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I thought someone up top asked if Boston was preppy. To me, it may be the preppiest. I imagine Connecticut to be preppy as well. I'm in tech myself. Definitely not a preppy group, so no on Raliegh, Austin, Seattle etc.
Yeah, when I went to Raleigh I didn’t find it to be preppy at all. It’s one of the fastest growing areas in the country so there’s a lot of new neighborhoods and new residents but they didn’t seem preppy or snobby.
Probably Washington DC. The entire city just oozes a feel of elitism and snobbery. People will definitely look down on you for shopping at Walmart or eating at places like Texas Roadhouse or drinking gas station coffee. In fact they will look down on you for drinking any coffee cheaper than Starbucks. Starbucks is probably the lowest level still considered acceptable. Montgomery County MD only has one Walmart and its not even a Supercenter. Anything below Target is also looked down upon.
The above is true for half the population of the DC area. The other half is mostly ghetto people and illegal immigrants. But its not considered hip, proper, or politically correct to look down on them the way it is to look down on regular people from the South, Midwest, and rural areas.
New York is also very elitist and preppy in this way as is LA. I"m not been to Boston.
True but I don’t think avoiding Walmart makes people preppy. That place is just a disaster, trash everywhere, long lines, kids running in the middle of the aisles, spotty inventory. I avoid it like the plague. Target unfortunately has gone downhill somewhat but still a million miles ahead of Walmart.
I would say Boston and NYC. The NE is very preppy and most people aren’t even aware. It’s almost ingrained in the culture and has for so long they don’t realize it.
Preppy is private prep “elite” schools look, think plaid, equestrians, polo, LL Bean canvas tote, gingham, monogrammed everything, hand-painting chinoiserie wallpaper everywhere in the house, white or navy blue v neck sweater with contrasting piping, Ralph Lauren, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Old Greenwich, Westchester County, Andover MA (Philips Academy), Deerfield MA (Deerfield Academy)
It's not just dress since anybody can buy the clothing. It's lifestyle and socioeconomic status. The yacht club and a boat on a mooring in the harbor. Skiing every weekend. You know how to play tennis and golf. You can ride a horse. You might not go to prep school but your school system has lots of children from white collar professional families. Nobody you know speaks with the regional working class dialect. Everyone you know is expected to go to college.
The upper class, old money scene in the South is still not as pretentious or elitist as in the Northeast and California. There's a difference between the old families of Charleston, South Carolina and Natchez, Mississippi or Uptown New Orleans vs the Northeast. Uptown NO is probably the closest thing in the Deep South to preppy but they're still more down to Earth and not as stuck up and soulless as in the Northeast. The Northeast preppy scene is only about money, power, and elitism and the idea of fancy degrees also contributes to the elitism.
I don't know if Southern Marsh is considered a preppy brand. It started here in Baton Rouge.
Georgia and South Carolina have produced some of the most stereotypically preppy people I’ve ever met. It can be heavy handed in the prep down there. The emphasis on decorum and tradition is pretty intense.
Salt Jose, Raleigh & Salt Lake City are the first cities that come to mind.
Everyone looks clean cut in my experience, hair and skin always on point. They don't really do facial hair, they wear collars, very corporate looking.
My opinion. OH, DC too.
Ohio is one that on the surface would seem the least preppy, and while that is mostly true, there are parts of Cleveland and Cincinnati that could be considered as preppy as anywhere.
In Cleveland, it's the affluent outer eastern suburbs where there are several prestigious private/boarding schools that cost over $30,000 a year. Gilmour Academy (Catholic) and University School (secular) are pretty much right next to each other and both are ridiculous in how much property they own on their campuses. Then there is Hawken upper nearby as well, which is another elite private. Girls only, there is Hathaway Brown and Laurel. 15 or so miles south of Gilmour/University, on the same road (Route 91), is Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, that costs close to $70,000 a year for those who board. Western Reserve draws from all over the world and athletically they don't compete in the Ohio HS Athletic Association. Instead, I believe they are in a league with a bunch of other elite prep schools in Pa. and NY.
FWIW, University School's sports teams' name is the Preppers.
It's really mind blowing how quickly the east side of Cleveland goes from some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country to some of the wealthiest in a span of a couple miles.
To those private schools' credit, they all seem to relatively inclusive in using their massive endowments to give some gifted low income students (especially black) an opportunity they wouldn't otherwise have.
Yeah that area is the definition of preppy, especially Palo Alto. Stanford is right there, and standardized test scores in the local schools are among the highest in the country. These towns vote Democratic but are in no way "progressive" --- Palo Alto's vice mayor, Lydia Kou, is a literal landlord who campaigned on standard NIMBY talking points covered in a molecule-thin veneer of wokeness.
Weren't the Grateful Dead from Palo Alto, and the whole Electric Kool Aid Acid test? I suppose it's probably changed a lot since the 60s though.
Yeah, when I went to Raleigh I didn’t find it to be preppy at all. It’s one of the fastest growing areas in the country so there’s a lot of new neighborhoods and new residents but they didn’t seem preppy or snobby.
Raleigh was really preppy in the early 80s but a lot has changed since then.
Georgia and South Carolina have produced some of the most stereotypically preppy people I’ve ever met. It can be heavy handed in the prep down there. The emphasis on decorum and tradition is pretty intense.
Out of curiosity, where were they from in GA and SC?
I’ve always heard there were some very wealthy families in South Georgia despite the area being poor overall. I’m not sure if they’re just referring to Sea Island or if they live in plantation kind of estates.
Ohio is one that on the surface would seem the least preppy, and while that is mostly true, there are parts of Cleveland and Cincinnati that could be considered as preppy as anywhere.
In Cleveland, it's the affluent outer eastern suburbs where there are several prestigious private/boarding schools that cost over $30,000 a year. Gilmour Academy (Catholic) and University School (secular) are pretty much right next to each other and both are ridiculous in how much property they own on their campuses. Then there is Hawken upper nearby as well, which is another elite private. Girls only, there is Hathaway Brown and Laurel. 15 or so miles south of Gilmour/University, on the same road (Route 91), is Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, that costs close to $70,000 a year for those who board. Western Reserve draws from all over the world and athletically they don't compete in the Ohio HS Athletic Association. Instead, I believe they are in a league with a bunch of other elite prep schools in Pa. and NY.
FWIW, University School's sports teams' name is the Preppers.
It's really mind blowing how quickly the east side of Cleveland goes from some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country to some of the wealthiest in a span of a couple miles.
To those private schools' credit, they all seem to relatively inclusive in using their massive endowments to give some gifted low income students (especially black) an opportunity they wouldn't otherwise have.
I saw more polos and khakis in Cincinnati than I've ever seen in one city.
I was there a few weeks ago. When I got back to St. Louis it felt very different. St. Louis has no sense of style at all.
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