[0xffff2]

Very much my impression too. I work for an org with sites scattered across the country. My colleagues in Virginia still regularly wear suits, while I in California haven't even owned a suit in many years. For no particular reason I can discern, the gradient seems to be pretty linear. Our Texas people are right in the middle formality wise.

[zeroCalories]

It entirely depends on the industry. Banks, government, defense, etc. will feel very stuffy even on the west coast, while web companies will have greasy unshaven slobs even in Manhattan.

[0xffff2]

I'm sure that's true, but the interesting thing to me is that it's the gradient exists within an industry too, at least for me in government R&D, we're not at all stuffy out here in the West.