[bugbox]

I just returned to Michigan from West palm Beach, Fla. Spending time at my Florida home made me realize that we in the Midwest have the friendliest people on the planet. Everywhere I went there was road rage,rudeness everywhere and I was afraid to smile at anyone for the fear of offending someone. I once thought of retiring there in the near future,but I wont live where there are so few happy people. I don't understand why its so,because its paradise with the beaches,sunny weather and so on. I would rather stay in the snow and cold weather , which I hate than be exposed to such unhappiness down there. Just leave the Midwest and you will experience that there is no place like home.

[mazzer]

Same is true of S.California. Rude, no time for anyone, rat race. Traffic is a nightmare. Can't drive in rain.... Place is sunny year round (except for the 2 days of rain) and yet it seems to attract crazy people.

Been over to Minnesota and discovered people with time to talk, be polite to one another, common courtesy seems the norm. Similar if possibly worse weather but the same types of personalities, weird.

I would like to get over to MI some time, it's nice to hear the place has normal people.

[joeyscotland]

I found that Northern Cali has some real nice folk. Not everyone, everywhere is an ass

[Coldjensens]

We found that after moving back to MI from CA that people in MI are more closed. It is harder to get to know them. However they will knock themselves out to help you (whether they know you or not) and once you get to know people, friendships are real and deep. Drivers here are much more aggressive. Tailgating is an art and a lifestyle. More California drivers are courteous if they are not yelling, flipping off, or shooting, but drivers there tend to be more distracted and less in control of their cars.

Often in CA you meet people, they are friendly to you, and then they are in a rush to get off to do the next thing on their list. Many are very caught up in themselves and their own importance and status. Status and pretense seem to be a bigger deal and more common there than here. This depends heavily on where you are. We met lots of nice people and developed deep and lasting friendships. We did not find many such people in places like Newport Beach, Cota De Casa, Irvine, etc.; we found more in less glamorous areas like Orange, Fullteron, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Yorba Linda, etc. However we found great people all over the place. Everyone nice or not seemed to be perpetually over scheduled. Things move at a more rational pace here, perhaps because there is less to do and less traffic and fewer lines to wait in.

Remember most Californians are from somewhere else, so it is impossible to say people in California are all a certain way.
I will say that you can pretty well generalize that, since we left there, no one in California knows how to play Euchre. - We are glad to be back.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by joeyscotland

I found that Northern Cali has some real nice folk. Not everyone, everywhere is an ass

Most people in Texas, the South, and the West are also very nice. When I went to NY, I thought they were actually pretty friendly and helpful also.

I think though that almost anywhere, the smaller towns are more open and friendly than the big crowded cities.

[AngelfaceAZ]

I also miss the friendliness of Michigan. People here in Arizona are in LOVE with their brick walls... you can live right next to someone for years and never even know their name! How wrong is that?!? Sometimes I swear the only reason people talk to each other over their walls is because one neighbor wants to know if he can pick the oranges that are hanging over his yard.

I miss being able to see the neighbors 3 houses down and waving hello.