Ok, I admit that the whole of the east coast is not like East Orange, and its a bit of an exaggeration. But if one considers density and overall economic prospects, the East is not all it used to be. Now do not get me wrong Neo, I dont dislike the east, quite the contrary. But I have to say you live in the best area of the Megalopolis, Maryland/Northern Virginia. Pennsylvania, although idyllic and pastoral, is very poor. New York has character in its old brownstones, but Philly is just plain grimy. New jersey is a wasteland, ironically named the Garden State. I took classes in Montclair, which is by all New Jersey standards a nice little town, and the traffic and congestion was still hellish. New York City is by far a mecca, and I love the city. But the cost of living is astronomical, even in Brooklynn, where I have friends. Upstate New York is very nice, but economically not promising. Boston is quaint, and full of history, but not impressive. New England used to be quite nice in the Connecticut/Rhode Island area, especially the Newport News area, but since the Electric Boat strike in the early 90's, the place is little more than a slum. Aside from some nice areas such as Marthas Vineyard, New England is poor. The DC, Baltimore line is the most prosperous area of the Megalopolis, and quite possibly the last vestige of fair real estate, along with N. Virginia, although the last time I was in the Winchester area, it was looking quite crass.
But I may have been away from the East too long, and remember only the worst. Im a city dweller at heart, with the love of uncrowded spaces to spend my free time in. I grew up in rural PA, much more rural than Doylestown mind you, and appreciate the outdoors, in a non-radical sort of way. Im not a tree hugger by any measure! And it isnt necessarily an issue of sprawl and preserving "nature." It is a matter of one big sprawl with pockets of wilderness. In the West, save California, the cities are surrounded by empty spaces. I deeply enjoy being able to go diving into the Guadalupe river, or enjoying Lake Austin or Clear Lake, or the Pine Barrens. Much of New Mexico is a scorched waste, but if you check out the Taos, Sante Fe area, it is quite beautiful, with the best of both worlds. And for me at least there is an even greater difference, I find that the West is so much more relaxed and easy going. Even in the midst of Houston, the third largest metropolitan area in the country, life is laid back, and unrushed.
So even though the East offers the best in institutions of higher learning, in the arts and culture, in ease of access to myriad metropolitan areas and recreational areas, I still find it, for my own tastes, lacking, at least in hindsight. Im a converted West of the Mississipian. <g> This is of course, only my opinion.
Derek |
