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.
When I hear of a place called "coastal" (perhaps in opposition to "fly over country"), the image I get is of two places:
* the Northeast Corridor
* Coastal California (thinking LA and Bay Area as focal points)
The image, of course, is of power centers, generally more liberal and progressive, highly diverse, and other such characteristics that you can, no doubt, define as you see them.
My question here is this:
What place (be it city, state, or region) that does not lie in the Northeast Corridor or Coastal California would best fit in with the image you draw when you think of the coastal culture, that is most compatible with it??
Depends on if you consider the Great Lakes Coastal.
If not, Chicago, by at least a mile. So much development, too many good colleges, great downtown, Massive metro area. Tons in common with the NE corridor in terms of ethnic make up in many areas. Very Diverse in the city limits. Very diverse economy.
If so, then I guess Denver, since the great lakes would be disqualified as being Coastal.
Depends on if you consider the Great Lakes Coastal.
If not, Chicago, by at least a mile. So much development, too many good colleges, great downtown, Massive metro area. Tons in common with the NE corridor in terms of ethnic make up in many areas. Very Diverse in the city limits. Very diverse economy.
If so, then I guess Denver, since the great lakes would be disqualified as being Coastal.
As OP, I'm sticking with the idea that coastal represents the Northeast Corridor and Coastal California.
The image, of course, is of power centers, generally more liberal and progressive, highly diverse, and other such characteristics that you can, no doubt, define as you see them.
Actually, the common theme among east coast cities is that a whole lot of people head for the beach every year on Memorial Day and Labor Day. So, the major cities and metro areas tend to feel emptier on those days while the beaches get extremely crowded.
I don't know if you can replicate that feeling in non-coastal areas.
California first. I think they are referred to a coast more often because California has such a long coast within one state whereareas the East (north) Coasts gets broken down to individual states more often. Then I hear East coast and sometimes especially during hurricane season the Gulf coast along with Florida coast.
I don't get those images at all. Maybe it's the fact I grew up with the ocean and love the ocean that I actually have a connection and association with the word "coastal" that goes beyond urban areas and actually literally fixates on the coast. Southern Mississippi and Southern Alabama feel just as coastal to me as the coastal areas of California just in a different level. Anywhere where the general population has a lot of access and utilisation of the coast feels coastal. And of course your OP left out Florida and while South Florida is very urbane and metropolitan so it fits your image, the rest of the state that isn't like that fits my image as well of course. As long as there's a huge culture and economy on the ocean, it feels coastal.
But I will say for the sake of this thread, Pennsylvania. It's in the NE corridor but it's landlocked. Michigan feels coastal cuz the Great Lakes. Michigan has way more a coastal vibe than Texas which is actually on the coast. Southern Nevada and Arizona I guess feel just as coastal as inland southern California, if you consider that to feel coastal.
I resent the idea of using coastal to refer to urban, as if there's not plenty of urban landlocked areas in this country. Dallas, Austin, Kansas City, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Louisville, Nashville, Detroit and Atlanta are all pretty urban and shouldn't be labelled in "flyover country" just cuz they're not on a seaboard.
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.
