# Why is there no Western Seaboard? Or Gulf Seaboard?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-western-seaboard-or-gulf-seaboard/484225>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 3, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-western-seaboard-or-gulf-seaboard/484225 "2009-02-03T06:28:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-western-seaboard-or-gulf-seaboard/484225/21 "2009-02-04T20:00:35Z")

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> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> Well there IS an [East Side (Wikipedia)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side,_Chicago#Trivia) of Chicago
> 
> …

Well, OK, but that article even notes that it’s pretty obscure:

> [@](#):
>
> The bubble-gum pop song The Night Chicago Died refers to the East Side of Chicago, **confusing even native Chicagoans who have never heard of the East Side**. It is likely the band (Paper Lace), being from Nottingham, England, had no knowledge of Chicago geography and simply used “East Side” out of ignorance.

Bolding mine. And given its location, it’s actually the east side of the south side.

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**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-western-seaboard-or-gulf-seaboard/484225/22 "2009-02-05T00:57:24Z")

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> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> Probably for the same reason people say “there’s no east side of Chicago.” Of course there is, there’s an east side to everything.

Milwaukee’s [East Side](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side,_Milwaukee) is a neighborhood right up against the lake and I lived there for 5 years while a student. As an otherwise lifelong Chicagoan, it always seemed strange to say/hear _East Side_.

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