Washington (US state) vs. UK: where would you rather live or visit? (utilities, to live in)
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There is the US vs UK thread, but let's match it up to one state to be more fair. Also to make it more interesting, the poll has separate living and visiting options. So which do you prefer as far as:
- Climate
- Scenery/nature
- Cities
- Culture
- Cost of living
- Safety
- Economy
- Future
- Anything else you'd like to add
Climate - tossup, neither are my preference
Scenery - Washington
Cities - UK
Culture - UK
COL - pretty close
Safety - UK
Economy - Washington
Future - who knows?
I lived in Washington state for 26 years and did work for a bit in London. As an American, I am much more comfortable in Washington and identify with the culture better but I did very much enjoy London although the intensity and pace of life there is too much for me. I have a good friend that worked for me that lives in Cornwall and I would enjoy living there much more I think.
In terms of Eastern Washington it's dry and arid as already explained in the thread and I wouldn't want to live there or where he lives.
If you sometimes have hose pipe bans in East Anglia in England, can you imagine living in Eastern Washington State.
This means the majority of the rainfall is in other parts of Washington State, making rainfall levels even higher in those areas of the state.
I of the UK, my post was in relation to those that stated that all it does in the UK is rain and drizzle, as this is not true, and there are far wetter areas in Europe.
Once again 'some' posters on here simply cannot get past the 'rain and drizzle' stereotype! :-D
Not only is London one of the driest cities in Western Europe, when it does rain it tends to mainly come in showers rather than 'drizzle' anyway!!
Now watch 'some' posters (who live halfway across the globe) come back to me (somebody that actually lives here) to tell me I'm wrong because 'everybody knows it drizzles everyday in London' or because they visited one weekend in 2007 and it rained!
Sometimes you just can't fight bad stereotypes! :-D
Once again 'some' posters on here simply cannot get past the 'rain and drizzle' stereotype! :-D
Not only is London one of the driest cities in Western Europe, when it does rain it tends to mainly come in showers rather than 'drizzle' anyway!!
Now watch 'some' posters (who live halfway across the globe) come back to me (somebody that actually lives here) to tell me I'm wrong because 'everybody knows it drizzles everyday in London' or because they visited one weekend in 2007 and it rained!
Sometimes you just can't fight bad stereotypes! :-D
Whilst most of the sunshine occurs in the summer months, the UK has weather fairly similar to much of what constitutes Western or Central Europe and is less extreme than many parts of Northern or Eastern Europe.
Some people may prefer arid dry areas, and some may prefer the a more mild climate and associated greenery and the UK hardly the Arctic, and it does have summers and heat waves and beautiful coastal areas and beaches, as well as magnificent countryside.
However the main differentiations in terms of the UK are population and geography, with the UK having Europe on it's doorstep.
In terms of house prices and other such criteria, it differs greatly between cities and rural areas, as well as regions, and this is far more evident in a populated country like the UK than in Washington State.
In terms of Eastern Washington it's dry and arid as already explained in the thread and I wouldn't want to live there or where he lives.
If you sometimes have hose pipe bans in East Anglia in England, can you imagine living in Eastern Washington State.
This means the majority of the rainfall is in other parts of Washington State, making rainfall levels even higher in those areas of the state.
I of the UK, my post was in relation to those that stated that all it does in the UK is rain and drizzle, as this is not true, and there are far wetter areas in Europe.
Right, there's a lot more climactic and landscape variety in Washington state compared to the UK (unless you start counting territories!). And yea, every part of the UK is rainy / drizzly compared to the dry parts of Eastern Washington which was what saibot was originally getting at. That's simply just how it is--eastern Washington has parts that get really, really dry. Even what you consider not rainy and not drizzly in the UK is very much so compared to these arid parts--not compared to other parts of Europe.
It's totally understandable if that's not your bag. One of my trips to Washington state involved spending about a month in Washington state living and visiting various parts all across the state. I think the stark variety of natural landscapes and climates is beautiful, but that's not for everyone.
Right, there's a lot more climactic and landscape variety in Washington state compared to the UK (unless you start counting territories!). And yea, every part of the UK is rainy / drizzly compared to the dry parts of Eastern Washington which was what saibot was originally getting at. That's simply just how it is--eastern Washington has parts that get really, really dry. Even what you consider not rainy and not drizzly in the UK is very much so compared to these arid parts--not compared to other parts of Europe.
It's totally understandable if that's not your bag. One of my trips to Washington state involved spending about a month in Washington state living and visiting various parts all across the state. I think the stark variety of natural landscapes and climates is beautiful, but that's not for everyone.
I couldn't care less about the arid region of Eastern Washington, and would rather live in a place with more rainfall.
In terms of Washington State is does not have the transport infrastructure that the UK has, does not have the same level of cultural and sporting events, does not have the international transport links or close geographic presence to numerous other cities and does not have large cities like London, or even Paris which is a mere 2 hours away by train.
To compare the UK with Washington State is nonsense, and as already mentioned the UK is not the wettest place in the world nor is London a particularly wet city.
If you want to go on and on about the weather then so be it, however anyone with any common sense knows there is very little to really realistically compare in terms of the UK and Washington State.
I couldn't care less about the arid region of Eastern Washington, and would rather live in a place with more rainfall.
In terms of Washington State is does not have the transport infrastructure that the UK has, does not have the same level of cultural and sporting events, does not have the international transport links or close geographic presence to numerous other cities and does not have large cities like London, or even Paris which is a mere 2 hours away by train.
To compare the UK with Washington State is nonsense, and as already mentioned the UK is not the wettest place in the world nor is London a particularly wet city.
If you want to go on and on about the weather then so be it, however anyone with any common sense knows there is very little to really realistically compare in terms of the UK and Washington State.
That's not the point. You and easthome are going on about the preconceptions people have of the UK being rainy and drizzly and easthome started that directed towards saibot. I'm clarifying that what saibot stated was in fact accurate and that you guys are going on a jag over something that was never stated in the way you think it was. It is not about how much you care about Eastern Washington--it is that you guys were misreading what was said and running off with it. He had specifically said "compared to where he lived".
I do think the comparison is lopsided especially given the population size difference (I think Cascadia or the West Coast would be a better comparison). If this were something more along the lines of which was more influential or such, then it would be an odd comparison. However, it's a topic about visiting and living which is going to be down to a lot of personal preferences and context as it's not wild for there to be someone who is into much drier climates or mountain climbing and skiing or a host of other things that are better done in Washington.
That's not the point. You and easthome are going on about the preconceptions people have of the UK being rainy and drizzly and easthome started that directed towards saibot. I'm clarifying that what saibot stated was in fact accurate and that you guys are going on a jag over something that was never stated in the way you think it was. It is not about how much you care about Eastern Washington--it is that you guys were misreading what was said and running off with it. He had specifically said "compared to where he lived".
As already stated the UK does not receive any more rainfall than many other parts of Europe and as already pointed out, different regions in the UK also receive different amounts of rainfall.
It also should be noted that Britain has it's own mountain ranges, and the west of the country generally receives far more rain than the east as a result.
The wettest parts of the UK are concentrated in mountainous regions with observation sites in Snowdonia, the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands all receiving more than 4 metres of rainfall in a year.
These mountainous and moorland regions receive a lot of the UK rainfall.
Northwest England - especially the Lake District in Cumbria and western facing slopes of the Pennines.
Western and Mid Wales - particularly the mountainous Snowdonia region in the north.
Southwest England - mainly the higher elevation areas of Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor.
As already stated the UK does not receive any more rainfall than many other parts of Europe and as already pointed out, different regions in the UK also receive different amounts of rainfall.
It also should be noted that Britain has it's own mountain ranges, and the west of the country generally receives far more rain than the east as a result.
The wettest parts of the UK are concentrated in mountainous regions with observation sites in Snowdonia, the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands all receiving more than 4 metres of rainfall in a year.
These mountainous and moorland regions receive a lot of the UK rainfall.
Northwest England - especially the Lake District in Cumbria and western facing slopes of the Pennines.
Western and Mid Wales - particularly the mountainous Snowdonia region in the north.
Southwest England - mainly the higher elevation areas of Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor.
Are you intentionally not reading? No one was saying the UK had different levels of rainfall from other parts of Europe--the sequence of posts that lead you down that was a lot of miscommunication piling up. It was about the UK being rainy and drizzly *in comparison* to Eastern Washington. That's accurate, on topic, and what was actually said.
Yea, the UK has mountain ranges--they're just quite small and short compared to that in the Pacific Northwest. Where the UK does particularly well in comparison is with its history and developed areas.
I do think the comparison is lopsided especially given the population size difference (I think Cascadia or the West Coast would be a better comparison). If this were something more along the lines of which was more influential or such, then it would be an odd comparison. However, it's a topic about visiting and living which is going to be down to a lot of personal preferences and context as it's not wild for there to be someone who is into much drier climates or mountain climbing and skiing or a host of other things that are better done in Washington.
There are perhaps some things that suit individual climate or geography, however the UK has Europe right on it's doorstep, and there are plenty of world class skiing resorts.
I would normally start comparing all kinds of criteria, which is the norm in London v NYC threads, however to do so in relation to the UK v Washington State would not be fair, and I have nothing against Washington State which is a very beautiful part of the world, with lots of great culture and interesting places.
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