What I like:
Low cost of living. Sure we might not have the highest wages here, or the most support from the state, but the effect of that is the cost of living is very, very, very low in most of the country. I have read many accounts of foreigners coming here impressed by the amount of choice of products and the lows costs of products, when they visit places like Walmart. My rent, in a major metropolitan area (albeit not the biggest) is only $350 / month with utilities included. My food bill is $100 / month. I just can't imagine living off less than $700/month in other countries knowing what their costs of living is and the limited consumption options. This is even with a high safety net.
Huge diversity in where you want to live. Every city in the U.S is quite diverse. Furthermore, you aren't hindered if you want to live in a small town or a rural area. There is an infrastructure there to keep you in touch with the world, and keep you employed.
The higher education system. Regardless of what people say about costs, if I can get into a top university from a family that is in the bottom 10% economically, based off pure success in the public school system, then that says something about economic mobility in this country. The poor live alright lives, pay check to pacy check, but we are not limited to the cards we were dealt in birth.
Respect for everybody independent of income. Probably the biggest reason why there isn't as much class warfare (despite greater "inequality") in the U.S than other countries is that social class just isn't a thing here. You have children of doctors and software engineers going to the same schools and befriending children of painters and waitresses. Everyone treats everyone else with respect. Economic class exists, and income is very much kept private here, but social class just isn't a big thing. Most people shop at the same stores as well. Sure we can talk about the magical 1% who are just that the 1% we never encounter in life. But most interactions you'll have here are with the 99%, and within that diversity there just isn't any concept of social class.
A sentiment of self-sufficiency and individualism that often contradicts other adjacent views Americans hold (nationalism, warfarism, welfarism.)
Voluntary help and charity. Even the poor here give to charities. I have a friend who makes $20,000 per year and he still gives to the local fire-department, church charity, homeless, etc. As an extension of that though, we also are not afraid to ask or give help to people, and it isn't ever thought of with disdain. Whether it is something as benign as giving directions, or sombody's car broke down in the middle of the night. From what I gather from the accounts of tourists to the U.S, this doesn't happen in other countries, or at least not to the same extent.
The natural scenery. Wherever you are at in the U.S, there are many things to see here. Since cars are available, and gas is cheap ($2.3/ gal where I live) it isn't hard at all to go explore it.
What I dislike:
Nationalism (or Patriotism is the word Americans use) - this is a detriment. The people literally worship many institutions, such as the police, military, local government services, etc, etc. No rational discourse can be made, because of this. It is almost as if the topics are so emotionally-inductive to Americans they turn their brains off and let the sound-bytes run through their mind. This is something you can find among the whole political spectrum. It is also a post-World War II phenomena, as Americans were quite the opposite in this regards before the World Wars.
Self-involved - this describes us very well. We have us, our close friends, etc and don't really try to understand others very much. While we help anyone, as I mentioned earlier, it is just that. There is a lot of diversity in the U.S, but not many people care to understand this diversity. This is on all levels. I guess this is also why Americans come off as ignorant about world issues.
Over-infatuation with sports. While other countries seem to have a healthy sports atmosphere, it gets quite "mystical" here in the U.S. It is also a huge part of school-life in all levels, taking a lot of resources from other academic endeavors. I find this quite a shame, and often it is the only thing many kids have in their life growing up, leaving them lost once they encounter the real world.
Mysticism, like I alluded to with sports, nationalism, etc. Americans are quite mystical in their world views. They either worship anything that is important to their lives, or it doesn't matter at all otherwise. You see this expressed in opinions about jobs, sports, national identity, etc, etc. Again, this is a huge contrast to the foundations of the country pre-World War II. Heck, even if you watch the morning shows that come on national television, you see a lot of this mysticism with regards to medicine and health, what gifts you should buy your children, etc, etc. It is all very silly. Hopefully with future generations it will tone down a bit.
