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Sorry, I disagree. The pace of life, people's attitudes, and the weather make me never want to live there again. Great place for an urban vacation (Washington DC, Philly, NYC, Boston), but terrible to live in. I would choose somewhere like LA, San Diego, or Honolulu.
I've never lived outside of the Northeast or spent much time outside except for a vacation. What is this attitude that is so horrible here? Is the rest of the country some wonderful paradise of better people that I'm missing out on?
The OP was clearly posting their opinion about NE and now posters r generalizing NE into just Major cities..
Life long resident of the NE and living here does have it's advantages like the OP mentioned..like great schools, hospitals,
scenery etc..
And can some one explain to me what defines a World Class City that has been mentioned in this thread. I think that's a matter of opinion too.
I love New England and all that it offers however i love many other parts of the country as well, as they offer things that
New England or the Northeast cannot..
It's all relative in my book and just glad to live in a country where i can travel freely to visit all the diverse regions that we have!
I've never lived outside of the Northeast or spent much time outside except for a vacation. What is this attitude that is so horrible here? Is the rest of the country some wonderful paradise of better people that I'm missing out on?
I've experienced a lot of snobby, smug, superior-feeling, and rude people out East who seem to think everything out there is better and there is no reason to travel beyond the reaches of their city (I'm looking at you, NYC). Not as innovative or open to trying new things, very old-fashioned with a lot of stuff, and just a stuffy and stale kind of lifestyle in general. Sure, some people out West are fake, flakey or snobby, but most people out here are nice with a live-and-let-live train of thought, more innovative and open to trying new things.
I don't really understand how you, the OP, can say that list makes the northeast the "best region" when many of the things listed as positives are entirely subjective. I really like the Northeast, but I didn't read anything in that list that is proof of it being superior. I'm from Southern California and now living in the Southwest, so I can only compare with my own region, but I'm sure others in the South and Midwest could make similar arguments comparing why they are equally as fond of their region as you are of yours.
1. So it's already developed. That doesn't mean that the growth occurring in the Sun Belt and other areas is a bad thing. Some people actually like change and find it interesting to see an area develop and maybe even be a part of that growth and planning. Also, I personally like when cities are on grids. It's easier to get around, and certainly has never detracted from my interest in a city's offerings.
2. The Northeast is a megalopolis and therefore has better amenities and business opportunities? Tell that to a Californian, what with one of the world's biggest economies just in their own state, plenty of first rate amenities, and better weather to boot. Trust me, not many of us in the West are crying over lost opportunities. Those who prefer urban have plenty of choices right here. Those who prefer space and being away from the hustle and bustle have vast stretches of gorgeous and unspoiled countryside to choose from.
3. It has 3 world class cities. So? One more than the West. Hardly a reason to call it superior.
4. Untouched rural land. Have you ever BEEN to the rest of the country?? I'd be willing to bet the other regions have a lot more untouched rural land than the Northeast does. I just drove 5 hours yesterday through mainly unpopulated desert landscape just to get home from where my parents live. That's certainly not a lack of untouched land.
5. It has the best of all 4 seasons. According to YOU. There's a reason so many people from your region escape to the Sunbelt. In fact, every Northerner I've ever met who has relocated to the Southwest has stated weather as their top motivator. Down here we laugh when we hear about your wonderful 4 seasons, blizzards, humidity, etc. Even when we are faced with our most extreme summer temps, we happily will trade that for your weather because as we like to say, "you don't have to shovel sunshine."
6. Th scenery is simply beautiful. Yes, I agree completely, but you are clearly just making things up with your descriptions of the other regions. You paint them out to be hideous wastelands. There is stunning natural scenery in EVERY region of our country. That's what makes it so incredible. The Great Lakes, the gorgeous greenery in the South, the majestic California Coast, Puget Sound, the Rocky Mountains.... yeah, no beauty there.
7. Healthcare and education are the best. There's plenty of top rate healthcare in other parts of the country. You're just being silly. Yes, education is overall the best in the Northeast, but does that really matter if you went to a good college, live in a district with good schools, or don't have kids? How many of us really went to Harvard or somewhere similar where the access to those universities made a personal difference in our lives? I went to a state university in CA. If I had lived in the Northeast, I probably would've gone to a state university there too.
8. Food, entertainment, and cultural options are the best. Again, this is completely subjective. I do find it funny though that you listed having the number one grocery chain as a reason why the Northeast is the best. It actually made me laugh that anyone would consider a grocery store a reason for superiority. Does this Wegman's sell magical food? Have flying grocery carts?
9. Good job market and economy. That's great, but there are plenty of other stable areas too. I love that you mention that the jobs pay the best, but fail to mention that they have to due to the extremely high cost of living. My best friend lives in your beloved megalopolis, and makes probably about $10,000 a year more than me. However, I'm living on easy street compared to her. Her rent and utilities to live in a far flung suburb 45 minutes away from the city are more than double mine, and I live about 15 minutes from downtown Phoenix (not a megalopolis, but still a metro of 4.5 million). She still has to live with a roommate in order to afford living expenses, whereas this is not a concern for me despite my "lower income."
10. A progressive "live and let live" mentality. We have all sorts of mentalities over here... we're pretty diverse. If you want super liberal and an involved government, the West Coast is there. If you prefer "live and let live", come to AZ where it's still the Wild Wild West and no one cares if you are carrying a concealed weapon, are wearing a helmet when you ride your motorcycle, etc. It's pretty much to each their own around here. Again, the mentality you speak of is not limited to the Northeast. Besides, labeling a whole region as fake is also not a "live and let live" mentality to me. It's an egotistical and ignorant mentality.
11. It's old school and hip at the same time.... because celebrities live there. I'm pretty sure more celebrities live in So Cal than all the East Coast combined, but I personally don't think of that as a defining factor in what makes a place hip. You're really reaching at this point.
12. The zoning appears natural and real. I somewhat addressed this already, but please tell me what "fake" zoning is?? How is it inherently more real or natural just because it took place longer ago? By that logic, the East Coast is fake compared to Europe, right?
13. Crime rates are very low. With the exception of certain cities. Well, we could all say crime rates were low if we got to take out all the worst offenders. Look up any list of safest cities and you will find that they are scattered through different regions. According to stats pulled from the FBI crime list for cities with populations over 200,000, 15 of the 20 safest cities in the country are in the Southwest. Every region has plenty of safe areas to choose from though.
If this list were to be titled, "why the Northeast is my favorite region" and listed things such as "I prefer the 4 seasons weather", then maybe it could be taken seriously. Unfortunately for the OP, it just sounds like boastfulness and ignorance about the rest of the country.
I've never lived outside of the Northeast or spent much time outside except for a vacation. What is this attitude that is so horrible here? Is the rest of the country some wonderful paradise of better people that I'm missing out on?
It's all stereotypes that we're all rude, nasty, miserable people and we all suffer in awful weather, and then some.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr
I've experienced a lot of snobby, smug, superior-feeling, and rude people out East who seem to think everything out there is better and there is no reason to travel beyond the reaches of their city (I'm looking at you, NYC). Not as innovative or open to trying new things, very old-fashioned with a lot of stuff, and just a stuffy and stale kind of lifestyle in general. Sure, some people out West are fake, flakey or snobby, but most people out here are nice with a live-and-let-live train of thought, more innovative and open to trying new things.
The NE rocks. If only I could afford to live there without looking at a 2hr commute from where the jobs are.
I got you........Trust me, it is possible to find what you are looking for in the NE. Just get the Boston to Washington corridor equals the Northeast aspect out of your head. That's not to say that you were doing just that, but as you can see in this thread, people do just that.
"Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there."
Ultimately, it's about what you're used to. I grew up on the east coast and find it to be my comfort zone - especially the Washington, D.C. and New York City metro areas, but also Philly and Boston. They feel like the "norm" to me - the right pace, weather, variety of things to see and do, and all those sorts of things.
If I grew up in another region, then I would probably think the same way about it as well.
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