1. North America Human Geography
How can we organize the Geography of North America?
By Culture?
By Landscape?
By Region?
Can we combine these features to create Regions with both physical and cultural landscape?

2. North American Human Geography
CULTURAL LANDSCAPES
How are Cultural systems and identities created?
How are Regions created?

3. Reminder - Cultural Geography
What is culture?
…human-made part of the environment (Melville Jean Herskovitz)
…the learned patterns of thought and behaviour characteristic of a population or society (D.R. Harris)
Cultural trait
Cultural region
Cultural system
collective identity
ethnicity

4. ?????? Do Canadians and Americans share the same culture?
Is there a North American culture or are there two cultures: Canadian and American?

5. Physical Features – Regional Traits 1
Physical Features – Regional Traits 1. How does geography create different regional traits? 2. How has history created different cultural regions? 3. How do you connect these different regions & cultures together to create a common American culture?

6. Regionalism 5 Themes of Geography
Region is an area on the earth’s surface that is defined by certain unifying characteristics. The unifying characteristics may be physical, human, or cultural.
What are the 3 types of regions?
Formal
Functional
Perceptual
Clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity or description
How have formal and perceptual regions in the US impacted culture and politics?
How do we define our regions?
Legal Regions?
Regionalism based on early settlement patterns?
Belt Regions?
Cultural Regions?

7. Regionalism
Clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity or description (similar characteristics, either physical or human).
Many regions are perceptual
How do we define our regions?
Legal Regions
Regionalism based on early settlement patterns
Belt Regions
Cultural Regions

8. Regionalism
1. Legal Regions – US census Bureau Regions

9. 2. Regions based on settlement patterns
"American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America."

10. 3. Belt Regions
Belt Regions of the US – portions of the country that share certain characteristics.
First applied to growing regions – follow lines of latitude and have similar climates, soil conditions.
Usage has expanded to other economic, climatic and cultural concentrations.
Often vague borders
Ex: Bible Belt, Snowbelt, Sun Belt…

11. 4. Cultural Traits by Region
EX: Observations of Stephen Fry in Maine….
Language – accents
People – hard workers (immigrant heritage)
Landscape, animals, food (insiders knowledge)
What are some cultural traits that Stephen Fry (British comedian) observes about Maine?
Maine – 6:30

12. House Types Kniffen’s traditional American house types: New England
Mid-Atlantic
Southern Tidewater

13. Cultural Regionalism within State
The Quiet Corner
noticeably more rustic in character than the more suburban towns to the west
under populated and isolated in contrast with the rest of Connecticut, with many of its towns having populations below 5,000.
Greater Hartford
Not dependent on out-of-state metropolitan areas such as New York City or Boston.
It is on the fairly level land of the Connecticut River valley with soil less rocky than that of other areas in the state

14. Cultural Heritage associated with human geographic features
Rural vs. Urban
Urban - More than 75% of the people of Mexico live in cities of over 50,000 inhabitants
contemporary life in its cities has become similar to that in neighboring United States and Europe.
Rural - Most Mexican villagers follow the older way of life more than the city people do
Blending of Cultures across borders – Tex Mex
What are at least 3 examples of cultural diffusion occurring along the Mexican/ US border that Tony Bourdain highlights?

15. Are we becoming more culturally unified or do regional traits still exist?
Better Know Your State

16. Cultural Traits

17. 2. Regions based on settlement patterns
"American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America."

18. Regions based on early settlement patterns
Can you identify the 11 Rival Regional Cultures of North America from the article?
"American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America."

19. European Exploration based on land claims
Colonial Period

20. Chesapeake Bay: Economic colonies New England: Religious colonies
Original Settlements in US - Geographic features impact settlement patterns
Chesapeake Bay: Economic colonies
Jamestown (1607)
New England: Religious colonies
Pilgrims: Plymouth Bay (1620)
Puritans: Massachusetts Bay (1630)
As colonies expanded, geography changed ways of life
Went to the Fall Line
Piedmont (foothills of Appalachian mountains) is hard rock
Runoff from Piedmont hits soft, flat coastal plains
Runoff becomes rapids and waterfalls
Could not feasibly pass the Fall Line
Economy based on transporting goods (tobacco, fur, lumber) quickly to market
Rapids made river travel impossible for load carrying ships

21. Fall Line The Fall Line altered economy and settlement
Instead, the rapids were used for water power
Sawmills, grist mills, factories
Population started to rise around the mills (from surplus food & jobs)

22. Examples of American Regions Geography’s impact on regional culture
Regions: Settlement & economic patterns over time
Northeast & Old Northwest developed as an industrial center (higher population density)
Had the resources: coal, iron
Had the water power
Now called the Rust Belt – industry has decreased, people leave the area
South developed as commercial crops center (lower population density)
Had the better soil
Had longer growing season
Commercial crops grew well there: cotton, indigo, rice, tobacco
Now called the Sun Belt – the people leaving Northeast retire/move to this region

23. Impediments to easy transportation
Mountain Ranges
The Appalachians - are an old and eroded system that formed about 300 mya.
North American Cordillera The cordillera is a complex belt of mountains and associated plateaus and basins some of which were formed as recently as 100–65 mya The cordillera extend from Alaska into Mexico and includes the Pacific Margin on the west and the Rocky Mountains on the east
Large distances (even the lowlands area)
Interior Lowlands - The lowlands extend down the middle of the continent from the Mackenzie Valley to the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and include the Great Plains on the west and the agriculturally productive Interior Plains on the east.
Original settlement patterns
determined by Geography of the
Region

24. 3. Belt Regions
Belt Regions of the US – portions of the country that share certain characteristics.
First applied to growing regions – follow lines of latitude and have similar climates, soil conditions.
Usage has expanded to other economic, climatic and cultural concentrations.
Often vague borders
Ex: Bible Belt, Snowbelt, Sun Belt…

25. Examples of American Regions Geography’s impact on regional culture
Midwest developed into food crop centers
Northern plains were rocky
lent to Dairy Belt: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakotas, Montana
Central plains had rich soil
Wheat Belt (Texas up to Saskatchewan)
Corn Belts (Ohio to Iowa)
West/Pacific
Mixed economy
Started as timber in Oregon on up
Gold/minerals in California and Rocky Mountains
Now: Hollywood, technology (Silicon Valley), fruits (plus wine)
Overall, population has shifted westward and southward
Has meant changes to politics: reapportionment

27. Belt Regions
Belt Regions of the US – portions of the country that share certain characteristics.
First applied to growing regions – follow lines of latitude and have similar climates, soil conditions.
Usage has expanded to other economic, climatic and cultural concentrations.
Often vague borders
Ex: Bible Belt, Snowbelt, Sun Belt…
*Regions have become more and more perceptual over time rather than based on climates or growing conditions….

28. Perceptual Regions
Based on Culture or Perceived differences between different groups.
Belt Regions? or
Historic Regions?
How do we create perceptual regions in the US?

29. A Moving Population How might this impact national politics?
Overall, population has shifted westward and southward
Has meant changes to politics: reapportionment
The Northeast has been losing Congressional Seats while the South/ West has gained seats
How might this impact national politics?

32. Gerrymandering
State legislators are often in charge of submitting new maps of their state’s congressional districts,
Gerrymandering is when they redraw the lines around a favored electorate to help their friends and fellow party members to stay in power.

35. Redistricting Why does redistricting occur?
How can it result in Gerrymandering?
What are the effects of Gerrymandering?
Examples of Gerrymandering:
Why is California’s Proposition 11 so controversial?
The Gerrymandering Game:
Tasks:
Watch the Introduction on Gerrymandering
Play the Basic level game
- (1 round)
What do you observe about what is required to create the required districts?
Why do you think politicians create these new lines? (what motivates them)
How does this change the voting process in these new districts?

36. Stephen Fry in America New England
PBS National Parks:

37. What connects Americans Culturally
Cultural traits and Identity as Americans –
By region….
What are some cultural traits that Stephen Fry (British comedian) observes about Maine?
Are we becoming more culturally unified or do regional traits still exist?

38. Cultural Traits by Region
Observations of Stephen Fry in Maine….
Language – accents
People – hard workers (immigrant heritage)
Landscape, animals, food (insiders knowledge)

39. Sources
Route 66
US Cities and immigration:
PBS National Parks:

40. American Cities
What is unique about the Development of American Cities?
What do American cities need to develop?
The story of US – 2-9