# Is the West Coast the worst part of the US/Canada to live in? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873 "2015-03-12T23:44:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![protoboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/41 "2015-03-13T14:33:21Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > We clearly live in different Oregons. I have had no trouble making good, good friends here and have seldom encountered anyone who is deliberately nasty. > > When my husband died, we had been here for less than 3 years. His memorial service was extremely well attended and those in attendance were genuinely affected by his loss. People brought firewood from as far away as the eastern part of the state; others pitched in for months after to help finish up the remodel on our home that was only two-thirds completed at the time of his death. They did it out of the goodness of their hearts and my only repayments were a good, home cooked meal along with a few libations. > > I have a wide circle of friends who are able and willing to come lend a hand whenever I have need of them – and I do the same in kind. We’ve done more than one “barn raising” project for each other. I’m pretty extroverted, but all things being equal I found it much easier to make genuine, forthright friendships here than I ever did in California. I love California, too, but there is no comparison in this aspect of the two places. > > I find most Oregonians far from pretentious. They are hard working and generous with their time. They don’t give a damn what clothes you’re wearing or what purse you carry – or if you carry one at all. What matters is if you’re a stand-up sort. > > I’ve lived in California, both the Bay Area and near Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo; also Utah, Montana and Idaho – so I have some bases of comparison. Nowhere has ever felt more like “home” than Oregon, for me. I’m sorry your Oregon is so different than mine. I have friends here and all, I just mean the people that you meet in public, are unfriendly and often downright rude and snotty compared to other places I’ve been to. Hell even compared to California. Oregonians are tolerant but deep down many people here have a superiority complex. ---
**Author:** ![protoboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/42 "2015-03-13T14:35:08Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > If I HAD to move from Colorado, I would certainly move further west before ever considering east. > > My experience with people in Central or Eastern US has never been good. Seems I always run into bigoted sports fanatics. Yeah, one thing I WILL give the West is that avoiding football is a bit more possible there. Aren’t Broncos fans pretty passionate though? I guess a lot of Denver people are transplants, so maybe not as much as you’d think perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/43 "2015-03-13T14:36:36Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > By that logic, China and India are the best places in the world to live? And to answer your question, because living on the West Coast makes it harder to save money and moving ain’t cheap! So the OP question should not have been “Is the West Coast the worst part of the US/Canada to live in?” but rather “Where is the cheapest place to live in the USA/Canada for a dirt poor person who has no prospects?” BTW, there are lots of places on Canada’s west coast with low costs of living. Don’t confuse fishing villages and logging towns with Vancouver. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/44 "2015-03-13T14:39:01Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > I will say Bay Area food is excellent, no question, but the food in Portland is very mediocre, probably no better than what you’d get in Minneapolis or Cleveland. This is total bullshit. You keep posting threads about how badly it sucks to live here, most of which is just disgruntled nonsense because you don’t make enough money. Scrape up the bus fare and decamp, already, and give us all a break. ---
**Author:** ![protoboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/45 "2015-03-13T14:40:01Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > So the OP question should not have been “Is the West Coast the worst part of the US/Canada to live in?” but rather “Where is the cheapest place to live in the USA/Canada for a dirt poor person who has no prospects?” > > BTW, there are lots of places on Canada’s west coast with low costs of living. Don’t confuse fishing villages and logging towns with Vancouver. Actually I wasn’t really even thinking about Canada’s west coast. I love that entire country. I just mean that California, Oregon and Washington are seen as this kind of promised land but being that I’m from here, I don’t get it at all. The weather sucks and is monotonous (I prefer 4 seasons over only 2 of drizzly cloud and hot sun) I’m not crazy about the cities in the Midwest I’ve been too either, but let’s not kid ourselves, Stockton and Modesto are just as depressing and nasty as Detroit. Passing through Seattle after a trip to Vancouver is depressing, because you realize how dumpy and desolate American city-scapes really are, even the “nicer” cities like Seattle and Portland. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/46 "2015-03-13T15:00:57Z")
I get it. You’re young, unsatisfied, not making enough money, quarterlife crisis and all that. You’re suffering from grass-is-always-greener syndrome. Why not just try moving? I grew up in Oregon\*, lived 20 years in Silicon Valley, and just moved to Washington. The West Coast is a special place, I would never consider living elsewhere. I might fantasize about retiring to Maui, and could probably be happy in the Mountain West area, but this place, this large, open, perfect expanse of the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada and the coast from the Olympic Peninsula to Big Sur, even the High Desert and the like. Try moving somewhere cheaper. You might just make it home. My wife and I just packed up and moved two states and 800 miles without jobs ready to go. People do it all the time. I guarantee if you move to the Midwest or something, you’ll pine for pines, long to see Mt. Hood standing like a sentinel on the horizon, miss being able to drive to rocky shores and sandy beaches for a daytrip. But you’re rent will be $500 so you’re damn right you pay for the good stuff. \*: 15 years as barely lower middle class in Lake Oswego. I know the exact attitude you’re talking about snooty and unfriendly. You’ll find pockets of that all over the world. ---
**Author:** ![protoboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/47 "2015-03-13T15:04:56Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I get it. You’re young, unsatisfied, not making enough money, quarterlife crisis and all that. You’re suffering from grass-is-always-greener syndrome. Why not just try moving? > > I grew up in Oregon\*, lived 20 years in Silicon Valley, and just moved to Washington. The West Coast is a special place, **I would never consider living elsewhere.** Why not, I mean what exactly is special about the West Coast? I mean a lot of places have mountains, trees, and beaches, some places even have warm beaches lol. I like the nature here don’t get me wrong but I’m not sure it’s superior to anywhere else. The entire planet is pretty beautiful as far as nature goes. I’d love to try greener pastures but unfortunately you need a small fortune saved up to move. I’m not willing to risk homelessness thousands of miles away from family. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/48 "2015-03-13T15:16:25Z")
Start saving and stop complaining. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/49 "2015-03-13T15:18:40Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > Passing through Seattle after a trip to Vancouver is depressing, because you realize how dumpy and desolate American city-scapes really are, even the “nicer” cities like Seattle and Portland. This could be your mistake. I grew up in Portland, then moved to the Seattle-Tacoma area, because the people are nicer. Portland is kind of mossy, a bit like an old person waiting for the end, Seattle is more vibrant and alive and ironically seems to have more small-town camaraderie. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/50 "2015-03-13T15:22:09Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > My wife LOVES New England. Loves it. I think she wants to stay here. She enjoys the “seasons” (or so I’m told they’re called. Apparently there’s four of them) The fifth season, Mud, is almost upon us. Enjoy! ---
**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:** [March 13, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/51 "2015-03-13T15:22:38Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Start saving and stop complaining. Just the latter would be fine as well. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/52 "2015-03-13T15:26:53Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Seems I always run into bigoted sports fanatics. So just when did you visit Pittsburgh? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/53 "2015-03-13T16:18:14Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Once you start complaining about “snobs” you have pretty much lost any hope of presenting a rational argument. “Oh, I don’t like the snobs” is something that makes sense only if you’re an outsider in high school or living in Buckingham Palace. Insightful. Popular (but [perhaps unlikely](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/what-is-the-origin-of-the-word-snob)) etymology shows that “Snob” [derives from](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snob#Etymology) _sine nobilitate_ on the examination rolls of Oxford university: “without nobility”. In other words, uppity commoner. So, even if the etymology isn’t what urban legend says it is, the word fits: they’re snobs because they don’t deserve their status. Purportedly. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/54 "2015-03-13T16:39:32Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > I’d love to try greener pastures but unfortunately you need a small fortune saved up to move. I’m not willing to risk homelessness thousands of miles away from family. A tent does not cost that much. And yes, I moved, and until the paycheques started coming in, I lived in a tent outside of town on an Indian reservation. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. There’s them wot wishes an’ whinges, and them’s wot goes an’ does. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/55 "2015-03-13T16:45:17Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > So just when did you visit Pittsburgh? 😃 Funny you say that. My Wifes from Pittsburgh, and I visit there more than any other place back east. Not so many bigots as rabid sports fans there. I mean rabid. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/56 "2015-03-13T17:21:00Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > I think the main appeal of California to people is hot dry weather. You’re definitely not going to find the charm or greenery (aside from conifers) that you’ll find in the Northeast. > > If California didn’t have its overrated hot weather, it wouldn’t have anything going for it aside from nature. And let’s be honest, people might act like it sometimes, but the West isn’t the only part of the country with nature! The Appalachians are just as awesome as the Rockies, they’re just completely different. I actually prefer the eastern greenery over the ruggedness of the West, but maybe that’s just because I’m from the West so \*\*the “grass is greener” \*\*so to speak. Seems to me that sums up your entire argument. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/57 "2015-03-13T17:29:26Z")
I live on the coast in So Cal, we seldom ever hit 90 degrees. Very few air conditioners along the coast. I think we have some of the best weather in the world, it simply couldn’t get much better. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/58 "2015-03-13T17:39:58Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > If California didn’t have its overrated hot weather, it wouldn’t have anything going for it aside from nature. And let’s be honest, people might act like it sometimes, but the West isn’t the only part of the country with nature! The Appalachians are just as awesome as the Rockies, they’re just completely different. I actually prefer the eastern greenery over the ruggedness of the West, but maybe that’s just because I’m from the West so the “grass is greener” so to speak. So you’re saying, “Aside from the ideal year-round climate, access to nature (with beaches and mountains both in easy driving distance), job opportunities (what with thousands of jobs in aerospace, entertainment and technology), great food (both in restaurants and available fresh from farmers markets) and so forth, what’s so great about the West Coast?” Does that about sum it up? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/59 "2015-03-13T18:05:16Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > I’d love to try greener pastures but unfortunately you need a small fortune saved up to move. I’m not willing to risk homelessness thousands of miles away from family. If you think this is correct, you’re doing it wrong. People move all the time, especially when they are young. You know how it is done? You get rid of most of your shit, take what you really need, and go somewhere else and start a new life. It’s really only hard the first time, or until you have a family and a ton of responsibilities. Seriously, you need to get out of your little world if you think the West Coast is in general a crappy place to live. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873/60 "2015-03-13T18:15:14Z")
In my experience, the nice thing about moving is that the idea of having to pay money to move all that stuff makes you much less sentimental about a lot of stuff. So when I moved, I purged a lot of stuff. It was great. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-west-coast-the-worst-part-of-the-us-canada-to-live-in/714873.md?page=4)