I think the roots of that lie in the 1960’s, as the so-called “Hippie” culture concentrated there. Superficial or not, they were people more prone to embracing intercultural exchange. When the culture died, that attitude remained.
Or, I could be wrong – I live something like 3,000 miles from the west coast, in the land of blue crab and stuffed ham.
The modern “hipster” culture was another that was more prone to intercultural exchange, so “hipster” communities (well, former, that culture is also dying) are another place to find such things.
M.
