Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There being a "What lower 48 state is the hardest to regionally classify? (live in, garden)" thread here, we need one to serve as yang to the previous one's yin. So it comes as Sense of place: which states really are "real places"
What US states, due to various reasons such as historic, geographical, cultural, etc. are homogenized enough to make them seem real and authentic, almost organically in existence?
Obviously our 13 colonies, formed centuries back and being their own entities with no ties to each (but all having tried to Britain), are more real and organic than most other states. California comes across as its own world too. The Sierras cut the state off from Nevada and all east for much of its length and further south the Mohave does the same for Arizona and the east. Hawaii and Alaska, for obvious reasons, are no brainers.
The above was just to try to explain exactly what I am getting at here. Which states can you think of that offer this kind of unity and cohesiveness and a sense that all parts really do fit the whole??????
Very few, in my experience. Perhaps Texas (although there are several differences among different regions and cities). I would have said Hawaii, but it appears you are limiting us to the lower 48...
You mean which ones have the most distinct cultures? New York state and Louisiana have distinct identities but aren't "homogenized" within themselves at all.
Anyway, outside the 13 colonies, Alaska and Hawaii, and California, a few more I'd suggest are:
This seems inclusive of states with the best brands.
I'm gonna throw TN in the bunch. Even Memphis/west Tennessee, which seems the 'odd man out' to a degree, fits in with the overall culture and ethos of the state.
I think MS also qualifies with so much of the state being Delta/Delta-adjacent.
You mean which ones have the most distinct cultures? New York state and Louisiana have distinct identities but aren't "homogenized" within themselves at all.
Anyway, outside the 13 colonies, Alaska and Hawaii, and California, a few more I'd suggest are:
Louisiana
Utah
New Mexico
Texas
Florida
Minnesota
I would add Wisconsin as its own distinct identity; once you cross the border from Illinois, the cheese shops and scenery change pretty dramatically, as well as the accents further north and the culture.
I would add Wisconsin as its own distinct identity; once you cross the border from Illinois, the cheese shops and scenery change pretty dramatically, as well as the accents further north and the culture.
I don't think Wisconsin and Illinois are distinct enough to qualify (if I were to add another Midwest state it'd be Michigan because of the UP). But it's true that the south/east and north/west Wisconsin accents are different and people often don't realize this - the former is more like the rest of the Great Lakes area and the latter is more like Minnesota.
New Mexico stands alone as possibly the most unique state in this regard. It has to put USA on the license plate to remind people that it actually is in the US. It has a fairly good mix of the three cultures and you might hear several languages spoken but without any rancor or complaint. The culture and cuisine developed in near isolation until WW2. It is a magnet for artists and writers going back a century. Spanish settlement began around 1595, before any of the English colonies, and two of the longest occupied places in America are Taos and Acoma pueblos.
New Mexico stands alone as possibly the most unique state in this regard. It has to put USA on the license plate to remind people that it actually is in the US. It has a fairly good mix of the three cultures and you might hear several languages spoken but without any rancor or complaint. The culture and cuisine developed in near isolation until WW2. It is a magnet for artists and writers going back a century. Spanish settlement began around 1595, before any of the English colonies, and two of the longest occupied places in America are Taos and Acoma pueblos.
From an historical standpoint a LOT of states are very unique. New Mexico being on the most distinct and unique.
To me the more you place the criteria on modernity the less places you have.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
