What's your place like?
Since some time ago I was told by someone I used to know that I don't know jack shit about Amurrkka and therefore I "don't understand Amurkka", I decided to embark on a grand voyage and delve deep into the national psyche of this strange place called USAnia... so I ended up reading these:
The Nine Nations of North America / Our Patchwork Nation: The Surprising Truth About the "Real" America
An interesting couple of writing pieces by any means! It's got charts & maps too, yo! Well, these have made me ponder about the various cultures and subcultures that make up a nation so diverse as yours, my dear Amurkins. So, in order to "understand" ya'll even better, how about I make a small amateurish survey around here? My question will be simple. Which type of place/region/town/county do you live in?
Poll What type of place do you live in?
Just a minor caveat. I haven't put "Other" in the poll. Sorry about that. Obviously the author of the latter book (the "Patchwork") didn't care to pay much attention to those types that remain outside of this list, maybe because the 12 types constitute the bulk of all the US counties and towns. Aaanyway, here we go with some short explanations...
1. Boom towns. The wealthiest settlements, so to speak. Before the crisis they were growing very fast, enjoying influx of immigrants and lots of minority groups. GWB didn't fare too well there, but McCain did even worse (he got 5% of their vote). These have about 60 million people living in them.
2. Campus & Careers. Young generations dwell there because these are college towns, inhabited by large groups of college students and postgraduates doing their first steps into their professional careers. Gore and Kerry had the double digit results there, and Obama took them by a landslide. Those are the liberal bastions. Population: approx. 13 million.
3. Emptying nests. With a population older than the average, mainly baby-boomers and retirees living on fixed incomes. Those regions are in general less diverse than the average region. On previous elections, Obama and McCain split the vote there. Population: 12 million or so.
4. Evangelical epicenters. Full of young people and of course Evangelical Christians. Large households, ordinary peeps, the "salt of the land", the Real America. Generally lower than average household income, though. But people don't seem to be too bothered by all this. It's the bastion of conservatism. 14 million folks.
5. Immigration nation. South-western states mainly, large Hispanic populations, low incomes, high poverty. Those are often swing states during elections, the results are always frighteningly close (depends for whom). Population 20 million.
6. Industrial metropolis. The big industrial cities, densely populated, younger, much more diverse than "normal". Another liberal bastion, with Gore, Kerry and Obama winning them by a landslide. 53 million people live there.
7. Military bastions. Towns and settlements near military bases, depending on the soldiers, vets and their families who live there. Medium income in general. GWB had a clear superiority there, but surprisingly, McCain didn't do so well. Population 8-9 million.
8. Minority central. Dominated by African Americans and/or Native Americans. Lower incomes and higher poverty rates than average. Also swing states, the Democrats winning the last few elections by just a couple of per cents there. Population 13 million.
9. Monied burbs. Higher than the average income, higher education than the nation's median levels. Also very tight election results, with a slight superiority of the Democrats (except for Obama winning there quite neatly on the last election). Population 69 million.
10. Mormon outposts. With less than 2 million inhabitants, that's the smallest group. Mainly located in the mountains in the West. Very rural, sparsely populated; large households, conservative by default. Probably the staunchest Republican supporters, both GWB and McCain demolishing the Democrats there.
11. Service working centers. Small- to middle-sized towns, often tourist centers, where lots of peeps live without employee benefits and scarcely make ends meet. Marginalized communities. When shit hits the fan economically, those feel the hit most severely. The conservatives usually wins those places, sometimes by double digits (although McCain had to sweat there a bit). Population 31 million.
12. Tractor countryside. Sparsely populated, rural, remote, almost completely white and conservative. Farming and agriculture are their only occupation. The GOP never has a problem winning those regions. Population 2.5 million.
So, 3, 2, 1... GO! Tell me about your place!
The Nine Nations of North America / Our Patchwork Nation: The Surprising Truth About the "Real" America
An interesting couple of writing pieces by any means! It's got charts & maps too, yo! Well, these have made me ponder about the various cultures and subcultures that make up a nation so diverse as yours, my dear Amurkins. So, in order to "understand" ya'll even better, how about I make a small amateurish survey around here? My question will be simple. Which type of place/region/town/county do you live in?
Poll What type of place do you live in?
Just a minor caveat. I haven't put "Other" in the poll. Sorry about that. Obviously the author of the latter book (the "Patchwork") didn't care to pay much attention to those types that remain outside of this list, maybe because the 12 types constitute the bulk of all the US counties and towns. Aaanyway, here we go with some short explanations...
1. Boom towns. The wealthiest settlements, so to speak. Before the crisis they were growing very fast, enjoying influx of immigrants and lots of minority groups. GWB didn't fare too well there, but McCain did even worse (he got 5% of their vote). These have about 60 million people living in them.
2. Campus & Careers. Young generations dwell there because these are college towns, inhabited by large groups of college students and postgraduates doing their first steps into their professional careers. Gore and Kerry had the double digit results there, and Obama took them by a landslide. Those are the liberal bastions. Population: approx. 13 million.
3. Emptying nests. With a population older than the average, mainly baby-boomers and retirees living on fixed incomes. Those regions are in general less diverse than the average region. On previous elections, Obama and McCain split the vote there. Population: 12 million or so.
4. Evangelical epicenters. Full of young people and of course Evangelical Christians. Large households, ordinary peeps, the "salt of the land", the Real America. Generally lower than average household income, though. But people don't seem to be too bothered by all this. It's the bastion of conservatism. 14 million folks.
5. Immigration nation. South-western states mainly, large Hispanic populations, low incomes, high poverty. Those are often swing states during elections, the results are always frighteningly close (depends for whom). Population 20 million.
6. Industrial metropolis. The big industrial cities, densely populated, younger, much more diverse than "normal". Another liberal bastion, with Gore, Kerry and Obama winning them by a landslide. 53 million people live there.
7. Military bastions. Towns and settlements near military bases, depending on the soldiers, vets and their families who live there. Medium income in general. GWB had a clear superiority there, but surprisingly, McCain didn't do so well. Population 8-9 million.
8. Minority central. Dominated by African Americans and/or Native Americans. Lower incomes and higher poverty rates than average. Also swing states, the Democrats winning the last few elections by just a couple of per cents there. Population 13 million.
9. Monied burbs. Higher than the average income, higher education than the nation's median levels. Also very tight election results, with a slight superiority of the Democrats (except for Obama winning there quite neatly on the last election). Population 69 million.
10. Mormon outposts. With less than 2 million inhabitants, that's the smallest group. Mainly located in the mountains in the West. Very rural, sparsely populated; large households, conservative by default. Probably the staunchest Republican supporters, both GWB and McCain demolishing the Democrats there.
11. Service working centers. Small- to middle-sized towns, often tourist centers, where lots of peeps live without employee benefits and scarcely make ends meet. Marginalized communities. When shit hits the fan economically, those feel the hit most severely. The conservatives usually wins those places, sometimes by double digits (although McCain had to sweat there a bit). Population 31 million.
12. Tractor countryside. Sparsely populated, rural, remote, almost completely white and conservative. Farming and agriculture are their only occupation. The GOP never has a problem winning those regions. Population 2.5 million.
So, 3, 2, 1... GO! Tell me about your place!