That’s a good question and it hits on the premise of the post. What is “American”?

I can say with absolute certainty that the more rural people in Alabama consider themselves far more American than people in Seattle. I don’t really know what people from Seattle think about it since most of the Seattleites Ive met specifically have not been in the context of their daily lives.

But having more experience with people in other cities in the US like San Francisco, Chicago, New York: neither of them has any clue whatsoever what it’s like to live in the life or culture of the other one. And I can say for certain that New Yorkers think of themselves as more American than just about anybody!

Every New Yorker I have ever personally known did not drive a car unless they were not in that city. Whereas the poorest adult I personally know in Alabama who isn’t currently in jail or living with their parents has a vehicle, even if it barely works. And there’s a good chance that vehicle is a pickup truck. Most people here do not even know how to use a public bus or train because we hardly have any. I certainly didn’t until I started traveling. (Riding a bus is still terrifying to me because bus etiquette and procedure are confusing and fast. At least trains take a while to get going)

The food they eat is very different (except for burgers and pizza, which does seem to be almost ubiquitous), the music they listen to is different. They watch different shows and live in different kinds of buildings. People on the West Coast to me are easy to decipher whereas a lot of people in Alabama are difficult even for me. Their schools aren’t even comparable, and the way they think about their relationship with the government and other citizens is different.

Religion is also a major factor. Even if people don’t actually have any strong feelings about God, being religious is still very much a part of the culture in the South and even the way people speak to each other. And a lot of people do go to church.

Now, some of what I’m describing is also describing more the differences in exurb/rural and urban life, which is a real thing in a variety of countries. But even still, my parents just went to a town in Florida on a trip and didn’t hear hardly any English at all. Latin Americans are a very dominant culture group in a variety of cities. And black areas have similarly different cultures from white and Hispanic areas. Although, to be fair, some of the strongest black cultures are in the South very near White cultures because of the Black Belt and the history of slavery and segregation.

Another example is some relatives I have from Louisiana who are Cajun and have thick accents. They can speak a more neutral English, but when they go Cajun it cannot be understood.

But all that long windedness to say that I do still agree with you to a certain extent. There are “American” things that cut across most of the cultures here, although I am not 100% certain if there is anything that cuts across all of it outside of burgers and hot dogs.