Outlier regions in your state that are the least similar to most of the state

[Roadgeekteen]

What region of your state is the black sheep? For some, it's obvious (West Virginia eastern panhandle). For Massachusetts, it's a bit tougher. I'd say the Berkshires are really more economically connected to New York than to Massachusetts. Lots of Yankee fans there.

[Rothman]

Another day, another RGT thread...

Could say everything Worcester County west is different from eastern MA...

[Roadgeekteen]

Since Rothman has abdicated his home state by not answering the question, I'd say that for New York, rural Western New York west of Buffalo is it. More Midwest Influences there, they say pop and such. Really Buffalo is not at all like NYC and even different from Albany.

[Roadgeekteen]

Another day, another RGT thread...

Could say everything Worcester County west is different from eastern MA...

I went to school in Amherst. It's certainly different from Boston but it's still all Boston sports there. The Berkshires have a lot of New Yorkers summering there and it is the Albany TV market so they get more New York sports games.

[Max Rockatansky]

Take your pick in California:

-  State of Jefferson region (shared with southern Oregon).
-  The western Sierra Nevada foothills.
-  The eastern Sierra Nevada basins in Mono County and Owens Valley.
-  The Ag Belt in San Joaquin Valley.

All are dissimilar from the big metropolitan areas in terms of economics and political leanings.

[Rothman]

Another day, another RGT thread...

Could say everything Worcester County west is different from eastern MA...

I went to school in Amherst. It's certainly different from Boston but it's still all Boston sports there. The Berkshires have a lot of New Yorkers summering there and it is the Albany TV market so they get more New York sports games.

To say Amherst is the same as Boston is silly.  Sports allegiances are not the end all, be all of societal differences...

Just another thread that's left up to way too much subjectivity...

[Rothman]

Take your pick in California:

-  State of Jefferson region (shared with southern Oregon).
-  The western Sierra Nevada foothills.
-  The eastern Sierra Nevada basins in Mono County and Owens Valley.
-  The Ag Belt in San Joaquin Valley.

All are dissimilar from the big metropolitan areas in terms of economics and political leanings.

Ah, but what about which hockey teams they root for?

[Roadgeekteen]

Another day, another RGT thread...

Could say everything Worcester County west is different from eastern MA...

I went to school in Amherst. It's certainly different from Boston but it's still all Boston sports there. The Berkshires have a lot of New Yorkers summering there and it is the Albany TV market so they get more New York sports games.

To say Amherst is the same as Boston is silly.  Sports allegiances are not the end all, be all of societal differences...

Just another thread that's left up to way too much subjectivity...

The subjectivity makes it fun to argue. Amherst is not the same as Boston, but it's not the most dissimilar region to Boston in the state. It's certainly different, though. Reall,y Massachusetts is one of the more culturally homogeneous states so it's really not so different in there.

[Max Rockatansky]

Take your pick in California:

-  State of Jefferson region (shared with southern Oregon).
-  The western Sierra Nevada foothills.
-  The eastern Sierra Nevada basins in Mono County and Owens Valley.
-  The Ag Belt in San Joaquin Valley.

All are dissimilar from the big metropolitan areas in terms of economics and political leanings.

Ah, but what about which hockey teams they root for?

Every now and then I hear about the Fresno Monsters.  None of them have much of a sports following aside from football and maybe baseball.

With San Joaquin the favored NFL team by far is the Rams.  There seems to be some sort of perception that the Rams are a blue collar fanbase whereas the 49ers are not.

[Roadgeekteen]

And sports teams aren't everything of course, but I'd say in Massachusetts fandom for Boston sports teams is an important part of our culture.

[achilles765]

For Texas, I would imagine most people would think of the area of El Paso as being sort of an outlier. For one it's so far away from everything else in the state and feels distinctively different from say Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, or even the Rio Grande Valley.

[DandyDan]

For Iowa, basically the western quarter of the state. Essentially, if the water ultimately drains into the Missouri. Everything there seems more connected to Omaha, Sioux City, or Sioux Falls than to Des Moines.

[Rothman]

Another day, another RGT thread...

Could say everything Worcester County west is different from eastern MA...

I went to school in Amherst. It's certainly different from Boston but it's still all Boston sports there. The Berkshires have a lot of New Yorkers summering there and it is the Albany TV market so they get more New York sports games.

To say Amherst is the same as Boston is silly.  Sports allegiances are not the end all, be all of societal differences...

Just another thread that's left up to way too much subjectivity...

The subjectivity makes it fun to argue. Amherst is not the same as Boston, but it's not the most dissimilar region to Boston in the state. It's certainly different, though. Reall,y Massachusetts is one of the more culturally homogeneous states so it's really not so different in there.

If you think MA is culturally homogenous when comparing 'Sconset to New Bedford to Lowell to North Adams to Mount Washington, then you simply do not know MA.

[epzik8]

Garrett County, Maryland.

[NWI_Irish96]

It's hard to nail down one region for Indiana. Three different regions are part of metro areas of cities in neighboring states (Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati), making them each distinct from the rest of the state. I guess the NW region sticks out the most

[Roadgeekteen]

Another day, another RGT thread...

Could say everything Worcester County west is different from eastern MA...

I went to school in Amherst. It's certainly different from Boston but it's still all Boston sports there. The Berkshires have a lot of New Yorkers summering there and it is the Albany TV market so they get more New York sports games.

To say Amherst is the same as Boston is silly.  Sports allegiances are not the end all, be all of societal differences...

Just another thread that's left up to way too much subjectivity...

The subjectivity makes it fun to argue. Amherst is not the same as Boston, but it's not the most dissimilar region to Boston in the state. It's certainly different, though. Reall,y Massachusetts is one of the more culturally homogeneous states so it's really not so different in there.

If you think MA is culturally homogenous when comparing 'Sconset to New Bedford to Lowell to North Adams to Mount Washington, then you simply do not know MA.

Instead of making rude comments like this, if you have your own insight about Massachusetts to add how about you add it.

[GaryV]

Michigan:

The UP is definitely different from the rest of the state, and the western half aligns more with Wisconsin.

The northern Lower Peninsula is also much different than the southern part of the state.

[thspfc]

Another day, another RGT thread...

Get over yourself.

Both Wisconsin and Minnesota would be the Driftless region. Or maybe Door County in WI.

Just another thread that's left up to way too much subjectivity...

Why would anyone turn to this forum for objective facts when those are easily found in far more reliable places than this?

Instead of making rude comments like this, if you have your own insight about Massachusetts to add how about you add it.

Futile.

[JayhawkCO]

Just another thread that's left up to way too much subjectivity...

Or we could just have a factual only forum where we just post construction updates. Don't want to interact? Don't.

To answer for Colorado is a little bit of a challenge since we have pretty distinct regions. "Eastern Colorado" is the easy answer, but that's about 1/3 of the state. To make it more specific, I'll pick the High Plains as shown here:

[Rothman]

Another day, another RGT thread...

Could say everything Worcester County west is different from eastern MA...

I went to school in Amherst. It's certainly different from Boston but it's still all Boston sports there. The Berkshires have a lot of New Yorkers summering there and it is the Albany TV market so they get more New York sports games.

To say Amherst is the same as Boston is silly.  Sports allegiances are not the end all, be all of societal differences...

Just another thread that's left up to way too much subjectivity...

The subjectivity makes it fun to argue. Amherst is not the same as Boston, but it's not the most dissimilar region to Boston in the state. It's certainly different, though. Reall,y Massachusetts is one of the more culturally homogeneous states so it's really not so different in there.

If you think MA is culturally homogenous when comparing 'Sconset to New Bedford to Lowell to North Adams to Mount Washington, then you simply do not know MA.

Instead of making rude comments like this, if you have your own insight about Massachusetts to add how about you add it.

The insight is in the "rude" comment I made, which I still stand by.  Check out those locations and see how different they are. 

As I've mentioned to you before, you have repeatedly come to very stark, black-and-white conclusions on a variety of topics without really having nearly a comprehensive view of the information needed to support such.  It's just another one of those times.

Take your assertion that Berkshire County is somehow more economically dependent upon New York than the rest of the state.  The flow of traffic up I-84 into the Boston Area (and back) compared to the trickle that comes into Pittsfield would be a point against that fact.

And again, you're looking for an "outlier region" and making broad conclusions...on sports allegiances?  I mean, fine, but again, you seem to present your opinions as facts, when they're much more tenuous.

Anyway, the more I think about this little exercise, the more I appreciate that even in a geographically small state like Massachusetts, generalizations about its regions can easily be found to be unfounded.

[Rothman]

Just another thread that's left up to way too much subjectivity...

Or we could just have a factual only forum where we just post construction updates. Don't want to interact? Don't.

If I didn't want to interact, I would not have...I've stayed out of RGT's threads for the most part.  Just decided to get into this one...since I wanted to...

Anyway, you and thspfc seem to think subjectivity and objectivity are binary.  Or, you can only be subjective or objective, and there's no inbetween, hence your comments that the only other alternative is just cold factual content. 

I think it's really a spectrum.  I mean, RGT did use sports teams as some sort of criteria.  And, of course, there are lots of ways to interpret the OP.  But certainly some parameters would increase the quality of the thread.

[Roadgeekteen]

Look, if you think all my conclusions are wrong that's fine- I don't pretend to know it all. You can tell me that I'm wrong. I just would appreciate leaving out all the snarky side comments that really don't add to discussion.

[Rothman]

Look, if you think all my conclusions are wrong that's fine- I don't pretend to know it all. You can tell me that I'm wrong. I just would appreciate leaving out all the snarky side comments that really don't add to discussion.

I don't think all your conclusions are wrong.  Just some of them.

[JayhawkCO]

Just another thread that's left up to way too much subjectivity...

Or we could just have a factual only forum where we just post construction updates. Don't want to interact? Don't.

If I didn't want to interact, I would not have...I've stayed out of RGT's threads for the most part.  Just decided to get into this one...since I wanted to...

Anyway, you and thspfc seem to think subjectivity and objectivity are binary.  Or, you can only be subjective or objective, and there's no inbetween, hence your comments that the only other alternative is just cold factual content. 

I think it's really a spectrum.  I mean, RGT did use sports teams as some sort of criteria.  And, of course, there are lots of ways to interpret the OP.  But certainly some parameters would increase the quality of the thread.

I'm well aware there's nuance. Just trying to convey to you that some posters are less interested in your sarcasm and your comments regarding your opinion of the quality of others' posts/threads  I get the joke so it's no worry to me. Others seem less receptive so maybe don't continually poke and prod.

Just trying to contribute to a kinder, gentler forum.

[mgk920]

Michigan:

The UP is definitely different from the rest of the state, and the western half aligns more with Wisconsin.

The northern Lower Peninsula is also much different than the southern part of the state.

Yea, the central and western (especially) YooPee is definitely Packer county, NOT Lion country.

Mike