# What region of the US has the sharpest cultural divide? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784 "2009-07-12T20:33:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/1 "2009-07-12T20:33:55Z")
(Posted here instead of GQ because it’s probably more opinion than proof.) Not counting individual neighborhoods or suburbs within a metro area (like south L.A. vs. Beverly Hills), where do you find the sharpest cultural divides in the US? Places that driving a hundred miles puts you into a distinctly different part of the US. I would guess that two of the sharpest declinations are Louisiana vs. Texas, and Ohio vs. Kentucky but since I don’t actually know those are just guesses. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/2 "2009-07-12T20:37:05Z")
Wild guess-Northern and Southern Florida since the Northern part is more Southern than the Southern part. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/3 "2009-07-12T20:37:41Z")
I’ve never been in Kentucky but been in various parts of Ohio and it feels more Southern the further south you go in general. I don’t think there’s a sharp divide. Columbus sounds more southern than Cleveland etc. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/4 "2009-07-12T20:39:48Z")
New York City versus rural upstate New York state would be my nomination. There’s folks upstate without proper running water, still. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/5 "2009-07-12T20:54:58Z")
I’m going to say California. If you go twenty miles inland from the coast you might as well be in Alabama. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/6 "2009-07-12T20:56:52Z")
The Massachusetts/New Hampshire border has been traditionally quite sharp although parts of Southern New Hampshire are part of the Boston commuter area now but 100 miles is plenty to give you a stark contrast between those two states. I grew up on the Louisiana/Texas border and the difference isn’t that sharp. Most pure Louisiana culture is in the interior of the state although you could probably draw a map that shows a large cultural difference in your terms if you tried hard enough. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/7 "2009-07-12T20:59:13Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I’m going to say California. If you go twenty miles inland from the coast you might as well be in Alabama. Of course, the people in Alabama often say, “Don’t go that way. If you travel twenty miles, you might as well be in California.” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/8 "2009-07-12T21:07:54Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I’m going to say California. If you go twenty miles inland from the coast you might as well be in Alabama. Sorry, I’m not from the US, and although I’m going there for university in two months I’m still not sure about the stereotypes associated with some states. Could you please elaborate on this a bit? ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/9 "2009-07-12T21:15:19Z")
Well, I’d say it’s hyperbole. But on the whole, coastal California is much more liberal and the central valley is quite conservative. It gets pretty mixed up though–I live in a town that is 1/3 hippies, 1/3 middle-class/yuppies, and 1/3 rural conservatives. Pretty much, anyway. Where are you going to be living? ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/10 "2009-07-12T21:18:28Z")
California is most pleasant, climate-wise, in a narrow strip along the coast. So, that’s where you’ll find the rich people (and [SWPLs](http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/)), who bid up land prices so that they form a distinct cultural enclave. So, the coast is rich and liberal (plus poor people who benefit from liberal policies), the interior is more middle class and conservative. There have been not terribly serious calls to divide up the state lengthwise. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/11 "2009-07-12T21:59:36Z")
Minnesota’s 5th district elected Keith Ellison, the first Muslim in Congress. The 6th district elected Michelle “Batshit Insane” Bachmann. The two districts adjoin each other; there aren’t any miles involved. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/12 "2009-07-12T22:01:28Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > New York City versus rural upstate New York state would be my nomination. There’s folks upstate without proper running water, still. This is my vote (though admittedly I haven’t traveled that much). A drive through the Catskills and I feel like I’m in a PBS special on Appalachia. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/13 "2009-07-12T22:02:13Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > New York City versus rural upstate New York state would be my nomination. There’s folks upstate without proper running water, still. While Upstate New York is not the wasteland many people in NYC think it is, I’d have to agree. Hell, going from any city center in New York state out to the more rural parts of the state (and vice versa) is a huge culture shock for all involved. ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/14 "2009-07-12T22:02:57Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > Where are you going to be living? Me? I’m going to Wesleyan University, but I may “try” to transfer to somewhere in California. I hope to live in the SF Bay area later on. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/15 "2009-07-12T22:07:33Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I’m going to say California. If you go twenty miles inland from the coast you might as well be in Alabama. That depends on what part of California you’re going inland from. In L.A. you’d have to go farther. I found that things get pretty conservative once you get into the 909. Of course you can stay on the coast and go 40 miles south and you’ll be behind the Orange Curtain. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/16 "2009-07-12T22:16:52Z")
Virginia has Northern Virginia (generally liberal voting, large immigrant population, many residents commute to DC so has a ‘metropolitan’ feel), Appalachia, and the rural southern part of the state. Three distinct accents (more if you count the vernacular English spoken by bilingual communities) and three different major industries (service in the north, mining in the west (unless this has changed recently), and farming in the south). ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/17 "2009-07-12T22:37:08Z")
Kansas City and St. Louis people speak rather differently (rural/southern-sounding to my ears vs. middle america-sounding). At least, based on the one person I know from each place. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/18 "2009-07-12T22:50:23Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > New York City versus rural upstate New York state would be my nomination. There’s folks upstate without proper running water, still. The same could be said of Maryland. Far western Maryland and the eastern shore are very rural. There are small pockets in Garrett County with no electricity or indoor plumbing (usually trailer homes or shacks in the mountains), and I know there are places on the eastern shore where residents use generators and have outhouses. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/19 "2009-07-12T22:53:38Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > While Upstate New York is not the wasteland many people in NYC think it is, I’d have to agree. Hell, going from any city center in New York state out to the more rural parts of the state (and vice versa) is a huge culture shock for all involved. My semi-related anecdote from when I lived in New York. My employer in the Bronx was having some service done by our phone system vendor. A different guy than we usually saw came in. I asked. “Where’s Bob? Vacation?” The reply, “Ah, man, he’s someplace _upstate_. I think he’s in _Scarsdale_.” I remember thinking, “You know, I haven’t been around here that long, but isn’t Scarsdale like 20 miles up the road? That counts as upstate?” It was like Bob had been banished to the hinterlands. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784/20 "2009-07-12T23:17:36Z")
We drove through upstate New York about 10 years ago and I promptly wanted to move there. It was beautiful. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-region-of-the-us-has-the-sharpest-cultural-divide/502784.md?page=2)