Seattle vs. Trujillo vs. New York?

A while back I blogged about the surprising similarities between Trujillo, Peru & New York City, probably all the more striking for being unexpected.

I came to Seattle with the opposite bias - ie I expected it to be a lot more like New York than it actually has turned out to be. So with those expectations in mind, I will now compare & contrast the differences between all 3...

Size (population):
Seattle - 600K. Trujillo - 750K. New York - over 8 million.

Demographics: Trujillo is made up of a small number of upper-class wealthy neighborhoods and a large number of poor ramshackle ones full of rural migrants. New York has gentrified greatly from a gritty dangerous big city with a few powerful and wealthy people, to a booming city flooded with immigrants (rich and poor), and a large influx of middle-class yuppies seeking fun and career advancement.

Seattle has gentrified, but is still essentially a small middle-class city with a hippie demographic ringed by more conservative suburbs. There are poorer neighborhoods in south Seattle, but compared to Trujillo or New York they're far less visible and less of a stark contrast from the rich neighborhoods.

Also, Seattle & New York are both filled with highly educated types. In Trujillo, on the other hand, many university students are the first in their families to go to college.

Culture: Trujillo & New York are both filled with people caught between the traditional (Catholic & Jewish cultures, ties to tradition, ethnicity and family) and the postmodern. For example, I have many friends in New York whose parents are still grief-stricken when they decided to date outside of their ethnicity or affiliate with a different religion. By contrast, Seattle is pretty thoroughly postmodern. People don't seem very connected to their families or to any traditional culture or religion. There is a sense of free-floating individualism, and a looking down on any lack of progressive-ness. It feels almost counterintuitive to say this, but compared to Seattle, New York is not as postmodern or liberal.

Lifestyle: Most people in Seattle live in houses and drive cars. Some people live downtown, but not many. On the whole it feels surprisingly suburban. By contrast, even Brooklyn and Queens feel much more urban, dense, and less car-dependent. Trujillo is a mix of houses (many of them informally constructed) and apartment buildings, but only the richest part of town feels "suburban" and has privately-owned cars. New York and Trujillo both have boisterous public transport systems that the vast majority of the population relies on.

On a related note, in downtown New York or Trujillo, it is difficult to get away from the traffic, noise, and hustle & bustle of the city. You're more or less going to be in contact with crowds, horns and strangers on a daily basis. In Seattle, there are a few demographics who take the bus (college students, the poor, the very environmental, some commuters), but I'd say most people commute alone in their cars, hang out in their homes, and generally don't have much contact with the general public aside from rock festivals and the occasional excursion downtown. It is a far more individual lifestyle, and you don't necessarily encounter people outside your circle of friends / demographic very often. It feels like a very clean, quiet, private town.

Style of communication: In New York, most people don't have any trouble telling you exactly what they think and why; it's just more efficient that way. :) In Trujillo, people love to talk and chat and joke around and talk some more. They can be quite direct, but also non-confrontational, since the point is not efficiency but relationship. They also wear their emotions on their sleeve much more than either New York or Seattle, which are much more jaded and cynical. In Seattle, people tend to be more passive-aggressive; they will be pleasant and positive, but will hastily clam up or get awkward if you are too direct. There is more of a veneer of niceness than in either New York or Trujillo.

Strengths: All three are centers of commerce & culture, a good place to move to to get a job or education. New York has a level of activity that I think is unparalleled except in other mega-cities like London or Tokyo, and it's also probably one of the most diverse cities in the world.

Seattle is a beautiful city, since it is built right on top of forests, lakes and Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier is always visible on a clear day. It is probably one of the best places to be based if you're a lover of the outdoors, with easy access to islands, mountains, waterfalls, skiing, hiking, etc.

Trujillo has some of the charm and feel of a small town while recently acquiring some of the modern conveniences of a fashionable city. It's one of the fastest-growing parts of Peru, and has one of the best climates, known as the City of Eternal Spring. It's close to killer beaches and some of the most significant archaeological digs in the world. You can still get a cab or an authentic Peruvian meal for under $1, and people are still open and friendly in a way they've ceased to be in the capital city of Lima.

Weaknesses: It's easy to feel trampled over in New York. The mad crush of tourists and newcomers, the fierce competition for apartments, jobs, or advancement of any kind can make you feel about as significant as an ant. It's a tough place to maintain friendships, work-life balance, or perspective.

Seattle can be a chilly city, both weather-wise and socially. Overall, a lot of Seattleites seem like gloomy existentialists. It's also pretty badly planned, with one or two major arteries bottlenecking downtown and a mediocre public transport system that many uber-environmental Seattleites won't ride.

Trujillo is small-town enough that it can feel provincial or stifling. Many motivated young people live with their parents because they can only get sporadic or low-paid work (although the economic situation is improving). Many wish they could go to the States, or Europe, or Lima to achieve much more than they could at home. There is also a rising rate of crime, a perpetual layer of dust covering everything, and (compared to Lima or other more modern cities) a low level of public sanitation, utilities, roads and services.

What drives people:
New York: Career.
Seattle: Not sure, actually; people aren't very driven. Personal space / leisure, maybe.
Trujillo: Advancement; moving a step beyond your parents' place in the world.