Culture areas

 

I found this map online via this page, and though the map seems fairly self-explanatory, I did not locate a page that elaborated on the map and the interpretation thereof.

What with all the discussion lately of 'Yankee culture' and its prevalence (or absence) outside New England, I thought this might be relevant. It looks to me as though 'Yankee culture' is confined to a couple of rather narrow geographical areas. I would even question the placing of the New England states, all of New York state, and parts of some adjoining states into that grouping. New England is not exactly home of Anglo-Saxon Puritan descendants now, as much as the descendants of 19th and 20th century ethnic immigrants (Italian, Portuguese, Jewish, French-Canadian) and recent immigrants from the four corners of the earth.

The '19th century European' culture area covers a bigger swath of territory; these would be the descendants of mostly Scandinavian and German (as well as a few pockets of Slavic and Dutch) immigrants in the Midwest and Northern plains states. I notice central Texas has a pocket of the 19th century European culture; that would be the German Texans who settled in that area, and who have maintained their language and culture down to the present time, though it's weakening.