What do people who grew up in the Western US think of the Eastern US?

[joyride2019]

East Coaster here. I traveled to the Bay Area for the first time last year and was shocked by how ugly/old most people appeared. I suppose its the prohibitive cost of living/techies/crunchy/homeless vibe but it was definitely not what I expected when I thought "California Girls". Maybe thats a Southern California thing? The city was pretty and the weather was pleasant but the people were not nice to look at!

[Chicago_Person]

I went to a giants game in the middle of summer and it felt like winter.

Please stop saying the bay area weather is perfect.

[mvpsharky]

Originally Posted by Chicago_Person

Californians live in their own bubble and don't know anything about the east.

No cold, no snow, no old buildings, no humidity, no summer storms, no flatness.
they have mountains, cliffs, oceans, redwood, deserts, waterfalls, vegas next door, Three huge cities in their state.
That is their world.

Nothing in the east matters.

eh, maybe true for some, but when I lived there I met many natives that have never been East that were very interested in what it's like. And CA is a big state. There are places that get cold, snow, run down buildings, and plenty of flatness (drive down through the central valley sometime) I did meet a few "nothing else matters outside of California" people, but that wasn't the majority.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by Chicago_Person

I went to a giants game in the middle of summer and it felt like winter.

Please stop saying the bay area weather is perfect.

The SF Bay area is not perfect for everyone, but some love it.

You mention the Giants...the new stadium is much warmer on average than the old Candlestick Park, which was notorious for cold summer nights. But, yes, summer in San Francisco is usually late August to late October, atleast with the best temps and the most sunshine. The Bay area features micro-climates with tremendous temperature variations especially in the so-called warm season. It can be foggy in downtown SF and 51, while over the hill in Concord it can be sunny and 81.

[polo89]

Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East

The West is more liberal than the East.

For example, more people in the West, aside from the large Mormon and Muslim contingents, have divorced parents and grandparents. As a result, a larger percentage of Westerners are more open to and accepting of divorce and remarriage than Easterners, especially Midwesterners and Northeasterners, who generally approach dating, relationships and marriage more conventionally. Also, aside from Florida, swinging, open relationships and polyamory are much less common in the East than the West.

Here is another example off the top of my head — people in the East do not usually name their children “New Agey” names, opting for more traditional nomenclature instead. Anytime you meet someone with an odd name or who possesses a peculiar spelling variation of a traditional name (e.g., “Ashly,” “Kaylynn,” etc.), that person is almost always from the West. If you haven’t already inferred, this phenomenon is especially acute among non-Hispanic whites.

Finally, the West, in particular Southern California, is credited with popularizing the American megachurch movement, which offers a radically different approach to Evangelical Protestant Christian worship relative to what has been considered the norm for much of American history. Although most megachurches are typically conservative in belief and doctrine, the form of worship is very liberal and non-traditional. For example, some of the larger megachurches in Orange County, CA allow you to eat breakfast at an on-campus cafe while listening to the preacher’s sermon of the day over the intercom. Try explaining that one to a Methodist in Lackawanna County, PA!

Interesting breakdown.

[elchevere]

Trey, Chad and Constance anyone?...lol

Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East

Here is another example off the top of my head — people in the East do not usually name their children “New Agey” names, opting for more traditional nomenclature instead. Anytime you meet someone with an odd name or who possesses a peculiar spelling variation of a traditional name (e.g., “Ashly,” “Kaylynn,” etc.), that person is almost always from the West. If you haven’t already inferred, this phenomenon is especially acute among non-Hispanic whites.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

I'm from Texas, so I will answer even though my state is sort of a mix of West and South.

I consider Texas to be solidly East and South from my vantage point. My part of Texas (Houston) is definitely in the East. The Texas Triangle and West Texas/Panhandle are two different worlds.

I must say that Houston has a huge affinity with Los Angeles. I would postulate that Native Houstonians make up the majority of Texan transplants in SoCal.

Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East

For example, some of the larger megachurches in Orange County, CA allow you to eat breakfast at an on-campus cafe while listening to the preacher’s sermon of the day over the intercom. Try explaining that one to a Methodist in Lackawanna County, PA!

Which would be impossible to do in a Catholic Church (1-hour fasting rule) if you want to receive communion. The Episcopal and other liturgical churches still observe that tradition as a social norm.

Originally Posted by kidphilly

The South does have some differences food wise, becoming less so in the larger metros and some of it can be very good. Food is really getting better everywhere pretty rapidly IMHO

Houston is known for its restaurant scene. But some of the best Texas BBQ can be found in small towns near the Texas Triangle. San Antonio invented the puffy taco, which is just heavenly!