[Doug64]

Decades ago I stumbled across The Nine Nations of North America I've been interested in the various cultures that make up the nation of nations known as the United States, and a few years ago I tried a new book that took the question down to the county level, Our Patchwork Nation. Back in 2012 I first posted a poll for this, but now we're in another election and people move so I thought I'd reprise it. So US citizens and residents, which type of county do you live in, and (if you're willing) how did you vote for president in 2016? (The "vote" answer would obviously have to be in a post rather than the poll.) And for a no-prize, who won your county? (After the election, obviously.)

If anyone has a question about which type they live in, there's actually a website now where you can look it up by zip code: Patchwork Nation.

For me, my county is still Boom Town (the book assigns Industrial Metropolis as the second-best category) and I voted for "none of the above" (an actual option on the ballot in my state).

Note: Yes, I know there is no "Other" option. First, there are twelve types of counties, there's no room for an "Other" option. Second, the twelve types cover every one of the 3,141 counties in the United States (as of 2011).

Boom Towns: 384 counties, 59.3 million people. These relatively wealthy locales were, before the late-2000s economic crash, both growing rapidly and seeing their minority populations increase. George Bush won these counties by 14%and 17%, but McCain won them by only 5%.

Campus and Careers: 71 counties, 13.1 million people. A younger population, lots of college students, and people just starting their postgraduate careers mark these places. Obama carried them by 18%. Gore and Kerry carried them by less, but still double-digits.

Emptying Nests: 250 counties, 12.1 million people. These counties are older than average, with lots of boomers and retirees living on fixed incomes. They're also less diverse than the nation as a whole. Bush carried them by 10% and 13%, while Obama and McCain split the vote 49%.

Evangelical Epicenters: 468 counties, 14.1 million people. The median household income in these counties, full of young people and evangelical Christians, is below the national average, but people here aren't necessarily bothered by that. McCain took 68% of the vote.

Immigration Nation: 204 counties, 20.7 million people. Located primarily in the Southwest, these places have large Hispanic populations, lower than average incomes, and higher than average poverty. Bush won them by 5% and 9%, but Obama won them by 3%.

Industrial Metropolis: 41 counties, 53.9 million people. Home to the nation's big industrial cities, these places are more densely packed, younger, and more diverse than the average county. This is landslide Democratic country, with Gore winning by 29%, Kerry by 27%, and Obama by 37%.

Military Bastions: 55 counties, 8.4 million people. Located near the nation's military bases, these middle-income locales are full of soldiers, vets, and their families. Bush took them by around 10% in 2000, but McCain by only a few points in 2008.

Minority Central: 364 counties, 13.5 million people. Heavy populations of African Americans and Native Americans mark these communities. So do lower incomes and higher poverty rates. Gore and Obama both did 2 points better than Kerry, winning them by 1%.

Monied Burbs: 286 counties, 69.1 million people. These places have higher than average levels of household income and educational attainment. Gore carried them by 3%, Kerry by only 1%, Obama by 12%.

Mormon Outposts; 44 counties, 1.7 million people. Located primarily in the Mountain West, these places have very high numbers of adherents to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are often rural and sparsely populated. This is Republican landslide country, where Bush took over 76% of the vote in both elections and McCain 72%.

Service Worker Centers: 663 counties, 31 million people. These places hold tourist centers or midsize towns where many people live without employee benefits and on the margins. When the economy goes bad, it usually happens here first. Bush won them by 7% and 12%, but McCain by only 4%.

Tractor Country: 311 counties, 2.3 million people. These places are white, rural, and remote, with sparse populations and farming and agribusiness as their economic base. Bush took 68% of the vote both times, but that dropped to 64% for McCain.

[Saeko]

Industrial metropolis.

[Blondie]

When in the states, Campus and careers; when in Japan, tractor country/radioactive ghost town.

[anna]

I voted for campus and career, although military bastion would also be applicable, as would immigration nation.

However - the map says monied burb. We have those too, but that's not the first thing I think of when I think of my county.

[snapdragon]

Apparently the place in which I used to live is a monied burb. I can't believe that, as it's the nastiest dump I've ever seen. There is absolutely nothing there, except a load of clapboard houses strung about haphazardly as if a gigantic child dropped them from a great height.

My children saw it for the first time two years ago and were absolutely horrified and wondered how I could bear it. Well, I couldn't, so we moved to London before they were born.

[Nattering Nabob]

Other...really...

[Doug64]

Here's the percentage of Republican votes in the 2016 presidential election, from lowest to highest:

• Industrial Metropolis 28.8%
• Campus and Careers 42.9%
• Monied 'Burbs 44.1%
• Immigration Nation 45.6%
• Minority Central 50.4%
• Military Bastions 50.4%
• Boom Towns 51.6%
• Emptying Nests 56.2%
• Mormon Outposts 57.2%
• Service Worker Centers 61.9%
• Evangelical Epicenters 72.2%
• Tractor Country 72.5%

[The Immortal Goon]

Campus and careers.

Though the map weirdly puts the city of Portland, OR--the twenty-sixth largest population in the US--as a suburb. Suburban of urban Seattle?

Apparently a place that made national news for its anarchists and protests against Trump are pretty even Democrat and Republican.

The map is wrong is what I'm saying.

Though it's not a college town in the normal sense, Portland is full of young and active people to the point that it's a stereotype.

[Doug64]

Though the map weirdly puts the city of Portland, OR--the twenty-sixth largest population in the US--as a suburb. Suburban of urban Seattle?

It doesn't put Multnomah county (where Portland is located) as a suburb, but as one of the Monied 'Burbs:

For a lot of people, the Monied Burbs are what they mean when they say America. These counties are home to neatly laid-out rows of homes on tree-lined streets and to the upscale shopping malls and office parks that have come to define American suburbia. The Burbs hold more people than any other type in Patchwork Nation and they are a little better off in terms of income and education than the others – in some cases a lot better off. They hold the leafy inner-ring suburbs around the nation’s biggest cities along with some of the struggling run-down close-in towns. But on the whole, these are the counties of the American dream where people mostly live in houses, not apartments, where they drive late-model cars to white-collar jobs.

The higher incomes in the Burbs means these counties are the kinds of places where you find the country’s high-end retailers and car dealers. You’ll generally find no shortage of fine restaurants in which to dine along with a good selection of organic groceries. The nicest Monied Burbs are the places where one finds restored old-time downtowns with cafés, upscale clothing boutiques and pet bakeries – all equipped with wi-fi. Of all the county types in Patchwork Nation, the Burbs have the most households with some investment in the stock market and the most college degrees. These counties weren’t exempted from the effects of the Great Recession. Their unemployment rates spiked like everyone else’s. But they have seen the fastest rebound, aided by their higher median incomes and education rates.

[The Immortal Goon]

Monied or not, what is Portland suburban of?

Seattle three hours away?

[MRogersNhood]

Biased poll is biased.Attempting to pigeonhole Americans will prove a daunting task.Good luck with that.

[Doug64]

While Clinton didn't perform as well as Obama across the board, that performance varied wildly by county type. Here's how many percentage points Clinton underperformed Obama's 2012 vote, from least to greatest:

• Boom Towns 2.2%
• Mormon Outposts 5.9%
• Military Bastions 7.7%
• Campus and Careers 8.5%
• Industrial Metropolis 8.6%
• Monied 'Burbs 9.4%
• Minority Central 9.7%
• Emptying Nests 10.4%
• Immigration Nation 13.5%
• Evangelical Epicenters 15.4%
• Service Worker Centers 23.1%
• Tractor Country 25.8%

[Rancid]

I'm in a Boom Town.

[Lexington]

Apparently "Industrial Metropolis" but I'm not seeing many factories here in Manhattan.

[Doug64]

"Industrial Metropolis" is a bit more complicated than that:

In a country where diversity is a hallmark, the Industrial Metropolis counties are where that concept is most concretely on display. The Industrial Metros are rich and they are poor. They are full of highly educated people and have high levels of illiteracy. They have penthouse apartments and hovels. They are places where a mosque might be across the street from a Presbyterian church and the people walking by might be black, white, Asian, Latino or a mix of several ethnicities. And all of that exists in the most densely populated counties in Patchwork Nation.

The Industrial Metropolis counties are considered a well-known commodity to many people. They hold the nation’s largest cities – New York, Chicago, Philadelphia – and loom large in popular culture. But the Industrial Metros are hard to see and understand up close. They themselves are often patchworks of different kinds of places. Stand on one corner and you may see tenements, bodegas and wig shops. Stand on another and you may see businessmen and women hustling in and out of skyscrapers with briefcases in tow. It’s hard to describe a typical scene because it depends on whether you are uptown or downtown, or on the east side or west side. And that is a key point about the Metros with all the diversity that are always options a short walk to drive away – eating options, shopping options, housing options.