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A lot of talk about North vs. South, but how about East vs. West?
I'm from the East. When I was a kid, taking road trips across the country, the Western states were not as populated as they are now. Most Americans lived east of the Mississippi, and particularly in the Northeast. Many people who lived in the West were transplants from the East.
That's all changed now, and there are generations of Americans who only know about living in the West and don't even have any family ties back East.
I'm guessing there are people who find the East as exotic as I found the West when I was a kid.
Thoughts? For people who have lived both East and West, what is your preference and why?
For people in the West, what did you think the first time you visited the East?
For people in the West, what did you think the first time you visited the East?
Humidity. That's always my first thought when arriving on the east coast lol. Much more green stuff and moisture in general (i'm from CA), deciduous forests that stretch unbroken for miles, even covering entire mountain ranges (the Appalachians, new england, etc), underbrush is generally thicker, you see trees completely overrun with vines and such. Things in general feel a little more closed in and claustrophobic, you'r less likely to get huge sweeping views because of all the trees in the way. There's definitely a different feel in general. Smells different too, of course.
For the record, the places I've been on the east coast are: New England, NYC, PA, DC, and NC.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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My first time out West? My first encounter with the West was at LAX airport, although Los Angeles itself wasn't that impressionable to me, in fact a bit overrated and I was taken back by the seemingly endless sprawl. I was 18 at the time and had bought into all the hype I had heard about it growing up. However I was fascinated with the palm trees, how much bigger the surf was on the Pacific, and the mountain backdrops in LA. I'd later come to find out that I preferred cities like San Diego, Denver and Seattle. From LA I had travelled all over California and Nevada. When I started seeing the wide open landscapes, the more rugged mountains, rapid changes in topography that is when I became smitten for the West. Every state from the Continental Divide and west has very magnificent landscapes. The Natural Superlatives there are just incomparable.
After pondering moving to San Diego and Denver, in my early twenties I had settled into Seattle for 5 years. I explored the mountain peaks, volcanoes, densely forested landscapes, rugged coastline, islands, and the damp climates and semi arid lands of the Pacific Northwest. The road trips were always an adventure. After a while I wanted to get back to my roots so I moved back to Boston, finished up some business and got reacquainted with my family. But I never got over the West and it's calling me back again. This time I want to explore the Southwest. I think Western climates are more appealing and I miss the mountains and wide open spaces juxtaposed with the major metro areas. My roots are in the East and I will always respect that, but my soul is at home out West and I'm really looking forward to getting back out there again.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 09-06-2011 at 01:19 PM..
The general attitude out here is that easterners are rude and/or busybodies. Northeasterners are too aggressive and Southerners are annoyingly talkative, in the eyes of the typical Montanan at least. We only want to be left alone.
I greatly prefer the West. I'm from Miami originally and lived in central New Jersey for many years. For many in the West, "East" means Northeast. The Northeast tends to have no nonsense, less talk more action, down home people. Westerners tend to be laid back, take things as they come sorts. It's pretty difficult, when you're used to efficiency, to deal with the pace in the West.
The West has a much more diverse landscape overall, is cleaner, has better and more consistent weather, people are friendlier, and the lifestyle is more conducive to living a pleasant life.
The general attitude out here is that easterners are rude and/or busybodies. Northeasterners are too aggressive and Southerners are annoyingly talkative, in the eyes of the typical Montanan at least. We only want to be left alone.
I always find it ironic when people I can only presume consider themselves polite call others rude.
Some of my closest loved ones are from Back East but I run into a lot of people from the East coast that are really rude.
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