I'm going to make an unpopular statement here. (living in, vs)
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I actually think America is on the whole extremely similar culturally regardless of what state you're in, with only a few exceptions. Even places as different as New England and the Deep South are 90-95 percent the same, especially when one factors in the differences of urban and rural culture.
Rural Washington state has more in common with rural Alabama than either do with Seattle or Birmingham, respectively.
I also think the similarities present throughout America, with the possible exception of Hawaii and southern Louisiana are stronger than cross-border similarities between the northern US and adjacent Canadian regions. Fundamentally Bellingham, Washington has more in common with Jacksonville or South Bend than it does with Vancouver or Victoria because it's an American city full of Americans.
Even though Southerners for example are more conservative and religious than people on my native West Coast, I think this has more to do with the South having a higher proportion of rural residents. Somewhere like Asheville or Austin is very similar to Northwestern cities like Eugene and Olympia, and a rural part of Montana or Idaho is generally very similar to rural Ohio or Tennessee. You can find plenty of Christian fundies in the Western states and they aren't much different from their Southern counterparts, same with urban southern hipsters being cut-copies of the ones in Brooklyn and Portland.
I think the differences between regions of America are over-stated and the difference between America and other western countries is understated. I find Canada quite foreign in many ways so I imagine Australia, Ireland, etc are far moreso even.
I have to agree 100 percent. Yes, our country is big and vast and there are cultural differences to be had, but it's largely the same. I laughed when people told me I'd have culture shock moving from Florida to California.
On the other hand, I just spent time living in Australia and I found it pretty similar to the USA. Other countries like Ireland, UK, Canada don't really feel foreign to me. They have their own local culture, but that's about it.
Even though Southerners for example are more conservative and religious than people on my native West Coast, I think this has more to do with the South having a higher proportion of rural residents. Somewhere like Asheville or Austin is very similar to Northwestern cities like Eugene and Olympia, and a rural part of Montana or Idaho is generally very similar to rural Ohio or Tennessee.
You're wrong, at least when it comes to politics and religiosity. There are plenty of left-leaning rural areas in New England, the Upper Midwest, and the West Coast. And in much of the deep south, the most arch-conservative areas (if you're going by religious sentiment and Republican voting patterns among whites) are actually the suburbs, not the rural areas.
I actually think America is on the whole extremely similar culturally regardless of what state you're in, with only a few exceptions. Even places as different as New England and the Deep South are 90-95 percent the same, especially when one factors in the differences of urban and rural culture.
Rural Washington state has more in common with rural Alabama than either do with Seattle or Birmingham, respectively.
I also think the similarities present throughout America, with the possible exception of Hawaii and southern Louisiana are stronger than cross-border similarities between the northern US and adjacent Canadian regions. Fundamentally Bellingham, Washington has more in common with Jacksonville or South Bend than it does with Vancouver or Victoria because it's an American city full of Americans.
Even though Southerners for example are more conservative and religious than people on my native West Coast, I think this has more to do with the South having a higher proportion of rural residents. Somewhere like Asheville or Austin is very similar to Northwestern cities like Eugene and Olympia, and a rural part of Montana or Idaho is generally very similar to rural Ohio or Tennessee.
Agreed to an extent, it's also about the ancestry of the residents IMO. Boston and New York have large proportions of Irish, Italians and Jews (less so in Boston but still a lot) so that shaped the culture there, and the later arrivals like PR or Blacks adopted that. Whereas rural Upstate NY and rural Wisconsin were both settled by Germans and English and are similar, Chicago and Midwestern cities were settled by central and Slavic Europeans and are similar, and Jackson MS and Detroit are both 85% black and indistinguishable culturally.
I think its a combo of urban vs rural mixed with ancestry and whether the area is majority Protestant or catholic regardless of the religiousity.
I actually agree with you.... Not to disrespect this great country of ours.... but when you look at the whole world our country isn't that diverse culturally, i'm from Minnesota and when i go to places like Las Vegas and Florida culturally everything is pretty much the same, i don't feel out of place i feel comfortable and sort of familiar with my surroundings.
Now plop a point somewhere on the Eurasian continent and go a thousand some miles from that point... the two points are most likely completely different society's/cultures with different languages and history.
You're wrong, at least when it comes to politics and religiosity. There are plenty of left-leaning rural areas in New England, the Upper Midwest, and the West Coast. And in much of the deep south, the most arch-conservative areas (if you're going by religious sentiment and Republican voting patterns among whites) are actually the suburbs, not the rural areas.
Truthfully, much of the suburban areas in Southern metros are more libertarian than anything.
I don't agree with dividing areas by politics... most people in this country don't really take politics that seriously.
I think it's more than just politics, political affiliation reflects the difference between "urban" and "rural" culture. Though in actuality most "rural" people live in suburbs and exurbs.
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