Help a student if you have a minute...

[DMD]

I have a family friend who is Swedish (and no, there will be no pictures of her) who in school has chosen to do a study on the different regions of America (North, South, East and West). I know that many of you have lived in the different areas and can give some perspective on the basic differences between the different parts of the country. Understand that, for instance, Sweden is about the size of California and has the population of around 9 million (roughly North Carolina's population) so there is no where near the diversity that we have in the US. She would like to know about the differences of cultural values, religious, socially, economically & politically between regions.

 

What are the observable general differences that you have seen between different parts of the country?

 

For me:

 

West coast - More more health conscious, tremendous diversity in ethnicities - white, latino, black and asian. Unmatched beauty in California with the mountains and oceans and rivers. Not all that religious overall but a ton of different religions are there. Largely democratic - heavily so in the urban areas. High cost of living with taxes though property taxes are really low. Lot of people move there but were not born there.

 

South - Much more religious though with mostly just Christian and Catholic churches. Not as diverse ethnically as California was - black, white and latino. Food is often fried and lot's of beef barbecue and some pork barbecue. More friendly than on the west coast and a lot hotter in the summer. Lot's of pickup trucks. Football, baseball, hunting and fishing are popular.

[BeeR]

South - Much more religious though with mostly just Christian and Catholic churches. Not as diverse ethnically as California was - black, white and latino. Food is often fried and lot's of beef barbecue and some pork barbecue. More friendly than on the west coast and a lot hotter in the summer. Lot's of pickup trucks. Football, baseball, hunting and fishing are popular.

Don't forget the shotguns and country music. hyuk.

 

Not. The diff's esp the stereotypical ones are far less than they used to be and are continuing to trend even less as people move around a lot and our society continues to "homogenize." And much of what you said applies to most places, eg more democrats/libs in the more urban areas, lot of people moving someplace but not born there etc.

 

From what I've seen, unless maybe you hit the rural areas, there's little more eating of fried food or BBQ or driving pickup trucks (etc etc) in the South than most other places in the country.

[wiegie]

North of the Mason-Dixon line, people eat at IHOP; South of the Mason-Dixon line, people eat at Waffle House.

 

I think that is really all she needs to know.

[muck]

Excepting Florida, the further south and east you go, the more likely that the local church will be the focal point of social activities in the community. For Christians in other parts of the country, the church is less of a focal point for social activities.

 

The further you get from the coasts and the further you get from the cities, the more likely you are to have somone wave at you while you're driving past them on a side street.

[detlef]

Don't forget the shotguns and country music. hyuk.

 

Not. The diff's esp the stereotypical ones are far less than they used to be and are continuing to trend even less as people move around a lot and our society continues to "homogenize." And much of what you said applies to most places, eg more democrats/libs in the more urban areas, lot of people moving someplace but not born there etc.

 

From what I've seen, unless maybe you hit the rural areas, there's little more eating of fried food or BBQ or driving pickup trucks (etc etc) in the South than most other places in the country.

I disagree. I live in a reasonably urban area in the South and, while I'm certain that it's very much changed from 20 years ago, it's still the south. There's still way more churches around here than anywhere I've ever lived (CA, Idaho, NY, NC). Most stores don't open until after noon on Sunday, and chicken and biscuit places are always busy.

 

Not knocking it, but it's certainly here.

 

DMD, I would differ on one of your points regarding the West Coast. The bit about ethnic diversity. I don't know what the stats bear out, but I never noticed it much during my time there. Sure, more Asians I suppose, but it's still mostly white. My HS, for instance probably had 20 non-whites out of 1200 people in it. Same held true for most of the schools in my district. Urban areas are more diverse, to be sure. LA? Sure. But I don't think of ethnic diversity when I think of the west coast.

[tazinib1]

DMD, I would differ on one of your points regarding the West Coast. The bit about ethnic diversity. I don't know what the stats bear out, but I never noticed it much during my time there. Sure, more Asians I suppose, but it's still mostly white. My HS, for instance probably had 20 non-whites out of 1200 people in it. Same held true for most of the schools in my district. Urban areas are more diverse, to be sure. LA? Sure. But I don't think of ethnic diversity when I think of the west coast.

 

I would have to strongly disagree with you on this. Born and raised in Oregon, your argument might have held true 20 years ago. But I can tell you, without a doubt, that ethnic diversity is very big here in California..and hell even in Oregon now. You should know better than anyone else that the restaurant industry is probably the biggest mixture of Mexican and Asian labor. Not sure how it pans out on the East or South, but here in the West I would say the majority of low end restaurant, manual labor and pretty much any other job a white person would not want is filled by Mexican and Asian workers. When I first moved to the town I now call my home (Imperial Beach,Ca not Burbank where I work) was predominantly white. That changed when the rental zone was restructured. There are now more section 8 properties in this area than most of the county. Hence, a whopping turn-around in demographics. Hell even most of the billboards are in Spanish now and that drives me insane. Same could be said about Burbank and the surrounding areas...Armenian population dominates there due to a resolution passed years ago that gave decedents of the Middle East (mostly Iraq,Iran and Affgan) that had a fallen war brother,father or uncle, a one time $100k gift from the city. And people wonder why the state of California is almost bankrupt lol. They used that to buy up the majority of the property in Burbank and Glendale. Besides having all the major studios, Burbank offers very little if you are not Armenian. Hate to say it, but its true.

 

I'm strictly talking San Diego and Eugene/Springfield here. I don't have any basis for a comment on other parts of the West Coast.

 

However...I was stationed in Oak Harbor,Wa for 2 years and it was predominantly white from what I recall.

Edited January 28, 2012 by tazinib1

[detlef]

I would have to strongly disagree with you on this. Born and raised in Oregon, your argument might have held true 20 years ago. But I can tell you, without a doubt, that ethnic diversity is very big here in California..and hell even in Oregon now. You should know better than anyone else that the restaurant industry is probably the biggest mixture of Mexican and Asian labor. Not sure how it pans out on the East or South, but here in the West I would say the majority of low end restaurant, manual labor and pretty much any other job a white person would not want is filled by Mexican and Asian workers. When I first moved to the town I now call my home (Imperial Beach,Ca not Burbank where I work) was predominantly white. That changed when the rental zone was restructured. There are now more section 8 properties in this area than most of the county. Hence, a whopping turn-around in demographics. Hell even most of the billboards are in Spanish now and that drives me insane. Same could be said about Burbank and the surrounding areas...Armenian population dominates there due to a resolution passed years ago that gave decedents of the Middle East (mostly Iraq,Iran and Affgan) that had a fallen war brother,father or uncle, a one time $100k gift from the city. And people wonder why the state of California is almost bankrupt lol. They used that to buy up the majority of the property in Burbank and Glendale. Besides having all the major studios, Burbank offers very little if you are not Armenian. Hate to say it, but its true.

 

I'm strictly talking San Diego and Eugene/Springfield here. I don't have any basis for a comment on other parts of the West Coast.

 

However...I was stationed in Oak Harbor,Wa for 2 years and it was predominantly white from what I recall.

90%+ of every kitchen job around here is filled with Latinos.

 

I'm not saying that each and every person on the West Coast is white. Rather that it never seemed particularly diverse to me when I was there. Certainly no more than any place else I've lived. Perhaps less. Enough so that I would not single out the West Coast as being some melting pot compared to other parts of the country.

 

Again, perhaps the stats would bear it out differently, but that's just my impression.

 

And, yes, I get that LA is quite diverse, but that's not the entire west coast.

[gbpfan1231]

I have lived on east coast - west coast - midwest - here is my take on what I noticed...

 

East Coast - I got the feeling that when you met people it was - hey I already have 20 friends I don't need 21. Was difficult to meet people who wanted to include you in what was going on. Once you did get into the "friend circle" then they were great and friendly people - just difficult getting in. More into themselves than the west coast. I assumed East Coast was mostly educated and snobby. Was way off - would go into a town and it would be like I assumed - educated snobby - drive 2 miles and it was the most redneck area you could imagine. Noticed misspellings on a ton of signs and menus and came out of it thinking that east coast educated was a bad assumption.

 

West Coast - way too busy and for the most part people did not care about anyone else - the attitude of what can you do for me was what I got out of it. As you walk into a store nobody says hello and if you did they thought you were nuts. Way too busy and packed for my taste - could not find a parking spot at the grocery store at ten at night on a tuesday.

 

Midwest - opposite of east coast - I have 20 friends and would like 100 - hey come on in and have a beer in the garage with us sitting on metal chairs. Midwest has very nice people but people in general are not healthy. Really noticed the difference in people's health when I came back from west coast.

 

Hate the weather in the midwest but the people here make it worth it.

 

Just my two cents.

[tazinib1]

90%+ of every kitchen job around here is filled with Latinos.

 

I'm not saying that each and every person on the West Coast is white. Rather that it never seemed particularly diverse to me when I was there. Certainly no more than any place else I've lived. Perhaps less. Enough so that I would not single out the West Coast as being some melting pot compared to other parts of the country.

 

Again, perhaps the stats would bear it out differently, but that's just my impression.

 

And, yes, I get that LA is quite diverse, but that's not the entire west coast.

 

:nod:

 

Now for the different parts of the country question, I have a distinct pleasure of working almost anywhere. I've had the privelage of shooting in Michigan,Arizona,Oklahoma,Florida,Colorado and soon to be Vancouver. I have to say, without a doubt, the biggest Religious state I was ever in was Colorado and its not even close. From my understanding, its right in the middle of the bible belt. Let me just say, watching a Charger game at a Denver sports bar was an experience. The ethnic diversity there was mostly the same here, but to a lesser degree. I would have to say Mexican immigrants more so than Latinos dominate the demographic.

 

 

Very interesting study and I hope she shares it with us when its complete.

[bushwacked]

:nod:

 

Now for the different parts of the country question, I have a distinct pleasure of working almost anywhere. I've had the privelage of shooting in Michigan,Arizona,Oklahoma,Florida,Colorado and soon to be Vancouver. I have to say, without a doubt, the biggest Religious state I was ever in was Colorado and its not even close. From my understanding, its right in the middle of the bible belt. Let me just say, watching a Charger game at a Denver sports bar was an experience. The ethnic diversity there was mostly the same here, but to a lesser degree. I would have to say Mexican immigrants more so than Latinos dominate the demographic.

 

Colorado isn't in the middle of the bible belt as it's not even in the bible belt. And I'm not sure where you were at in CO, but it's not even close to those states in southeastern US when it comes to socially conservative evangelical Protestantism as a whole.

[tazinib1]

Colorado isn't in the middle of the bible belt as it's not even in the bible belt. And I'm not sure where you were at in CO, but it's not even close to those states in southeastern US when it comes to socially conservative evangelical Protestantism as a whole.

 

 

I was in Colorado Springs.

[bushwacked]

I was in Colorado Springs.

 

I think that is where that gay meth user mega church Evangelist came from; so maybe CO springs is a lot different than Denver and the ski resorts.

[evil_gop_liars]

I have a buddy that won't live in a state that doesn't have mountain over 14000 feet. He was born Colorado moved to Alaska and now lives in Washington. I find that odd.

[gbpfan1231]

I have a buddy that won't live in a state that doesn't have mountain over 14000 feet. He was born Colorado moved to Alaska and now lives in Washington. I find that odd.

I also find that odd. Just kidding.

[tazinib1]

I think that is where that gay meth user mega church Evangelist came from; so maybe CO springs is a lot different than Denver and the ski resorts.

 

 

I have no idea who you are referring to. But Meth Mountain is in Alabama isn't it?

 

 

As to where I was, this could explain things. Clicky

 

Shot here twice

Edited January 28, 2012 by tazinib1

[BeeR]

I disagree. I live in a reasonably urban area in the South and, while I'm certain that it's very much changed from 20 years ago, it's still the south. There's still way more churches around here than anywhere I've ever lived (CA, Idaho, NY, NC). Most stores don't open until after noon on Sunday, and chicken and biscuit places are always busy.

? Been to that area many times and it's not all that urban, or even particularly Southern any more. TONS of transplants and mostly from NE/NY (with a good sprinkling of Fla/Calif). And not to nit pick but while can't speak to churches there vs CA/ID/NY offhand betting it's somewhat more vs way more. Not to doubt you on most stores not open on Sunday till 12 but I recall going to some on AM Sundays - maybe it's just grocery stores etc?

 

Something I thought of reading these replies though and that is that even within regions it can vary - eg some places in the South (Durham vs Jackson or eastern VA vs western VA etc etc) may be more stereotypical Southern than others.

[Gopher]

Kind of getting off-topic, but having lived in the Bay area for seven years, I have to say that it's as diverse as I've seen. That said, I think it's pretty safe to say that we've seen an increase in diversity in most parts of the country, over the past couple of decades. So, depending on where people have lived, it's probably somewhat hard to believe that there are other areas that are even more diverse. Top ten most diverse cities, according to CNBC.com article:

 

LINK

 

#1 LA

#2 NYC

#3 Oakland/Fremont/Hayward (This is where I lived/worked for the past couple of years, prior to moving out of CA in July)

#4 Houston

#5 San Diego

#6 Dallas

#7 San Antonio

#8 Las Vegas

#9 San Francisco

#10 Miami

 

Prior to doing a search, the areas that came to mind (when thinking diversity) were CA, NY, and probably FL (particularly Miami). So, it doesn't surprise me at all to see the top three cities are from those areas, as well as six of the top 10. It does surprise me slightly to see three Texas cities. Not surprised to see any of the three, particularly, but just that all three are on in the top ten, I guess.

 

A few observations that I've noticed (and heard others say), in comparing California to the Midwest:

 

- I've heard a lot of people from the West coast comment on how nice (friendly/hospitable) people from the Midwest are, which I found interesting

 

- I agree with the comment about CA having a relatively low percentage of "religious" people, but at the same time, a very wide variety of religions.

 

- in MN, you can't buy liquor (other than at a bar) on Sundays, or after 10 PM (I think it's still the case) the rest of the week. And, you have to pretty much buy it from a liquor store. Grocery stores and gas stations sell "3.2 beer" only. In CA, you can buy beer, wine, or liquor until 2 AM from pretty much anywhere... grocery stores, CVS pharmacy, Long's Drugstores, etc.

 

- Being 6'6", I noticed that there are a lot fewer Big/Tall stores, as well as Big/Tall departments in stores (JCPenny, Kohl's, etc.) in CA than there are in the Midwest. I guess it makes perfect sense, when you think about the diversity.... Not many Asian, Hispanic, or Pacific Islanders shop at such stores.

 

- You can't beat the food (at least in terms of variety) in CA... Authentic Mexican joints on seemingly every corner, great sushi, Brazilian BBQ/steakhouses, fresh seafood, etc. In many parts of the Midwest, people will tell you that the best restaurant in the area is a buffet of some kind.

 

- Being a golf nut, I will say that you can find great golf courses pretty much anywhere in this country. Not that every area has great courses, necessarily, but more in the sense that I'm often surprised (pleasantly) by some great finds, in terms of little-known courses in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, I've seen some pretty overpriced courses as well, particularly in CA... Like some people think patrons should automatically pay double to play, just for the simple fact that you're playing in CA.

 

- Another point I'll strongly agree with is California's beauty, and variety of types of beauty... particularly Northern CA. You can be on the beach one minute, and in the mountains an hour later. Whale watching and snow skiing in the same day. Alcatraz, Golden Gate, Yosemite, Lake Shasta, Marin County... The list goes on and on, and each piece is extremely unique and amazing.

 

- West coasters say "soda" and Midwesterners say "pop."

 

- Californians can sometimes come across as being particularly snobby, without even realizing it. Meanwhile, people from the Midwest have accents and don't realize it.

 

- The West coast tends to set certain trends, that the Midwest eventually follows... fashion is one good example. Another would be smoking in bars, or actually, banning it. On the other hand, Minnesota banned texting while CA focused solely on talking on cell phones. I never did understand that one... For a few years, it was illegal to talk on a cell phone (while driving) in CA, but seemingly nothing was done about texting (which is far more dangerous).

 

I'm sure I'll think of more, and I'm sure not everyone will agree with the above, but that's my .

 

Edited to add link to CNBC article on diversity.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Gopher

[wiegie]

Something I thought of reading these replies though and that is that even within regions it can vary - eg some places in the South (Durham vs Jackson or eastern VA vs western VA etc etc) may be more stereotypical Southern than others.

yep--western Michigan is conservative (hell, some people even refer to the area around Grand Rapids/Holland, MI as the "Bible Button") and eastern Michigan is much more liberal

 

same thing is true in Illinois or Missouri--the urban areas are liberal and the rural ones are mostly conservative. (For example, someone who lives inside I-270/255 going around St. Louis would likely identify pretty easily with someone from New York; whereas if you go 30 miles outside of that circle, you'd find that most of the people would much more easily identify with people in the rural south.)

[Gopher]

I have lived on east coast - west coast - midwest - here is my take on what I noticed...

 

East Coast - I got the feeling that when you met people it was - hey I already have 20 friends I don't need 21. Was difficult to meet people who wanted to include you in what was going on. Once you did get into the "friend circle" then they were great and friendly people - just difficult getting in. More into themselves than the west coast. I assumed East Coast was mostly educated and snobby. Was way off - would go into a town and it would be like I assumed - educated snobby - drive 2 miles and it was the most redneck area you could imagine. Noticed misspellings on a ton of signs and menus and came out of it thinking that east coast educated was a bad assumption.

 

West Coast - way too busy and for the most part people did not care about anyone else - the attitude of what can you do for me was what I got out of it. As you walk into a store nobody says hello and if you did they thought you were nuts. Way too busy and packed for my taste - could not find a parking spot at the grocery store at ten at night on a tuesday.

 

Midwest - opposite of east coast - I have 20 friends and would like 100 - hey come on in and have a beer in the garage with us sitting on metal chairs. Midwest has very nice people but people in general are not healthy. Really noticed the difference in people's health when I came back from west coast.

 

Hate the weather in the midwest but the people here make it worth it.

 

Just my two cents.

I agree with a lot of this, although there are obviously many exceptions to every rule. In other words, I've met many friendly/hospitable people in various parts of CA, and some real Megan Foxes in the Midwest, but it's more likely to be the other way around.

[wiegie]

- West coasters say "soda" and Midwesterners say "pop."

 

- Californians can sometimes come across as being particularly snobby, without even realizing it. Meanwhile, people from the Midwest have accents and don't realize it.

people in the northern part of the midwest say "pop" the rest of them say "soda" like normal people.

 

People from the central midwest also have the least dialect/accents of anyone in the country. In fact "The General American accent is most closely related to a generalized Midwestern accent" (reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American )

[Gopher]

people in the northern part of the midwest say "pop" the rest of them say "soda" like normal people.

 

People from the central midwest also have the least dialect/accents of anyone in the country. In fact "The General American accent is most closely related to a generalized Midwestern accent" (reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American )

Fair enough. On both accounts, I should have specified "northern Midwest."

[tazinib1]

- Being 6'6", I noticed that there are a lot fewer Big/Tall stores, as well as Big/Tall departments in stores (JCPenny, Kohl's, etc.) in CA than there are in the Midwest. I guess it makes perfect sense, when you think about the diversity.... Not many Asian, Hispanic, or Pacific Islanders shop at such stores.

 

I have never heard or thought of this one. Makes perfect sense though...this is why I love the Hudle. No wonder why Dikemba Mutumbo never played for the Lakers. Great thought inducing post.

[gbpfan1231]

I agree with a lot of this, although there are obviously many exceptions to every rule. In other words, I've met many friendly/hospitable people in various parts of CA, and some real Megan Foxes in the Midwest, but it's more likely to be the other way around.

Exactly - yes exceptions and my post was just a general observation of what I noticed in each place.

[Kris N]

grew up by milwaukee/chicago, college in minneapolis, then military in CA, ND, AL and HI but visited most areas of the country

 

- "midwest nice": people are nicer in the midwest (except for in the city of chicago)

 

- CA is the biggest mix of people from all walks of life

 

- the "deep south" calls the civil war the "war of northern aggression" and still thinks the confederacy will rise again (not impressed with alabama at all)

 

- MN and ND both have significant accents, as a cheesehead we have a few long vowels but no where near as bad, and IL tries to use the shortest vowels ever to make sure they dont get mistaken for a wisconsinite

 

- HI has the worst education system in america (its the first thing their state gov't cuts when they need $$)

 

- HI is the most beautiful place in america.....even better than CA

 

- HI has no manners or common courtesy.....unless ur in a tourist area

 

- MN, ND and IL say 'pop' but WI says soda along with most of the country

 

- northeast (NY, Mass, Conn.....) have a "snobbiness" towards the rest of the country. everything from "insert their home city here" is the best in the world and the rest of the country sucks

 

- religion and family are #1 priority in AL. family or "ohana" is #1 priority in HI

 

- CA seemed to have more wealth but also had more self centered lifestyle

 

- CA was very health conscious, where the midwest serves everything fried (i LOVE cheese curds!!). but HI might have the worst food for your health (fried food, rice/mac salad/mayonaise/gravy with everything, very heavy food)

 

- FL is like 3 states in 1 (south alabama, florida and miami) each has its own feel and is completely different than the other parts of the state

 

- you will meet great people and have great times no matter where you go or live in our great country.

Edited January 29, 2012 by Kris N

[polksalet]

North of the Mason-Dixon line, people eat at IHOP; South of the Mason-Dixon line, people eat at Waffle House.

 

I think that is really all she needs to know.

 

random knowledge, part of New Jersey is north of the Mason Dixon line.