Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
- 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.
Real cities? How tired and overplayed.
And for your information, Atlanta developed around the railroad, not the car. We also have some beautiful old streetcar suburbs/neighborhoods here. Please dispense with the stereotypes.
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.
That's what I'm getting at. The same criticisms of the west coast by east coasters for it's relatively recent history is the same criticisms that the European elite had against the US, which ignores it's modern greatness.
That's what I'm getting at. The same criticisms of the west coast by east coasters for it's relatively recent history is the same criticisms that the European elite had against the US, which ignores it's modern greatness.
In that case, we're getting ahead of ourselves. If and when the west coast becomes as historically significant as the east coast, this analogy will hold more water.
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.
Cheers.
I agree but only to a point.
I think the West coast has more interesting cities than just the ones you mention (LA, SF, San Diego). What about Seattle and Portland?
I'm an East coaster but even I would pick Seattle, or Portland over Newport, RI and/or Charleston.
And for your information, Atlanta developed around the railroad, not the car. We also have some beautiful old streetcar suburbs/neighborhoods here. Please dispense with the stereotypes.
Over the past fifty years, Atlanta has grown by thousands of square miles, and the population has more than quadrupled. Atlanta may have been a railroad town a hundred years ago, but all of this modern development has been completely centered around the automobile.
I don't have anything against people who choose that lifestyle. Some people would rather sit on their rears in traffic for hours a day, hamburger crumbs dribbling down their three chins. All those gated neighborhood folks wouldn't want to risk getting on the train and being stuck in close quarters with any of those scary, darker-skinned people.
alot of people mention the cities on the east coast as the main selling point. There is some absolutely beautiful scenary in vermont, new hampshire, parts of pennsylvania and up state new york, as well as the beaches in the carolinas, and throughout maine, and even parts of the jersey shore. There are also really nice small historic towns scattered throughout the east coast like historic new castle, salem, valley forge, chatham, cape cod, you just dont find that in the west, not on the same scale as the east.
There's also Palm Springs, Laguna Beach, Santa Barbara, Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Pismo Beach, etc..
And if were' talking about seasons, it snows in California. And then you can surf the same day too.
so naming a few ocean towns doesn't really prove anything. we can do that too. provincetown, atlantic city, kitty hawk, myrtle beach, savannah, charleston, palm beach, miami beach, the hamptons, virginia beach, key west, portland maine, key largo, martha's vineyard, nantucket, st. augustine...
noone cares about la not having seasons as boston does or whatever, really, it being 59 degrees in january in la and snow in the mountains doesn't do anything for me. 59 degrees is too cold for the beach anyway, then factor in the fact that the water washing ashore in la is coming from alaska and the pnw is bone chilling.
Last edited by CelticGermanicPride; 05-30-2011 at 07:18 PM..
so naming a few ocean towns doesn't really prove anything. we can do that too. provincetown, atlantic city, kitty hawk, myrtle beach, savannah, charleston, palm beach, miami beach, the hamptons, virginia beach, key west, portland maine, key largo, martha's vineyard, nantucket, st. augustine...
noone cares about la not having seasons as boston does or whatever, really, it being 59 degrees in january in la and snow in the mountains doesn't do anything for me. 59 degrees is too cold for the beach anyway, then factor in the fact that the water washing ashore in la is coming from alaska and the pnw is bone chilling.
Actually, there are numerous days in the winter when it can be summer-like temperatures by the coast (and which heats the water) and still snow by the mountains due to previous days, In other words you can get a tan in LA an hour or two after having gone skiing. The temperature dynamic is a unique part of LA due to the dramatic altitude differences of being trapped in my mountains.
Actually, there are numerous days when it can be summer temperatures by the coast (and which heats the water) and still snow by the mountains, In other words you can get a tan in LA an hour or two after having gone skiing. The temperature dynamic is a unique part of LA due to the dramatic altitude differences of being trapped in my mountains.
the average temp in la in january is 59 degrees. i don't care if there are two or three days at 70 degrees. that does not heat the water coming from alaska and the pnw.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
