3 ms·

I see at least three distinct populations here. First are the Mormons of Utah, south Idaho, and adjacent areas, which you missed. The big one is the Bible Belt

I see at least three distinct populations here. First are the Mormons of Utah, south Idaho, and adjacent areas, which you missed. The big one is the Bible Belt minus the Black Belt, and also seems to be missing the Carolinas, maybe because they've had so much internal migration from the Northeast recently. El Paso and surrounding area is surely associated more with the Rio Grande Valley of far south Texas than either of these two areas -- a culturally distinct area of Tejanos and more recent Hispanic immigrants. I don't know what to attribute the area of lower-age married fertility in eastern CO + western KS to, or other scattered areas.

throwawayjava 8y ago
> I don't know what to attribute the area of lower-age married fertility in eastern CO + western KS to, or other scattered areas. I would lump in KS/eastern CO with OK and with Missouri minus KC/STL/JC. So three or four regions: * The bible belt - the black belt * Mormons * The lower midwest and "eastern west" (e.g., eastern CO but also maybe even to some extent parts of NV, the Dakotas, and the rural eastern partns of the PNW). Maybe this is two groups that sort of blend at their boundaries? No two places are exactly the same but that last grouping makes at least as much sense as the bible belt. IMO, at least. I'm not a demographer or anything, but I bet that you could explain some of the cultural differences between the bible belt and the lower midwest+eastern west in terms of historically dominant congregations/denominations of Christianity. (And also some other things, most notably slavery.)