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.
California might be going through some tough times but even when things are going tough it still wins easily. Seeing California is a must for travelers from abroad. If you were to ask a European what places he/she would like to see most in the U.S, California, New York City, Chicago, and D.C would probably be the most mentioned. Most people don't even think about Texas outside of the U.S and when they do it is usually in the negative sense due to George Bush and Republicans. On the contrary Texas does have some beautiful areas and the cost of living cant be beat.
I hate that term 'things to do'. You can always find things to do anywhere you live, but it really depends on what you are looking for. Being 'bored' is only a state of mind, to be honest. You can have the time of your life in a small farm town (especially with pretty farm girls around ) and be absolutely bored in the big city.
What do you mean by diversity? The obvious one is 'racial', but what about beliefs? Economics?
Here's what the demographics of each area are (in terms of US defined racial categories, of which everyone will still complain):
California: 42.6% White, 36.1% Hispanic, 12.1% Asian, 6.0% Black. 27.1% foreign born (Diversity Index = .6701)
Texas: 47.8% White, 35.9% Hispanic, 11.3% Black, 3.4% Asian and Pacific Islander, 15.9% Foreign Born. (Diversity Index = .6288)
Mid-Atlantic: 64.9% White, 15.2% Black, 5.4% Asian, 11.7% Hispanic, 15.4% Foreign Born (Diversity Index = .53909)
Before anyone explains to me that "but white people could mean foreign born Europeans', I know that. However, if you want to crunch the numbers yourself, play around with the American Community Survey website: United States - Data Sets - American FactFinder
Each area has its positives and negatives. That's what makes America such a great place; the fact that we have a lot of choices.
Thanks for posting those diversity stats. Texas is almost as ethnically diverse as California [another factor why Texas is going back to being a Democratic state
this thread is a joke. how are you going to compare an entire region (with more than twice the population of texas) to two states? are you kidding me? there's obviously some alterior purpose to be served here
and yes, texas does have mountains
Actually the states chosen are all attached (linked by a geographic area and proximity) and cover a land mass area slightly smaller than California and considerably smaller than the whole state of Texas, so Yes I do believe it is relevant; I think it would be irrelevant to compare states the size of Cali or texas to any one state in the region
OK I didn't know the Mid-Atlantic corridor had that many people.
Actually I believe you can remove the metro NYC population and I believe the region is still more populous than Cali, but population is not everything; I love the geography of both the mid-atlantic and Cali but the mountains in Cali are much more dramtic
OK I didn't know the Mid-Atlantic corridor had that many people.
The Mid-Atlantic corridor also had a 250 year head start (from the founding of Jamestown in Virginia in 1607) of settlement colonization by the British and Dutch, as opposed to the Spanish method of exploitation colonization (of which California was such a peripheral province of). California's European history really only started in 1769 with the beginning of the mission era.
California's population boom started in 1850s. I personally think it's pretty impressive that an area that was thought to be unfit for human habitation (even moreso than the Northeast!) could now be compared to the area of the United States that was the first target of mass migration.
The Mid-Atlantic lacks the natural scenery (compared to California). The only thing it has going for it are the cities (or the I-95 Megalopolis).
I know what you mean about comparing natural beauty out West with anything in mid-Atlantic... Sierra Nevadas, all the national parks, Redwoods, etc vs. ??
But mid-Atlantic also has some neat nature tucked away in places like the Pocono Mtns, Delaware Gap, Adirondacks and Catskills, and the lakes of upstate NY such as Lake Placid; and then the Skyline Parkway in Virginia, passing thru some of the most beautiful parts of Appalachain Mtns in Shenandoah National Park... there are quite a few scenic drives in mid-Atlantic as well. And then you can also add Historic Battle Monuments with so many Civil War battlefields to visit, many in rural areas, along hillsides, etc..
It depends on what you like better to do. While I like natural scenery, I would not trade New York City's urban scenery for LA's natural scenery. I am a city guy. I would not trade going to Yankee Stadium for surfing in Huntington Beach.
Californians think people in the east care because they have bigger mountains and surfing type activities in California, but people in the east are not as interested in those activities so it does not matter here. We are a different region with different activities, both offer different ways of life.
I know what you mean about comparing natural beauty out West with anything in mid-Atlantic... Sierra Nevadas, all the national parks, Redwoods, etc vs. ??
But mid-Atlantic also has some neat nature tucked away in places like the Pocono Mtns, Delaware Gap, Adirondacks and Catskills, and the lakes of upstate NY such as Lake Placid; and then the Skyline Parkway in Virginia, passing thru some of the most beautiful parts of Appalachain Mtns in Shenandoah National Park... there are quite a few scenic drives in mid-Atlantic as well. And then you can also add Historic Battle Monuments with so many Civil War battlefields to visit, many in rural areas, along hillsides, etc..
You have places like Luray Caverns in VA, Howe Caverns in NY, the Finger Lakes, Niagara Falls, the 1000 Islands, some good beaches along the coast, Nantucket, Martha's Vinyard and much more.
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.
) and be absolutely bored in the big city.
I didn't know the Mid-Atlantic corridor had that many people.
