You’ve probably looked at a standard red-and-blue election map and felt like it was lying to you. It is. Or, at the very least, it's missing the point. If you want to understand why a guy in rural Pennsylvania feels he has more in common with someone in the Idaho panhandle than his neighbor in Philadelphia, you have to stop looking at state lines. State borders are basically historical accidents. They don't reflect how people actually think, talk, or vote.
Colin Woodard, a journalist who really dug into this in his book American Nations, argues that North America is actually fractured into eleven distinct regional cultures. These aren't just "vibes." They are deeply rooted historical legacies left behind by the specific groups of people who first settled the land. These eleven nations of North America have been at each other's throats for centuries, and honestly, they aren't going to stop anytime soon.
We’re talking about foundational differences in how we view the role of government, individual liberty, and even religion. It’s the reason why "American identity" feels so fragile right now.
The Yankee-Cavalier Feud That Never Ended
Most of our modern political chaos actually starts in the 1600s. Yankeedom, which covers New England and the upper Midwest, was founded by Puritans. They were big on education, local government, and the idea that the community should look out for everyone. They basically invented the "nanny state" (depending on who you ask) because they believed government could be a force for good.
Compare that to Tidewater. This nation was settled by the younger sons of English gentry in Virginia and Maryland. They wanted to recreate a semi-feudal society. They valued tradition, authority, and a strict social hierarchy. While Yankeedom was holding town hall meetings, Tidewater was building plantations.
Then you have The Deep South. This is the one people usually get. It was established by slave lords from Barbados as a West Indies-style caste system. It’s historically the most undemocratic of the nations, focusing on white supremacy and aristocratic control. It’s a culture that has always fought against federal "interference" because, historically, that interference was usually aimed at dismantling their social order.
📖 Related: Free news streaming live: Why You’re Probably Paying for Information You Could Get for $0
The Buffer Zones: Midlands and Greater Appalachia
If it were just the Puritans versus the Planters, the continent might have snapped in half a long time ago. But the Midlands changed everything. Founded by English Quakers and later populated by German immigrants, the Midlands is probably the most "American" part of America—mostly because it’s moderate, pluralistic, and generally wants the government to leave them alone to farm and work. Think Iowa, Kansas, and Northern Ohio. They are the ultimate swing voters. Without the Midlands, nobody wins a national election.
Then there’s Greater Appalachia. This is my favorite one to study because it’s so misunderstood. These were the "Border Reivers" from the war-torn edges of Scotland and Ireland. They were used to being raided, so they grew up fiercely independent, suspicious of all authority, and deeply committed to personal honor. They don't trust the Yankees, but they also don't trust the Deep South aristocrats. They are the "warrior" culture of the U.S., providing a huge chunk of the military's boots on the ground.
Westward Expansion and the Newer Nations
As people moved west, they didn't leave their cultures behind. They packed them in their wagons.
El Norte is actually the oldest of the nations. It’s the borderland where the Spanish Empire met the indigenous populations. It’s a culture of independence and self-sufficiency that stretches from South Texas to Southern California. It’s not just "Mexican-American culture"—it’s a distinct regional powerhouse that has been there since before the Pilgrims hit Plymouth Rock.
Up in the Pacific Northwest, you find The Left Coast. This is a weird, beautiful hybrid. It was settled by Yankee merchants and missionaries who arrived by sea, but they were joined by Appalachian independent types who arrived by land. The result? A culture that loves big government social programs but also has a massive "don't tread on me" libertarian streak regarding personal lifestyle choices.
The Dry Lands and the Far West
The Far West is the only nation where the environment dictated the culture more than the settlers did. It’s too dry and too rugged for small farmers. To survive there, you needed massive infrastructure: dams, railroads, and mines. That required big money from the East and big help from the Federal government. Ironically, because the people there felt "colonized" by those outside forces, they developed a burning resentment toward the very government that made their lives possible. It’s a land of rugged individuals who are, in reality, deeply dependent on federal land management.
Why This Explains the 2024 and 2026 Political Shifts
We keep trying to talk about "The Hispanic Vote" or "The Black Vote" as if they are monoliths. They aren't. A Latino voter in El Norte (South Texas) might be culturally conservative, pro-border security, and deeply religious, while a Latino voter in Yankeedom (Hartford, CT) might be a hardcore progressive.
The eleven nations of North America framework explains why "Purple States" exist. Take Pennsylvania. It’s not one state; it’s a cage match between three nations. You have the Midlands in the middle, Greater Appalachia in the west and central mountains, and Yankeedom/Tidewater influences in the east. When a candidate wins Pennsylvania, they aren't winning a state—they are successfully building a coalition between those three distinct cultural groups.
The Outsiders: New Netherland and First Nation
We can't forget New Netherland. That's basically Greater New York City. It was founded by the Dutch as a commercial trading post. They didn't care what religion you were or where you came from, as long as you could trade. It remains the global capital of commerce and materialism—it's the most "globalized" of the nations and often acts as a massive megaphone for ideas that the rest of the nations find alien.
Deep in the north, First Nation consists of the indigenous peoples who never gave up their cultural sovereignty. In Canada and parts of Alaska, they have successfully reclaimed land and self-governance. They have a completely different view of the world—one focused on communal stewardship rather than individual ownership.
The Breakdown of the "American" Identity
Honestly, the biggest takeaway from looking at these nations is realizing that we’ve never really been one people. We are a federation of regional cultures that occasionally agree on things. During World War II or the Cold War, we had a common enemy that forced us to ignore our differences. But without a massive external threat, we default back to these 400-year-old arguments.
Woodard’s research shows that voting patterns in these regions have stayed remarkably consistent for over a century. The "Deep South" and "Greater Appalachia" usually team up against "Yankeedom" and "The Left Coast." The "Midlands" sits in the middle and decides who gets the keys to the White House.
If you live in New France (centered in Quebec but bleeding into New Orleans and Maine), you’re part of a culture that is incredibly communal and protective of its unique language and heritage. They don't fit into the American liberal/conservative binary at all. They just want to survive as a distinct people.
👉 See also: NJ governor’s race 2025: What Most People Get Wrong
How to Use This Knowledge
Stop getting mad at people on the internet who don't share your values. They likely aren't "uninformed" or "brainwashed." They are probably just living according to the deep-seated cultural norms of their "nation."
If you're a business owner or a marketer, you shouldn't run the same ad in Scottsdale that you run in Boston. In the Far West, you emphasize self-reliance and the outdoors. In Yankeedom, you talk about community benefit and education. In the Midlands, you talk about family and stability.
Real-World Action Steps
- Identify Your Nation: Look at a map of Woodard's nations. Don't look at your state; look at your specific county. Does your local culture lean more toward the communalism of Yankeedom or the individualism of Greater Appalachia?
- Adjust Your Communication: If you’re trying to persuade someone from a different nation, stop using your own nation's logic. A "Greater Appalachian" person won't care if an idea is "socially progressive." They will care if it respects their independence and honor.
- Watch the Swing Zones: Keep an eye on the Midlands and the "Left Coast" suburbs. These are the front lines. The tension in these specific counties is what determines the direction of the entire continent.
- Read the Source: If you want the deep data, grab American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard. It’s essentially the cheat code for understanding why the U.S. and Canada behave the way they do.
The "culture war" isn't a modern invention of social media. It's a centuries-old struggle between groups of people who have fundamentally different ideas about what a "good life" looks like. Once you see the eleven nations of North America, you can't unsee them. It makes the news a lot more predictable, and strangely, a little less frustrating. You realize it's not personal; it's history.