# Are West Coast people different than East Coast people? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 23, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827 "2005-07-23T18:52:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/21 "2005-07-24T20:47:09Z")
> [@Manatee](#): > > Yeah, we are. > > We know that it should be “from,” not “than.” Of all the posts in this thread, I must say that this one in particular is the most informative and on topic. It sure gave me a lot to ponder. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/22 "2005-07-24T20:51:24Z")
One other thing that I have noticed here is that everyone walks or drives at the exact wrong speed for me. Just enough slower than I want to go to be annoying, but fast enough to make getting around them a hassle. They also seem to get offended if you go around them for some reason. I do think that people from the back east are more aggressive and rude. I personally like that, because I am used to it. I think that the drive is still there for the folks here, it just seems to take some sort of a underhanded form. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/23 "2005-07-25T01:44:29Z")
> [@Plan B](#): > > I’m thinking of moving to San Diego. Every so often someone will say that they moved to California but didn’t like it because of the people. I visited recently and the people didn’t seem that different to me, but then again it was all limited to superficial chatting around tourist areas. > > Is there anything to this? Should we be concerned that the people will be different and we might not get along? I’d be interested in hearing any stories from anyone who has moved in either direction, and found a difference or didn’t find a difference. I live in the South-New Orleans area, but grew up in N. Va. and went to grad school in Oregon and of course have visited both coasts on several occasions. So I can comment on both coasts equally-I don’t live on either one. East Coast: colder faster more driven people. West Coast: more superficial less focused but busier and more personally interesting people. Compared to folks in the South and Midwest, both coasts should be ashamed of their manners. Neither rates even a D from me. But YMMV. Will and easterner get along in the west? I think so. There are _lots_ of people on both coasts and you are equally likely to find people you like either place. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/24 "2005-07-25T02:08:39Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > California isn’t homogenous, either- there is a big north/south divide- we think they are superficial and they think we are snobbish. The California divide is more north/south/central. Both the north and south think the central part of the state is occupied by redneck hicks who do tasks like “farming”. Something that Southern Californians and coastal Northern Californians find bizarre. Then there’s the part of California near the Oregon border, which although sparsely populated, has people who are very much unlike any other part of the state. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/25 "2005-07-25T02:57:17Z")
I’ll agree that the far north and the deep Sierras a strange no man’s land, but the folks in Saramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, etc. certainly know what side of the north/south divide they are on. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/26 "2005-07-25T03:31:02Z")
The wrong one? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/27 "2005-07-25T03:47:37Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > Of all the posts in this thread, I must say that this one in particular is the most informative and on topic. It sure gave me a lot to ponder. Hey, I try to help. Thank you for your sincere compliment; it really made my day. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/28 "2005-07-25T04:08:32Z")
> [@Hunter Hawk](#): > > What **Binarydrone** said. There’s a saying that if you move to Seattle from the East Coast, you’d better bring your friends with you, 'cuz you’re not gonna make any new ones. Funny that you should mention that. Several years ago I had to go to Seattle to work for a weekend. I was working with a group of local people who knew each other pretty well since they’d been working together for a long time. I was the only outsider. Anyway, they needed to have some informal meetings for the local group so they decided that Saturday and Sunday at lunchtime would be a great time for their local meetings. So when it was time to go to lunch both days, they went off by themselves and I was left to fend for myself. I was invited back a few months later by someone who had been there and totally forgotten about the above event. He assured me that they’re a great group and this is a great way to get to know them. I declined. Maybe that’s why I’m considering San Diego, not Seattle. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/29 "2005-07-25T04:59:13Z")
> [@Manatee](#): > > Hey, I try to help. Thank you for your sincere compliment; it really made my day. I’m getting a little weepy at the love, here. 😉 Speaking as a native Californian who’s spent significant time outside this lovely state, I think people have hit it spot on. I’ve generally found better manners in the midwest and south (although there’s always the exception that proves the rule, **Johnny L.A.** ). I’ve found poor manners on the coasts, but while the east coast tends to be deliberate when they’re rude, the west coast just tends to be thoughtless. I’ve had doors slammed in my face, and on the east coast, I know they meant it personally. Here, the person in front of me looked, saw me behind him/her, and just let the door shut anyway. Total obliviousness. Having said that, I think it’s wonderful here. I’d live in the midwest (well, certain parts of it), the south (ditto), and the west, but I don’t think I’d ever move east. But that’s why they made the country so big – different places for different folk. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/30 "2005-07-25T08:02:18Z")
I do believe West Coast people stand _in_ line, while East Coast people stand _on_ line. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/31 "2005-07-25T14:08:15Z")
I have found that in the Midwest people seem to go out of their way to be friendly, polite, and charming. But as soon as your back is turned, out comes the gossip and trash talking. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/32 "2005-07-25T14:36:14Z")
I grew up in NYC, went to college on the Southern Virginia coast, worked for many years in the northern Midwest and now live in rural Central Virginia. My brother and parents live in San Francisco. These, obviously, are my observations. You will find good and bad in every listing. I have no data set for Southern California, Southwest, Central Midwest, Deep South, and Pacific Northwest. ome Observations: Northern East Coasters The Good: generally have a “live and let live” attitude towards other people. Not nosy. Leaving other people alone (not meddling) is considered a positive value. Being direct is considered a positive value. More likely to have experienced many cultures, including international travel. The Bad: Regional provincialism, less likely to have experienced non-urban life in America. Most likely to say offensively provincial things to people from other regions (so, do you have flush toilets in Iowa?) Usually wound kind of tight. Southern East Coasters The Good: Go out of their way to help strangers. Usually curious in a friendly way about other cultures and religions. More family oriented (more family reunions, more likely to live near family, etc.) The Bad: Being direct is a negative value – resulting in backstabbing, gossiping. High awareness of “social obligations” and high social cost for not upholding them to community standards. Less exposed to a variety of world cultures. Most likely to be confused when someone says “I’m Jewish/Hindu/Buddhist.” Midwesterners The Good: More likely to have traveled by car to lots of places in the US, including major cities… most exposed to different lifeways within the US. Friendly without expecting anything in return. Least concerned with social status. The Bad: Most likely to not live anywhere other than their home state or region in their lifetime. Worst, most bland cooking. Most likely to do something “because that’s how we’ve always done it.” Most likely to try and make things go away by ignoring them. Not “imposing” is a positive value – leads to people being unwilling to ask for help. Northern Californians The Good: Most likely to be “not from around here” and most understanding of someone without a social support structure (a concept that truly befuddles Southerners and Midwesterners). Most likely to form “family substitute” peer groups through work or activities. Most likely to have experienced many world cultures. The Bad: Most likely to have tin-foil hat theories about life. Most likely to look down on people not as “open-minded” as they (v. ironic!). Most likely to have lots of principles they talk about but never act on. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/33 "2005-07-25T15:10:50Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > I’ll agree that the far north and the deep Sierras a strange no man’s land, but the folks in Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, etc. certainly know what side of the north/south divide they are on. IIRC the official CA Mason-Dixon Line runs east and west through Six Flags Magic Mountain. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/34 "2005-07-25T15:33:26Z")
Not too many people are talking about San Diego specifically, so I’ll chime in on that, having lived here since 1991. San Diego is a pretty transitory town. Mostly because of the military, I’m guessing. If you asked people where they are from, there’s a big chance they were born somewhere else. Not too many people have lived here all their life. I grew up in LA, and that’s certainly a place people move TO, I just didn’t get that same feeling about LA. I’m not sure if it’s just anecdotal and coincidental, or what. Anyway, the point I’m making is that you’ll probably find people with East Coast sensibilities (whatever that is) and West Coast sensibilities here, because people are from all over. If you’re not worried about the cost of living, I’d say go for it. I love it here. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/35 "2005-07-25T16:15:09Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > I do believe West Coast people stand _in_ line, while East Coast people stand _on_ line. 😉 The East Coast doesn’t equal NY state, which is the only place that I know of that says on line instead of in line. For some reason I get the feeling that many of the people in this thread are say they are talking about the East Coast but really are speaking only about NYC… That said, everything **Hello Again** pretty much applies to the North East, except a lot of the north east is rural too - a fair number of people could tell you very definitively if they prefer living in the city or country, because they’ve lived in both. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/36 "2005-07-25T16:28:51Z")
> [@Hello Again](#): > > Most likely to look down on people not as “open-minded” as they (v. ironic!). Oh good, I see you’ve visited Santa Cruz. (Hey, I love the town, but man, it’s mind-boggling the way some of the “tolerant, open-minded people” can be so hateful and close-minded in the name of tolerance and open-mindedness.) > [@drachillix](#): > > IIRC the official CA Mason-Dixon Line runs east and west through Six Flags Magic Mountain. I dunno about that one… Lumping in Bakersfield and San Francisco together? I-5 between Stockton and the Grapevine, and anywhere that can be seen from it, should be its own faction. Then again, we SF natives never want to admit we have anything to do with anything farther than Berkeley. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/37 "2005-07-25T17:05:39Z")
> [@Hunter Hawk](#): > > What **Binarydrone** said. There’s a saying that if you move to Seattle from the East Coast, you’d better bring your friends with you, 'cuz you’re not gonna make any new ones. I’ve also found that’s it’s curiously easy to drop out of contact with friends I’ve made here. > > There also seems to be an odd lack of spontaneity in people–anything you want to do, you have to plan three weeks in advance. And if you’re planning a party, for example, you need to invite about three times the number of people you want to actually show up. I could say the same about the NYC area, although I will admit that other people seem to have an easier time forming little groups and things than I do. (Then again, I’m about 20 miles out of NYC, and often don’t get thought of when little get togethers are planned.) Why do you suppose Seattleites are particularly slow to make new friends? How about Portlanders? Vancouverites? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/38 "2005-07-25T19:50:18Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > Oh good, I see you’ve visited Santa Cruz. (Hey, I love the town, but man, it’s mind-boggling the way some of the “tolerant, open-minded people” can be so hateful and close-minded in the name of tolerance and open-mindedness.) I spent some time there myself being from Watsonville (bout 15mi south of SC). SC might as well be a different planet for most intents and purposes. > [@](#): > > I dunno about that one… Lumping in Bakersfield and San Francisco together? I-5 between Stockton and the Grapevine, and anywhere that can be seen from it, should be its own faction. I agree but we all gotta stick together. Combined we can strangle their economy single handed. We have the water, the oil, and the food. SF Bay area for finance, tech and manufactuing, the north SHALL BE victorious again. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/39 "2005-07-25T20:28:27Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > I agree but we all gotta stick together. Combined we can strangle their economy single handed. We have the water, the oil, and the food. SF Bay area for finance, tech and manufactuing, the north SHALL BE victorious again. HAH! If we don’t let the migrant workers thru, all your lettuce goes unpicked. We’ll put them to work in the Imperial Valley. You might have some resources and tech, but you also have all of the government. That alone will tip the scales in favor of the sunny South. What can I say? I get the bends if I go north of Santa Barbara. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827/40 "2005-07-25T20:31:08Z")
**Plan B** , as you can see there’s a bit of North/South rivalry in CA. I can’t say it’s one of my most favorite things about the state, but mostly I don’t pay it much mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-west-coast-people-different-than-east-coast-people/313827.md?page=3)