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A lot of people who leave the East in their younger post-college years end up moving back to have children and raise their families there. The east coast populace is more "mature" in many ways because of this pattern. Which is evidenced by many of the comments on this thread.
A lot of people do that on the West Coast too, though... People do that in places I've lived in Northern California or Oregon, except in places where people can't afford to move back home because of increases in the price of real estate.
And the idea that people on the East Coast(or Northeast, since that's what we're really talking about) don't ever leave home strikes me as funny. Considering, that I had elderly relatives who grew up in New York City, who basically all moved to Florida and live in towns that are practically nothing but tranplanted New Yorkers(or from Jersey).
On the surface people on the West seem more individualistic. But the culture promotes acceptance into a group. People on the West are far more group oriented in general. You'll see them hang much tighter in cliques or circles more. Many people on the West don't move very far away from their families either. I've found more people out West who essentially have been in the same area their entire life, moreso than the East
Again, I think the East Coast takes American's sense of individualism more seriously. I find moat East Coast families emphasize what you can do on your own. How do you stand on your own two feet, how far you can make it without family, how much you can be your own person. With that said, the East Coast is far more individualistic than the West. The West is less about standing out on your own, more about fitting in with a group. This is why the social environments are drastically different from East to West.
East Coast is about individuals meeting individuals. That why there is a more active social and night life on the East Coast.
The West Coast is more about doing activities together as a group.
So on a surface level the West may seem more individualistic. I think the West is more non conformist, and people think that's individuality. In reality the two aren't related. People on the East Coast are more conformist, but I think the function more independently.
I believe much of East vs. West coast CITY culture has to do with car dependency vs. mass transit options, as well as urban density.
A certain sort of person likes living in a city like NY or Boston, and a certain sort of person likes living in L.A., S.D. or Seattle. S.F. being anomalous on the West coast. It has some very NY vibes to it in some ways purely based on density and infrastructure.
Which brings me to another difference. The East coast has older, more entrenched, and more secure in identity. The West has a lot of soul searching to do. A lot more generalities. People in WC cities tend to have more diverse interests and career hop more.
In Seattle, my hometown, people seem more insular than people on in NYC. In California, more interaction is superficial for sure. I like that in NYC, the global economic epicenter, people can talk business at a party. In California, people seem less interested in such topics and more interested in hapless banter.
One way I put it: 'On the West coast, people are afraid of the dark.'
Complaining, anger, and critical, negative views, etc. are less acceptable out here. No one wants to hear about it. This gets really boring to me. I like that in NYC, everyone shares similar plights. The weather, slogging to the subway, crowds, etc. It's ok to hate it and love it. In L.A. you better only love it or you might be ostracized.
I see a lot of ridiculous behavior in L.A., S.F. and Seattle that would just not go over well out East. Homeless culture has been perfected out West.
In NYC, if you are a freak you are an artist and you had better be a good one. In Portland if you are a freak you are on food stamps and public housing so you are not as responsible to create a narrative out of your exploits, to add something to society.
I like the more conservative atmosphere of the East coast. People value family more out there.
I agree 100% on your constructive statements. Especially how the EC & WC people interact most importantly through "LOGIC & WISDOM." This is what many bloggers are missing to comment on this thread.
EC have this sense of "DEPTH CHARACTER & WELL-ROUND KNOWLEDGE" about themselves.
WC have this sense of "LAIDBACK CHARACTER & SHALLOW KNOWLEDGE" about themselves.
Can I get a witness? A-MOFO-MEN!
Last edited by LUCIFER#666; 11-04-2013 at 02:33 AM..
I think East Coasters are spoiled by the urban environment, transit within the city, and whats been understated - connectivity from city to city. You can get back and forth through the Bos-Wash corridor in countless, countless ways. Urbanity is just second-nature in the East Coast.
The West Coast has a hype machine behind it that over inflates the excitement of places. Places such as Burbank, Pasadena, and a lot of districts in the bigger cities (with the major exception of SF and parts of inner city LA) aren't that fundamentally different from small to mid-sized Midwestern towns. It has the same layout, mostly single family homes, with the occasional apartment, leading up to a short, small-scaled commercial district. Orange County is hyped up, but, outside the beaches and Disney, its not that much different than any auto suburb in the country.
This is very true.
Very rarely do my friends and I discuss anything going on in the eastern half of the country, other than politics.
But on the flip side, most of us could care less about what goes on in southern California either.
The Pacific NorthWest might as well be it's own country for all we care.
LOL!
Spare me your mockery of justice!
The Pacific NW will follow the same path as CA, "You turn the WC upside down & everything falls apart." Since you have many CA transplants to move & live up in the PNW region with their flakey baggage. BC, WA, OR, & CA might as well to be called, "THE PACIFIC WESTCOAST AKA FLAKES & SCREWBALLS."
Especially, when it comes to business. You will have many big & small businesses leave the PWC region due to its communist/socialist politics. Where will all the businesses move? TX. 2020, TX will be the largest economy throughout the Union. The way how the trend goes against CA.
I think East Coasters are spoiled by the urban environment, transit within the city, and whats been understated - connectivity from city to city. You can get back and forth through the Bos-Wash corridor in countless, countless ways. Urbanity is just second-nature in the East Coast.
The West Coast has a hype machine behind it that over inflates the excitement of places. Places such as Burbank, Pasadena, and a lot of districts in the bigger cities (with the major exception of SF and parts of inner city LA) aren't that fundamentally different from small to mid-sized Midwestern towns. It has the same layout, mostly single family homes, with the occasional apartment, leading up to a short, small-scaled commercial district. Orange County is hyped up, but, outside the beaches and Disney, its not that much different than any auto suburb in the country.
The West Coast often gets the ball rolling in this country-the culture seems to allow for more conscious and independent thinkers.
Today, Washington votes to label GMO's after California narrowly voted the measure down last year.
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