"People in Oregon must be poor."

[shootingstar]

For many of my relatives from China (primarily rural areas), they want to buy a car within a few years after they immigrate here.

A bike is so passe to them. Then later...maybe 2 decades, they realize they are getting abit chubby...their health not as good.

Since my family in Canada couldn't afford to buy a car until I was 15 yrs. old (I am the eldest), I did genuinely associate carlessness, with poverty for a long time.

As a child, I just thought it was abit of a hassle to walk /take bus, particularily in not-so-great weather. The best thing in such situations, is that the parents don't make a super big deal about not having a car. Then children grow up not too self-conscious /whiny about being carless.

I do remember up to gr. 8, the bike racks at school were full of parked bikes.
High school....forget it. Of course, everyone is hell-bent on getting a driver's license, which did include me at the time.