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Actually, the common theme among east coast cities is that a whole lot of people head for the beach every year on Memorial Day and Labor Day. So, the major cities and metro areas tend to feel emptier on those days while the beaches get extremely crowded.
I don't know if you can replicate that feeling in non-coastal areas.
Yes you do. Chicago empties out into Wisconsin and Michigan every weekend in the summer, mostly for beaches and lake homes.
Actually, the common theme among east coast cities is that a whole lot of people head for the beach every year on Memorial Day and Labor Day. So, the major cities and metro areas tend to feel emptier on those days while the beaches get extremely crowded.
I don't know if you can replicate that feeling in non-coastal areas.
In Minneapolis people head for the lakes in the northern parts of the state. Minneapolis empties out enough that most restaurants close for Memorial Day and Labor Day. When I worked in restaurants they were always the slowest weekends of the summer (by far).
Yes you do. Chicago empties out into Wisconsin and Michigan every weekend in the summer, mostly for beaches and lake homes.
Chicago hardly feels empty in the summer though. If anything the city feels substantially busier. This is why places like North Ave Beach are a cluster during the summer.
I'd wager that for every person leaving for Wisconsin and Michigan, there's at least a replacement suburbanite wanting to spend a day in the city.
If you're only considering the California coast and the Northeast as the coastal regions, i'd probably say the rest of the East coast and West coast you're omitting from your coastal definition. The Pacific Northwest has a number of similarities to California in particular.
As the OP, I think I may have been unclear as to what I meant by this thread. I was using the term "coastal" as opposition to the term "flyover country". My definition was not tied to the coasts in general. What I was going for was the idea that the Northeast Corridor on the east coast and the California coast (principally LA & SF) make up what is envisioned as the true "power centers" of the nation.....Wall Street, government, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, Ivy League, etc.
My definition would not include the Oregon Coast or the Alabama/Missiisippi gulf coast or Georgia's coast on the Atlantic among other places.
Nor does my coastal definition extend to inland areas of coastal states such as Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Sacramento.
Coastal California and the Northeast Corridor are hardly alike; they differ in more ways than what they have in common. But these are the areas where we most envision the coastal culture of power, influence, and oddly (since they are geographically periphery) centralization.
These areas function in a similar way in terms of politics (generally blue), diversity, global orientation, home of the makers and shakers.
That's what I was going for.
My question here was merely......what places (be they city, state, or region) are most compatible with what we see in these two coastal regions, a place that would fit in with them nicely because of their similarities and overlaps. Are there places in the interior that seem to function in a way similar to the coastal regions I identified.
My question here was merely......what places (be they city, state, or region) are most compatible with what we see in these two coastal regions, a place that would fit in with them nicely because of their similarities and overlaps. Are there places in the interior that seem to function in a way similar to the coastal regions I identified.
Chicago would fit right in with them, being a major financial center.
As the OP, I think I may have been unclear as to what I meant by this thread. I was using the term "coastal" as opposition to the term "flyover country". My definition was not tied to the coasts in general. What I was going for was the idea that the Northeast Corridor on the east coast and the California coast (principally LA & SF) make up what is envisioned as the true "power centers" of the nation.....Wall Street, government, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, Ivy League, etc.
My definition would not include the Oregon Coast or the Alabama/Missiisippi gulf coast or Georgia's coast on the Atlantic among other places.
Nor does my coastal definition extend to inland areas of coastal states such as Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Sacramento.
Coastal California and the Northeast Corridor are hardly alike; they differ in more ways than what they have in common. But these are the areas where we most envision the coastal culture of power, influence, and oddly (since they are geographically periphery) centralization.
These areas function in a similar way in terms of politics (generally blue), diversity, global orientation, home of the makers and shakers.
That's what I was going for.
My question here was merely......what places (be they city, state, or region) are most compatible with what we see in these two coastal regions, a place that would fit in with them nicely because of their similarities and overlaps. Are there places in the interior that seem to function in a way similar to the coastal regions I identified.
Thanks for the clarification.
I'm not sure there are whole regions in the U.S. that have the concentration of power centers that the Northeast or Coastal California have. Maybe more individual cities like Chicago.
You could say Eastern Texas with Dallas and Houston, however that doesn't completely fill the liberal criteria you also had specified, although I know they are more liberal than some give them credit for.
If you broaden the search to include Canada, the Toronto-Montreal-Ottawa corridor works given that a lot of Canada's power is concentrated in that one region. That may actually be the closest.
Thanks for the clarification.
I'm not sure there are whole regions in the U.S. that have the concentration of power centers that the Northeast or Coastal California have. Maybe more individual cities like Chicago.
You could say Eastern Texas with Dallas and Houston, however that doesn't completely fill the liberal criteria you also had specified, although I know they are more liberal than some give them credit for.
If you broaden the search to include Canada, the Toronto-Montreal-Ottawa corridor works given that a lot of Canada's power is concentrated in that one region. That may actually be the closest.
Thanks Mike. Clearly I didn't get my idea across very well on the original post
Thanks Mike. Clearly I didn't get my idea across very well on the original post
I get what you mean, but I still wouldn't use the word "coastal" to refer to that. Metropolitan, maybe. Being on the coast is only one component of what makes NYC and LA powerful and influential cities, but it's not the whole picture. The East coast cities are older and grew at a time where the most efficient form of transportation was sailing. Today, we have planes and cars. Inland cities are not as out of reach as they were 200 years ago.
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