I've gotten complaints recently that this column is far too California−centric. To this I respond, yes, it is, but that is because a) it's where I'm from, b) it's where a ton of Tufts kids are from, and c) it's the best state in the Union.
The most outspoken complainers have not actually been from the West Coast at all. This can be explained by the fact that anyone from Oregon or Washington is way, way, waaaayyy too chill to say anything. No, these complaints have been coming from the little pocket of West Coast culture that we call Colorado.
Coloradans and Californians do share many similarities. There's a similar emphasis on sports between the two states: surfing, snowboarding, hiking, mountain biking. There are no oceans in Colorado, but the rest holds up. Stereotypical surf and snow cultures have a lot in common too, from the slang — a lot of "bro" and a lot of "stoked" and "gnarly" — to the casual dress code — you will be hard−pressed to find someone wearing argyle, khakis, Sperrys or a blazer on a normal Tuesday.
The surf/snowboarding similarities stem from the fact that snowboarding was born out of surfing — proving that, while Colorado may be cool, California is still cooler — and was actually called "snurfing" in the late '60s. To be fair, the East Coast had its influence too: The first national snowboard race was held in Vermont in 1982. But this key cultural similarity means that Coloradans and Californians have a lot more in common than geography would have one think.
In fact, a significant percentage of Californians who have the money also have cabins or condos somewhere in Colorado where they hang out during the winter. Having been lucky enough to have a few rich friends in high school, let me tell you — condos in Denver are pretty sweet, and the skiing and snowboarding are infinitely better than at home at Big Bear or Mammoth.
However, there are few key differences that should be mentioned: 1. Colorado, as a whole, is more politically conservative than California as a whole. 2. Colorado is (obviously) waaaayyy colder than California. 3. Colorado has fewer people than California. All of these differences boil down to the fact that it seems there are more trees, Republicans and snow in Colorado than in my home state.
Now, let's throw Massachusetts into the mix. Massachusetts is more liberal, significantly more uptight, snowier and way less populous than California. This explains why Coloradans may talk like Californians and dress like Californians, to an extent, but also why they don't whine about the winter the way Californians do.
Well, "duh" you say. "Come on now, tell us something we couldn't figure out on our own! We go to Tufts, after all." To that I reply with a statistic that will upset both the California and Massachusetts natives: According to the Gallup−Healthways Well−Being Index, Colorado is a significantly "happier" state than either California or Massachusetts. Furthermore, Boulder, Colo. is the happiest city in the country, even beating out Honolulu, Hawaii.
So there you have it. Coloradans are even more chipper than Californians. What that means for all you East Coasters is that the next time you get fed up because the Vans−wearing kid in front of you is walking too slowly and saying "like" too many times per sentence, don't automatically assume they are from California. They might just be from oh−so−happy Colorado.
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Samantha Jaffe is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at Samantha.Jaffe@tufts.edu.
