What If The Most Scottish States In America Formed An Independent Country?
On September 18, 2014, Scotland headed to the polls to vote on whether to split from the United Kingdom. Americans watched curiously, wondering how such a split could be possible without a prolonged guerrilla war like its own revolution. To Americans, the process all just seemed so peaceful, so civilized, so downright Canadian. However, It did raise the question of what America would look like if its own more Scottish states formed an independent country.
To determine which states are the most Scottish, Estately used these three criteria:
- Percentage of residents of each state claiming Scottish heritage (Source: U.S. Census)
- Expressed interest in stereotypical Scottish creations (Facebook interest in Scotland, kilts, golf, and Scotch whisky)
- Online interest in Scottish topics (Google searches for the movie Braveheart, the Loch Ness Monster, and haggis)
In the end Estately settled on 16 states determined to be at least moderately Scottish. Before Homeland Security investigates them for treason, it should be noted that this is not a highly scientific study, and only New Hampshire and Maine possibly meet the treason threshold. Certainly there’s no reason to tap Ohio’s phones, or interrogate anyone in Colorado.
Here’s a complete breakdown of all fifty states and their level of (stereotypical) Scottishness.
