When people think of U.S. living, they often seem to separate the country into the East Coast and West Coast, as if the rest of the nation didn’t exist, as if there were no Gulf Coast, no Canadian border, no Kansas, Nebraska, or South Dakota. Ahem, anyway. Let’s see how the East Coast differs from the West Coast.
With all that said, the coasts are indeed quite populous, since life does seem to spring up near sources of water. But that doesn’t mean that the coasts are on equal grounds. The East Coast is different from the West Coast in oh so many ways, and each coast definitely has its pros and cons. Or maybe that isn’t fair to say. Maybe they’re just different, with no coast better than the other.
Yeah, you can go get that Arlington real estate right now if you already think the East Coast is just the one for you, but hold up now. Let’s do a little comparing here. These are some ways that the East Coast is different from the West Coast.
Its Main Cities Are Unique
Each coast has its own major cities that pretty much everyone knows. In the east, you’ve got New York, Charleston, and Miami, among others. In the West, the big one is Los Angeles on its own. Now, you might wonder what the actual difference is among cities that are somewhat equal in scale and populations.
The thing is, the major cities are in fact quite different. New York City, while gigantic, is more built up than out, since it’s located on islands essentially with nowhere new to go. Los Angeles, meanwhile, being in the wide-open west, is more spread out than built upward. It’s huge in its own right, but East Coast and West Coast cities are truly products of their environments.
The Culture Varies
In New York and the East Coast in general, the general approach to life appears more fast-paced. People hustle and bustle about on the East Coast, always needing to get somewhere in a hurry and being a little intense about it.
On the West Coast in general, the attitude is more one of relaxation, well-being, and taking one’s time to get things done. There’s nothing inherently wrong with either approach, but these cultures are things that visitors tend to notice when they visit the other coast. Depending on which of those options appeals to you more, you can decide which coast you’d prefer to visit or live in.
The Climates Couldn’t Be Further Apart
Finally, we come to the climates of the coasts. Now, with some exceptions, the East Coast is known for having cold, snowy winters. That is, unless you’re located in the South like Florida, which tends to be warm and sunny. But New York? Virginia? The Northeast? These places get a lot of snow and turn pretty cold come December.
Compare that to the West Coast, which is a lot more temperate and doesn’t really get a lot of snow at all. Southern California is just warm and sunny all the time, while up north, things are foggy and cooler. The same goes for the Pacific Northwest, where they get a lot of rain in the winters.
No coast is better than the other. That’s just not how it goes. The East and West coasts vary for sure, but it will be up to you to decide which style you prefer for yourself.
