Someone from Europe and who likes European culture will probably be OK in Seattle (except for the problems the OP cited). They're not going to be happy living in Pittsburgh or especially Indianapolis. You're entirely ignoring the quality of life and culture differences that come with these different places. There's a reason people want to live in NYC and Seattle, and not in Indianapolis.
100%. I'm also a Spaniard and immigrating next year to Bay Area and I can say that I'd only move to a handful of cities in the US. The cultural shock was too hard in places outside major metros. And I've lived in South East Asia!
E.g., around CalPoly most people just... Went home after work? No meeting up to do something, have a drink, etc. They just went home and stayed there. I found it super strange.
I wouldn't call it "passé" as such, I think it's just very difficult because everyone is basically going in wildly different directions and there's no unity or commonality. Why spend a lot of time and effort being friends with people that you have absolutely nothing in common with, and frequently find to have repulsive opinions?
