The Six Real Nations of North America

In 1981 Joel Garreau wrote a popular book entitled The Nine Nations of North America, in which he argued that there are nine distinctive economic regions of North America. His point was that once we understand this point, we will quickly see that states, as we have known them for hundreds of years, are obsolete concepts. Just to sate your own curiosity, he identified the nine "nations" as follows:

1. New England (and NE Canada), with "capital" in Boston.
2. The Foundry, the declining industrial area of the North, with "capital" in Detroit.
3. Dixie, no explanation needed, with "capital" in Atlanta.
4. The Breadbasket, in the midwest, with "capital" in Kansas City.
5. The Islands, including South Florida and the Caribbean, with "capital" in Miami.
6. Mexamerica, including Southern CA, AZ and NM, as well as Mexico, with "capital" in Los Angeles.
7. Ecotopia, the "green belt" from SF to Southern Alaska, with "capital" in San Francisco.
8. The "Empty Quarter," so named because the author didn't know what to do with the Intermountain West, with "capital" in Denver.
9. Quebec, a world unto itself.

"Nations" of North America Today

I have a different way of looking at how to "divide up" North America or, more precisely, America in 2006. Instead of trying to "cover" or "explain" every geographical area, I am more interested in characterizing the "pure type" of a very important cultural or economic phenomenon in our day and then identifying where you go to find it. Thus, this essay acts as a sort of encouragement or fatherly talk to younger people who want to make their mark in the world but may be unsure about how to chart their path. By pointing out what I consider to be the six leading areas in America today based on a particular type of activity conducted there, you can better chart your personal future.

Two caveats are important here. I have no interest in fully describing all money-making activities. So, for example, I don't tell you where to go if you really want a career in tourism. Second, I am not interested in trying to "pump" every region of the country. Some, frankly, will be "followers" of the six I will now mention. Most important to me are to identify six leading areas of economic, political or intellectual importance for our collective future.

The Six, In A Nutshell

Let me lay out my cards in a few sentences. (1) If you are interested in making money pure and simple or to participate in the theater arts, go to New York City and environs. (2) If you are interested in "traditional" knowledge, that is, in learning how we used to learn things until about 2005, go to Boston and surrounding areas. (3) If you are interested in understanding power and eventually trying to wield it in a public way, go to Washington, D.C. (4) If you are interested in mundane technological knowledge, which means the way that computers work and will continue to work, go to Seattle. (5) If you are committed to "the business," which means the world of entertainment and the movies, go to Los Angeles. (6) If you are interested in shaping the way we will approach knowledge in the future, go to the Silicon Valley in CA. The total population of these six regions is about 70 milllion, representing about 23% of Americans. Of course not everyone living in these areas is "into" these things, but there is a significant population base to pursue each of these activities.

Let me comment on the contrast between (2) and (6), or what I call "old" and "new" knowledge. There is no question that people will continue to get stellar and worthwhile degrees from Ivy League and other schools in the North East (2). Indeed, I assume that professors from some of those schools will continue to win Nobel Prizes. But what I am emphasizing in this contrast is the fact that Internet learning really will transform not just the delivery system of knowledge (such as online courses) but also the very content of what is considered knowledge and the way we search for it. The traditional way of gaining knowledge, of course, is to pursue a degree from professors who are leaders in the field, learn what your professor is working on, take a few "scraps" from his/her table and then plot out your own career. If your doctoral professor is really a leader in the field, he/she will always have too many things to do, thus leaving lots of uncommented-on texts to interpret, or providing you a new method to look at texts long-studied. In your seminars you meet the people who will, like you, be placed all over the country in departments of your doctoral work. Then, as time goes on, you edit and comment on each other's books, invite each other to your conferences and, at the end, put out a Festscrift both for your professor and each other. It really is a pretty wonderful life, and the field moves along.

But the knowledge explosion brought about by the Internet has the possibility of making the "old knowledge" something that can be gained in a mere few months, rather than in years of hard labor. At present Internet-based knowledge cannot yet do this; indeed Internet-learning is primarily a short and easy way to do "overview" research on topics of interest. There is not yet enough detailed and critical content online to provide the type of education you receive at the best doctoral programs. But I am convinced that this will not last for long. These essays explain my position in more detail. The Silicon Valley, mostly Palo Alto to San Jose, CA, is the place where people are asking questions about the shaping and reshaping of knowledge. I actually don't know what exactly goes on in the inner labyrinths of Google.com and like companies, but they have to be dealing with the issues I highlight. I would love to visit them and see what they are "up to."

Conclusion--What About the Midwest?

I don't mean to be dismissive of areas of the country which are not mentioned in (1) - (6) above. Indeed, I have lived in these areas for the last 24 years. The attractions of the Pacific NW, for example, are legendary, and the area grows so deeply on you that people have been known to burst into tears upon disembarking from planes in the verdant fields of Portland or Seattle--because of the overwhelming power of memory. I have also lived in the Midwest for six years, and I deeply appreciate and love the land that stretches for miles before your eyes. I love the regularity of rhythms of the Midwest. I think that KS, for example, has more interesting "characters" per capita than any other part of the country. But the creative intellectual and economic future of the country won't emerge there.

Thus, my son (and daughter), take these things to heart as you desire to make your mark. Make it well, and make it firmly. We will watch you with joy and embrace you with all our heart when you return to tell us about your journeys.

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