What State do you think has the most unigue culture? (populations, Chicago)

[DubbleT]

Hawaii followed by Louisiana, then I think I'd have to break it down by region because I can't think of any other single state that has a lock on a specific culture.

All this other stuff about NY is completely beside the point and nothing to do with the OP topic, I don't see why was it even brought up.

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by Rachael84

Sorry, but no place in Georgia is similar to NYC, specifically Roosevelt Avenue.

Oh, so now it's just a NYC comparison? I thought this was about States? At any rate, glad you seem to finally acknowledge that the mountains and beaches are comparable.

Again, you can do all three of the things in the video's you posted within the State of Georgia.

Visit a beautiful Alpine village in the mountains, ride the subway through/adjacent to several ethnic neighborhoods and finally, relax on a beautiful coastal barrier island.

The major differences are that Helen is smaller and more quaint than Lake Placid (with no Olympic venue), and the #39 MARTA bus is a better bet for our version of Roosevelt Ave. (Buford Hwy) than the NE line of the subway.

Again though, the thread is about culture, not physical diversity.

[lolperson121]

People, lest stay on topic please =/
Diversity does not=unigue
im talking about something you wouldnt normally experience somewhere else, it doesent have to be the climate either though.

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

Hawaii followed by Louisiana, then I think I'd have to break it down by region because I can't think of any other single state that has a lock on a specific culture.

All this other stuff about NY is completely beside the point and nothing to do with the OP topic, I don't see why was it even brought up.

Just curious DubbleT, would you consider New Mexico to be culturally unique enough to include it with HI & LA possibly?

I've never been, but several posts seem pretty compelling.

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by johnatl

Just curious DubbleT, would you consider New Mexico to be culturally unique enough to include it with HI & LA possibly?

I've never been, but several posts seem pretty compelling.

I don't know... I would think the culture of New Mexico and Arizona would be very similar, but I'm not familiar enough with western states to say for certain. Is there anything cultural that would pertain specifically to New Mexico that you couldn't find in Arizona?

When I think of an areas culture I think about music, entertainment, food, speech, things unique to that one area.

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

I don't know... I would think the culture of New Mexico and Arizona would be very similar, but I'm not familiar enough with western states to say for certain. Is there anything cultural that would pertain specifically to New Mexico that you couldn't find in Arizona?

Well, I've been to AZ about a dozen times, and friends and co-workers there told me they are quite different.

They have the whole huge chili culture with their food, the adobe architecture is wild and different, anglos are in the minority, etc. I would love to go, and it sounds pretty unique from everything I've heard and read.

Just curious though, thanks for answering.

[Rachael84]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

When I think of an areas culture I think about music, entertainment, food, speech, things unique to that one area.

That's what I was thinking. That's also why I posted those videos.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

I don't know... I would think the culture of New Mexico and Arizona would be very similar, but I'm not familiar enough with western states to say for certain. Is there anything cultural that would pertain specifically to New Mexico that you couldn't find in Arizona?

AZ and NM are similar in that they're both southwestern states and border states, and they both have high native american populations, but that's really where the similarity ends.

New Mexico culture was pretty well established long before NM was part of the U.S. Remember, Santa Fe was founded in the 1500s. The "Santa Fe Trail" existed as a trade route long before the Southwest was in U.S. hands, as traders traded between New Spain / Mexico and the U.S. New Mexico culture was pretty much preserved intact upon accession to the United States.

At that time, Arizona was mostly uninhabited. In fact, when the territory became part of the U.S., only about 1000 people of Hispanic origin even lived in the part that would become Arizona. (New Mexico had over 60,000, mostly of Hispanic origin). Early settlement in Arizona was mostly Anglo, and even today after decades of immigration, Arizona only has about 29% Hispanic population. (I got this from the Arizona Wikipedia article).

This isn't meant to be a put down of Arizona, which is a beautiful state in its own right. It's just to point out that despite some similarities, the culture of New Mexico is pretty distinct from Arizona. In fact, the neighboring state that shares the most with the traditional New Mexico culture is Colorado, but only in the southern part of that state.

[LiveUrban]

Louisiana, Hawaii, Texas, Massachussetts, New Jersey, Utah, Oregon, Washington

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by tfox

AZ and NM are similar in that they're both southwestern states and border states, and they both have high native american populations, but that's really where the similarity ends.

Another great post, tfox.

IMO, many people that have never been to NM think it's an inside-out AZ, or a warmer CO. They couldn't be more wrong.