<p>When I think of “East Coast,” I think Maine to MD (maybe DC), and literally only those states bordering the Atlantic. I think of Pennsylvania and Vermont as Eastern states, but not East Coast. I think of VA to FL as the Southeast, even though they are on the coast. I don’t know whether that is how everyone else looks at them.</p>
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<p>Something more informative of what I was observing would be stats not only for obesity (BMI > 29.9) but also included those overweight (BMI 24.9 - 29.9). Looking only at obesity considers only those out at the extreme and ignores a lot of people who still have a big butt and/or gut. At the other end of the scale it would be like looking at a map of only those who are underweight (BMI < 18.5) if you wanted to know what percentage was not overweight. It doesn’t tell the whole story.</p>
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<p>Being obese is no longer out at the extreme.</p>
<p>But here’s a chart with overweight + obese in it. Interestingly, MA does better than CA here. The midwest has states in three of the worst categories (there are four categories in total).</p>
<p>[Adult</a> Overweight/Obesity Rate - Kaiser State Health Facts](<a href=“http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=89&cat=2]Adult”>http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=89&cat=2)</p>
<p>^Wow, that map/chart starts at 57% overweight or obese at the low end. Pathetic.</p>
<p>The percentage range is only 12.8% too so overweight/obesity really is a problem in every state. The good news is that technology and research to lose weight have came a very long way - the bad news is that most people don’t seem to know or care about the good news.</p>
<p>LA, MS, AL last in about every category…fattest, teenage births,smokers,physical activity,death rate…even last in vehicle deaths</p>
<p>^^I bet most of those are inversely proportional to educational level and income as well</p>
<p>Well, as a SE PA resident, I’ve always considered myself East Coast. I can be at multiple beaches in under an hour.</p>
<p>I also consider the left lane for driving. Why waste an entire lane for passing? We need to clog all 3 of them up!</p>
<p>Jaywalking is just how you cross a street.</p>
<p>DHs extended family is all withing a 2 hour radius of Seattle. My late FIL was an extremely passive person until I (age 17) went with him to Seattle. He nearly strangled me yanking me back onto the sidewalk. Who knew pedestrians have the right of way and I’d stopped traffic by stepping into the street?! Yup, definitely cultural differences. And this is why my son hopes to go to college west of the Mississippi.</p>
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<p>PA is also where you have drivers who stop at the end of the on-ramp, preventing those behind from being able to accelerate and merge safely, right?</p>
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<p>it’s illegal in many states…and I believe PA is one.</p>
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<p>I have been hit twice by stopping at stop signs in MA. The second time by someone that didn’t have his license with him. This was in front of the police station of course so a police officer came by to check on us - the guy that hit me asked me not to say anything so I said we were fine and he left. There were a few scratches on the bumper so I took pictures of his car and mine and left.</p>
<p>The first intersection frequently had a patrol car a quarter mile down the road - it was like minting money.</p>
<p>Re LA vs NY: my dear friend who was performing on Broadway for many years, then moved to LA to continue her career made this observation: In NY, when you audition and they don’t like you, they are likely to cut you off --“Next…” but in LA they act all nice and enthusiastic and you think you have the part…then you never hear from them. It’s a bit of the stereotype that the east coast people are more honest but gruff, and the west coast people pretend to be nice.</p>
<p>Pennsylvania does have signage about the left lane only being for passing. Not that everyone follows it, but it seems to make sense. [State</a> “keep right” laws](<a href=“http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html]State”>State "keep right" laws) The people stopping instead of merging seems to be an age thing (very senior citizen or new driver) more then a geographic thing isn’t it? I’ve had that happen to me in many places. That sure is irritating.</p>
<p>“Keep right, pass left - its the law” is a common sign I see in PA (my life-long home). The only exception is in the city areas where you need to get in the left lane to eventually make a left turn, but on open highways it can be frustrating to have people in the left lane who aren’t passing.</p>
<p>And I never stop at the end of a ramp when merging unless there is an actual “STOP” sign - which is common during construction or roads with almost no ramp and an immediate merge. </p>
<p>I think the major shock would be moving from a laid back area to a major city - where most larger colleges are located - rather than an “east-west” or “north-south” change. Certain parts of New York will be very fast-paced, but that’s not the case in all areas, and certainly not in my area with all the state schools and LACs. I can’t speak for Boston specifically, but I think there were other issues than just culture shock - such as making new friends, which students find difficult anywhere, or weather, or homesickness, etc.</p>
<p>We don’t have left lane passing only laws in CA. The left lane is for the fastest drivers. If you drive in the left lane, you need to be driving faster than all the other lanes or people will tailgate you. The other day I drove behind a Cadillac and the owner had pasted white letters on his bumper that said, “PLEASE STAY OFF MY BUTT!!” Of course, it made me have to tailgate him, and when he moved over, another guy tailgated him too.</p>
<p>“why is it so hard for so many to understand that if you are not passing, to stay in the right lane?..and if you happen to be in the left lane and someone is coming up fast behind you, to move the heck over.”</p>
<p>But I am as far right as I can go, without being on the shoulder…I am exiting in 50 feet, and dong 50…and you are flashing me…*** do you WANT from me? If you are so special, can’t you just FLY over? …well, that’s what my mom used to say…</p>
<p>" One thing most forget is that most people who live in Calif, are not native Californians but sort of wish they were so no one asks where you are from because they like to think that they are “Californians” now."</p>
<p>I don’t think so. My son hasn’t been there since he was three, and on Facebook, he’s from Brooklyn. I’ve been here 20 years, and I STILL say I’m from New Yirk.</p>
<p>I live in northern Virginia and there is a nice blend of uptight people and nice people here. I would like to visit the west coast and the rest of America some day.</p>
<p>They have left-hand exits in CA though. I remember being in So Cal and having to cross five lanes of traffic to get to the left lane for an exit.</p>
<p>One thing that annoys me is if I’m driving in the right lane and there’s someone in the left lane and he just hangs out on the rear quarter of my car. I suspect the reason for that is speed traps; the driver hangs off a car until he spots a car further down the road, speeds up and hangs off his bumper. The problem is that if I’m approaching a slower car, then I’ll want to pass and it’s hard to do with someone hanging off your side. If you speed up and switch lanes, it will annoy the other person so you have to choose between annoying him or slowing down, waiting for the person to pass and then pass.</p>
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<p>But Midwestern states like MN, WI & IL are actually very close to CA, NY, NJ, and WA, and actually a bit lower than PA and MD. Same pattern: most of the Midwest is close to the national average. Highest rates of obese + overweight are in the South: AL, MS, WV, TN, AR, etc.</p>
<p>Yup - the overall range isn’t that big. Three of the worst doesn’t really mean that much as there are only four categories and they’re close together so there aren’t really any bragging rights other than being a little better.</p>