Spring Break
Regional Profiles - The West Coast - Is it the Best Coast?
What You Need to Know About the Other Side of the Map
Issue date: 2/9/09 Section: Features
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Sure, "best" rhymes with "west," but is that all there is to this connection? You be the judge.
As many students have likely discovered by now, the U.S. has another coast located about 3,000 miles from here. Found on the left side of a standard map of North America, the West Coast is bordered by the Pacific Ocean. And if you haven't heard about the Pacific Ocean, you probably will soon: according to the internet, it's home to the world's fastest sea star, the Pacific Sun Star, which can travel at speeds of up to 0.027 miles per hour, or about 75 centimeters per minute. (Unsure about centimeters? Just ask one of your international classmates - they LOVE the metric system!)
For many Americans, it was the East Coast-West Coast Rap Rivalry of the 1990s that put the West Coast on the map. Whether you sided with Biggie and Puff Daddy or 2Pac and Snoop is no longer important. Once discovered, the West Coast was not to be ignored. To this day it is often suggested that the HBS administration opted against the creation of a Section W because of faculty concerns that students would be constantly "throwing dubs in the air" (forming the four non-thumb fingers into a "W") instead of raising their hands. So let's find out more…
Prominent Southern California industries include aerospace, biotech, international trade and (until recently) homebuilding. Since World War II, major research, design and manufacturing facilities for aerospace heavyweights have been located in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas, and the region continues to serve as the headquarters for Northrop Grumman. Between defense contractors and a massive military presence, San Diego has an economy that is closely tied to the federal budget. In recent years, however, San Diego has also developed into a biotech powerhouse. Educational commentators often suggest that HBS students are subjected to a ridiculous number of biotech/pharma cases because casewriters just want to visit beautiful San Diego.
The most populous city on the West Coast, Los Angeles is considered the global capital of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to video games to the music recording industry, "showbiz" is not only lucrative for artists, but for those who build movie-sets, cater star-studded parties and work as agents, promoters and producers. The star most important to Los Angeles, however, would have to be the Sun. With many miles of sandy beaches and agreeable weather year-round, Los Angeles is a city that beckons you to stay outside. Totaling about 15 inches of rain per year, L.A. is found in a desert with a climate that's nicely moderated by the ocean. But don't be surprised to find gloomy summer weather in the City of Angels: cool ocean waters often generate overcast skies in the late spring and early summer.
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