American Regions & Stereotypes

When Americans talk about the United States, it is common for them to reference
one of six unofficial regions. These regions are not goernmental or legal regions, but
instead cultural regions, formed naturally by the inhabitants of that region oer time.
!istory, geography, literature, music, and climate all played a role in the formation of these
regions. The multicultural heritage of each region, as "ell as demographic characteristics
#such as age or occupation$ make each region special and distinct. Within seeral
regions, language is used differently and there are strong dialects. There are also
differences in outlook and attitude based on geography. Accordingly, there are also
stereotypes of the people "ho lie in each of the % American regions.
Although there are seeral
different "ays that different
people define the regions of the
United States, the map to the right
sho"s the most appropriate
classification of regions in the
opinion of the American&born and
raised author. These color-coded
regions are' (e" )ngland, The
*id&Atlantic, The South, The
*id"est, The South"est, and The
West. +et,s take a look at each
region indiidually.
(e" )ngland includes the
follo"ing states' -onnecticut,
*aine, *assachusetts, (e"
!ampshire, .ermont, and Rhode /sland. (e" )ngland has played an important role in the
deelopment of the United States, and it is the region to "hich the first settlers of the
United States arried. These first settlers "ere 0rotestants seeking religious liberty, and
because of this, many 0rotestant alues are still present in society today. 0rotestant
settlers to (e" )ngland gae the region its distinctie political format & to"n meetings #an
outgrowth of meetings held by church elders$ in "hich citi1ens gathered to discuss issues
of the day. To"n meetings still function in many (e" )ngland communities today and
hae been revived as a form of dialogue in the national political arena. (e" )ngland is
also kno"n for its educational contributions to the United States. *any top uniersities
today are located in (e" )ngland' !arard, 2ale, 3artmouth, 4ro"n, and Wesleyan are
all examples of this. There are more top uniersities in (e" )ngland than any other
region. Without, ho"eer, large expanses of rich farmland or a mild climate, generations
of exasperated (e" )ngland farmers declared that the chief product of their land "as
stones. 4y 5678, many settlers had turned from farming to other pursuits. /n their
business dealings, (e" )nglanders gained a reputation for hard "ork, shre"dness, thrift,
and ingenuity.
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The *id&Atlantic consists of 3ela"are,
*aryland, (e" 9ersey, (e" 2ork, 0ennsylania,
and Washington 3-. /f (e" )ngland proided
the brains and dollars for 5:th century American
expansion, the *id&Atlantic states proided the
muscle. The region,s largest states, (e" 2ork
and 0ennsylania, became centers of heay
industry #iron, glass, and steel$. The *id&
Atlantic region "as settled by a "ider range of
people than (e" )ngland. /nto this area of
industry came millions of )uropeans "ho gae
the country its nickname of ;melting pot; due to
cultural diersity. As heay industry spread
throughout the region, riers such as the
!udson and 3ela"are "ere transformed into
ital shipping lanes. -ities on "ater"ays & (e"
2ork on the !udson, 0hiladelphia on the 3ela"are, 4altimore on -hesapeake 4ay & gre"
dramatically.
(e" 2ork is still the nation,s largest city, its financial hub, and its cultural center. 4ut een
today, the isitor "ho expects only factories and cro"ded cities "ill be surprised. /n the
*id&Atlantic, there are more "ooded hills than factory chimneys, more fields than concrete
roads, and more farmhouses than office buildings. 0eople from the *id&Atlantic are often
thought of as ery business&like, and not unlike (e" )nglanders. Whereas (e"
)nglanders are more commonly thought of as similar to one another, people from the *id&
Atlantic are more often characteri1ed by their state. <or example, (e" 2orkers are
stereotyped as blunt and business&like, often lacking manners and other social graces.
0eople from (e" 9ersey are often portrayed as loud and obnoxious.
The *id"est consists of the follo"ing states' /llinois, /ndiana, /o"a, =ansas,
*ichigan, *innesota, *issouri, (ebraska, (orth 3akota, >hio, South 3akota, and
Wisconsin. The *id"est is kno"n as the nation,s ;breadbasket.; The fertile soil of the
region makes it possible for farmers to produce abundant harests of cereal crops such as
"heat, oats, and corn. -orn is the most important of all American crops, as basic to
American agriculture as iron is to American industry. The annual crop is greater than the
nation,s yield of "heat, rice and other grains combined. >n hot, still midsummer nights in
the -orn 4elt, farmers insist they can hear the corn gro"ing. <arms are normally located
separate from each other, close to the fields, and often beyond the sight of its neighbors.
The illage or to"n is principally a place "here the farm family traels to buy supplies, to
attend church, and to go for entertainment or political, social or business meetings.
*id"esterners are praised as being open, friendly, and straightfor"ard. Some consider
*id"esterners simple #in a bad "ay$ and close&minded, and although friendly, not
genuinely so.
The South"est includes Ari1ona, (e" *exico, >klahoma, and Texas. !o"eer,
Texas is more often than not considered its o"n region, as they people and traditions there
are certainly uni?ue. /n general, though, the South"est is drier than the *id"est in
"eather. The population is less dense and, "ith strong Spanish&American and (atie&
American components, more ethnically aried than neighboring areas. >utside the cities,
the region is a land of open spaces, much of "hich is desert. The magnificent @rand
-anyon is located in this region, as is *onument .alley, the starkly beautiful backdrop for
many "estern moies. *onument .alley is "ithin the (aaAo Reseration, home of the
most populous American /ndian tribe.
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To the south and east lie do1ens of other /ndian reserations, including those of the !opi,
Buni, and Apache tribes. 0arts of the South"est once belonged to *exico.
The United States obtained this land follo"ing the *exican&American War of 5CD%&5CDC.
The population in the region is gro"ing rapidly. Ari1ona, for example, no" rials the
southern states as a destination for retired Americans in search of a "arm climate. Since
the last third of the 5:th century, the immense stretch of barren American desert has been
gro"ing smaller. /n the 5C%8s, the "asteland extended from the *ississippi .alley almost
to the 0acific -oast. 4ut settlers learned that the prairies could gro" corn and that the
grasslands could feed cattle and
sheep or yield "heat.
As they continued to cultiate the
desert, its si1e decreased. 3ams on
the -olorado and other riers hae
brought "ater to the once small to"ns
of +as .egas, (eada, 0hoenix,
Ari1ona, and Albu?uer?ue, (e"
*exico, allo"ing them to become
metropolises. South"esterners are
generally not commonly stereotyped,
but (atie Americans in general may
sometimes be thought of as alcoholics
and anti&social #outside of their (atie
American group$. As for Texans, they
like eerything huge' huge steaks, huge cars #usually trucksE$, huge ranches, and a huge
state. They are also ery proud of their state in a "ay rarely seen in the rest of the
country. /nstead of saying FhelloG or FhiG, Texas is the only state in the Union in "hich
people greet each other "ith a F!o"dyEG. Texans are ery patriotic, and can sometimes be
ie"ed as oerly nationalistic and perhaps a bit racist. /f you are a foreigner, Texans "ill
treat you "ith respect as long as you respect American traditions. /f you do not H you,d
better run for the borderEE
Alaska, -olorado, -alifornia, !a"aii, /daho, *ontana, (eada, >regon, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming make up the West. Americans hae long regarded the West
as the last frontier. 2et -alifornia has a history of )uropean settlement older than that of
most mid"estern states. Spanish priests founded missions along the -alifornia coast a
fe" years before the outbreak of the American Reolution. The West is a region of scenic
beauty on a grand scale. /n much of the West, the population is sparse and the federal
goernment o"ns and manages millions of acres of undeeloped land. Americans use
these areas for recreational and commercial actiities, such as fishing, camping, hiking,
boating, lumbering, and mining. /n recent years, some local residents "ho earn their
lielihoods on federal property hae come into conflict "ith the goernment agencies,
"hich are charged "ith keeping land use "ithin enironmentally acceptable limits. !a"aii
is the only state in the union in "hich Asian Americans are the largest ethnic group.
4eginning in the 5:C8s, large numbers of Asians hae also settled in -alifornia. +os
Angeles & and Southern -alifornia as a "hole & bears the stap o! its large *exican&
American population. (o" the second largest city in the nation, +os Angeles is best
kno"n as the home of the !olly"ood film industry. <ueled by the gro"th of +os Angeles
and the ;Silicon .alley; area near San 9ose, -alifornia has become the most populous of
all the states. 0erhaps because so many "esterners hae moed there from other regions
to make a ne" start, Western cities are kno"n for their tolerance and a ery strong ;lie&
and&let lieG attitude. Americans from the West are seen as shallo" and too carefree.
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*any cities in the West hae their o"n particular stereotypes H residents of Seattle are
stereotyped as chain&smoking, coffee&addicted, depressed, grunge&music listeners.
San <rancisco is thought of as haing a large population of hippies and homosexuals, and
in San 3iego half the population is *exican and the other half are surfers "ho don,t care
about anything in this "orld except for ho" high the "aes are for surfingE
The last region is the glorious
S>UT!. The South is perhaps the
most distinctie region of the United
States. The American -iil War
#5C%5&5C%7$ deastated the >ld
South socially and economically.
The scars left by the "ar took
decades to heal. The abolition of
slaery failed to proide African
Americans "ith political or economic
e?uality, and it took a long, concerted effort to end segregation. The ;(e" South; has
eoled into a manufacturing region and high&rise buildings cro"d the skylines of such
cities as Atlanta and +ittle Rock. The region, ho"eer, still has many landscapes to delight
the human sense of poetry and "onder. The South is blessed "ith plentiful rainfall and a
mild climate. -rops gro" easily in its soil and can be gro"n "ithout frost for at least eight
months of the year. >"ing to its mild "eather, the South #especially <lorida$ has become
a mecca for retirees from other regions. Within the South, there is a subregion kno"n as
FThe 3eep SouthG. The 3eep South includes Alabama, @eorgia, +ouisiana, *ississippi,
and South -arolina. These states are also kno"n as FThe -otton StatesG, due to the fact
that large plantations for the gro"ing of cotton and sugar "ere concentrated in this region.
Although Americans from other parts of the United States characteri1e residents of the
3eep South as unintelligent, simple, uncultured, and intolerant, they also must concede
that Southerners are the most polite, "ell&mannered, and hospitable people in the nation.
Southern cooking is also considered the tastiest and most traditional of all American food,
een if not the healthiestE The most religious Americans lie in the South, and the region
kno"n as Fthe 4ible beltG includes the South #minus <lorida$ plus Texas and a fe" states of
the *id"est. Whereas in other parts of the United States people often put themseles
first, Southerners take the feelings and "ell&being of others into consideration. Whereas in
the (orth, you may "ait I8 minutes in heay traffic for someone to let you turn on to the
main road, in the South, you "ill most likely be allo"ed to merge "ith a "ae and a smile
"ithin 7 minutes. The South, or at least the 3eep South, definitely holds some traditions
close to its heart, ho"eer. /f a isitor is doing something considered to be disrespectful or
inappropriate, then they "ill be corrected and possibly disciplined. /t is not acceptable in
the 3eep South, for example, for females to "ear short skirts or reealing clothing. This is
not because Southerners discriminate against "omen, ho"eer. >n the contrary, "omen
are respected as ital members of the community, and unlike in other parts of the country,
if a man does not hold the door for a "oman or greet her on the street, then he "ould be
considered rude. <inally, another charming aspect of the South is the uni?ue Southern
accent.
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"istinct # JA39)-T/.)K Separate and different in a "ay that is clear or obious. [As dawn
broke, the outline of a building became distinct against the sky.]
"ialect L J(>U(K A "ay of speaking a language that is used only in a particular area or by
a particular group. [One of the easiest ways to hear the difference between a Moscow
dialect and a St. Petersburg dialect is by asking the Muscovite to say the word !"#!$%.]
Color-coded L JA39)-T/.)K *ade clear or distinct by colorM Separated or defined as a
group by a gien color "hich is associated "ith only that group. [&randma is getting old
and her memory isn't what it used to be, so her (ills are color)coded.] J(>T)' FTo color&
codeG can also be a erb H &randma is getting old and her memory isn't what it used to
be, so we color)coded her (ills in order to make it easy for her to know which (ills she
should take on each day.K
$utgrowth # J(>U(K #5$ The result or conse?uence of something. #I$ A thing gro"ing out
of a main body #N$ The act or process of gro"ing out from something. [*+,-hat writer's first
book was an outgrowth of an art (ro.ect he started way back in +/012 *3, -hat child was
born with a strange outgrowth on his face. 4e will (robably have surgery to remove it
when he gets older. *5, 6 love taking walks in the s(ring and seeing the outgrowth of new
buds on branches.]
%o revive L J.)R4K #5$ To make someone become conscious or alie again >R to
become conscious or alie again. #I$ To become actie, successful, or popular again >R
to make something do this. J*+, -he lifeguard revived the child after he (ulled him from the
bottom of the (ool. *3, -he (o(ular -7 show &lee% revived interest in singing in the
8nited States.K
Exasperated L JA39)-T/.)K )xtremely annoyed. [6 was so e9as(erated after trying to
deal with Sberbank's foolishness that 6 decided to .ust switch to :;<.]
$bnoxious H JA39)-T/.)K .ery rude, offensie, andOor unpleasant. [6 can't believe that
woman is using that (rofane language in front of her children. She is too obno9ious to
ignore = 6'm going to file a com(laint against her.]
%o bear the stap o! &soething' L To seem to be a particular thing or to display the
?ualities of something. [4aving reviewed all the evidence, the .udge decided that the
crime did indeed bear the stam( of +
st
degree murder.]
%o concede L J.)R4K #5$ !)R)' To admit that something is true #I$ To stop trying to "in
something because you reali1e that you cannotM to gie up. #N$ To gie something that you
o"n or control to someone, although you do not "ant to. [*+, -he teacher was forced to
concede that she had made an error after one of her students found information in the
official document that contradicted what she had taught the class. *3, >enit finally
conceded defeat after they were behind ?@ Aayern B)1. *5, After losing Corld Car 66, 6taly
was forced to concede a lot of territory to the Allies.]
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"ER$(A%$R) *$R"+ A,ER-CA.+ CA// EAC0 $%0ER
0illbilly 1 Someone "ho lies in a rural area and is thought of as simple, uneducated,
andOor lacking class. This person is considered unsophisticated and it "as originally used
to describe people liing in the Appalachian *ountains #especially in the state of West
.irginia$.
0ic2 1 &.ery similar to hillbilly$ Someone "ho can not appreciate higher forms of culture, is
simple and possibly perceied as rude by the rest of society. These people are more often
than not found in the South, and although they also lie in rural areas, they lie in more
populated areas than hillbillies. They loe beer, country music, rodeos, and trucks.
Rednec2 1 &0ractically the same as a hick$ This describes the same type of person as a
hick, but it is slightly less offensie.
*hite %rash 1 #more general term$ A "hite person "ho lacks cultural graces and does not
kno" ho" to behae appropriately in public.
)an2ee &or 3)an23' H (egatie term for someone from the (orth #used by Southerners$
C$.4ER+A%-$.

.iktor' / can,t "ait to isit the US next
monthE
=atya' >h cool H "hat part of the US
are you going to isitP
.adim' Surely he,s going to (e"
)ngland. After all, it,s )ngland that
.iktor really likes.....
Alla' 2eah, silly Anglophile...
.iktor' Actually, /,m not going to (e"
)ngland, .adim. @uess againE
Alla' The West. 2ou Aust "ant to check
out the +A club scene.
=atya' 2eah, and meet some -alifornia
girls.
Alla' Typical.
.adim' >ooh, did someone say ,-alifornia girls,P
.iktor' / "ill be spending a fe" days in +os Angeles, so /,ll definitely be hitting up the clubs, but for
the maAority of my acation, / "on,t be in that region.
=atya' 2ou can,t be going to the *id"est H there,s nothing to do there except for farming.
So....you,re going to the South"estP Are you going to go gambling on an /ndian reserationP
Alla' )xcuse me, =atya, but the 0- term for /ndian is F(atie AmericanG.
=atya' >h, sorry. So .iktor, you,re going to play poker "ith the (atie Americans, or "hatP
.iktor' >f course notE /,m going to the Ae"el of the United States H the SouthE
.adim' The SouthP >h, you,d better be careful, .iktor.....they,re strict do"n there.
Alla' >h, but /,e heard that the food is delicious, and the people are as s"eet as sugar.
=atya' That,s "hy .adim is so wary about going thereE
Alla' 2eah, he,s afraid that some Southerner "ill teach him a lesson about eti?uetteE
.iktor' 2eah, .adim doesn3t 2now the !irst thing about mannersE
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.adim' That,s pretty rude of you, .iktor. 2ou,d better be on your best behaior in the South. 3on,t
say / didn,t "arn you.
.iktor' Whateer, /,m going to meet a cute +outhern 5elle from @eorgia and Aust listen to her
charming accent all night.
=atya' 2ou "on,t find those kinds of girls in clubs, .iktor.
Alla' 2eah, looks like you,ll hae to settle "ith "hateer you can find at QRSR "hen you returnE
Then you can find a girl and listen to a different kind of @eorgian accentE !aE
Anglophile L J(>U(K Someone "ho really likes #or is een obsessed "ith$ all things 4ritish.
*ary L JA39)-T/.)K -areful or nerous about something or someone, because you think that it #or they$
might cause a problem. [She is wary about traveling to 6ran on her holiday, because 6ranians do not treat
women with eDuality.]
%o not 2now the !irst thing about &soething' # To not kno" anything about #something$ [Eou can't fool
us, 7adim. Eou don't know the first thing about manners and (ro(er etiDuette2]
+outhern 5elle L A Southern "oman from the US "ith class, grace, traditional alues, and a strong
Southern accent.
Just Speak!
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