I can see the similarities between Amarillo and Knoxville. Every city on I-40 feels similar to me until Albuquerque, having spent time in a number of Tennessee cities and having to visit wife's hometown in Texas.
Low key writing this has made me realize how much of my life has just been migrating up and down I-40.
What shared traits do you see between Amarillo and Knoxville? Having visited both, Amarillo is distinctly High Plains/Western while Knoxville is Appalachian. Different cultures, geography, everything.
Family goes to a non-denominational evangelical church in Knoxville, family goes to a non-denominational evangelical church in Amarillo. Both would probably be the same denomination but its unpopular to claim a denomination these days. After church its dinner that's a meat + 2 vegetables and cornbread. There's a big ford in each driveway that hasn't hauled more than dogs and kids since the day it came home. Maybe its just my biases but I just did not have any culture shock outside of how long it takes to drive anywhere out west.
> There's a big ford in each driveway that hasn't hauled more than dogs and kids since the day it came home
I can't speak on Knoxville because I've only spent a day there, but I've spent a good bit of time around Amarillo mostly from driving between CO and TX over a hundred times, although not really in the suburbs.
Saw a lot of beat up trucks that looked like they were owned by blue collar folks and used for truck things. But of course there's also plenty of brodozers, which I'm assuming are also fairly common in Knoxville.
I was just saying two middle class families living a thousand miles away from each other along I-40 were fairly similar to me. They are also considered in the same nation according to this map.
The only part of this map I'd quibble with based on personal experience is Birmingham, AL (and Jefferson County) is definitely in that same Greater Appalachia nation because I can't in my heart of hearts say it and Dothan, AL have anything in common. The most interesting thing in Dothan is a hardware store.
I realized a few years ago that I've lived 90+% of my life near 40 degrees north latitude (Pittsburgh, central Ohio, Salt Lake City). I've tried living elsewhere, but those never worked out for whatever reasons. Now I take note of the 40 degree rule and facetiously evaluate if, say, moving for a job will work out long term.
Low key writing this has made me realize how much of my life has just been migrating up and down I-40.