.
Legal considerations aside, LACs noted for marijuana use appear on both coasts:
East
Bard
Wesleyan
Marlboro
Warren Wilson
Bennington
Sarah Lawrence
Skidmore
Eckerd
SUNY–Purchase
West
Pitzer
Reed
(Source: The Princeton Review.)
I’m from a coastal town in California and went to an LAC in rural MA and the above claim doesn’t match my experience or perception at all.
I’m from So Cal and have lived in the North East for the last 15 years. Generally, I find people on this coast to be a little more down to earth than those in California. But as far as LACs go, remember they are a self-selecting group of people. They chose the LAC environment. Each school might have a different vibe, of course.
Certainly though, the weather in So Cal lends itself to a casual atmosphere. And of course, on the East Coast there are simply more LACs, some of which are very old and have educated generations of very wealthy people. So it’s likely that some LACs might have a monied, exclusive feel to them.
*Reality Check re post #21: In Connecticut, the risks of being stopped and given a summons for open marijuana use are enhanced if within 1500 feet of a public school or daycare center.
Marijuana is not legal in NC, so kids who use it at Warren Wilson run the risk of getting into trouble although I will agree that WW has definitely got a hippie school thing going on. NC is unlikely to legalize marijuana anytime soon. I’m sure we will be one of the last states to legalize it.
2800 miles? Did I win? There are some good previous answers. Weather is a good one. Age-not mine but the schools’ often (Not always). West coast schools are generally more liberal in terms of the student vibe-not necessarily pedagogy.
Did I win? If so, what do I get? 
For many of us, the big difference is in transportation costs to get there. If you are already on one coast, paying to fly across the country adds quite a bit to the already hefty price tag.
Air fares are not really priced based on the distance of travel. They’re mostly determined by competitions on the routes, and of course, the economic law of supply and demand.
I’ve always heard this growing up. I live in NJ, but just outside NYC. Honestly, I think people here are even ruder than in the city. The city is rushed, but there’s more “hippie” type of people in areas such as The Village.
I think marijuana use depends on the local area. For example, I went to La Salle University in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania is a red state, but Philadelphia is liberal. People walked around smoking weed. A few would even smoke on the subway. The police didn’t do anything, as long as the students weren’t a danger to anyone.
I’m not sure if the same applies in NYC. Maybe it depends on the neighborhood. I know many people there who smoke, but it doesn’t seem to be an “outdoor activity”.
I lived in Claremont CA for 10 years and then in Philly for the last 11 years, and while the joke about Pomona being “Swat with sex and sun” always gets some laughs, I don’t think it’s really true.