Culture,Diversity, and Scenery in the US: Divided by Region
小編寄語：
美國是一個多樣性的超級大國。 它的多樣性不僅僅體現在種族和文化的差異， 更體現在氣候和地貌。 各位同學在申請美國大學的時候， 在考慮其他因素的同時， 地理位置也是非常重要的一個方面。 接下來就由奧斯丁給大家介紹一下， 他心目中是如何看待各個區域的。
As you probably know, the United States ishuge and diverse. It is diverse not just in people and culture, but also inclimate and scenery. Although the line between regions is debatable, the mainsections and areas to know are the South, Northeast, West Coast, the PacificNorthwest, and Middle America. There are also very unique places that don’tquite fit into a category like Florida, Hawaii, and Alaska because of theirgeographic locations, as well as other factors.
When choosing which university is right foryou, there are other dynamics you must consider about location to insure youhave a happy life, and therefore a better education while you are studyingabroad.
It isimportant to note that these areas do not have concrete borders differentpeople will divide these regions another way. It is similar to where the lineis drawn in China for beifangren and nanfangren. Different people will havedifferent answers. Also, the explanation of culture by region is ageneralization. Not all people are likethis and even so, differences vary in state, city, and even individual level.
TheSouth – This area is the most familiar to me andhas been my home for most of my young adult life. The South encompasses atleast 13 states ranging from as west as Texas to as northeast as Virginia. Thesouth embodies the friendliness of Americans. The south is the region whereeveryone is overly polite, will help strangers in need, and greet you randomly.We call this “southern hospitality” or “southern courtesy”.
Southern food is almost always 100% fried.Things you couldn’t imagine to be fried will be fried in the south. Cold teawith an incredible amount of sugar is incredibly common and is known as “sweettea”. While I myself despise sweet tea, telling someone from the south youdon’t enjoy it may get you some wild reactions of gasps and disbelief.
For the most part, nearly everywhere in theSouth is very warm. The summers are very brutal and can be as warm as Shenzhen. It is important to understand thisclimate before starting your journey here, especially if you are susceptible tohot weather.
The South has a culture that loves sports.This being said, this sport is nearly always American football. The generalpopulation of the south will get together with their friends, acquaintances, orjust random people in a bar, to watch the sport, get rowdy, and cheer on theirfavorite team.
While I could go on for ages about theintricacies of southern culture, it’s time to move on to another region for ageneral overview of living their abroad.
TheNortheast – This area can get pretty cold in myopinion. The Northeast is a culturally diverse region that is very urban. It encompassessome of the most famous cities in the U.S., such as New York and Washington DC.
The Northeast, especially New York, has astrong Italian population who knows how to make a good pizza. If you ever findyourself in the area, you will be amazed at both the quantity and quality ofpizza.
The stereotype of Northeasterners is thatthey are a cold and mean people. While this isn’t exactly true and varies bystate, city, and individual, there is some truth to the stereotype. While theymay not be bad people, you will generally find them to be more stand-offish,less likely to strike up a conversation, and generally unconcerned with youraffairs. This can be welcoming if you are a person who likes to keep tothemselves.
TheWest – The West is an area that is much more laidback then the rest of the US, especially on the coast line. While there aremany different cultures in this area, I plan to generally sum it all up for youthe best I can.
The West started as frontier land.Travelers and adventures headed this direction to find new homes andopportunities. This is where the cowboy trope comes from. If you settle down inplaces like Arizona or New Mexico, you will see this today, as well as a strongMexican influence. To the north of these two, you have mountainous regions suchas Utah and Colorado with breath taking views of nature. Beside this, you havethe desert region of Nevada, famous for its city of Las Vegas. Finally, there is California, a state bothlarge and diverse. California is an amazing state, which makes it so expensive.The climate is nice and warm; it has both mountains and beaches; it has alittle bit of everything for everyone.
ThePacific Northwest - The Pacific Northwest is anincredible place. The two main states which you may know are Oregon, which hasthe city of Portland, and Washington, which has the city of Seattle.
These areas get an incredible amount ofrainfall. It lightly rains for about 8 months straight, which makes way for thegrowth of colossal evergreen trees. The rain clears up around summer time,giving the area perfect weather for summer fun.
The people are unique in states, and gavebirth the both the sub-styles of hippie and hipster. Seattle, especially, isthe city of coffee. If you like to be very cozy, this may be the place for you.
MiddleAmerica – The heart of the United States isgenerally pretty empty. For the most part, you are going to find cornfields,tornadoes, and more cornfields here. This flat grassland is used for farming.The people, while nice and accepting, are not very diverse, and are spread outfor miles and miles. People here tend tobe more conservative and traditional. It is a nice place if you like a quiet homeand to see how rural the US can get. If you need more materialistic needs and acity life, Middle America may not be right for you.
Conclusion– Once again, it is important to state that theseare my personal opinions on each region. The borders are not very concrete andthe descriptions of the people are generalizations. Everyone’s experience willbe completely different. I encourage you to research this on your own as well.When picking a school, make sure it is in an area that you can not only tolerate,but one that really speaks to you. As you will spend a few years in your studyhere, it is important to make sure that you are happy with you choice and thatit suits you as a person.
Editor's Summary:
美國按地區來分， 大致可分為南部、東北部、西海岸、太平洋西北部和中美洲。
南部：南方人非常友好， 會主動幫助陌生人， 美國人稱他們為“southern hospitality” 或者是 “southern courtesy”。 南方四季的氣候溫暖適宜， 但是夏天非常炎熱。 食物大多高熱量， 但是南方人熱愛運動，
東北部：包括紐約和華盛頓在內的一些區域， 比較城市化， 氣候相對寒冷。 有相當一部分義大利人， 做的pizza非常好吃。 東北部地區的人有些小氣， 對於別人的事情不是特別關心， 不太可能攀談， 如果你是一個喜歡堅持自己的人， 這是可以接受的。
西部：西部猶他州和科羅拉多州附近有很多山區， 你可以看到大自然的美景。 此外， 內華達州的沙漠地區， 以拉斯維加斯出名。 最後， 加州是一個既大又多樣化的州。 加州是一個神奇的州， 氣候溫暖宜人， 有山脈和海灘， 充滿陽光， 適合旅行者前往。
太平洋西北部：兩個主要州是俄勒岡州和華盛頓州， 該地區降雨量驚人。 一年裡有長達8個月的連續降雨， 綠蔭環繞，
美國中部：玉米地、龍捲風和更多的玉米地， 這片平坦的土地是用來耕種的。 這裡的人往往比較保守和傳統。 如果你喜歡安靜的家， 看看美國的鄉村生活， 那是一個不錯的地方。 如果你需要更多的物質需求和城市生活， 這裡可能不太適合你。
Austin Berry
Study Abroad With Austin
The world can't be discovered in your comfort zone; the greatest journey will be the most terrifying to begin. Live to learn and learn to live.
Austin Berry
Study Abroad With Austin
The world can't be discovered in your comfort zone; the greatest journey will be the most terrifying to begin. Live to learn and learn to live.