How has New England become so cohesive and integrated culturally as a region?

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incorene@reddit

"Culturally cohesive"? Have you ever been here? We have notorious interstate rivalries, and the region runs the gamut from fishing towns, to big cities, to rural communities in the mountains. The politics of Massachusetts vs New Hampshire, two neighboring states, are as radically opposite as California and Alabama.

I'm really curious now, what is New England culture to you?

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Isis_Cant_Meme7755@reddit

Nvm Fairfield County vs the rest of New England.

Go Yankees!

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Particular-Cloud6659@reddit

Thats not true at all really. NH has a lot in common with Mass. 15% work here, they are irreligious. They just have a few more Trumpers than us.
The Southern rural NH folks are pretty fucking liberal.

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incorene@reddit

Spoken like a Masshole lol.

I say that in the kindest way possible, and we do all get along for the most part, but....no. Very different priorities and ways of life. We appreciate MA, but we do not want to be anything like MA.

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Particular-Cloud6659@reddit

Lol. Different priorities? Like? Not as good schools but pay the same in taxes?

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thornvilleuminati@reddit

Midwestern culture is notable. We have our cities, which are notably farther apart, but each city has its own sub-midwestern culture as well. Chicago, the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Cincy etc. We don’t necessarily feel extremely connected to one another, but we share more in common than we’d all think.

Inland lake culture, Great Lakes culture, recreational hockey, long road trips, Big Ten sports, hospitality, Friday night high school football, teenage angst, rise/fall of steel & automotive industries, breweries (looking at you, wisconsin), traditional foods (deep dishes/cheese kurds) and legal cannabis to just name a few.

I can’t speak on other regions as I’m not from there, but I have found the beauty in the Midwest and how much we share in common.

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Pitiful_Bunch_2290@reddit

This! I work for a company that has employees nationwide. When people ask me about the large territory I cover in the Midwest (more southern than you), I can say pretty much the same thing about the entire area. We're laid back. We're friendly. We aren't hyper competitive, which can definitely make us less ambitious in some ways. We cuss less (though plenty). We don't have a lot of super rich, and those who are tend to be boringly normal ('sup Mr. Buffett). We take pleasure in simple things and aren't usually fancy. We generally don't care about what the rest of the country is doing as long as they mind their own. We aren't too healthy or fashionable or cool.

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GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit

I have no idea how you are reaching the conclusions you have here.

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Pitiful_Bunch_2290@reddit

I'm guessing they've never left the northeast and are just making assumptions based on the skewed media presents about other places.

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moonwillow60606@reddit

It’s a long weekend. I’m somebody is bored because it’s a teacher workday or something

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sammysbud@reddit

some regions don't have a very notable culture outside of its ethnic minority population.

So.... this is is incredibly racist. If you want to play that game, NE doesn't have a notable culture outside of ethnic minorities at some point coming in (Europeans) ... Y'all weren't the first ones here, and for damn sure, y'all weren't the first ones to have culture in the north east.

"ethnic minority populations" built this country. From the Creole/Cajun in Louisiana to the Mexicans in the southwest to the Delta Blues culture that the formerly enslaved African built in Mississippi that gave us Rock n Roll.

No other region can compete with just how significant is New England is

I might be wrong here, but I think you are wrong. You literally wouldn't have Elvis/the Beatles/Rolling Stones if it weren't for the blues. You wouldn't have so many things, without the rest of the county. I enjoy chowder, but bffr.

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BeautifulSundae6988@reddit

This is 100% an opinion made on ignorance

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CenterofChaos@reddit

I don't think it's more culturally distinct than other regions. We're also not cohesive at all, rural northern Maine or Vermont are wildly different than say coastal towns, or cities.

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HillbillyTransgirl@reddit (OP)

New Orleans and some parts of Mississippi would be treated the same way yet everyone equates them as southern

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Tommy_Wisseau_burner@reddit

Because they are southern?

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GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit

....thats because they are southern.

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HillbillyTransgirl@reddit (OP)

You are useless!

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Cheap_Coffee@reddit

Hmm, resorts to insults when asked for more detailed thoughts.

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UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

No you’re just hysterically misinformed

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GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit

I'm confident most would agree, but I find your broad generalizations and unsupported conclusions equally useless.

Some sort of evidence regarding how you got here would be helpful for all of us.

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Tiny_Presentation441@reddit

I'll agree with this, People like to make the distinction that there isn't really a "North" like there is a "south," but I don't really believe that's super true. People in the middle of Arkansas probably don't really have that much in common with people out in the outer banks of NC. Just like those people in the Outer banks have a totally different lifestyle, accent, and local cuisine, then people in western NC up in the mountains. I also feel like western LA and East TX also have this weird Tex-Cajun bubble you won't find around the low country or the Atlanta metro. (You get the point)

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CenterofChaos@reddit

I'm not sure what you're looking for in a response here to be honest with you.

Yea New Orleans and the Mississippi are in the south geography wise but I wouldn't assume they're the same the culturally.

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blipsman@reddit

Huh?!?! Why would you say it's so significant. Historic maybe, but that doesn't have any real relevency today. And the cohesiveness makes sense given how small an area it is and modern transportation, communications, media.

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CalmRip@reddit

You have not entirely succeeded at not being ignorant. Like many others, I have noticed that New England has a culture that is distinct as any other U. S. region. It's just more British influenced than the more Scandinavian Upper Midwest or the more Indigenous/Spanish Southwest.

I have also noticed that having a very insular view of the world in general is something that is sterotypically New England. It's much like less-experienced people in other regions that way.

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misterlakatos@reddit

For sure. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine have isolated parts that could give rural parts of the Deep South a run for their money in terms of backwardness and poverty.

The ignorant and racism in OP's post really do speak volumes to what an absolute clown they are.

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misterlakatos@reddit

This is an embarrassing post.

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itsjustmo_@reddit

I'm not trying to be ignorant here,

Then congratulations, my friend! You've discovered a brand new talent!

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WolverineHour1006@reddit

This has got to be shitposting, right?

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CalmRip@reddit

Either that, or it's someone who wants to be the first American poster to out-European the Europeans.

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Jorost@reddit

No other group of states think of themselves as a unit the way we do. Maybe it is because our states are so relatively small. But I can't think of any other collection of states that have a specific name like "New England." I guess "Cascadia," but I don't see that used nearly as much. Like here you would hear ads reference things like, "Your local New England Toyota dealer." Would ads in Washington, Idaho, or Oregon say, "Your local Cascadia Toyota dealer?" (I don't know the answer, I am legitimately asking.)

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DOMSdeluise@reddit

not sure I would agree with any of the cultural observations made here op

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UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

Yeah I’m scratching my head here trying to figure out where they got this impression.

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pleasedtoseedetrees@reddit

Do you live in New England? I do and totally agree with OP.

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Loud_Insect_7119@reddit

I have lived all over the country, including New England, and I disagree with the OP. I have found distinct cultural cohesion in several regions.

Also, as someone who grew up in New Mexico, I kind of bristled at the "relying on minorities to import it" stuff. Southwestern culture is not imported, it's a result of Spanish colonialism in the region prior to the existence of the US or Mexico, and fused with local indigenous nations to create a distinct culture.

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pleasedtoseedetrees@reddit

That's fine, you can disagree and I can agree that NE does feel cohesive. There can be different cultures even within a city yet all together can be cohesive.

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UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

That’s not unique to the NE in the slightest though. The exact same thing can be said for the South and the Midwest.

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pleasedtoseedetrees@reddit

I know and that's what I'm saying. I agree with you that other areas have the same regional cohesiveness and that it's not unique to NE. However, NE feels that way and I agree with OP on that. I'm not in anyway shitting on other regions. I'm not arguing with you, I'm agreeing with you

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UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

OP is saying NE is the only place with a cohesive culture. You can’t say you agree with OP and then walk it back when everyone points out OP is wrong.

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HillbillyTransgirl@reddit (OP)

I literally have not once come even close to saying that

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pleasedtoseedetrees@reddit

Ok, I realize that people only like to argue on Reddit even when they agree so I'm done with you. You're right, you win, feel better? ✌️

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Loud_Insect_7119@reddit

Nah, I agree that NE has a distinct culture. It's just all of the rest of the stuff in the OP that I disagree with, and your comment without more context made me think you were agreeing with everything the OP said. Looks like we just misunderstood each other a bit, easy to do in fast-moving threads. :)

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Butthole_Alamo@reddit

I just imagine OP posting this from his sailboat off Hyannis Port, wearing his culturally unique Vineyard Vines and boat shoes.

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GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit

This is something definitely missing from OPs post. Like, are they counting Southern California as "importing" Mexican/Mexican-American culture?

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Loud_Insect_7119@reddit

LOL exactly. Same with New Mexico, New Mexican culture has been a distinct thing since the 17th century.

I had to assume that's what they're talking about, because the only other big one I can think of is Black culture, and if they're talking about "importing minorities" in that context, that's...well, that's certainly something.

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UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

No I live in one of the places OP is shitting on for “having no culture” except what we “imported from minorities” which, frankly, feels racist AF.

Like are the minorities not part of the culture? They’ve been here just as long as the white population.

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CalmRip@reddit

Not to mention that the region is even named for the place from which it imported a whole bunch of its culture, namely England.

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pleasedtoseedetrees@reddit

Sorry, I didn't mean I agree with that part. I only meant about NE. I absolutely agree with you that other areas have culture. I agree with you that the comment about minorities is racist.

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No-Conversation1940@reddit

It's the kind of observation someone from New England who hasn't really been to the Midwest or South would make.

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JimmyJackJericho@reddit

Maine doesn't like Massachusetts, No one likes Connecticut and we forget Rhode Island exists most of the time

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Cardinal101@reddit

First of all, look up the definition of culture.

Just because you personally can’t see or feel the culture in certain places doesn’t mean there’s no culture there. You’re just failing to see it, likely because the culture feels so normal to you.

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Current_Poster@reddit

I take an interest in New England's culture and history (beyond, like, the three things people usually talk about), but I'm not certain I get what you're driving at?

Just for the sake of conversation, I think one bit of history that was pretty distinctive to the region was that New England essentially had a little industrial revolution before the big industrial revolution that everyone else had. (the big one was driven by coal, mostly, but the first one was powered by what we'd now call hydro power from the region's many rivers and right-sized waterfalls.)

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benicebuddy@reddit

I'm not trying to be ignorant here

I don't want to burst your bubble, but...

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Cardinal101@reddit

OP was ignorant without even trying!

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pedaleuse@reddit

I have never in all of my born days heard someone describe New England as the “most distinct and unique” part of the United States.

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TheMainEffort@reddit

Would that not be Hawaii or one of the territories? Lmao

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rawbface@reddit

Hot take

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Shelby-Stylo@reddit

You have to remember that economically, there wasn't very many good reasons to move to New England for a long time. Vermont's population actually declined from 1860-1960. A small number of mostly European people moved here and stayed. Also, being small, it's a lot easier to notice the Irish and Italian communities. I was in Columbus Ohio last year and it turns out the area I was in had a long history of German people moving there. I had no idea until I went there.

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Help1Ted@reddit

No, I don’t think this is accurate at all. The only thing that differs is that New England has defined borders and you know exactly where someone is talking about if they mention it. While the other regions are debatable as to where they begin and end.

I wouldn’t even say that New England is the same even within itself. Just like many other states within regions you can say this part isn’t like the others. Western Mass isn’t exactly Boston. North Jersey and south Jersey are quite different. There’s no set boundaries for where these areas begin and end. Even in my own state there’s a saying the farther north you go the more south you get. But there’s debate as to where this line begins. The painted lines on the road tell you which lane to be in. Without those painted lines where’s you lane and where is mine. That’s up to you to decide. And you’ve made this distinction and decided that it’s obvious

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Feeling_Name_6903@reddit

I feel like this is written by someone in their 20’s who’s been to a few places and read a lot on the internet. Could be wrong though.

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GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit

20s, maybe. Lacking life experience and exposure to other parts of the country, definitely.

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UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

Based on their post history they seem to either be a dumbo teenager or a troll. Likely both

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BigPapaPaegan@reddit

I'm from New England, growing up along the 495 Belt. While I'd say there are certainly hallmarks of New England culture, I don't see any grander integration of unique aspects that other regions respectively lack. Maybe the amount of casual cursing?

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Technical_Plum2239@reddit

Historically New England is very significant. The settlers here were educated and believed deeply in education and made sure there was free education for all. Then made it mandatory -- so way less child labor.

Settlers of the South were elite here as a business venture. Brought in uneducated labor (and then slaves) and didn't provide schooling. And then the South put all their eggs in one basket - cotton and the market fell out when it wasn't readily available in the war and their trading partners went elsewhere.

New Yorkers and New Englanders went west and settled a bunch of areas because they had a bit of a foothold already in the country. It's a bit easier to be successful in Kansas and Montana if you already have an education, family in the country, etc.

Things are different now. New bands of ambitious immigrants are all over the country.

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Grunti_Appleseed2@reddit

You've obviously never lived in New England or the South. The South has a much stronger regional identity than New England does. The only thing us New Englanders agree on is that we hate Connecticut, which is part of New England

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SkiingAway@reddit

Not really sure we're the most distinctive or unique. What aspects of the region do you see as being that way?

If you pick a smaller area and compare it against a bigger one, it's somewhat obviously going to be more cohesive. Like, in terms of land the entire region is 1/4th the size of Texas.

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FuckTheStateofOhio@reddit

A little on your high horse in the description, but to answer your question old + small.

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Raddatatta@reddit

So there is some regional identity but I don't think it's substantially more than the Southern identity is. I'm not even sure it's as much. But I think part of it is the length of time there have been non native american people there to establish the culture that's now there. New England has had europeans from the 1600's to now. And that culture has certainly shifted a lot since then, and you've had new groups join that as well. But the identity goes back that far. And when many people came to the area the culture was already established. For an area like the midwest, europeans started moving in a few hundred years later, and it took a while before there were any substantial numbers there. The South on the other hand has had a cultural identity going back as far as new england. That would be my theory at least. Though even then I don't know that New England is more distinct than the others. And I don't know much about the midwest I haven't been there beyond quick trips.

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Redbubble89@reddit

It is the size of the commonwealths and states in New England but the historical label. New England was all settled from England in the 17th century and it was a union of British colonies recognized as New England. Midwest wasn't really touched until after the Revolutionary War and people debate on the borders of it.

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