CM vs WW: Part I

This is Brenda writing again. Prior to Maine, I lived most of my life in the Pacific Northwest. Since we moved here, it has been fun to notice the interesting contrasts between Western Washington (WW) and Central Maine (CM). Here are a few of the things I've noticed so far:

Climate: This one is obvious. CM has four seasons, WW has two ("gray" and summer). In WW, people usually wear the same basic wardrobe year round, layering when it gets a little bit colder. They have a raincoat made of high-tech fabric and lots of fleece garments. In CM, people actually have "winter clothes" and "summer clothes", which get brought out/put away as the seasons change. This is needed in CM because of the 45 degree change in average temperature from summer to winter!

Ethnic Makeup: The largest ethnic minority in WW is Asian-American, followed closely by African-American. In CM, it's Franco-American. Really.

Trucks: In WW, especially in Seattle, people tend to drive midsize cars with limited cargo room. If they need to haul something they might borrow a truck from a friend. In CM, the number one passenger car is the Ford F-150. People here drive trucks. The parking lots at work, grocery stores, etc. are filled with trucks. From my observation, the reason is because people here tend to own more land, to have gardens, and to have wood stoves. This means they have to haul things, including cut brush, garden supplies, and firewood. Hence, the trucks.

Spectator Sports: In WW, college football is a big deal. Saturdays are big football-watching days, with most sports fans at least following the Pac-10. In CM, nobody cares about college football. The day that my beloved Oregon State beat USC, I came to work ready to brag, or at least talk about it. Nobody knew or cared. "Aren't they somewhere out west?" was the response. In CM, the number one team is the Red Sox, followed by the Red Sox. When it's not baseball season, everyone follows the Patriots.

Finally, here's a fun one to end on:

Here's a common road warning sign in Central Maine...

...and here's one in Western Washington.
There are a lot more fun contrasts out there....stay tuned for Part II!