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Old 01-01-2014, 10:24 AM
 
91,973 posts, read 122,044,192 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 18Montclair View Post
hahaha. The East Coast has massive suburban shopping malls, huge big box stores and enormous parking lots. In fact they have greater suburban sprawl and lower urbanized population density than the West generally speaking.
Especially if you are including the East Coast outside of the Northeast, as it becomes more rural and the cities aren't as dense.
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Old 01-01-2014, 11:55 AM
 
Location: Pacific NW
6,413 posts, read 12,085,628 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nep321 View Post
Evergreens are dark though. I prefer the bright green of deciduous trees. They reflect sunlight better and look more lush. Nice pics, though.
Perhaps you don't know what the word drab means, then.

Quote:
drab
noun
Definition of DRAB
1
: any of various cloths of a dull brown or gray color
2
a : a light olive brown
b : a dull, lifeless, or faded appearance or quality
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Old 01-01-2014, 12:18 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,147,178 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark Park View Post
Here is my answer:

The cities of the East Coast have a density and energy I find lacking on the West Coast. Don't get me wrong, these are just my impressions. Of course, San Francisco, LA, Portland and Seattle are wonderful cities and I don't want to be construed as putting them down.

Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Washington ... are more historic and somehow more "European" in architectural elegance and a sense of grandeur and opulence. I know of no 18th Century cobblestone streets like we have in Philly or Boston that exists on the West Coast. Okay, you say, "big deal." To me however, architecture is important. Both NYC and LA have skyscrapers, but does LA have anything that even comes close to the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Flatiron Building or the Woolworth Building?

THe vibe is very different. There is a kinetic energy in the northeastern cities. People have places to go, things to do, and say what they mean. Folks here in the east - fairly or unfairly, right or wrong - make fun of the meaningless and insincere pleasantries of Californians saying "Have a Nice Day" to anyone and everyone.

Now what the west coast has is climate, beaches, and an overall tidyness and orderliness that is lacking here. People are calmer, from my observations. Cars are more important on the west coast than there are here. Beauty? That is subjective. The fact is, snow-capped mountains are rather close to the Pacific shore whereas here in the east an hour or so drive away from the big cities will only take you to green rolling "hills" not really mountains. The west coast is much better for outdoor sports and leisure activities.

What we have (generally speaking) are better art museums, symphony orchestras, venerable old universities (such as "the Ivy League" and "the Seven Sisters.") ... that sort of thing.

I prefer it here because there is more of an overall ambience of historical charm. No city on the west coast charmed me.

Just my opinion.
Which you are certainly entitled to! However, I disagree with a lot of that, especially the "historical" part. I am a history aficionado and I've learned the history of each state where I've lived. There is a lot of interesting history everywhere. For example, did you know that a major civil war battle was fought on the CO-New Mexico border? Battle of Glorieta Pass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Plus, the western states have a lot of their own interesting history. It's just not the same as the eastern Revolutionary War, Civil War, etc type stuff. It's more about the exploration of the west.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tcave360 View Post
many people are moving to the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region
The statistics do not bear this out.

//www.city-data.com/forum/gener...ns-2012-a.html

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vegabern View Post
This isn't an attempt at superiority, just answering your question of What the East and specifically the North East has that the west doesn't.

History
It's not one developed city or even a few, it's an entire region
Quaintness of NE
For me, a big facor is the deciduous trees. The west is dominiated with evergreen trees. Pretty, but not the same as hardwoods.
It's green. I mean really green. Not just a sliver along the coast like in the West.
Proximity. To all sorts of things in a reasonable amount of time. There are a few areas (Southern California) that are similar but after that, it's still vast open areas before you reach the next big city.

These are a few of the reasons I prefer the East over the West. It's a personal preference. You are free to prefer the West if you want.
See above for my comments about history.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr View Post
I prefer the West, but certain things about the East are better. I like the thunderstorms and exciting summer weather out East-the West, minus Seattle and Portland, lack the rainfall and greenery that out East has. Of course, we have more mountains, deserts, better beaches, more subtropical flora. But it is just too dry and bad for the environment. While the summer weather here is nice, it is quite boring and the nights are still cold. Out East, fireflies, cicadas, warm nights, monsoons...it is just so exciting. The east is also more walklable in general than the West and has better public transportation. As for everything else, I prefer the West. I hate cold and snowy weather, the live-to-work mentality, rude people (although the West has some fakes as well), the overcrowding. It just is not for me, at least besides a vacation. I also am not too big on Western European culture and such. I learned about it for years on end in school and it is just really bland for me as a result. I prefer the history of the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, and civilizations of people of color, since it seems more exotic and we aren't exposed to it as much. I feel like the West represents that more and is more open to trying new things.
The only part I agree with in this post is the fireflies. We don't have them out here in the West. I don't know where the line of demarcation is. DH grew up in Omaha, they have them there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer View Post
I agree. Without visiting and experiencing it for yourself, it's not possible to grasp the full scope of what the northeast region is about.

It's like a country of 65 million people. A few descriptions and pictures cannot do it justice.
The same can be said about the west. There's the Mountain West, the west coast, Southern California, Northern Cali, the southwest, and much more!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanny Goat View Post
Northeast has a better sense of community than the West.
I've lived in both, and I don't agree.
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Old 01-01-2014, 12:43 PM
 
91,973 posts, read 122,044,192 times
Reputation: 18136
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana View Post
Which you are certainly entitled to! However, I disagree with a lot of that, especially the "historical" part. I am a history aficionado and I've learned the history of each state where I've lived. There is a lot of interesting history everywhere. For example, did you know that a major civil war battle was fought on the CO-New Mexico border? Battle of Glorieta Pass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Plus, the western states have a lot of their own interesting history. It's just not the same as the eastern Revolutionary War, Civil War, etc type stuff. It's more about the exploration of the west.



The statistics do not bear this out.

//www.city-data.com/forum/gener...ns-2012-a.html



See above for my comments about history.



The only part I agree with in this post is the fireflies. We don't have them out here in the West. I don't know where the line of demarcation is. DH grew up in Omaha, they have them there.



The same can be said about the west. There's the Mountain West, the west coast, Southern California, Northern Cali, the southwest, and much more!



I've lived in both, and I don't agree.
There's a lot of lesser known history in the Northeast as well. Many people do not know that NY had more slaves than GA at one time and ended in the state in 1827. That the first 2 African-American lawyers in the US started their occupation in Portland ME and Syracuse NY, respectively and in that order. That the first African American to play professional baseball actually did so in the 1870's and was born and raised in Upstate NY. I could go on with other information, but there is plenty of history in the Northeast that people don't know about.

About the population growth, people are still moving to the region, but at a slower rate. In terms of the sense of community, I think it is in reference to the lack transience in many communities within the region.
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Old 01-01-2014, 12:47 PM
 
Location: Both coasts
1,574 posts, read 5,088,236 times
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No doubt the Eastern cities have more history, architecture, soul. They do seem much older and grittier than Western cities. The people are more intense.

However, obviously there is a great difference between (within) California cities vs. Pacific NW vs. Southwestern vs Mountain cities too.
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Old 01-01-2014, 12:51 PM
 
Location: roaming gnome
12,385 posts, read 28,372,317 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joseanto071 View Post
I ask this question because I really want to know some cool things about the Northeast. I've never been to the northeast. The farthest east I've ever been to was Atlanta, Georgia, and that's like in the northwestern part of Georgia.

I don't see how people can like the crowded cities where buildings and houses, are like almost attatched to each other. I like seeing cities that are more spread apart and especially seeing the new buildings. Not ones that are old and look like they're falling apart. Though with old buildings that have been preserved, that's a different story.

I don't see how this is beautiful
http://www.newyorkmurales.com/wp-con...x/bronx_04.jpg
http://superatlasipleri.files.wordpr...arihi-bina.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ridgenycha.JPG
http://www.queeeens.com/imag2.jpg
http://www.olivestudio.com/branch/wp...g_new_york.jpg

Times Square looks stunning and dazzling, I'll give you that, but if the northeast looks like the links I provided, then I would take cities like Los Angeles, Pheonix, Tucson, Las Vegas, Seattle, Dallas, Houston anyday.

As I said before, don't try and insult me and call me rude. I wasn't trying to. I don't want to hear that, I want to hear some cool things about the northeast and to prove me wrong.
You probably just don't like compact cities. You'd hate most of the planet probably.
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Old 01-01-2014, 12:56 PM
 
3,603 posts, read 5,914,409 times
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The northeast has the biggest, best, most diverse, and most artistic cities in America, and also the best public transit.

People who like lush vegetation would also prefer the northeast.

Seattle and San Fran can somewhat compare on this stuff, but you have a major earthquake hazard in both cities, and a very long nights in the winter in Seattle, which is much further north than the big cities in the northeast.
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Old 01-01-2014, 01:01 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,147,178 times
Reputation: 35920
Quote:
Originally Posted by f1000 View Post
No doubt the Eastern cities have more history, architecture, soul. They do seem much older and grittier than Western cities. The people are more intense.

However, obviously there is a great difference between (within) California cities vs. Pacific NW vs. Southwestern vs Mountain cities too.
The eastern cities do not have MORE history, and especially not more "soul". They have a different history. Denver was first a gold mining camp.
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Old 01-01-2014, 01:12 PM
 
Location: University City, Philadelphia
22,633 posts, read 14,855,142 times
Reputation: 15932
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana View Post

Which you are certainly entitled to! However, I disagree with a lot of that, especially the "historical" part. I am a history aficionado and I've learned the history of each state where I've lived. There is a lot of interesting history everywhere. For example, did you know that a major civil war battle was fought on the CO-New Mexico border? Battle of Glorieta Pass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Plus, the western states have a lot of their own interesting history. It's just not the same as the eastern Revolutionary War, Civil War, etc type stuff. It's more about the exploration of the west.
You misunderstand me.

I know that everyplace on earth that humans have occupied have some history. I grew up in South Florida near Miami and the local history was fascinating. The native tribes of the pre-Columbian era occupied the mouth of the Miami over 2,000 years ago and archeologists are always finding new burial sites and excavating for artifacts is always going on.

The older cities and towns of the east coast have more of a historical ambiance and charm. I'm talking about streetscapes, architecture, institutions, monuments and so on. Even the cemeteries over here are more glorious ... for example, just taking a stroll through the historic Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn or Laurel Hill or the Woodlands Cemeteries in Philly - one is astonished by the sheer number and magnificence of Victorian statuary, monuments, and mausoleums that reflect the grandeur of 19th Century tastes.

What I'm trying to say is the obvious presence of history all around me. Every week I walk down 18th Century cobblestone streets that were familiar to people like Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross. These lanes were not designed for automobiles. Every day I pass a house or a building that represents every architectural style from Georgian Colonial to Federal to Greek Revival to Italianate to Queen Anne to French Second Empire (my house) to Victorian Eclectic.

For me it's about quaintness, character, charm and overall ambiance.

Every part of North America - north, south, east and west - has miles of sprawling soulless suburbs of boxy tract-like houses and driveways, banal shopping malls, parking lots, big box stores, etc. They are just less obvious here.
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Old 01-01-2014, 01:21 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,147,178 times
Reputation: 35920
I hear what you're saying. I'm just saying, you don't just find that in the northeast. I used to live in central Illinois, in the heart of Illinois ag country. We literally "walked where Lincoln walked". He was the circuit court judge in Champaign County, held court in the Champaign County courthouse, which was a few blocks from my home. His presence was everywhere. It is no wonder many Illinois politicians say their political hero is Abraham Lincoln. Now when Lincoln was pres, Illinois was the frontier, and people made fun of him for being from the wilderness.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...58187178,d.aWc

These days, Illinois is considered the midwest, and the eastern MW at that.
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