Casual and formal cities?

[teshadoh]

The south is both very casual & very formal. There are great distinctions between the both - there is always a time & place for being casual or formal. The difference with California is that both mix into a quasi-casual/formal environment. Though you may find people wearing jeans in 4 star restaurants (though expensive jeans) you will not find people barefoot in grocery stores (though that is far more rare in the south now).

In environments where you would expect some formality - the south may be the most formal in the nation, outside the northeast. This is especially the case in the work place, outside of the high tech workplace. Though - even in the high tech sector, the south is more formal than the west coast, or where I live in Boulder, CO. Business casual is actually considered formal in many workplaces - khakis & dress shirts are not expected.

[SmellyCat]

I think Charlotte, being that it's a banking town is fairly formal, although most of the banks have a casual dress code.

I think the official dress code for men in Charlotte is white shirts and khakis. For those really pushing the envelope, blue shirts and khakis or striped shirts and khakis.