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A forest? Most of the EC was or still is swamp land.
I had been thinking more along the lines of the past 20 to 30 years or so. Could you at least stick to the 20th Century and later? Every state has history.
The 1st university was the University of Bologna (Italy) established in 1088.
To clarify, i meant the first university in the country, not the world and I'm not going to sit here and point out all of the innovations that took place on each coast, but to this day the east coast still remains a top competitor in education, medicine, and business. The east coast also has the rich history going for it as well. Ive read on here several times about the beautiful natural scenary on the west coast, but thats all, ive been to california many times and agree about the scenary, but i dont see the advantage to living on the west coast, not saying you wouldnt want to live there, but how its better than east coast Im not sure.
You can't really disparage the history of the East Coast. Boston, Philadelphia, NYC, Baltimore were all founded in the 17th century. DC in the early 19th century.
The "United States" did expand west. Other than San Francisco, until 1910 there really wasn't much between St. Louis and SF. Denver was a cowtown and LA was a largely untouched land of opportunity.
Just think about this: No major league sports teams went west of St. Louis until 1958.
To denegrate the pre US history of California is also a misdeed. There is obviously a large Spanish/Mexican influence in California dating back to the 17th century. The Oregon Trail showed that settlement of the West could occur in the mid 19th century. But it is still overshadowed by the foundations of our government, economy, and society, which were all formed on the East Coast.
The history of the East Coast is just different. Without it, there would not be an American history of the West Coast.
The west coast also had a little influence from Russian settlers/fur traders, in the 1700s and 1800s, which many people don't know about (Russian America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). They were mostly in Alaska, but also had settlements in California and Hawaii. There's an old Russian Fort in Sonoma County California, on the northwestern fringe of what is now the SF Bay Area (Fort Ross, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), and the nearby Russian River takes its name from those Russian settlers.
I used to live on the West Coast (central CA coast)…so I’m not trying to disrespect the West Coast here. I couldn't take the cold Pacific and the cool weather on the central CA coast so I moved to Florida, my kids live in Washington, DC and Charleston, SC.
The problem is that once you see all the history and culture on the East Coast the West Coast seems cheap and even childish. I also, like the fact that on I-95 you have snow, rugged mts, fall colors, small intersting towns at one end (Maine, NH...etc)....and extoic animials (alligators, pythons...etc ) and 80 F winter weather at the other (Florida). The West Coast just can't match that. Really, the only interesting cities on the whole West Coast are San Diego, LA, and SF. Yet, the East Coast has Boston, Washington DC, NYC, Miami, Charelston, SC, Newport, RI, ...etc. I love the old historic subtropical port cities like Savannah, Charleston, St. Augustine, ...etc. Whether you’re in NYC at some sidewalk café…or sitting under a coconut palm in Miami in December (coconut palms would die in the cold in CA), one realizes that the East Coast has it all.
The problem is that once you see all the history and culture on the East Coast the West Coast seems cheap and even childish.
How can a region seem "childish" just becuase it was colonized by Europeans at a later date? How can a region even be "childish" to begin with? And cheap? Seriously? Some of the most expensive real estate in the nation is on the west coast. As for "culture", there's plenty here, the east coast has no monopoly on that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trade Wind
Really, the only interesting cities on the whole West Coast are San Diego, LA, and SF
That's your opinion. Some other west coast cities that plenty of people find interesting:
Portland, Seattle, Oakland, Berkeley, Sacramento, Long Beach, San Jose, Eugene, Spokane, Monterey, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trade Wind
sitting under a coconut palm in Miami in December (coconut palms would die in the cold in CA), one realizes that the East Coast has it all.
The reason coconut palms don't grow in CA is not because it's too cold, but becuase it's not humid enough. And It's funny you would think CA outside of the mountains, immediate coastal areas (due to fog/marine layer), and far north is "too cold" for anything, seeing as CA has gigantic swaths of sub-tropical/mediterranean/desert/warm/hot climate areas, not to mention the hottest area in the western hemisphere (Death Valley)...sun, warmth, beaches, palm trees, etc is actually kinda what CA is stereotypically known for.
- Four seasons
- Real cities that have a truly urban feel.
- Richer culture, and more history.
- Lots of great, diverse accents.
- A more English feel, especially along the Northeast Corridor.
I think the problem with the West Coast is that it was developed later in American history, during a time when this country lost its way, the height of car culture and suburbia. When Americans were shunning public transportation and city living in favor of mini-vans and tract housing. When Americans stopped caring about architecture, and concrete boxes began replacing brick buildings.
These criticisms aren't directed soley at the West Coast of course, you could say the same about places like South Florida, Atlanta and such, all of these places which completely developed around the automobile.
Last edited by O.F.C.L.N.; 05-30-2011 at 12:35 PM..
The problem is that once you see all the history and culture on the East Coast the West Coast seems cheap and even childish.
Cheers.
East coast history and culture is NOTHING when it comes to cities in Europe. A typical 200 year old building in Paris would be an icon in NYC. The way you see the west coast can be said of how Europeans look at the east coast.
For me, the west coast just has more interesting places to visit. LA, san francisco, vegas, napa/sonoma valley, palm springs.
On the east coast, all I want to do is NYC.
East coast history and culture is NOTHING when it comes to cities in Europe. A typical 200 year old building in Paris would be an icon in NYC. The way you see the west coast can be said of how Europeans look at the east coast.
this is america, not europe, and frankly i'm more than happy with not being europe. we have buildings way older than 200 years up the whole east coast, so no, it wouldn't be an icon, but a fairly historical building. we have 400 year old places in virginia that may not be as old as a castle in scotland, but a hell of a lot older than big ben in london.
For me, the west coast just has more interesting places to visit. LA, san francisco, vegas, napa/sonoma valley, palm springs.
On the east coast, all I want to do is NYC.
then you obviously haven't done squat on the east coast.
East coast history and culture is NOTHING when it comes to cities in Europe. A typical 200 year old building in Paris would be an icon in NYC. The way you see the west coast can be said of how Europeans look at the east coast.
This is a tired refrain. History is about quality as much as it is about quantity.
The U.S. is obviously a relatively young nation. However, the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence, the writing of the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of the U.S. capital, etc., are of great importance to modern world history because of the stature and political influence of the U.S. in the world today.
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And cheap? Seriously? Some of the most expensive real estate in the nation is on the west coast. As for "culture", there's plenty here, the east coast has no monopoly on that. 