Northeast Pride and things you love about the culture (crime rates, houses) - City-Data Forum

matt g · 02-24-2008, 01:20 AM

Real Italian food
Real Chinese food
other young men's taste in import cars (V-Dub Honda rivalry)
Taste in country music is not so predominant
Better salaries
People speaking proper English
New York City
Philly
People keep religion to themselves
People friendly enough, but private enough as well
Rocky series
Real cheesesteaks

CHIP72 · 02-24-2008, 08:51 AM

Being a Northeast/Mid-Atlantic, edge of megalopolis native, the greatest attribute the region has to offer IMO is the proximity of so many large cities (and many, many smaller cities and large towns) so close to each other. Particularly if you live near the middle of the region or to a lesser degree the southern end of the region, you can easily take day or weekend trips to many different large or small cities or large towns in a 2-3 hour drive (one-way) or less. In many cases, you can use public transportation (i.e. trains and/or buses) to get there too, and the service is frequent enough to be convenient and is also mostly hassle-free to use. (With Amtrak, you can buy a ticket less than 30 minutes before scheduled train departure in many cases.) Just as an example, in the Harrisburg area you are about 75 minutes from Baltimore, 100 minutes from Philadelphia, 120 minutes from Washington, and 3 hours from New York. With Philadelphia and New York, there is a decent amount of Amtrak and intercity bus (Greyhound and/or Trailways) service to/from Harrisburg. I know I've taken advantage of that fact a number of times in going to both cities for day trips, and I'll continue to make periodic day trips to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York (and add Richmond to the list) when I move to the DC area. There are also a number of interesting smaller cities and larger towns worth checking out as well. (I'll throw out Media, PA, Carlisle, PA, and Frederick, MD as a few examples.) Natural amenities like the Atlantic Ocean coast and the Appalachian Mountains (or sections of the Appalachians, like the Catskills in New York state) are in easy driving distance too, if you want to escape from the hustle and bustle.

I don't think I could live in an area that didn't have at least 2 fairly large cities (1 or 1.5+ million metro area population) nearby; it would get kind of boring to go on day trips (or live in) the same, singular large city in the region over and over.

Food-wise, I'd add Maryland crabcakes, Tastycakes (Philadelphia), and the delicious meats (primarily sausages) produced in the PA Dutch country to the list of great foods commonly available in the region.

ainulinale · 02-24-2008, 10:59 AM

You're question focuses on culture...but my greatest love for the Northeast is
the actual structure of the cites. I just think our cities are the most beautiful in the country with old row houses, fantastic density, narrow cobblestone roads, and the best collection of architecture outside Europe IMO. I read from Mr. Herodotus that the Mid-Atlantic alone may have over 90% of the nations rows...I love rows.

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SuperMario · 02-24-2008, 12:21 PM

The Northeast (New England + Mid Atlantic) is the best region in the country. You have many large prominent cities like Boston, Philadelphia, NYC, Washington, Baltimore etc and they are all driving distance from each other. There is always something to do and you never get bored. While it's expensive ALOT of money can be made there. The 4 seasons are great. The buildings and tenements are great. You have that gritty urban feel that you cant get anywhere else. You get to meet ALOT of people. The public transportation is amazing. In NYC you have to most diverse city in the country. Head to the Bronx you can eat Dominican food, go to Brooklyn you have great Italian pastries head on to Queens and enjoy the Asian specialties.

Also you can understand people when they talk.

Trkstp Tina · 02-24-2008, 07:54 PM

In terms of "culture," I think Northeasterners tend to be more opinionated and outspoken, a bit wittier, and more aware of and interested in national politics and news beyond America. I think because there are so many people living in such a small amount of space (relative to other parts of the country), they are used to a lot of people interaction, and thus tend to be active, social and community-focused. I guess those are the positives, and, of course, these are grand generalizations. I could probably name negatives, but I'll stick to the positive due to the title of this thread!

Ohiogirl81 · 02-25-2008, 09:02 AM

People speaking proper English? In Philadelphia? As Daffy Duck once said ... "Ha ha. Ho ho. Hee hee. It is to laugh."

You've got better salaries, but that's only to cover the ridiculous cost of living.

Italians and Chinese have settled all over the country.

j33 · 02-25-2008, 09:10 AM

I like the northeast as much as anyone and have loads of family from there. However, I once recall meeting an older relative who was a member of nyc's finest for most of his life, and, well, proper English wasn't quite how I'd describe how he spoke, especially after a couple of beers

... and least you think it is confined to the older set, you should hear my cousin from Boston when she gets upset, you want to hear some 'prahpah English', give her a call at 3am, you'll get an earful of it.

and as far as Italian food goes, hey, I'm from Chicago, we've got plenty of Italian food here too (judging, at the very least, by the menus that get shoved through the slot in my door daily), you guys don't have the corner market on that stuff.

Now, what you do have, and what I cannot get here, is the lobster roll. I really want a lobster roll sometimes, and when I ask about them, I usually get blank stares, nobody here knows what the hell I'm talking about.

milwjake20 · 02-25-2008, 10:11 AM

The northeast is an overcrowded, crime ridden, left-wing radical, intolerant, dump. No one who has lived anywhere else would ever want to live there.

CHIP72 · 02-25-2008, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milwjake20

The northeast is an overcrowded, crime ridden, left-wing radical, intolerant, dump. No one who has lived anywhere else would ever want to live there.

Ooookay. I can tell you that if the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic didn't exist, the U.S. population as a whole would be considerably less well off than it is. The U.S. also would not have its financial/cultural capital (New York) or its political capital (Washington), among many other things.

What's kind of funny about milwjake's statement above is I actually have a lot more interest in Milwaukee than I have in other, similar-sized U.S. cities because of Milwaukee's proximity to Chicago and my perception that the Milwaukee-Chicago-northern Indiana corridor is sort of like a mini-Northeast Corridor.

ainulinale · 02-25-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milwjake20

The northeast is an overcrowded, crime ridden, left-wing radical, intolerant, dump. No one who has lived anywhere else would ever want to live there.

Overcrowded: We prefer "dense."

Crime Ridden: In places of course... but actually Boston, New York, Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh all have lower crime rates than Milwaukee!

Crime Rates for Selected Large Cities, 2003 — Infoplease.com

Left-Wing Radical: At times.

Intolerant: Were you talking about yourself?

Dump: I'm pretty sure Milwaukee doesn't have nearly as nice architecture as Boston, Providence, Hartford, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or Washington D.C.

Boston:

Photo by UrbanOhio