Places isolated from their state that associate more with another state

[sprjus4]

Perhaps Bristol, VA being closer to Bristol, TN and the northern TN cities?

Not too familiar with the area, but makes sense looking on a map.

[KeithE4Phx]

Like Northwest Arizona near I-15 are very isolated from the rest of AZ and they associate more with UT.

That's because many, if not most of the few people (roughly 5000 people in Beaver Dam, Littlefield, and Scenic) who live in the area are Mormon.  Besides I-15, the only marked highway is Mohave County Rt. 91 (old US 91).

[KeithE4Phx]

Not really "isolated", but Hudson and the surrounding area are definitely Twin Cities suburbs, as is the Kenosha area with Chicago.

For quite a few years, Kenosha was put in with the Chicago media market, but I believe that was changed to Milwaukee quite a while ago.  I don't believe Kenosha residents ever considered themselves a part of the Chicago area.

Another area that is part of metro Chicago, isn't physically isolated from the rest of Indiana, but definitely is politically and demographically, is the area of northwest Indiana that butts up with the southern end of Lake Michigan:  Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties (major cities Gary, Hammond, Merrillville, Valparaiso, and Michigan City), aka the Calumet Region or "The Region." 

Downstate Indiana considers them a de facto part of Illinois, not the Hoosier State.  They're in the Chicago media market, tend to vote Democratic while most of the state is Republican, is heavily Catholic in a mostly Protestant state, and has a history of ethnic neighborhoods like Chicago.

[Mrt90]

Not really "isolated", but Hudson and the surrounding area are definitely Twin Cities suburbs, as is the Kenosha area with Chicago.

For quite a few years, Kenosha was put in with the Chicago media market, but I believe that was changed to Milwaukee quite a while ago.  I don't believe Kenosha residents ever considered themselves a part of the Chicago area.

Another area that is part of metro Chicago, isn't physically isolated from the rest of Indiana, but definitely is politically and demographically, is the area of northwest Indiana that butts up with the southern end of Lake Michigan:  Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties (major cities Gary, Hammond, Merrillville, Valparaiso, and Michigan City), aka the Calumet Region or "The Region." 

Downstate Indiana considers them a de facto part of Illinois, not the Hoosier State.  They're in the Chicago media market, tend to vote Democratic while most of the state is Republican, is heavily Catholic in a mostly Protestant state, and has a history of ethnic neighborhoods like Chicago.

Regarding Kenosha, I've lived there almost my entire life except for a few years in Madison.  I would say that there is definitely a split between the long-time Kenoshans who associate more with Wisconsin and the more recent "moved to Kenosha from Illinois (but probably still work in Illinois)" people who associate more with Illinois. 

I think that Kenosha is still a part of the Chicago Metro Statistical area and it does have the northern most METRA station, the only stop in Wisconsin.  On the weekends there are tons of people coming up from Illinois to shop at the outlet mall or downtown Kenosha and the lakefront.  There is probably less of a "Wisconsin feel" in Kenosha than there is in Racine, for example, but I think long-time residents still feel more of a connection with Wisconsin.

[vdeane]

An international example: Estcourt Station, ME is more closely tied to Pohénégamook, QC than to the rest of Maine.  It's actually a strip of houses that was cut off from the rest of the town when the border was properly surveyed; in fact, the border passes through some of the houses!  They receive electricity from Hydro Québec and other services from Pohénégamook.  Telephones use the Québec area code 418.  It is not accessible from the rest of Maine except via hundreds of miles of difficult to traverse (at best) private logging roads.  There are no permanent year-round residents at this time, though some people do reside there in the summer.  There is a gas station, which displays prices in Canadian dollars per liter.  Said station (and the town) were made famous by the Michel Jalbert incident, in which a man was arrested and imprisoned for 35 days for illegally buying gas without reporting to US customs.  The border post is down the road (requiring people to turn around) and only open a few hours on certain days, meaning that residents can't even legally leave their homes between 5 PM Friday and 9 AM Monday.

[RoadMaster09]

The Idaho Panhandle? The only route is the mostly 2-lane US 95 and they are part of the Spokane media market.

[hotdogPi]

The Idaho Panhandle? The only route is the mostly 2-lane US 95 and they are part of the Spokane media market.

I would argue the opposite – rural WA and OR belong in Idaho.

[index]

Surprised there's no mention of Wendover, Utah here. They're so attached to their neighboring community of West Wendover, Nevada, they nearly got to secede and join Nevada but it was blocked by Congress.
On another note, here in North Carolina, Brunswick County seems to identify closer with the Grand Strand in SC then it does with Wilmington, and this is reflected in its switch to the Grand Strand's MSA.

[sprjus4]

On another note, here in North Carolina, Brunswick County seems to identify closer with the Grand Strand in SC then it does with Wilmington, and this is reflected in its switch to the Grand Strand's MSA.

Even the eastern parts that are on the other side of the river from Downtown Wilmington?

[NWI_Irish96]

Not really "isolated", but Hudson and the surrounding area are definitely Twin Cities suburbs, as is the Kenosha area with Chicago.

For quite a few years, Kenosha was put in with the Chicago media market, but I believe that was changed to Milwaukee quite a while ago.  I don't believe Kenosha residents ever considered themselves a part of the Chicago area.

Another area that is part of metro Chicago, isn't physically isolated from the rest of Indiana, but definitely is politically and demographically, is the area of northwest Indiana that butts up with the southern end of Lake Michigan:  Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties (major cities Gary, Hammond, Merrillville, Valparaiso, and Michigan City), aka the Calumet Region or "The Region." 

Downstate Indiana considers them a de facto part of Illinois, not the Hoosier State.  They're in the Chicago media market, tend to vote Democratic while most of the state is Republican, is heavily Catholic in a mostly Protestant state, and has a history of ethnic neighborhoods like Chicago.

While Northwest Indiana is very much a part of the Chicago area, the majority of people here most definitely do not associate more with Illinois than Indiana.  Many people in this area relocated from Illinois to escape the suffocating taxes from a corrupt state.

[index]

On another note, here in North Carolina, Brunswick County seems to identify closer with the Grand Strand in SC then it does with Wilmington, and this is reflected in its switch to the Grand Strand's MSA.

Even the eastern parts that are on the other side of the river from Downtown Wilmington?

Well obviously not those. If you live in Leland or Belville you're going to associate more with ILM. I was thinking more of Shalotte, OIB, etc... This is also based from a bunch of comments in an article I had read about it a few years back that had a few people from the county saying it's better off that Brunswick be lumped in with the Myrtle Beach MSA.

[doorknob60]

The Idaho Panhandle? The only route is the mostly 2-lane US 95 and they are part of the Spokane media market.

I agree. Northern Idaho and Southern Idaho (splitting somewhere around Riggins) feel like 2 different states (you could even argue 3, splitting SW and SE, though those are well connected so I'll stick with 2). We don't really "associate" with each other that much. People from CDA, Moscow, Lewiston, etc. interact with Washington much more than with Southern Idaho. And SW Idaho associates with Oregon more than with Northern Idaho (though more like, SE Oregon associates with Idaho). And SE Idaho associates with Utah and Wyoming. Being in different time zones (which I'm all for, makes sense in this situation) only makes it feel more true. Someone from Idaho Falls probably has little care for CDA or Lewiston, and probably deals with Salt Lake City or Ogden much more (possibly even more than Boise).

[Sctvhound]

Yep. The southern part of Brunswick County is basically Myrtle Beach north. The sprawl from Myrtle Beach has long gone into Calabash, Sunset Beach, and other areas.

But there is a big buffer between that and Shallotte, and Wilmington itself.

None of MB's TV stations are offered anymore in Brunswick County, even though Little River, the last town in SC going up US 17, is only 50 miles from downtown Wilmington. Until 2008, WECT, the NBC in Wilmington, was offered all the way to Pawleys Island, over a 100 mile drive from Wilmington (before they got their NBC in Myrtle Beach).

The three strongest FM stations in Wilmington (91.3 WHQR, 97.3 WMNX, 102.7 WGNI) all have their transmitters in Brunswick County and can easily be heard in Myrtle Beach and further south. In fact, WHQR (Wilmington's public radio station) has two translators in Myrtle Beach.

Talking about SC, York County, especially the Rock Hill and Fort Mill areas, are basically Charlotte south. They don't have very many ties with the rest of South Carolina, especially down here in the Lowcountry. You can tell because they support the Carolina Panthers more than the college teams, which isn't the case in the rest of SC.

[index]

Talking about SC, York County, especially the Rock Hill and Fort Mill areas, are basically Charlotte south. They don't have very many ties with the rest of South Carolina, especially down here in the Lowcountry. You can tell because they support the Carolina Panthers more than the college teams, which isn't the case in the rest of SC.

Yeah, definitely. I knew a few people who lived in South Carolina but would commute here to Union County in NC for work. With the Panthers' HQ moving down to SC in Rock Hill that solidifies its status of 'Charlotte South' even more.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Superior, WI

Based on my experiences as a resident I don't really agree. There's a lot of Wisconsin pride in Superior and they're very invested in Wisconsin issues.

True, but the flip side of that is some resentment that Madison doesn't care about anyone north of WI 29.

Yeah, but my point was the local response to that problem is typically to go to Madison and bitch about it, rather than saying "fuck them, let's just pretend to be part of Duluth."

[mrsman]

Not really "isolated", but Hudson and the surrounding area are definitely Twin Cities suburbs, as is the Kenosha area with Chicago.

For quite a few years, Kenosha was put in with the Chicago media market, but I believe that was changed to Milwaukee quite a while ago.  I don't believe Kenosha residents ever considered themselves a part of the Chicago area.

Another area that is part of metro Chicago, isn't physically isolated from the rest of Indiana, but definitely is politically and demographically, is the area of northwest Indiana that butts up with the southern end of Lake Michigan:  Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties (major cities Gary, Hammond, Merrillville, Valparaiso, and Michigan City), aka the Calumet Region or "The Region." 

Downstate Indiana considers them a de facto part of Illinois, not the Hoosier State.  They're in the Chicago media market, tend to vote Democratic while most of the state is Republican, is heavily Catholic in a mostly Protestant state, and has a history of ethnic neighborhoods like Chicago.

and they are also in Central time.

[jp the roadgeek]

Here's a good one: The NYC area is isolated from the rest of New York state, and associates more with New Jersey and Connecticut.

Along those lines, most of lower Fairfield County is more of an extension of Westchester County than it is part of the core of CT.  Basically anything south and west of CT 58 and south of Danbury.

[Rothman]

Superior, WI

Based on my experiences as a resident I don't really agree. There's a lot of Wisconsin pride in Superior and they're very invested in Wisconsin issues.

True, but the flip side of that is some resentment that Madison doesn't care about anyone north of WI 29.

Yeah, but my point was the local response to that problem is typically to go to Madison and bitch about it, rather than saying "fuck them, let's just pretend to be part of Duluth."

Yeah.  In fact, Superior sort of takes pride in having that ugly sister identity separate from Duluth.

I took part in the complaining in Madison, too ("Superior Days").

[hbelkins]

It's not physically isolated from the rest of the state, but the northernmost part of Kentucky (Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties) seems more like Ohio than Kentucky.

[webny99]

The Idaho Panhandle? The only route is the mostly 2-lane US 95 and they are part of the Spokane media market.

I would argue the opposite – rural WA and OR belong in Idaho.

This gets at the core question of whether the smaller place is always dependent on the bigger one. It really depends on how you measure.

In the case of NYC, it's small in area, but very densely populated, hence my comment about it being part of Jersey and Connecticut, which was not to be taken seriously. But what if Jersey was part of PA, or Connecticut was part of Massachusetts? Then those areas of both states would be perfect textbook examples for this thread.

Places like Northern Idaho, which om the other hand are sparsely populated and potentially, but not necessarily, small in area, are also good candidates for the thread.

[paulthemapguy]

Here's a good one: The NYC area is isolated from the rest of New York state, and associates more with New Jersey and Connecticut.

Lol that was spicy.  I enjoyed it.

Yep. The southern part of Brunswick County is basically Myrtle Beach north. The sprawl from Myrtle Beach has long gone into Calabash, Sunset Beach, and other areas.

Having just been to Brunswick County, NC, this makes sense to me.  You might even call southern Brunswick "North North Myrtle Beach."     It's really unusual that most of the populated sprawl there is in the northeastern and southwestern portions of the county, whereas the county's government is placed in a centrally-located tiny town strung between the two populated regions.  And each of those opposing population centers associate more with a different state, even.

[Sctvhound]

The northern part is basically Wilmington itself. Leland and Belville are basically across the river from Wilmington. Less than 5 miles. From the Cape Fear River bridge it is 49 miles to the SC line, all in one county.

The county was at 73K in 2000, now almost 140K in 2018.

Horry County is 1,255 square miles, Brunswick County 1,050. Both larger than the state of RI.

[sprjus4]

Having just been to Brunswick County, NC, this makes sense to me.  You might even call southern Brunswick "North North Myrtle Beach."     It's really unusual that most of the populated sprawl there is in the northeastern and southwestern portions of the county, whereas the county's government is placed in a centrally-located tiny town strung between the two populated regions.  And each of those opposing population centers associate more with a different state, even.

And now the area between the state line and Shallote are getting South Carolina's Carolina Bays Parkway brought up to them!

They'll have a direct freeway connection to Myrtle Beach, but not the northern end of their county. Until they extend the freeway eventually up to I-140, but that's a different story and in fictional territory.

[wriddle082]

It's not physically isolated from the rest of the state, but the northernmost part of Kentucky (Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties) seems more like Ohio than Kentucky.

Along those lines, I'd say that the Southern OH counties of Lawrence, Scioto, and Jackson associate more with KY or WV, especially right on the Ohio River.  I did not include Gallia County, which IMO is quintessential Ohio, since it's the home of Bob Evans Farms.

The Ashland area is definitely NOT isolated from the rest of KY.  They follow the Kentucky Wildcats just as religiously as the rest of the state (if not more), and a few of the area cable systems carry the newscasts of WKYT and WLEX out of Lexington.

[steviep24]

The Plattsburgh NY area which associates more with Vermont than with NY state.