1. The distances are really far, and that has a huge impact on the culture around people's personal relationships. Time has to be planned if you want to see those you care about and the spontaneity that accompanies close personal relationships in most parts of the world is practically nonexistent, unless you happen to live in the same neighborhood as a friend. I have lived in the Bay Area for 10 years, but I often feel that maintaining very close relationships here can require so much virtual time (due largely to people's distribution around the Bay Area) that I feel like I'm in an e-relationship with my friends. That sometimes makes me wonder if I could be living anywhere and be nearly as close to them as I am now.

2. The distances are really far (still -- I am writing from a bus on my way to work right now :) ), and that has a huge negative impact on the quality of life. I have the best possible commuting situation, one of those fancy busses with wifi, and I still find commuting completely draining. I wake up at 6 to get onto the early bus to work to avoid traffic in the morning and spend an hour commuting home in the evening, at which point I am starving. So then I can opt to stay at work later and eat free dinner, but before I know it I'm working 12 hours a day. The distances have given way to "flexible work environments" that allow you to work from anywhere, but that means you are expected to work from anywhere and everywhere.

3. The culture looks down so much on "negativity" (realism) that it can be very challenging to get people's attention if your ideas and thoughts are not framed in a positive and idealistic light. Even when I look at the responses to this quora question, the one that has done really well is written in a neutral tone and ends on a positive note. Optimism is the fuel that drives idealistic Silicon Valley, of course! But on a bad day, it can be simply exhausting.