You're oging to experience a number of things that are similar, but most certainly not the same. Don't rely on your expectations........
I've found most of the freeway driving on the East Coast is done at higher speed than on the West.... and with a lot more tailgating. Must be the NASCAR influence......
Here in rural VA, there are a lot more passive aggressive farmers. If someone is pulling out of their field, they have absolutely NO intention of coming up to speed. It also happens with traffic on secondary roads..... pull out into traffic doing 50 or 60, and not accelerate up. Chug along at 30, until they are good and ready.:rant
'Yield Right' is not a concept that has taken root here. :O
There are a lot of uncontrolled, unmarked intersections between highways, and secondary roads, which are meant to be wide enough to allow traffic flow both directions -- no one here seems to understand that you are supposed to stay on your side of the road, even if it isn't marked. A two lane (each direction) divided highway, will frequently have a chunk of pavement allowing exit and entrance for side roads, with pavement going across the center 'island'. Sometimes you are lucky enough to have a turn lane feeding into that, sometimes not. When some dipstick pulls into the pavement, and goes diagonally across the entire thing to make it to the right side of the lane they want to go into it blocks the rest of that pavement from anyone else...... incredibly short sighted and somewhat arrogant.:coocoo
You will also find that off ramps are nowhere near as well designed as what you are used to in CA. Many, many, many more decreasing radius, off camber, rough pavement turns.
Roads on the east coast were laid long before high speed transport was the norm. It's been a long series of bodging to make it what it is, and it ain't great. The West Coast had a much 'cleaner' slate, as a lot more of the expansion out there has occurred since automobiles became the norm. Certainly do-able..... but learn the lay of the land, before you start ripping around.
This also plays into choosing your friends, at that first duty station. As a general rule, the people who walk up to you immediately on arrival and want to become buddies are the ones who have already been ostracized. The outliers, who have already made a name for themselves by their actions.... best to lay low, and keep to yourself for a few weeks and wait for the solid people to assess you. The ones who are performing well will wait to see how you perform, before they make your acquaintance. The old rule that it takes 10 'attaboys' to make up for one 'awshit' is still true. Better to have a reputation to live up to, rather than try and recover from the one you earn the hard way....
Either way, good luck, and thank you for your service. May you walk away from the experience with the positives greater than the negatives. Some of the best times you'll ever have........