Most culturally "unique" of the lower 48 states

[TDAS04]

Which of the 48 contiguous states is most unique culturally?

I think a case could be made that either Louisiana or New Mexico is the closest thing there is to a US version of Quebec.  Both are states with a strong Latin heritage (French in LA, Spanish in NM) in the mostly Anglo-Saxon US.  Like Quebec, Louisiana uses the Napoleonic code, but even though Louisiana is the most French state, New Mexico might be more culturally distinct because Spanish is more widely spoken there than French is in Louisiana.

Another state that could be "unique" is Vermont, since it's both one of the most liberal and most rural states.  There are arguments for other states as well.

Which state (other than Hawaii and Alaska) do you consider the most culturally "unique"?

[politicus]

Louisiana.

[BaconBacon96]

Louisiana definitely.

Second would be New Mexico. Maybe Utah after that?

[Mr. Smith]

Louisiana, New Mexico, Utah, or Florida methinks.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

How about Texas?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Texas has a strong brand, but not really a unified culture.  I'd say either Utah or Nuevo Mexico.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Utah, Louisiana and Nevada (surprised that one hasn't been mentioned yet) are the only real contenders for this.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Utah, Louisiana and Nevada (surprised that one hasn't been mentioned yet) are the only real contenders for this.

Interesting that they're all unique in different ways (unique religious makeup, unique linguistic history and legal code, unique economic structure stemming from very liberal vice laws).

[CountyTy90]

New Mexico.

It has two very distinct cultures (Spanish and Native American which no one has mentioned yet) while Louisiana has basically one. Though Louisiana is a close second.

I also think Minnesota is a very culturally significant state. They have their own way of doing things up there that's really interesting.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Utah, Louisiana and Nevada (surprised that one hasn't been mentioned yet) are the only real contenders for this.

50 years ago Nevada was uniquish, but not today with wide-spread gambling closely accessible almost everywhere in the US.

[smoltchanov]

Louisiana and, may be, Vermont.

[Miles]

Louisiana.

[/thread]

[Cranberry]

From an outsider POV, I'd say, yes Louisiana... For just so many reasons that have been mentioned here
Sure, New Mexico is unique in its way, too; but it's not that different from just the broad south-west-ish thing, imo...

[Mr. Smith]

Louisiana still has a Dixie-esque thing going on though. I put in because of linguistics only.

Utah-Idaho do not resemble Oregon,Nevada, Washingon, Montana, Colorado or anything like the rest of them.

[All Along The Watchtower]

California is uniquely diverse.

We have a huge Latino population, a huge Asian population, a not-so-huge-but-still-there black population, lots of upper-class white liberals on the coast (as well as lots of upper-class white conservatives), mega-church types in parts of SoCal and the Inland Empire, rednecks and farmers and farm workers all over the Central Valley, hippies and stoners on the North Coast, tons of ethnic  and religious diversity even among the white population, lots of immigrants from all over the world, Hollywood/Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Francisco ('nuff said)...

When people think "West Coast", they think California above all else. The same can't really be said of other regions of the country, in terms of one state being the epicenter of that region. And California's settlement and population growth is really quite recent, historically speaking.

Sorry to brag.

[Orser67]

I'd say Louisiana and Utah have the most unique cultures. Granted French and Mormon cultural influences extend beyond just one state (each), but Louisiana and Utah seem more uniquely defined by their heritage than are the states with strong Spanish and Native American influences. Louisiana is the only state that uses civil law, while Utah is the only state with a Mormon majority (though Idaho is at 27% and Wyoming is at 11%).

[Türkisblau]

Definitely NM but I guess that I'm a bit biased (like Miles ).

[traininthedistance]

I'd probably vote Utah over Louisiana for the reason that all of Utah plays host to the unique Mormon culture, whereas while N'awlins and Cajun Country are a thing apart (and a glorious thing at that), the northern half of LA seems more like bog-standard Deep South.

I guess a good counterpoint would be to mention Eastern Idaho, which shares Utah's LDS dominance.

I don't think any other state is really in the running here.  New Mexico is a distant third, then it falls off even more rapidly.

...

Now I'm wondering... what's the least unique state?  My first instinct is to say Indiana. Connecticut's gotta be pretty low, too.

[Sol]

Virginia would also be in the running for least unique, IMO. As would Delaware.

[muon2]

Now I'm wondering... what's the least unique state?  My first instinct is to say Indiana. Connecticut's gotta be pretty low, too.

You could consider IL for that honor. It has significant urban, suburban and exurban populations and large agricultural areas. The dialect sounds northern in the north and southern in the south.

Demographically for 2013 (US in parentheses):

White, not Latino 62.7% (62.6%)
Black 14.7% (13.2%)
Asian 5.1% (5.3%)
Latino 16.5% (17.1%)

Persons per household 2.63 (2.63)
Median household income $56,797 ($53,046)
Mean commute time 28 min (25.5 min)
Persons below poverty line 14.1% (15.4%)
Retail sales per capita $12,947 ($12,990)

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

New Mexico

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Illinois without Chicago would possibly win for least unique but Chicago is so significant it's out.

My easy vote is for Delaware.

[justfollowingtheelections]

Utah is the obvious answer due to the Mormon thing, but Mormonism has been spreading out to neighboring states so I'm not sure how true that is anymore.  Oregon and Maine could also be considered somewhat "unique".

Least unique, I would probably go with Ohio.
Ohio is the only state that has voted for the winner of every presidential election since 1964.

[Smid]

California is uniquely diverse.

This alone makes it completely unsuitable to compare with the largely homogenous example given in the initial post (Quebec). I mean, just look at these demographic maps. Virtually no variation from one riding to the next! (Obviously I am speaking tongue-in-cheek)

Three maps by Hashemite:

English in Montreal and Laval by Quebec Provincial/National Riding




Another map by Hashemite:

English in Montreal and Laval by Canadian Federal Riding




Hashemite's economic maps - Quebec.

Median Household Income, Percent Low Income, Percent employed in Management roles, Percent employed in Trades, Percent employed in the Manufacturing Sector, Percent with a Degree, Unemployment Rate, Non-White (Montreal & Laval) and Percent Francophone (Northern Quebec and Lanaudière-Mauricie):

Northern Quebec/Outaouais/Laurentides/Nunavik Demographic Maps by Canadian Federal Riding




Montreal and Laval Demographic Maps by Canadian Federal Riding




Montreal and Laval Median Household Income Level by Quebec Provincial/National Riding




Lanaudière-Mauricie Demographic Maps by Canadian Federal Riding


[/quote]


Note - All these maps, and more, are available here

[Sol]

I assume he meant it tongue in cheek...