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There are a ton of regional differences and even micro regions in the USA but you have to have some level of cultural awareness and curiosity to know or recognize some of it. You have to get out of your bubble and having a little knowledge of history helps.
Just in my region...Why are the doors and window frames often painted blue? Why do some of the headstones in the church cemetery have six-petalled flowers? Those crosses at the side of the road mean something -- and it's not that there was a horrific car crash. If you just cruise the interstate you won't see this stuff.
I kind of disagree. When you go to high culture high local places, usually in and around larger cities it becomes apparent. Low density suburbia is pretty much the same in most places though. I also think minorities (all minorities, black hispanic and asian) keep more regional differences than whites in general. Washington State Black is very different from Missouri Black. Rhode Island Hispanic is very different than New mexico Hispanic. California Asian is very different than Mississippi Asian
I kind of disagree. When you go to high culture high local places, usually in and around larger cities it becomes apparent. Low density suburbia is pretty much the same in most places though. I also think minorities (all minorities, black hispanic and asian) keep more regional differences than whites in general. Washington State Black is very different from Missouri Black. Rhode Island Hispanic is very different than New mexico Hispanic. California Asian is very different than Mississippi Asian
Wouldn't wealthy urban America have the least differences? Yuppies dress the same pretty much everywhere.
And what makes New Mexican Hispanic so much different from Rhode Island Hispanic? Aside from different country of ancestry and local foods available.
As for the other posts here ; I did not ignore them and I'll respond to them later when I get the chance
I kind of disagree. When you go to high culture high local places, usually in and around larger cities it becomes apparent. Low density suburbia is pretty much the same in most places though. I also think minorities (all minorities, black hispanic and asian) keep more regional differences than whites in general. Washington State Black is very different from Missouri Black. Rhode Island Hispanic is very different than New mexico Hispanic. California Asian is very different than Mississippi Asian
Really, how is Washington State Black different than Missouri Black? And, ditto with your other presumptions?
I'll chime in with cultural differences within Hispanic culture.
I have a good friend who is Hispanic - her family is from Mexico. They are from the western side of Mexico though, not from near the Texas border.
She recently went to California and she was absolutely thrilled to find "real Mexican food" there. Because to her, "real" Mexican food is from the Baja region of Mexico, not from Monterrey.
I have some friends who moved here from New Mexico. To them, hatch chili peppers are manna from heaven. It's not "Mexican food" if it doesn't include hatch chili peppers.
Mexican street corn is from northeastern Mexico, and is generally slathered with mayo and cheese and lime, but if you eat it in the northeast you might get it served with a maple syrup version of a sauce.
And my son in law from Iowa is always talking about the culture shock he got when he moved to Texas because Texas is one of four (I believe) majority/minority states where plain ol' white, non Hispanic folks make up less than 50 percent of the population. I clearly remember my mom coming back from a vacation to the Midwest and saying "I was so glad to see all these familiar black and brown faces again!" when she got back to Texas. My son in law is from the Des Moines, Iowa area and there was ONE black person in his high school. Iowa is 90 percent white, non Hispanic, and 3.4 percent African American. Texas is 12 percent African American - and he moved to NE Texas which is 25 percent African American. So yes, it was different.
I went to high school in Georgia and my high school was 55 percent African American. My daughter's high school in NE Texas is 25 percent African American but 61 percent "minority" - predominately AA and Hispanic. We had zero - zero - Hispanic kids enrolled in my high school when I went there.
These things make a difference in the culture of a place.
I'll chime in with cultural differences within Hispanic culture.
Mexican street corn is from northeastern Mexico, and is generally slathered with mayo and cheese and lime, but if you eat it in the northeast you might get it served with a maple syrup version of a sauce.
Maple syrup? Really? Where can I find that? I need to try it ASAP.
In my metro, Hispanic isn't Mexican. Puerto Rican is by far the largest group. Dominican, Salvadoran, Guatamalan, and Honduran all outnumber Mexican. Historically, the largest ethnic group has been Portuguese with most of that Azores Islands and that's not counted as Hispanic. I eat Azores food. Linguica is my pizza topping. I eat malasadas instead of donuts. The ethic culture here is quite different from other parts of the country.
Maple syrup? Really? Where can I find that? I need to try it ASAP.
In my metro, Hispanic isn't Mexican. Puerto Rican is by far the largest group. Dominican, Salvadoran, Guatamalan, and Honduran all outnumber Mexican. Historically, the largest ethnic group has been Portuguese with most of that Azores Islands and that's not counted as Hispanic. I eat Azores food. Linguica is my pizza topping. I eat malasadas instead of donuts. The ethic culture here is quite different from other parts of the country.
And what makes New Mexican Hispanic so much different from Rhode Island Hispanic? Aside from different country of ancestry and local foods available.
Tons of stuff. Maybe 300 years of Spanish settlement and administration, the church (including the missions and the inquisition), los Hermanos Penitentes, native Indian influences, and the dominance of Spanish language and naming patterns would be a start.
Visiting a place is hardly the same as living there. How much local culture do you really get to experience in a few weeks or a month?
If it takes that much time and effort to experience the local culture of a place, then maybe the OP has a point in saying that the differences between U.S. regions aren't that great.
Go to a foreign country, like Switzerland, and you will immediately notice the cultural difference from wherever you live in the U.S. You don't have to dig for it at all.
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