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There are plenty of people in the West, especially young people, who dream to move East, especially to a city like New York. I think it's just because they are on opposite ends of the country and people are imagining a totally different life, different regions, what they perceive as much different types of people. I think these types of people are just looking for total change and idealizing the other side of the country because it's so far and they imagine it to be so different and so great.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz
Perusing through many threads I came across many people in the east who want to move west. I am curious as to the reasons why? Lots of posters seem to want a simple change in lifestyle while others love the climate (lower humidity) while still others cite social reasons (live and let live and more laid back attitudes in the west). If you currently live in the east and are contemplating moving west (including the intermountain west, southwest, and northwest) would you please share your reasons?
I moved from NY to Phoenix back in 2001, mainly for climate. Have Seasonal Affective Depression and couldn't take the cold cloudy snowy winters anymore
Perusing through many threads I came across many people in the east who want to move west. I am curious as to the reasons why?
Most associates I know who have moved or plan on retiring are heading for the Carolinas especially the coastal towns to avoid the cold northeast winters. Ive never heard anyone who planned on moving West , its just too far removed from family and familiarty for most .
We already moved, from the Northeast to the PNW. It was a good move professionally for my partner and, at worst, a neutral move for my career. And we figured if we were going to pull our kids out of school and disrupt all of our lives, then why not go for what we really love? We were right, we love it here. The climate, the scenery, the culture, everything.
I'm originally from Texas, but have lived in DC for over 2 years. I really like it, but yeah, something is drawing me back out there, so I am Denver bound.
It seems to be a lot of less humidity. But in my humble or not so humble opinion, it's rather moot.
I have recently been spending quite a bit of time in Florida as my parents just moved there (Tampa area) and my brother is now planning to make the move as well. Arizona and Florida are almost the complete opposite ends of the country and I don't see much difference on a cultural level. Despite the United States spanning the width of an entire continent, coast to coast, I have noticed culturally there are few differences.
As you know Gools, Arizona is expected to be "live and let live" and generally libertarian with capitalist ideals. I'm sure there are many places out East that reflect this as well. Despite Arizona carrying this reputation, the more transplants that move here, the less "live and let live" it is. Truthfully people do not really want a change in culture, if they did they'd move out of the country.... the United States is the United States period, whether it's desert or forest.
The truth is if you have been raised in a city that does not have this supposed "live and let live" attitude it will not be suddenly given to you when you move to a city that does. You were raised with a specific set of ideals that influenced you from your family and the city you come from. If you are bugged that you see people in sweats doing errands in public and/or enforce very strict dress codes at work, you aren't "live and let live" (this is an attitude I've seen out East whereas here in AZ dress codes are practically moot given some exceptions).
People aren't comfortable with the idea of new places, new culture, etc. at a significant level (obviously there are still some "new" and different things otherwise why would you move?). Even in the case of a big move, people tend to look for areas that are familiar to them (suburbia vs. rural vs. urban, political ideals, big sports, airports, etc.) that really almost at the end of the day say "hey I want a city where I already live but with better weather and maybe a mountain or something".
Truthfully I don't think the West has better weather. The West's weather is so unpredictable you can dress for winter and summer in the same day (see Denver and Boise). Sometimes that difference can be upwards of 20 degrees between highs and lows. And the lack of humidity, especially in the Southwest, causes a ton of respiratory problems as seen in excessive pollution and incredibly high asthma rates in children who carry that asthma for the rest of their lives. In places that aren't so sunny or dry out here, like Seattle, there is higher rates of suicide and other ailments whereas places with a better balance like out East, these problems aren't so surface-level. The truth is our lungs need moist air to inhale, we have saliva in our mouth to help with this, but with a lack of saliva for some of you and this dry air can be a bit difficult.
At the end of the day you have to pick your battles. The West is still relatively "new" in comparison to the East. The West is still developing regional differences (like Phoenix vs. Seattle) that aren't so distinctly characterized like the North vs. Southeast. People see the West as "new" still even though people have been out here for 5000+ years and think that it is equivalent for a fresh start to them. Even though the West is not that populated, we can't afford it like the East can, because we do not have that infamous humidity needed to create rain, minus a couple parts.
So people will continue to move out here to San Diego, Boise, Denver and seek the fresh start they crave and was fed to by generations of the Manifest Destiny but the truth is they will not find it. And soon they will learn that a fresh start isn't force fed to you with new surroundings it's, inside of you. After being spoon-fed the journeys of people like Lewis and Clark in sophomore History class people still see the West as an adventure. But really the West is no different, especially now that it is relatively populated and it's been "explored".
Manifest Destiny is still in the minds of a lot of people, whether they can recognize that or not.
Thank you for such a thoughtful, articulate response!
I'm not from the east, but I moved to the intermountain west or whatever you want to call it (it's definitely west). Totally disappointed. I see nothing special or inviting about this part of the US. It's way too dry, way to desolate, and too far from any of the coasts. Boring, rain-starved, bland landscape. The people are way too introverted and keep to themselves. Runaway cost of living too. Need I say more?
Can't wait to move away from this part of the US. There are many reasons why it was the last part of the country to be settled and developed, and why it will never catch up with the rest of the US.
I am starting to hear this sort of thing more frequently from others who moved west and were disappointed. What was it that initially drew you out west?
There are plenty of people in the West, especially young people, who dream to move East, especially to a city like New York. I think it's just because they are on opposite ends of the country and people are imagining a totally different life, different regions, what they perceive as much different types of people. I think these types of people are just looking for total change and idealizing the other side of the country because it's so far and they imagine it to be so different and so great.
Most associates I know who have moved or plan on retiring are heading for the Carolinas especially the coastal towns to avoid the cold northeast winters. Ive never heard anyone who planned on moving West , its just too far removed from family and familiarty for most .
Interesting. Your point about family hits close to home for me. We have lived in the Southwest for nearly 20 years and got to visit home (Boston) this summer. It had been seven years since we were last there and we were taken back by many of the changes (mostly positive) we saw. However, we also got to visit the elder members of our family and saw how much they had aged. We realized we missed seeing them more regularly and are now contemplating moving back east to be closer. Life changes.
We already moved, from the Northeast to the PNW. It was a good move professionally for my partner and, at worst, a neutral move for my career. And we figured if we were going to pull our kids out of school and disrupt all of our lives, then why not go for what we really love? We were right, we love it here. The climate, the scenery, the culture, everything.
Glad to hear things are working out for you! Coming from the northeast do you find the gray/cloudy days in the PNW too much or similar to where you came from? What was it that drew you west to the PNW?
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