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When referring to a person or persons, do you capitalize which coast they are from? I’m editing a book and the relevant sentence includes “and the east and west coasters” - I think it’s awkward and will try to get him to change it, but still would like to know what is correct!

Francesca
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  • See https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/143908/when-does-a-locational-distinction-change-its-suffix-and-capitialization-in-a-pr and https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/242399/east-coast-east-coast-or-east-coast?noredirect=1&lq=1 – Tetsujin Sep 29 '23 at 16:58

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If you’re talking about the two coasts of the US, one reference, The Chicago Manual of Style, says that East Coast and West Coast, as names of regions, are to be treated as proper nouns. Thus, for them, East Coaster would be capitalized exactly as is, say, New Yorker.

PaulTanenbaum
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  • Not in my book. You only capitalise if it's part of an actual name, not if it's a 'general direction'. So, the south of England or west coast, but South Shields or North Berwick. – Tetsujin Sep 29 '23 at 16:53
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    And the fact that they are recognized regions makes East Coaster a demonym, and we capitalize those. – Phil Sweet Sep 29 '23 at 16:54
  • Hmm… I suppose if they are recognised regions - though to me they're just the bits either side of the country where the land hits the sea. – Tetsujin Sep 29 '23 at 16:57
  • @PhilSweet - OK, means nothing to a Brit. We have a west coast & an east coast too. – Tetsujin Sep 29 '23 at 16:59
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    Chicago doesn’t offer such guidance lightly. In the US, saying the East Coast is like saying the Great Plains, or in the UK, the Midlands. – PaulTanenbaum Sep 29 '23 at 17:10