each, with tons of American history, culture and unbelievable architecture.

4. It has plenty of untouched, rural land. Despite being a heavily populated region, there is still LOTS of rural open space available in all nine states.

5. It has the best of all four seasons. It features a real winter, complete with snow, a fully transitional spring and fall, and a full 3-month summer that's plenty of heat and humidity for swimming in the pool and going to the beach. Any seasonal sport or activity can be done here. Autumn is the best in the nation and offers extremely vibrant colors, as well as the spring colors. Oh, and snowstorms aren't as bad as some people make them out to be. We may not like all four seasons as a personal preference, but the weather pattern NEVER gets boring or old.

6. The scenery is simply beautiful. Mountains, beaches, wetlands, rolling hills, plains, lakes, and plenty of greenery makes the region feel very full of life. Compare that with the Midwest, which is flat and boring. Or the West, which is dry and brown looking....yuck! The coast of Maine is stunning, as well as the Adirondack and Berkshire mountain chains. The forest is also the deciduous type...with bright leafy green leaves; not the drab dark green you would find in northern CA, for example.

7. Healthcare and education is the best. None of the northeastern states rank high with obesity levels, and all of them rank high with educational attainment! The northeast is home to the best performing universities in the nation and exhibit the highest standards in learning curriculum (e.g., Harvard, Yale, NYU, MIT, etc.). All types of healthcare facilities are available within a reasonable drive wherever you live, unless you're in a very remote area.

8. The food, entertainment and cultural options are the best. You are always within driving or walking distance of excellent restaurants of all sorts of cultures and ethnicities. The performing arts are present in all cities as well. It's just the norm. And the #1 rated grocery store in the nation - Wegman's - is headquartered and has locations in NY, PA and NJ.

9. The job market and economy is relatively stable and strong. Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Pennsylvania have lower unemployment rates than most other states in the rest of the nation. And the housing market wasn't hit as hard as the rest of the nation, which is great for home owners. And the jobs definitely pay the highest in the country!

10. A truly progressive, "live and let live" mentality and political climate. No one really cares about which church you attend, who you sleep with in your bedroom, what you do with your fetus or anything of that nature. For example, five of the nine states that legalized gay marriage are located in the Northeast, and a long time ago at that. It's sad, that the rest of the nation is still debating such a no-brainer issue as this. The radio station air space is not overrun by religious broadcasts, either. And you won't see those tacky huge crucifixes on the side of the highway, either. The people are also real and say what they mean, and they're not nearly as fake as southern CA people can be. It's a "cut to the chase; no BS, Donald Trump mentality."

11. It's old school and hip at the same time. The region has preserved its history very well, with plenty of beautiful old construction buildings and homes, while also offering plenty of new construction as well. It's also hip, because many celebrities live there and it just doesn't feel "backwards" in any way whatsoever. It's a good blend.

12. The zoning appears natural and real. There is no where in the Northeast where you will find boring grid street patterns that go for miles and miles with no end (except NYC). All of the neighborhoods, towns, roadways and development look as if they were developed naturally over time. In the rest of the nation, too many cities appear as if they were carefully planned, giving them a boring design and layout, which makes the place feel sterile and bland. The saddest part is that all of those "planned" cities still have HORRIBLE traffic! And the housing in the Northeast is just full of character and finesse. Not overdone with boring, cheaply built tract housing all over the place. And chain restaurants and fast food are kept to a minimum.

13. Crime rates are very low. With the exception of certain cities here and there (e.g., Hartford, Newark, Camden, etc.), the vast majority of towns, and even some cities, have safe, low crime rates.


So now I understand why the cost of living is so high in the Northeast. It's about supply and demand. You get what you pay for. The rest of the nation is still experiencing growth and development, which results in boring looking cities, neighborhood developments, mediocre school systems, boring weather that stays the same all year round, and high crime rates in more cities and towns, with less culture and economic might.

[CurlyFries]

All four of the Census's regions have their ups and downs.

[skidamarink]

Originally Posted by Mr_250

I live in the NE (Connecticut). I drive a lifted F250, wear jeans, boots, no cowboy hat, but a ball cap everywhere. There is that "Heartland" feeling here in Connecticut. Granted not all of CT, but north CT you'll find it.

That being said, I do plan on visiting Iowa because I feel like I would enjoy it.

You can find a little bit of everything in the Northeast, especially in the NYC metro. I sometimes think of the NYC metro (not just the city) as "where it all began" or the melting pot of everyone and everything. The rest of the US is for breakaways who formed an exclusive culture that specializes in those particular subcultures. Want Christianity? Sure, you can find that in NYC, but you'll find it x10000 in the Southeast. Want nature? Yes, you can travel outside of NYC to find some nature. But it won't be as great as what's in the PNW. Like beautiful women? NYC has that too, but you'll find them more easily in SoCal. So all in all, yes the Northeast has it all. But there are other areas of the country that specialize in having certain parts of it all and they often do it better than anyone you'd find in NYC.

That being said, one thing I notice is that northeasterners, especially New Yorkers, seem to have thicker skin and less ego compared to people from other parts of the US. I think it's because they are so used to being around different people that they just accept any wacky, offensive, and/or intrusive comments that people give.

[march2]

I love the northeast in many ways. My wife was raised in Boston. We're going to Cape Cod in 4 weeks to visit her family for a week. We love the visits up there. BUT, most everything listed is extremely subjective. My wife couldn't wait to leave and loves it here in the South. I worked for Barclays Bank back in the 1990's at their data center here in Charlotte. When they had corporate-wide cutbacks, they decided to move our data center back to NYC in 1999, per their American HQ was there (Barclays is a British bank). 40 of the 88 of us were originally from NYC. They came down during the original relocation from NYC to CLT in the 1980's. They were offered the same position if they were willing to go back to NYC. Only 2 of the 40 took them up on it. The rest stayed in CLT and took positions at other companies here. They wanted to stay there that badly. Not putting down the NE, but anytime someone says declairitively that something IS "the best" (as if it's a done deal), it's usually pretty easy to argue otherwise.

[Nibbidy]

I wouldn't say its the best region, I wold rather be in the South or the West any day over the NE. It's a cool area to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. I prefer the lifestyle over here

[Taynxtlvl]

Maybe a hundred years ago. Maybe!

[Buckeye614]

The northeast (like all of the other regions in the U.S.) is huge so it's difficult to generalize.

New Jersey:

Pros: Beautiful beaches, surprisingly idyllic farmland and green landscape outside of northeast corner of the state, generally solid public schools if you can afford it, safe outside of select urban centers, beautiful autumns, colonial history, revitalized urban areas like Hoboken and parts of Jersey City, proximity to NYC, Philly and even D.C.

Cons: Cost of living not worth it, high taxes, absentee Governor and a long history of corrupt politics, festering urban centers filled with violent crime and hopeless poverty, traffic can be pretty bad, you can only use the beaches 25% of the time at best, not many options for state universities (Rutgers, TCNJ and then a huge drop off). Jersey turnpike area in the Northeast corner of the state is industrial and highly polluted and gives the rest of the state a bad reputation.


In conclusion if you're upper-middle class and can afford to raise as family or have a house down the shore than New Jersey is a good state. If you're middle or working class or a young professional, I think there are much better and lively areas when you factor in cost of living .

[VA All Day]

Personally I've never thought much of it as a region. Subtract NY and none of the rest is particularly appealing to me.

[west seattle gal]

I love the NE. If I had two lifetimes, I'd live there next.