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It seems like Southern culture is becoming more northern, and also more western, while at the same time things that originated and were formerly distinctly Southern are becoming more pan-American or at least spreading into yankee states that neighbor the South.
I don't think Chicago and Memphis are really that different anymore in many ways, nor is Indianapolis all that different from Nashville or Louisville.
On the other hand, it seems like in recent years the Pacific Northwest has been becoming more regionally distinctive. Many, many businesses here use regionalism as a marketing strategy. Our accent is also starting to diverge from the generic American accent, for example we have no drawl or twang in our speech and we pronounce the word 'happen' somewhat like the English do, more like 'hoppen'. I'd say the PNW accent is very similar in tone and cadence to what you hear in western Canada aside from the fact we don't raise /ou/ and thus don't say 'aboat' or 'soary', however we do say those words without a drawl or as much emphasis as other Americans. And actually some people in Washington state and northern Idaho DO participate in Canadian raising.
Another thing too, while you do see people with the flag and 'support our troops' stickers, it's way less prominent here than it is even in California. People in the PNW don't seem as fervently nationalistic/proud to be American as people in all the other regions. It seems like people are more proud of being Oregonians or Washingtonians or Northwesterners than they are of being Americans.
The PNW culture is very different too. We love the outdoors to an extent other Americans don't, and it goes beyond just hunting and fishing. Christianity isn't as strong a force here and many people are atheistic or into spirituality as opposed to organized religion. Even the cuisine is different, people here seem to eat a lot more seafood and stuff like that.
Do you think the PNW these days has a regional identity apart from just 'being American' stronger than the South does now?
It seems like people are more proud of being Oregonians or Washingtonians or Northwesterners than they are of being Americans.
I can't really say much on the subject, as my only experience with the PNW was a week in Seattle, but I think state pride over national pride is very common throughout the USA.
Wow, you guys are so great! You're so much more into the outdoors and so much smarter than the rest of us. I wish my home had cuisine and culture! I'd get into the bikes, indie music, artisanal foods, organic gardening, microbrews and retro t-shirts if I could ever stop sitting on the couch watching NASCAR letting my mullet grow out. Ecotopia/Cascadia is just so much more special than anywhere else.
I moved here from the Southeast but I haven't spent a lot of time in other parts of the country. But on my cross country trip, most places I stopped really didn't seem that much different from the Southeast. I didn't truly feel like I was getting into "foreign" territory until I got to western South Dakota, or maybe central SD. I will say that living here is quite a different experience from my hometown (which is why I moved here). But some of the smaller surrounding towns in my county don't seem quite so different from Middle TN. Still different, for sure, but maybe not as much as Bellingham (or even more so, Seattle). I've never been to New England but I would expect it to be quite a different experience from the Southeast, as well.
Wow, you guys are so great! You're so much more into the outdoors and so much smarter than the rest of us. I wish my home had cuisine and culture! I'd get into the bikes, indie music, artisanal foods, organic gardening, microbrews and retro t-shirts if I could ever stop sitting on the couch watching NASCAR letting my mullet grow out. Ecotopia/Cascadia is just so much more special than anywhere else.
Don't hate us because we're beautiful.
Maybe if we offend enough people we can decrease the migration - it's getting crowded in spite of the constant rain.
Wow, you guys are so great! You're so much more into the outdoors and so much smarter than the rest of us. I wish my home had cuisine and culture! I'd get into the bikes, indie music, artisanal foods, organic gardening, microbrews and retro t-shirts if I could ever stop sitting on the couch watching NASCAR letting my mullet grow out. Ecotopia/Cascadia is just so much more special than anywhere else.
We can't let you in unless you own a Subaru, Prius, or old VW Westfalia. The only reason I got in is because I don't own a car at all, but bike instead.
I have not been to the Pacific Northwest. However, I've been to California and my perception of the Pacific Northwest is that it's a kind of California-lite mixed with a lot of rain and greenery near the coast.
But something tells me people are going to take a little offense at me saying this.
Maybe if we offend enough people we can decrease the migration - it's getting crowded in spite of the constant rain.
That's the difference right there. The provincial attitude about keeping others out. The South got over that a long time ago and major cities in the South have increased their business base, while keeping their cultural fabric reasonably intact and giving up the animosity toward newcomers. Atlanta's motto is "The City too Busy to Hate." That's something to be proud of.
There's no crowding in the PNW. The statistic I like to use is that the ENTIRE state of Oregon, for example, has about the same population as the city of LA (479 sq. mi.), where front and back yards and trees on the lawn strips between the sidewalk and the curb are the norm. Taking it further, ALL 6 of the New England states fit into Oregon, and New England is not at a loss for scenery and serenity.
The biggest turn-off about the PNW is NOT the rain, but the fact that the word "granola" is the most common word to describe its "green" residents. I rarely heard this word in Atlanta, but boy is it a common moniker in the PNW.
I have not been to the Pacific Northwest. However, I've been to California and my perception of the Pacific Northwest is that it's a kind of California-lite mixed with a lot of rain and greenery near the coast.
But something tells me people are going to take a little offense at me saying this.
No, that's not the case. While not all of California is beautiful (neither are all of OR and WA, for that matter), the mindset is more like that of the Upper Midwest and they prefer that Californians don't move in. Californians, native and otherwise, don't care where people come from, not even with the fact that 1 in 4 immigrants makes it their "port of entry."
Try Seattle's Eastside on 405 at 5:00 p.m. You'll see crowding. An hour to drive under ten miles. And every other license plate is from out of state.
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