Do you think cultural differences between different parts of the US are minimal? (college, vs)

[belmont22]

Has nationalism and communication made the whole US more or less approximately the same culture? Of course there are different ethnicities like Hispanics and Blacks who have distinct cultures, but are the differences between say California and Virginia or Oregon and Ohio pretty negligible nowadays?

Is the focus on national identity as an American much more powerful than any regional sort of identity no matter where you go?

[BigCityDreamer]

Regional diversity and differences exist, but I think the overall culture is fairly uniform most everywhere you go in the U.S.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

Regional diversity and differences exist, but I think the overall culture is fairly uniform just about everywhere you go in the U.S.

the difference is really between rural, suburban and urban areas.

[kidphilly]

they get smaller by the year

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

the difference is really between rural, suburban and urban areas.

I think that's a big part of it, although the overall influence of those cultural types varies quite a bit by state/region. And there are certainly regional variations in culture based on climate, cuisine, and so forth. Go from Miami to Rural Alaska and you might notice a slight difference.

[BigCityDreamer]

Originally Posted by tigre79

I think that's a big part of it, although the overall influence of those cultural types varies quite a bit by state/region. And there are certainly regional variations in culture based on climate, cuisine, and so forth. Go from Miami to Rural Alaska and you might notice a slight difference.

Miami is probably the "most" different place in America, mainly because of the overwhelming latino population there. But even there, you'll find a lot that is classic Americana.

[belmont22]

Originally Posted by tigre79

I think that's a big part of it, although the overall influence of those cultural types varies quite a bit by state/region. And there are certainly regional variations in culture based on climate, cuisine, and so forth. Go from Miami to Rural Alaska and you might notice a slight difference.

Would a white person from Alaska be that different from a rural Alaskan though? I'd actually say on things like politics, Alaska and Florida would be more alike than you'd think.

Most of what makes Miami, New Orleans etc different is the racial makeup of those cities. I'd say in terms of cultural differences, the biggest influences in order from most to least are:

1) What ethnicity dominates that area.
2) Whether the area is inner-city, suburban, a college community, or rural.
and lastly 3) What part of the US the region is in.

I'd say that inner-city Chicago has more in common with Manhattan than it does with Peoria, and that rural Southern Oregon has more in common with rural Iowa or Kentucky than it does with Southeast Portland.

[David_J]

Originally Posted by belmont22

I'd say in terms of cultural differences, the biggest influences in order from most to least are:

1) What ethnicity dominates that area.
2) Whether the area is inner-city, suburban, a college community, or rural.
and lastly 3) What part of the US the region is in.

Spot on.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

they get smaller by the year

Yep. The sooner we realize that's happening, the better.

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by belmont22

Would a white person from Alaska be that different from a rural Alaskan though?

Que? Lots of white people are rural Alaskans. Rural does not mean Native. Did you mean rural Floridian?

I'd actually say on things like politics, Alaska and Florida would be more alike than you'd think.

I'm sure there's a bit of overlap in terms of political viewpoints (though red vs blue tends to fall along the urban/rural divide in addition to regional differences), but politics are only a part culture. There are a lot of lifestyle differences that are just based on the differences in climate, ecology, and land distribution/population density and how these things influence cuisine, prominent hobbies/activities, and the general mindset of a population. From everything I've heard about "Old Florida," I think those differences are becoming more pronounced, not less, as Florida (and I could easily use other states as examples) becomes significantly more urbanized.

Most of what makes Miami, New Orleans etc different is the racial makeup of those cities. I'd say in terms of cultural differences, the biggest influences in order from most to least are:

1) What ethnicity dominates that area.
2) Whether the area is inner-city, suburban, a college community, or rural.
and lastly 3) What part of the US the region is in.

I'd say that inner-city Chicago has more in common with Manhattan than it does with Peoria, and that rural Southern Oregon has more in common with rural Iowa or Kentucky than it does with Southeast Portland.

I'd say there's too much overlap between 1 and 3 to make them really different. Geography has a lot to do with ethnicity in the US (and lots of other countries). And I think the urban/rural divide is at least as important as region/ethnicity.