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It seems like people out West tend to have a negative view of the South, Northeast and Midwest. Like it's flat, full of hicks, too cold, too humid, too religious, etc. When the reality is the West is still pretty religious compared to most other places in the First World, has just as much of a redneck population as anywhere, summers are not only hot and almost rainless in the West but also can get surprisingly muggy in certain areas, not to mention Salt Lake City, Flagstaff, Spokane, Denver etc are colder and snowier than most cities in the Midwest and Northeast.
I find Westerners tend to be kind of unfriendly, passive-aggressive and unmotivated on the whole. They'd rather refer to themselves as "chill", yes. People here seem kinda snobby and it seems like everyone is either a self-righteous vegan or even worse a poor-hating libertarian.
I feel like our lack of history also causes us to have a lack of culture. There isn't really much depth to anything here, aside from the Hispanic history and maybe San Francisco, which is losing its identity due to the tech boom.
What do you think? I'm a Westerner but I'm considering moving East to try something different. I feel like the West is keeping me down by depressing my spirit.
I think there is a bit of snobbery among Westerners and most think the West is head and shoulders better than anywhere else. I've lived in the South and Midwest as well as the west and prefer the west myself do to less humidity, mountains, and more Libertarian thinking. But I'm sure many also prefer the Midwest and South as they both have good qualities also.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Originally Posted by spicymeatball
It seems like people out West tend to have a negative view of the South, Northeast and Midwest. Like it's flat, full of hicks, too cold, too humid, too religious, etc. When the reality is the West is still pretty religious compared to most other places in the First World, has just as much of a redneck population as anywhere, summers are not only hot and almost rainless in the West but also can get surprisingly muggy in certain areas, not to mention Salt Lake City, Flagstaff, Spokane, Denver etc are colder and snowier than most cities in the Midwest and Northeast.
I find Westerners tend to be kind of unfriendly, passive-aggressive and unmotivated on the whole. They'd rather refer to themselves as "chill", yes. People here seem kinda snobby and it seems like everyone is either a self-righteous vegan or even worse a poor-hating libertarian.
I feel like our lack of history also causes us to have a lack of culture. There isn't really much depth to anything here, aside from the Hispanic history and maybe San Francisco, which is losing its identity due to the tech boom.
What do you think? I'm a Westerner but I'm considering moving East to try something different. I feel like the West is keeping me down by depressing my spirit.
I think you put too much blame in geography rather than reality and you may subconsciously surround yourself with the wrong people so perhaps you should look inward rather than blaming the West for depressing your spirit. The West is far too big and diverse to generalize the way you do. People in the Northeast and South make judgments about the rest of the country, why would the West be any different in that respect? I'm from New England and I've lived in the Southwest and Northwest, and I can't relate to what you're saying.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 03-25-2014 at 08:05 AM..
What do you think? I'm a Westerner but I'm considering moving East to try something different. I feel like the West is keeping me down by depressing my spirit.
I think you are basically correct. The western United States is largely isolated from most of the United States and its important history. The west is very sparsely populated, especially once you get away from the pacific coast. It is even far away from the primary population centers of Canada and Mexico. Personally, I would find it depressing living there long-term for those reasons.
That is not to say that cool things aren't happening in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle, etc. However, if you are looking for MORE civilization, economic development and history, then the east is overall better by quite a margin. Keep in mind though that you will be leaving behind the great scenery and landscapes - which is where the west shines.
I noticed a lot of "it's much nicer here" and a perception of the east as a bit unattractive looking with unfriendly people. The bigger snobby vibe I got might have been transplants, though they're a majority of the population. There was a lot of "I moved here, and it's so much better here" and people aren't as uptight, stuck in their ways, etc. And isn't everything so scenic compared to home?
The Northeast snobbery is more "our area is more important" but the west is usually perceived as a nice place, especially to visit.
I think a lot of what you're experiencing is based upon who you're hanging out with. Lots of transplants come to the western states and then complain/crap on their native land "back east". The younger ones are especially obnoxious as they come out west with this "hey, look at me, I'm awesome cause I made it out here!! Okiebadokieville, USA sucks!!!" kind of attitude. You should avoid these people, let them be miserable alone.
Also, in places such as So Cal for example, many of the natives have never really traveled to other regions of the country since they never had a personal reason and already live in a warm/vacation spot. Some of them base their impression of these mysterious places on stereotypes, catch-phrases and the things the crabby transplants tell them. That said, there are a lot of respectable transplants and lots of great native western people in western states who have their own unique culture and are curious/respectful of those mysterious places back east. Maybe you could try finding new friends, positive people, curious people, people who have traveled and have a more balanced, knowledgeable view of the west and other parts of the country.
They are such different places so naturally there would be a one-upmanship type of thing going on. People in the West tend to feel more "enlightened," more health conscious, more open minded. Maybe they're right on those counts. East coast is more uptight, slower to accept change, but they're just different. Easterners are much more approachable and say what's on their mind--whole east coast, not just Northeasterners, but even in the South more approachable and upfront I think. When I lived in the West, I didn't find people friendly, no, aloof and distant, not approachable. Kinda like "leave me alone" but it's just the way they are--not to be taken personally.
It seems like people out West tend to have a negative view of the South, Northeast and Midwest. Like it's flat, full of hicks, too cold, too humid, too religious, etc. When the reality is the West is still pretty religious compared to most other places in the First World, has just as much of a redneck population as anywhere, summers are not only hot and almost rainless in the West but also can get surprisingly muggy in certain areas, not to mention Salt Lake City, Flagstaff, Spokane, Denver etc are colder and snowier than most cities in the Midwest and Northeast.
I find Westerners tend to be kind of unfriendly, passive-aggressive and unmotivated on the whole. They'd rather refer to themselves as "chill", yes. People here seem kinda snobby and it seems like everyone is either a self-righteous vegan or even worse a poor-hating libertarian.
I feel like our lack of history also causes us to have a lack of culture. There isn't really much depth to anything here, aside from the Hispanic history and maybe San Francisco, which is losing its identity due to the tech boom.
What do you think? I'm a Westerner but I'm considering moving East to try something different. I feel like the West is keeping me down by depressing my spirit.
To be frank, Westerners aren't too far off on many of those counts. For the most part, the East is colder, more humid, more religious, more conventional, less health-conscious, less open-minded/progressive, less free-spirited, and less individualistic when compared to the West. Also, in much of the Midwest and parts of the Northeast and South, the scenery is rather uninspiring. The West truly shines in weather, scenery, and natural superlatives.
As someone who lived in the East for years and is now living out West, I can assure you that there are many more people in the East who find it depressing and "soul-sucking," so to speak, than there are people in the West who feel the same way about their region. FWIW, lots and lots of Easterners who move West are free-spirits and individualistic, and they do so because the West is a much more welcoming environment for free-spirits who are individualistic, creative, innovative, active, etc. than the East, which is mostly home to conventional, old-fashioned people who don't stray too far home, don't travel much, and sometimes show limited interest in upward social mobility (mostly in the small and medium-sized metropolitan areas).
The West Coast in particular is more humane and has somewhat of a counterculture element to it, especially when compared to the three Eastern regions.
Most of the time, the lack of a shared heritage/history is sometimes a good thing. I'm native New Englander who has spent years living in various Southern and Western states. In Georgia and Texas in particular, I was welcomed, for sure, but I was also frequently reminded that I was an outsider or a "Yankee," which made me very uncomfortable at times--lots of baited comments, veiled insults, cutting remarks, etc. In smaller towns especially, Confederate flags abound. My point is that the division still runs quite deep in the minds of most Southerners regardless of their age, and IMO, it's a very good thing a major division like that doesn't exist in the minds of Westerners, hence making the West the most transplant-friendly region of the country overall.
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