Is the divide between California and the rest of the country bigger than it used to be?

11 comments

1. [removed]

2. I think the beliefs in these rivalries and their influence are wildly exaggerated.

3. Everything is more polarized than it was in the past.

   There are some high profile people that make California out as the boogeyman every chance they get.

   More than one in every 10 Americans live in California. More votes for Donald Trump in 2020 came from California than any other single state. Some of the most conservative members of the House are from California districts.

4. I didn’t know about any interstate rivalries until I got on the internet. California is the Hollywood place with the beaches and Silicon Valley. This concludes my thoughts about California.

5. They should see how divided we are *inside* our own state. Ever heard of the State of Jefferson?

6. Nixon and Reagan came from a pretty long stretch of time when California was a reliably red state. When I was a kid (80s/early 90s), I remember wondering if I would ever live to see California elect a democrat for president. At the time, even my parents hadn’t seen it happen in their lifetime (with the exception of Johnson which hardly counts considering the circumstances and the fact that he carried 44/50 states). Then the 1992 election happened. We went blue and haven’t looked back since. The why is complicated. The backlash against Prop. 187 is often cited as part of it, and it certainly played a part, but I don’t think you can pin it all on that.

7. I’ve never lived in California but would have to mention how much of a symbol it is to other states and groups and symbols are often exaggerated and not based on reality.
   I’m not planning to move there personally but would say most don’t care.

8. It’s more of a red state vs. blue state divide. Other blue states tend to follow California’s lead on things. There are plenty of blue staters who complain about Californian expats driving up housing prices yet have no issues with importing California’s laws.

9. There’s this sense right now that Californian migration is to blame for solidly red states/cities leaning more Democrat.

   While it’s true that some areas have seen an uptick in California transplants, their effect on politics in places like Texas and Idaho is ultimately overblown. Young Americans are increasingly left-leaning, and the traditional “party switch” where young adults become more Conservative with age isn’t really happening at the rate it used to anymore. Also, many of the Californians moving to red areas are doing so because they are Conservative.

   The biggest issue with California migration is it’s effect on housing costs/COL in various areas. When people move from higher COL states like California to lower COL states rent goes up. $1700 a month for a one bedroom might seem like a steal to someone from the Bay Area, but it might be above average for the area they’re moving to. People who were displaced from their hometown by exorbitant COL (often unknowingly) perpetuate the same issue wherever they move to. The problem is we need affordable housing nationwide.

10. Other than hip-hop, I have never really experienced an East Coast, West Coast rivalry. For reference, I am from NJ, about an hour outside of Philly on the coast and 1.5 – 2hours south of NYC. I also worked in Manhattan. Never really thought about it.

    In fact the first time I heard of this rivalry was from a Japanese person when I went to teach English in Tokyo after college!

    Anyway, these days what I see mostly is commentary on political leanings and interstate migration. That’s about it.

11. Just be warned that in general Reddit dislikes/hates California so you’re likely going to get some pretty biased views on this website.