In his fourth book, “American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures in North America,” award-winning author Colin Woodard identifies 11 distinct cultures that have historically divided the US.
Yankeedom
Encompassing the entire Northeast north of New York City and spreading through Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, Yankeedom values education, intellectual achievement, communal empowerment, and citizen participation in government as a shield against tyranny. Yankees are comfortable with government regulation. Woodard notes that Yankees have a “Utopian streak.” The area was settled by radical Calvinists.
New Netherland
A highly commercial culture, New Netherland is “materialistic, with a profound tolerance for ethnic and religious diversity and an unflinching commitment to the freedom of inquiry and conscience,” according to Woodard. It is a natural ally with Yankeedom and encompasses New York City and northern New Jersey. The area was settled by the Dutch.
New York City is located in Woodward’s New Netherland.Flickr / Andrés Nieto Porras
The Midlands
Settled by English Quakers, The Midlands are a welcoming middle-class society that spawned the culture of the “American Heartland.” Political opinion is moderate, and government regulation is frowned upon. Woodard calls the ethnically diverse Midlands “America’s great swing region.” Within the Midlands are parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska.
Tidewater
Tidewater was built by the young English gentry in the area around the Chesapeake Bay and North Carolina. Starting as a feudal society that embraced slavery, the region places a high value on respect for authority and tradition. Woodard notes that Tidewater is in decline, partly because “it has been eaten away by the expanding federal halos around D.C. and Norfolk.”
Greater Appalachia
Colonized by settlers from the war-ravaged borderlands of Northern Ireland, northern England, and the Scottish lowlands, Greater Appalachia is stereotyped as the land of hillbillies and rednecks. Woodard says Appalachia values personal sovereignty and individual liberty and is “intensely suspicious of lowland aristocrats and Yankee social engineers alike.” It sides with the Deep South to counter the influence of federal government. Within Greater Appalachia are parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, Illinois, and Texas.
Louisville, Kentucky, is located in Woodward’s Greater Appalachia.Flickr / Peter Dedina
Deep South
The Deep South was established by English slave lords from Barbados and was styled as a West Indies-style slave society, Woodard notes. It has a very rigid social structure and fights against government regulation that threatens individual liberty. Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina are all part of the Deep South.
El Norte
Composed of the borderlands of the Spanish-American empire, El Norte is “a place apart” from the rest of America, according to Woodard. Hispanic culture dominates in the area, and the region values independence, self-sufficiency, and hard work above all else. Parts of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California are in El Norte.
One of our most beloved OPs, El Whatever, owns this joint.
The Left Coast
Colonized by New Englanders and Appalachian Midwesterners, the Left Coast is a hybrid of “Yankee utopianism and Appalachian self-expression and exploration,” Woodard says, adding that it is the staunchest ally of Yankeedom. Coastal California, Oregon, and Washington are in the Left Coast.
San Francisco is a natural fit for Woodward’s Left Coast.Shutterstock / prochasson frederic
The Far West
The conservative west. Developed through large investment in industry, yet where inhabitants continue to “resent” the Eastern interests that initially controlled that investment. Among Far West states are Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Washington, Oregon, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California.
New France
A pocket of liberalism nestled in the Deep South, its people are consensus driven, tolerant, and comfortable with government involvement in the economy. Woodard says New France is among the most liberal places in North America. New France is focused around New Orleans in Louisiana as well as the Canadian province of Quebec.
First Nation
Made up of Native Americans, the First Nation’s members enjoy tribal sovereignty in the US. Woodard says the territory of the First Nations is huge, but its population is under 300,000, most of whose people live in the northern reaches of Canada.
————— ——————- –
Woodard says that among these 11 nations, Yankeedom and the Deep South exert the most influence and are constantly competing with each other for the hearts and minds of the other nations.
“We are trapped in brinkmanship because there is not a lot of wiggle room between Yankee and Southern Culture,” Woodard says. “Those two nations would never see eye to eye on anything besides an external threat.”
Woodard also believes the nation is likely to become more polarized, even though America is becoming a more diverse place every day. He says this is because people are “self-sorting.”
“People choose to move to places where they identify with the values,” Woodard says. “Red minorities go south and blue minorities go north to be in the majority. This is why blue states are getting bluer and red states are getting redder and the middle is getting smaller.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-11-nations-of-the-united-states-2015-7
Much of North Carolina is also in Greater Appalachia (except for Asheville… bunch of pussies there). Wouldn’t trade living here for anything… not enough money in the world. Pleased to know Texas is considered part of Greater Appalachia.
I have to disagree with the author’s premise, when it applies to Michigan. The only “government utopia” supporters are in the major urban areas–NOT in the countryside. You will find that, excluding the major cities, there is a groundswell of resentment of government policies. A good example is the Michigan population’s attitude on “gun control”…absent the major urban areas, there is actually a movement to reduce gun regulations…
Many of the people in the outlying areas are products of Scandinavian and eastern European stock…
“Yankeedom” sure does not encompass Michigan…
Completely agree.
I’ve lived at least one decade in both MI and NJ. There are more dissimilarities than similarities, for sure. I think MI/WI/MN should have their own country, Great Lakes Land.
I would support that. However, I also find that while WI and MN are very similar to each other, MI is significantly different from both despite the similar background of its settlers, its climate and lakes.
Anyway, wherever you draw the line, the western Great Lakes are not in any way “Yankeedom.” My personal travels suggest that Yankeedom ends just west of Ithaca, NY, and even western NY state is more like the midwest (or at least like Ohio) than like NYC.
Oh, other than the total fuckup of Yankeedom, this seems like a pretty accurate map and mostly matches what I’ve seen traveling. And I’ve driven most of the 48 states shown on the map, along with bits of Canada.
I question whether New Orleans has any real connection to Quebec these days.
Shit. I’m in the wrong place, if the photos are the barometer. Great shots. Have to read more into the author’s beliefs when time allows. Interesting post, Schtuck. Can’t wait to read the comments on this one. I’m sure there’ll be plenty. Always are, on your contrib’s.
Me too.
Based on the pics, I’m moving to New France!!
With the Deep South running a close second. Those are really attractive trailers. Double-wides?
Stucky,
That redneck chick is on the lookout while her boyfriend is cooking meth in the trailer.
Horseshit….she
s eyeing the coyotes while hes gathering the flock.The name for the Left Coast is Cascadia.
Zarathustra, Cascadia only applies to the part of the Left Coast north of the California border. Californians would never refer to themselves as Cascadians, although folks in Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver do.
Well fuck em. Not all Germans are German and that goes for every other country on earth that is named after a tribe or ethnicity except of course Israel where you are either a Jew or not wanted.
Yeah but Jew is not an ethnicity. Lots of folks call themselves Jew and they are not descendants of Jacob. We have folks over here calling themselves white and they are mixed race or another race entirely. There’s no getting back to the garden, to neanderthal purity.
That’s why I love you, Coyote. You always say shit that is pertinent and true.
We are ONE nation with many regions. Period.
Southern tip of Florida should be listed as joo heaven. Yankee territory is where the UTOPIANS live, they just forgot to included the rest of us in the south, which is why we still hates us some reconstructionist Yankee varmints.
I read Woodard’s book a couple years ago and found it generally accurate. Personally, I think it is as good a place as any to start carving up Merica into countries that function better. Of course, I’ll need to move to the east side of the Cascades, but that is a small price to pay to clean up this country.
Many of those areas on the left coast would not be so keen on joining anything to do with SFO/PDX/SEA mentality. The first two generally dictate policy to the remainder of the states where they are located.
Remove those 12 or 13 Marxist counties of 75 from Ore/Wa and those two states would be conservative.
Wouldn’t a state as large as Texas warrant its own culture?
Texas has got an ego as big as Texas. It is its own culture. Have you not seen the ads: Texas, a whole ‘nother country? I was shocked to learn you could drive across several states in the northeast in less than an hour. Do folks there sleep 6 to a bed?
EC
No. He’s not going according to existing state lines.
Texas urban centers are inundated with die verse city disorder.
My state (NC) is broken into three of the nations. I live in the Deep South based on the map, but identify more with Greater Appalachia having grown up in WV. Guess I need to relocate before the big crack up.
I live in the Deep South, in South Carolina. Those blue areas in the state are basically where the plantations used to be, if you know what I means.
One of the best hunting clubs I hunted on was in Shackletown Alabama, if you know what I mean. My friend who invited me there was a trucking magnate and he had to testify against a white trucker who hit a black man on the country road by the camp. Times do change. I missed a 200 pound buck there right at dark thirty – a monster for Alabama. The name Shackletown does not come up on Goog but I assure it was on the map I used to get there.
The plantations are gone but the niggers are still there. Got it.
🙂
Keister Suze – nigger-coon hunting licence, got it. Shit, everybody’s speaking in code. Maggie started it with her pig latin bullshit.
You guys should lay off the ganja, your starting to get paranoid, if you know what I mean.
ixnay uffnay dog-bitch fuck younay
Some one has been snappin’ like a damned catfish lately…..I could use a bacon refill..
On OAN right now there’s a Full Fledged Religious REVIVAL going on in support of Judge Roy. Preachers whopping and hollering “JEEESUS!!’, crowd in ecstacy, others casting out the Devil. Crazy shit, man, regardless of Roy’s innocence or guilt.
Gonna have to scratch off Alabama from the list of possible destinations. Those Nutters would Lynch me before sundown.
A southern man don’t need him around anyhow
Thanks for the self segregation Stucky, its better for everyone
You also have to realize something. Whether he is guilty, I have no way of knowing. However, if Moore drops out of the race, a Democrat is the only one running. He will win and we get a Democrat for a Senator. That should work out real well. If Moore stays and wins, the Senate can kick him out. The Governor then appoints a temporary Senator and we most likely will NOT get a Democrat.
We may talk slow, but we are NOT stupid.
Stuckey says: “Gonna have to scratch off Alabama from the list of possible destinations. Those Nutters would Lynch me before sundown.”
How little you know about us down here Kemosabe. You would be welcome anytime. Someone might hand you a snake, but lynch? Pffft!
Mjolnir,
Have you been to Black Mountain?
Curious – what’s special about Black Mountain? I’ve been through there. Steepest interstate stretch east of the Rockies, quite an adventure when pulling a heavy trailer. Reminds me of I-70 on the west side of Colorado, though obviously not as dry or as high altitude.
Like southern rock. Loved that 3-4 hour documentary on Rick Hall,. The Swampers, …that Muscle Shoals sound. If not seen, & you like good music & history, find it & listen. Im guessin’ you’re already a fan of that, HT. Great competition for the Motown Sound & what Berry Gordy did up in the D. All good stuff, IMO.
Wish there was a song that good for NC…
Carolina In My Mind
is close
James Taylor’s dad, Isaac, “Ike” Montrose Taylor, was born in Morganton, NC, just down the mountain in Burke County.
James grew up in Chapel Hill
I’m with Stucky. New France looks best – from the available pics above.
Which New France. There are twos. One is on the upper right side. The other is under the Deep South around New Orleans.
I like it here in LA ~ Lower Alabama ~ in Florida’s first congressional district. A provincial capitol for health care and home to a huge concentration of military retirees and active duty souls. And decent colleges and a university steeped in tolerant attitudes but still conservative.
Some call it the Red Neck Riviera. The term first originated in the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. It referred to the coast south of Tallahassee, sometimes called the Forgotten Coast. It is where the politicians and lobbyists would party out of sight of watchful eyes. If there is sheriff in the redneck riviera it would be the man who was the sgt of arms of the Florida Senate for 30 years. He says they all come to town poor and leave rich. He knows the drill very well.
At a high school reunion (#30 or so) my high school classmate and dental school classmate played with his small band for entertainment. He had written a song about the redneck riviera. He was told by some lawyer not to use the phrase as it had been copyrighted. Just trivia I wanted to share on where I live.
Hmmmm, I always got the impression you lived in your own private idaho. 😉
Diogenes, love that song and love the B-52s.
Edit: I thought it was neat that Cindy Wilson used to always go barefooted on stage. A true Georgia girl.
A Blessed Red part of the state!
I’m going anywhere with the least amount of diversity which will still probably be Western North Carolina or West Virginia.No Blacks with very few anything else ( hopefully).If it wasn’t for my mom I would already be in the Appalachian mountains.I just can’t convince her to leave Charlotte NC and Lipoh won’t let me stay in his guest House.He says I’m not enough Injun….. Racist .
“the least amount of diversity ”
When my son declared he wanted to be where the ‘diversity’ was lowest; as he pondered his duty assignment for the Infantry; I told him go to Alaska.
Many years ago at Eglin AFB proving ground, Camp Rudder, for Ranger training, there was an incident where more than one black candidate died from thermal exposure – cold.
It was in March, in a very wet swamp where the Rangers wannabes embarked to bivouac at a rendezvous across the wet terrain. A typical cluster of events prevented extraction of the troops when things went bad.
After much deliberation and lab testing it was determined that blacks have a low tolerance to cold. It facilitated policy to keep blacks from duty in cold environments.
no mention of ethnicity from the NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/17/us/4-army-ranger-candidates-die-in-chilly-florida-swamp.html
Fascinating – seriously. I never knew the full story. It’s not at all surprising though, based on very basic concepts of evolution and environmental adaptation. (Also why blacks don’t seem to be as bothered by heat as NW Europeans like me.)
I live in an area colder than almost anywhere else in the lower 48. There are maybe 3 blacks here. No, seriously… maybe 20-30. A very small number.
We go swimming, for fun, in water only 10-15 degrees warmer than what killed those Ranger candidates. Maybe we’re nuts, maybe we’re adapted. My ancestors didn’t evolve here, but they did evolve in a similarly cold climate in Europe. No sane person should be shocked at the idea that hundreds of generations in a climate type will result in adaptation to it, but it’s not PC at the moment to mention.
Fuck you and your coy little “it’s not PC at the moment”. You mean the niggers are well adapted to heat.
You mean to say white folks are more suited for the colder regions. That isn’t even a new observation, dickless. Are we engaging in book burning now? It’s not PC, my ass.
And no, I’m not butthurt. I’m simply speaking like the old dogs used to, before everybody got religion and started censoring themselves. Asshole.
Upstate NY is very un-diverse… my county is about 90 percent white. More guns than people but almost no gun deaths. Lots of cars with deceased deer now on their way to packing plants. Lots of farms and double-wides and no plastic housing developments… People say Merry Christmas without getting dirty looks. Public meetings open with the Pledge of Allegiance… More women than men at the gun safety courses (required for CCP)… Upstate is nothing at all like NYC and the other cities along the Thruway. Things are economically depressed here, but we are conservative and normal.
“least amount of diversity”…
Damn, I had you all wrong?
Seemed to me that Llpoh thought you’d just be chasin’ aboriginal nookie.
All this time I thought BB meant BlackBoy.
Black folks, like all other folks are fine providing they hail from a good church.
It
s the preacher who believes theyre an indian chief (doling out the goods), that screws peoples up.50 sovereign nations would be a great start, but most states should be carved up into at least 10 to 100 more subdivisions. We simply cannot EVER be represented or play any REAL role in any kind of governance with a nation this large or states this large. If we were to have the level of federalism that Switzerland enjoys, we would need to be 1300 states, NOT 50.
Nothing new under the sun. I liked this book when it was called The Nine Nations of North America in 1984.
And it doesn’t seem to account for the vast swath of people across the entire nation who are brainwashed to love big govt, live for big govt, and beg for more big govt for them and more taxes to fund it paid by others.
And the race thing cuts a vast swath down the center of each one.
My Americas are different.
I believe there’s a Mainstream (white) America, which lays claim to all the common “real” American stuff, like the Constipation, the Declaration of Dependence, the Mall, the internet, porn, beer, machine guns, BBQ, Nascar, etc.
There’s a resentful, angry, backwards Black America which resents Mainstream America, but can’t live without it. They hate Mainstream America so much, their culture has actually made hard work, speaking English, and wearing business-appropriate clothing the literal sin of acting white. They’re not useful for much and are lagging behind in all respects, aside from entertainment/sports (entertainment)/crime (entertainment).
There’s a Rich America, which believes it’s all the best of Mainstream, but doesn’t understand or like anyone else and feels burdened by the rest because they’re yoked to pay all the bills for the rest.
THere’s a Poor America, which sucks. They’re abandoned and lagging farther and farther behind in all respects, despite the nice things everyone says about them. Lots of new arrivals, very few departures. Thrives on the mythology of Mainstream America. Survives on the crumbs of Mainstream and Rich Americas.
There’s a Hispanic America which wants to be part of Mainstream and is somewhat similar in some respects and values, but knows it will never be a real equal partner with Mainstream, and hates Black America as a bunch of lazy shitheads with whom they must compete for work, space, and resources. Works for Mainstream and Rich.
And Minority America, which is sort of a mishmash of the other nations and ethnics who came late to the party and don’t really fit in. They want to be in Mainstream and Rich, compete with Hispanic, look down on Black, and are trying to get from Poor to Rich.
Myself, I think this piece was total bullshit. You can find like minds in most of these places, no matter which mind you like and which of these ‘other Americas’ you are in. I live in Texas, with neighbors from upstate NY and Cali. They are all of similar mindset, and have no problem getting along, and getting along well. Uniting us is the insanity of our government and our resentment of the same, along with similar wants for freedom from bullshit laws and taxes and political stupidity.
The divide is really one of urban/rural and poor/not-so-poor; the rich are so low in number these days and so isolated they are not worth counting. I think this article was written either for them or by one of them – so they could feel secure in having made the right decision no matter where they are located.
There is just enough commonality to link this together, but it dies off when you actually travel and visit people today. What many don’t realize, but it was hinted at in this article, is that the numbers of those considered poor or not doing well is swelling daily. The commonailty that is uniting them is the weariness of being sucked on by the vampire squids of politics and monster corporations (virtual monopolies). It doesn’t matter which area you wade through – the monied class is shrinking and the got-nothing-much-left-to-lose class is growing, well, bigly…
I don’t buy this article, not for a minute. It’s just another example of bullshit put out there to make people think they have less in common with one another than they really do.
I live in KS and even this state is red it won’t be for long people from CA NJ and all of those shit is getting state moving in with there bullshit left ideas screwing up everything wanting big Gov’t our poor are much bigger in numbers crime in our big cities much worse crack other drugs just getting worse. Jobs hard to find pay really low but low cost of living, Yes we have a big lards Mexican most good people and even they hate wetbacks for they keep pay down. In 20 yrs if nothing changes Ks will be blue but in will be dead and glad for never was in a blue state that was worth a shit
The author’s comments about the First Nations is are AN ABSOLUTE JAW-DROPPER. According to the U.S. census of 2010, 2.9 million Americans identify themselves as First Nations. According to the Canadian census of 2016, there are about 1,526,000 First Nations people in Canada. Most of them live in the south of Canada off-reserve and in the cities.
Another doubtful claim made by the author is the cultural similarity between the people of the New Orleans area and the people of Quebec. I’m sure that very few of the people of New Orleans speak French. According to the 2016 census, three quarters of the 8 million people of Quebec speak French. They have a very vibrant culture with its own French-language film industry, its own membership in the world-wide community of French-speaking countries, and its own immigration policies (separate from the rest of Canada). However, the people of Quebec have long had difficulty with minority cultural expression within their province, the most recent challenges being expressions of intolerance of female Muslim face coverings and other Muslim expressions of religion. Such attitudes would not put them in the same liberal category as the people of the area of New Orleans. The people of Louisiana long ago lost the fight to preserve their French language and French culture. The people of Quebec have not yet lost that battle, hence their defensive attitude about minorities in the province.
New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana are very different from each other, also remember what is now South Alabama and Southern Mississippi were originally part of Louisiana.
FEMA and the NWO don’t plan to use these borders after the collapse. Their 12 regions are more in line with the Hunger Games model.
I haven’t read Woodward’s 11 Nations, however, as a result of personal experience, I disagree that red states are becoming redder, and blue states are becoming bluer as a result of personal sorting, and that such polarization will continue to increase as a result of that.
I believe that red states have become redder, and blue states have become bluer from redisctricting, and that people typically move to wherever they can find the best job.
Social media just allows everyone who chooses to, to participate in the political process, that were silenced by the elite in the past.
It is ironic that social media moguls are trying to silence their consumers. They will end up without customers, and out of business.
It is simply a matter of time, if they do not do an about face on their fascist censorship.
Woodard did not say that Tidewater was formed on slavery. He said that it was initially expanded through indentured servitude, where people worked contracts to get land. Slaves were brought in, but he notes that the area was never like the Deep South with regards to slavery. And in error by omission this review did not point out that the people of Tidewater perhaps more so than those of in any other region made the American revolution happen. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington are examples of Tidewater citizens.
I don’t think Woodard used the term ‘rednecks’, and this adds some color that might not be faithful to the book. He says that Appalachia was formed by highland Scots. That they ‘align with the South’ might also a read-in. Rather they were staunchly independent and did not demure from joining a fight. The Deep South on the other hand had an elitist honor system. Perhaps the reviewer reads this in because of the Civil War, though in that case the Deep South perceived necessity due to loss of representation with the demise of the 4/5ths compromise. They did not foment the fight due to a belief that action is best course for solving differences, as the Appalachians tended to believe. And as another sign of non-alignment, Appalachians never institutionalized slave labor. A more accurate statement would be that Appalachia provided a buffer zone between the Deep South and other nations.
A better understanding of the 11 Nations and the role these cultural variations played in the last election will improve our country. This is why:
The Puritans (Calvanists in the review) have a deeply felt belief in community, and this extends to this day. Unfortunately Puritan cultural is also highly oppressive. Just read a story like “The Scarlet Letter”. Puritan cultural is synonymous with witch hunts and persecution. There is this irony in Puritan culture whereby on the one hand they say ‘everyone is equal – you are included – indeed you must be educated and vote’, but on the other hand, ‘show independence and you must be destroyed’. I suppose this irony stems from not being able to have it both ways.
Tidewater people believe in the wise leader, where wisdom comes from knowledge of history and science. They were not community based, but believed that people who had property and wisdom were ‘endowed by God to lead’ – as an academic use of the term. Thomas Jefferson was an example. Tidewater not only fomented the revolution, but I think Tidewater ideals are the best representation of what America is and should strive to be. I think they had the right idea, and after all, it is their idea.
The Highland Scots gave us Andrew Jackson. In a sense, they are might makes right believers. Thus they formed a buffer zone between the Deep South and Tidewater, due to recognizing both power centers. However, they did not believe in education, and they resent the Puritan’s attempt to force them into schools, but even more so when they found that school curriculum taught Puritan ethics. Consequently they are under represented among academics and todays ‘thought leaders’.
I can fill in the rest of the regions, but I think this is enough to make the point.
Conservatism today can be summed up as the accumulated frustration over the Puritan’s efforts to foment a cultural coup and thus instill universal acceptance of their view on culture, complete with its Scarlet letter style persecution of those who do not fit their required ethics.
The Calvanists know they are right, and know they must persecute individuals who remain independent. They have taught their ethics to our children by requiring teachers to be certified in their programs and by national union adoption of blessed curriculum. Their beliefs have made them very successful in academia, but being Puritans, they are quick to persecute college students and others who do not agree with all of their beliefs.
So the conservatives are correct, there is a cultural battle going on. However, I don’t think they understand it’s underpinnings, but rather are suffering a visceral reaction to it. This is a reaction a Tidewater person can not respect but can understand where it is coming from. The drums of the Highland Scot tribes isn’t the correct way forward, scares the Puritans, and they readily persecute their leaders. Though this is a very old story in the US, now that we have a better insight into culture, thanks to Woodard, and the people he built his work from, we can rise above it. I think if we can understand the faults of the Puritans, the value of the other cultural ethics (and resist the Puritan’s call to persecute them), that we can synthesize a better American cultural.
Just as art and music have entered a post modern world, so too is US culture. Woodard’s book can be seen as the first intellectual contribution to the post modern US culture.
IMHO
I greatly appreciate your time and insights, however, you wrote, ” I think if we can understand the faults of the Puritans, the value of the other cultural ethics (and resist the Puritan’s call to persecute them), that we can synthesize a better American cultural.”
I believe a “bettering” of the Am. Culture will always take a second place to mankinds` hankering for a fight. (Conquest)
The larger part of North Carolina, both culturally and geographically, is Appalachian, not Tidewater. This guy’s thesis about the centripetal forces acting upon different “nations” with the USA is valid, but if his drawing of boundary lines is as sloppy elsewhere as in N.C., then I’d skip this book.
I have traveled extensively through and worked in 27 states in my own consulting company and visited almost all the others throughout my life. I misspent a good part of my misspent youth in the Crescent City (met my wife of 40 years on Bourbon street – who would have thunk it?) and found this post and the comments fascinating! (I found my 3 Mardi Gras like being an extra in a drunken surreal Marx Brothers movie).
I grew up in Yankeedom and despised it, their choking numbers and lemming liberalism, fleeing to Texas, Georgia, a short stint in the endless summer of Florida before landing in God’s country in North Carolina – which I believe is mostly a mixture of the best of Greater Appalachia & the Deep South. I’m also familiar with and worked in Tidewater and believe it is much smaller then what is represented on the map…and shrinking fast for the reason stated.
God can be a grinning practical joker and having this Don’t Even Think About Threading on Me Copperhead being born and raised in Yankeedom just proves it.
Yankee by birth – Rebel by choice
I self -sorted ASAP!
How do you determine that Washington State is part of the Left Coast and the Far West. Where is the state divided into those two “nations”?