The United States is made up of many diverse ethnic groups and its culture varies greatly across the vast area of the country and even within cities - a city like New York will have dozens, if not hundreds, of different ethnicities represented within a neighborhood.
Despite this difference, there exists a strong sense of national identity and certain predominant cultural traits.
-General traits
Generally, Americans tend to believe strongly in personal responsibility and that an individual determines his or her own success or failure, but it is important to note that there are many exceptions and that a nation as diverse as the United States has literally thousands of distinct cultural traditions. One will find Mississippi in the South to be very different culturally from Massachusetts in the North.
-US mail, US embassies, Banks, Federal Reserves Closing
First, if you are a foreigner who needs to apply for a US visa, it is important to note the federal holidays. All US embassies worldwide close on those days and are unable to process applications on those days, in addition to holidays observed by their host country.
Second, United States Postal Service retail counters are closed on federal holidays, and in high-crime areas, the entire post office stays closed. Self-service kiosks at post offices in relatively safe areas with 24/7 lobby access remain operational through holidays. However, mail deposited at a post office or in a mailbox will not be processed until after the holiday is over.
Other federal services like national parks and airport security operate 365 days a year regardless of federal holidays.
Many state governments also observe official holidays of their own which are not observed in other states or by the federal government.
-Holidays
The United States has a number of holidays — official and/or cultural — of which the traveler should be aware.
--Note that holidays observed on Mondays or Fridays are usually treated as weekend-long events. (A weekend consists of a Saturday and a Sunday.) Meaning if the holiday is a Monday, Monday is an extra day off. If the holiday is friday the extra day off is friday, back to work monday. These are called "Three Day Weekends"
--Federal holidays; holidays observed by the federal government. If a federal holiday with a fixed calendar date (such as Independence Day which is always July 4th) falls on a weekend, federal and most state offices will be closed on the nearest non-weekend day. If it's a Saturday, Friday is when they'll be closed. If it's a Friday, Thursday they'll be closed.
Since the early 1970s, several federal holidays, including Memorial Day and Labor Day, have been observed on a certain Monday rather than on a fixed date for the express purpose of giving federal employees three-day weekends.
--Due to the number of major holidays in close proximity to each other, most Americans refer to the period between Thanksgiving in late November and New Year's Day as simply "The Holidays."
School and work vacations are commonly taken during this period. Vacation meaning a break from school or work and usually not an actual vacation where you go to a place, other than maybe visiting family who live elsewhere.
--New Year's Day (1 January) — most non-retail businesses are closed. Parades in nearly every big city dance the streets. Many people gather for brunches and American football parties.
--Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January) many government offices and banks closed; speeches, especially on African-American history and culture.
--Chinese New Year (January/February — varies based on the Chinese lunar calendar) — Chinese cultural celebration not celebrated as a whole country. Every business except maybe those owned by Chinese are open.
--Super Bowl Sunday (usually the first Sunday in February) The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the NFL American football league and the most-watched sporting event of the year; supermarkets, bars, and electronics stores busy, big football-watching parties at friends or family's houses.
---Football playoffs, for the ultimate 2 teams to prevail (leading up to the Superbowl), "brackets" are made to guess the winner and loser for any two teams playing. Either based on stats or on whoever a personal thinks is better and will win. The teams a person chooses to move on as the winner, (the winner is the team one game closer to getting to play in the Superbowl) is who they ultimately predict will play in the Superbowl. These brackets usually aren't just for fun, there's usually a "pool of money" which consists of the participants entry fee. Whichever person's bracket has the most accurate predictions wins the pool of money. This prediction bracket is also very well known during "March Madness" which pertains to College team Basketball, which goes on to end with the NBA playoffs.
--(St.) Valentine's Day (14 February) Just called simply Valentine's Day in the US. Mosly for Americans this is a celebration of romance and love unique to the individual. The love between Husband and wife mostly but for their children too. Most restaurants are crowded for the dinner hours. Finer restaurants may require reservations made well in advance. Flower shops are usually slammed and may require placing an order in advance. Boxes of chocolates are often given, along with flowers, and sometimes a mushy love card (Hallmark brand cards are popular in The US and have a card for nearly any event, sold in most all stores) as gifts to women. Sometimes jewelry is given as a gift but that's more likely on a couple's anniversary. Children often receive stuffed animals holding hearts or candy. Valentine's heart candies with various sayings printed on them are very popular. These are made by the nicko wafer brand. In elementary schools, they celebrate by having Valentine's Day parties where "Valentine cards" are passed between classmates. These are in most all stores in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day and usually have depictions of known childhood characters from movies saying something that rhymes or something cute pertaining to Valentine's day. Young kids often get very giddy about asking another child "Will you be my Valentine?"
Middle and high schools have school dances, Valentine/love themed with heart shaped cookies and decorations.
--Presidents Day (third Monday in February; officially Washington's the first president's Birthday) Many government offices and banks closed; many stores have sales.
--St. Patrick's Day (17 March) Oddly unlike St. Valentine's day being just Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day is called just that. Sometimes shortened to St. Patty's Day. Irish themed parades and parties. Expect bars to be crowded. It's considered the busiest bar day of the year. They will often feature themed drink specials including the moat popular drink special you'll see on this day is GREEN beer. Also specials on irish liquor or drink and Irish beer. The wearing of green or a green accessory is common and most of the time, overdone. In the past decade the custom of pinching someone who isn't wearing green has faded a bit but children going to school on St. Patrick's day better be wearing something green! Hockey season is underway and many American teams dye their ice green for the night.
--Easter (a Sunday in March or April) — Christian/Catholic religious observances. Widely celebrated by families with or without strong religious ties. Big family based holiday to get together with whole family and have dinner. Many places of local business, churchs, and even families hold "Easter Egg Hunts" in the days before Easter. Kids run around trying to find plastic eggs filled with candy or sometimes coins and put them in a basket they're carrying. Depending on location, many restaurants, including franchised outlets of major national chains, may close. Major retailers generally open; smaller shops may or may not close. Children often "Color Easter eggs" in the days before where dye is bought and dissolved in vinegar or water to dip hard boiled eggs in. Children wake up the morning of Easter eager to see what "The Easter Bunny" has brought them. This is almost always a basket or bucket of some sort filled with goodies and candy. Sometimes other things too. The Friday before Easter is known as Good Friday.
--Passover (varies based on the Jewish calendar, eight days around Easter) Jewish religious observance. Rarely celebrated by non Jewish. All business' open except maybe Jewish owned business'.
--Cinco de Mayo (5 May) A minor holiday in most of Mexico often incorrectly assumed to be Mexican independence day, but nevertheless a major cultural celebration for Mexican-Americans. But is recognized by Americans. As with St. Patrick's Day, expect bars to be very crowded, frequently with themed drink specials. Especially on Mexican beer and also Tequila.
--Memorial Day (last Monday in May) most non-retail businesses closed; banks closed. Most gov buildings closed. some patriotic observances. Trips to beaches and parks; traditional beginning of summer for many schools who only have school until around June 5th before summer vacation or "summer break" for many places, marks beginning of tourism season.
--Independence Day / Fourth of July (4 July) Most non-retail businesses closed. Airports and highways crowded; patriotic parades and concerts, cookouts are especially common and happen within almost all families or group of friends. Trips to beaches and parks, being outside nearly all day, (weather permitting) fireworks at dusk in every state, and most every town. Beaches and lakes are often crowded because of the excellent fireworks shows, typically launched from a boat and exploding over the water at dusk and in the dark night. There are fireworks being set off nearly everywhere by city councils who orchestrate firework shows (which is just a series of different colored and different shaped explosions one right after another lasting from around 20 minutes to 45 minutes) or even at people's own houses and their neighbor's houses. Fireworks are generally not expensive depending on where you buy them. The big big intricate fireworks are generally expensive, about 20-40 dollars each. In some states such as Indiana it's legal to sell and buy fireworks all year long, and other states only for an amount of time before and shortly after The 4th of July. Some small towns or villages have laws stating that even on Independence Day, fireworks can not be set off right in town but outskirts of towns or villages it is allowed. That is often times to prevent fast moving fires that could devastate a small town (as it's size is so small with houses in close proximity) that can be caused by firework explosions. Surrounding towns usually have a fireworks show only around usually 10-15 minutes away. Firework injuries are huge every year especially with the drinking associated with all day cookouts.
--Labor Day (first Monday in September) most non-retail businesses closed. Government offices and banks closed. cookouts and trips to beaches and parks.
---In Michigan it is customary for it's lower peninsula residents who live farther south in the state go "Up North" for camping, campfires, and drinking. Many residents of lower Michigan own property or a cabin up north. Generally people from southern Michigan consider "up north" to still be the northern parts of the lower peninsula This custom is serious in Michigan. Many southern Michigan restraunts are not busy, most friends and/or relatives are up north, and many camp sites up north are booked solid sometimes months in advance. Many stores across the US have sales. Traditional ending of summer tourism season.
--Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (varies based on the Jewish calendar, September or early October) Jewish religious observances. Not widely known and not really celebrated among non Jewish Americans.
--Columbus Day (second Monday in October) — many government offices and banks closed. Some stores have sales. Columbus Day can be controversial, especially among Native Americans, and is not as widely observed as it was in the past.
--Halloween (31 October) trick-or-treating in costumes. Some parades, and costume parties in the days leading up to Halloween but usually not on Halloween night which is more family based with taking children Trick-or-treating. Some families get together and have dinner and watch the little ones get ready and family members hand out candy. It is a custom that if they have a light on by the door either outside or inside then that means you're giving out candy. Dark houses should be skipped. School parties and dances. Days leading up to Halloween many families carve pumpkins to make Jack o lanterns. Families decorate their houses and yards. Also many American channels show horror movies or scary family-friendly movies. The US sells/buys 5 million dollars worth of candy in October. Some traditions have changed from trick-or-treating to safer alternatives. One being "Truck or treat" where kids go from car to car collecting candy as going house to house has been dangerous in the past decade. All candy your children collect should be checked for tampering. In the past children have been poisoned by their Halloween candy collection from some sick-o passing out candy they tampered with. The night before Halloween has been deemed as "Devil's Night" for it's mischief of teenagers going around covering houses in Toilet Paper, (Called "T.P.ing or T.P.d") smashing pumpkins, etc. Never let your child go Trick-or-treating alone. That is not a safe practice anymore. All business' and government buildings open.
--Veterans Day (11 November) government offices and banks closed; Widespread patriotic observances. Especially for war monuments like The Washington Monument. Many fallen soldiers past and present honored.
--Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) Almost all businesses closed, including grocery stores, most gas stations, and most restaurants. Family dinners. Airports and highways are very crowded. To avoid this many people have begun to travel a few days ahead of time and stay with family. Traditional Thanksgiving dinners involve Turkey, mashed potatoes, squash, corn, gravy, and some sort of bread. For dessert, traditionally a pie, or a few pies. Most common include pumpkin and apple. More modernly people have added or substituted a large Ham or chicken amoung many other foods.
This day is celebrated to give thanks especially to family and to God too, and also to remember the Pilgrims who first set sail on The Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock. This day celebrates a feast between the Pilgrims and the American Indians who taught these early settlers how to maintain life in their new land.
---The evening before Thanksgiving is the second biggest bar night of the year.
---The day after Thanksgiving, is known as "Black Friday" major Christmas shopping traditionally begins. Many non-retail employees are given Friday off or take it as a holiday.
----Cheapest sales of the entire year. You get a pile of advertisements for black Friday sales in your local newspaper for nearly every surrounding area store's amazing sales that leave even electronics sometimes 75% off, or even more. Most stores open anywhere from 3 in the morning to 5am. This means long lines of over 100-200 people have already been standing in line for sometimes hours before the store opened to ensure they get exactly what they are out for. Generally an hour before opening is the time you should arrive to a certain store, hopefully earlier. Once the inventory of a product is gone it's gone and you've missed out on the sale. It's hard to get all the deals you want to give as Christmas presents because some stores open at the same time. Thus the ridiculous lines of people outside before the store opens almost ensures that while you're at another store shopping, the item you really want at the other store is gone by the time you arrive. This is why the women in a family split up and go to different locations and get eachothers items as well as their own. (Most black Friday shoppers are women. On Thanksgiving as the family is already together, the women look through the ads and make lists) The lines to "check out" or pay are as ridiculous as the lines outside before opening. Often resulting in standing in line just to pay, average of an hour and a half-two hours! Around 11am most all sales are over. A few stores will leave out the left overs that didn't sell for the rest of the day, at sale prices. Movies are sold on Black Friday for sometimes 99 cents! Under a dollar! Some new releases are sold for about $1.99-$2.99 so if you ever wonder why people are crazy enough to shop early morning on black Friday, those are the kind of price differences. Sometimes it gets crazy between shoppers fighting, pushing, knocking down other shoppers etc.
--Hanukkah/Chanukah (varies based on the Jewish calendar, eight days usually in December) Jewish religious observance, often culturally associated with Christmas. Many Americans know about Hanukkah and it's story and/or practices, even if they don't celebrate. Since The USA is a melting pot of different ancestry cultures it has become more proper to say "Happy Holidays" all through out (but mostly toward the end) December instead of "Merry Christmas." This is trying to get rid of opinions of people who DO celebrate Christmas about the people who do NOT celebrate. In the past those people who belonged to different religions or who excluded the practice or traditions of Christmas were seen as being weird, strange, or abnormal as the US had ratified/tweaked/modified the holiday into the ways it's practiced in America today, and in some parts of the entire world who've also adapted those ideas. Some school's started implementing the use of Happy Holidays because this outlook many people shared made Jewish kids or kids who celebrate Kwanzaa or anything else besides Christmas teased at school. Also because "The Holidays" is used to refer to October-January months' many holidays including Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New years Eve and New years Day. Much of the USA-businesses, stores, restaurants, even government buildings still decorate primarily for Christmas.
--Christmas (25 December) — almost all businesses, grocery stores, gas stations, and almost all restaurants closed the evening before around 5-8pm and all day in the morning. Some places reopen Christmas Day in the evening but most don't bother. Airports and highways are very crowded the days leading up to Christmas, however on Christmas day many roads are vacant with just a fee cars of relatives making a short trip to their family's houses.
---Airlines have the cheapest fares/tickets for flights on Christmas Day because so many people have reached their destinations and are with family.
Christian/Catholic religious observances. Many people attend church services for Christmas on Christmas eve although services are also held on Christmas. Some families spend Christmas eve as a whole family, exchanging gifts and having a large meal while other families do this on Christmas day. The reason for celebration on Christmas Eve is for extended family--aunts, uncle's, cousins, grandparents etc, Then the families go home and wake up Christmas morning to spend the time opening presents and to eat breakfast with just immediate family--Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters. Some households will have family visit during the day on Christmas day.
---In the usually 3 weeks leading up to Christmas children visit Santa at shopping malls and write him letters. Christmas classics are played on TV channels all the time.
Kwanzaa (26 December-1 January) — African-American cultural observance.
New Year's Eve (31 December) — many restaurants and bars open late; lots of parties, especially in big cities.
From a foreign traveler's point of view, there are two major services affected by federal holidays: visas and mail.
Regions
The United States is composed of 50 states, as well as the city of Washington, D.C., a federal district and the nation's capital. Below is a rough grouping of these states into regions, from the Atlantic to the Pacific:
--Regions of The United States of America and states included and states excluded
NEW ENGLAND REGION-
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
Home to gabled churches, rustic antiques, and steeped in American history, New England offers beaches, spectacular seafood, rugged mountains, frequent winter snows, and some of the nation's oldest cities, in a territory small enough to tour (hastily) in a week. The small town environments have managed to maintain a large degree of autonomy for centuries.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION-
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
Ranging from New York in the north to Washington, D.C., the Mid-Atlantic is home to some of the nation's most densely populated cities, as well as historic sites, rolling mountains, the New Jersey Pine Barrens, the Lehigh Valley, and seaside resorts like the Long Island beaches and the Jersey Shore. Bridging New England and the South, the Mid-Atlantic includes some of the most cosmopolitan areas in the world as well as small enclaves of American history.
SOUTH REGION-
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
The South is celebrated for its hospitality, down-home cooking and its blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and country music traditions. A distinct literature, southern accents, and religiosity help distinguish Southerners as well. This lush, largely subtropical region includes cool, verdant mountains, agricultural plantations, and vast cypress swamps.
-FLORIDA
Northern Florida is similar to the rest of the South, but is not so in the resorts of Orlando, retirement communities, tropical Caribbean-influenced Miami, the Everglades, and 1,200 miles of sandy beaches. An extremely popular tourist attraction, Florida includes some of the nicest attractions that the United States has to offer and is conveniently located in the Caribbean, facilitating travel to exotic islands.
MIDWEST REGION-
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin
The Midwest is home to farmland, forests, picturesque towns, industrial cities, and the Great Lakes, the largest system of freshwater lakes in the world, forming the North Coast of the US. Midwesterners are known for their simplicity and hospitality.
-TEXAS
The second biggest state in the nation is like a separate country (and in fact, once was), with strong cultural influences from its Spanish and Mexican past. The state is also a nexus of Southwestern and Southern cultures. The terrain ranges from southeastern swamplands to the cattle-ranching South Plains to the sandy beaches of South Texas to the mountains and deserts of West Texas.
-GREAT PLAINS REGION-
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma
Travel westward through these supposedly flat states, from the edge of the eastern forests through the prairies and onto the High Plains, an enormous expanse of steppes (shortgrass prairies) nearly as desolate as in the frontier days. You can enjoy serenity and a beautiful expanse that's impossible on the coasts.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION-
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
The spectacular snow-covered Rockies offer hiking, rafting, and excellent snow skiing as well as deserts, and some large cities. Tourist cities include some of the nicest amenities for hundreds of miles and some parts of the Rockies are virtually untouched by man.
-SOUTHWEST REGION
Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah
Heavily influenced by Spanish and Mexican culture, this area is home to some of the nation's most spectacular natural attractions and some flourishing artistic communities. Although mostly empty, the region's deserts have some of the nation's largest cities. Additionally, a strong Native American influence can be felt throughout as this region includes many large reservations and sovereign territorial lands.
CALIFORNIA
Like the Southwest, California has a history under Spanish and Mexican rule and is heavily influenced by Spanish and Mexican culture in addition to massive immigration from around the world. California offers world-class cities, deserts, rainforests, snowy mountains, and beautiful beaches. Northern California (around the San Francisco Bay Area) and Southern California (around Los Angeles) are culturally distinct.
-PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION
Washington, Oregon
The pleasantly mild Pacific Northwest offers outdoor pursuits as well as cosmopolitan cities. The terrain ranges from spectacular rain forests to scenic mountains and volcanoes to beautiful coastlines to sage-covered steppes and deserts. In minutes, you can travel from a high-tech metropolis to a thick forest or a mountaintop.
ALASKA
One-fifth as large as the rest of the United States, Alaska reaches well into the Arctic, and features mountainous wilderness. Some areas have preserved a unique Inuit culture as well.
HAWAII
A volcanic archipelago in the tropical Pacific, 2,300 miles south west of California (the nearest state), laid-back Hawaii is a vacation paradise. The indigenous Polynesian population are known for being accommodating and fun-loving.
Politically, the US is a federation of states, each with its own rights and powers (hence the name). The US also administers a motley collection of non-state territories around the world, the largest of which are Puerto Rico (which has the special status of a "commonwealth") and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean plus American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in Oceania.
-Units of measure
The United States is the only industrialized country that has still not adopted metric units of measure in daily life (it still uses customary units mostly similar to the British imperial system but typically with smaller units as one of the major differences) except for scientific, engineering, and military applications.
This can be frustrating to tourists and immigrants.
-All road signs and speed limits are posted in miles and miles per hour respectively.
-Automotive fuel prices AND the capacity of liquid products like milk and juice are quoted and sold per gallon, quart, or ounce.
-Gas/fuel for cars are listed as the price per one gallon.
-Temperatures are reported in Fahrenheit only;
--32 degrees is freezing and not at all warm.
-The good news is that most cars on the road in the US have both miles and kilometers indicated by their speedometers (good for trips to Canada and Mexico), and --almost all groceries and household items sold in stores are labeled in both systems. You'll get used to being able to associate your unit of measure with the equivalent in the us.
The vast majority of Americans, though, have little day-to-day exposure to the metric system (apart from having studied it a little in school) and will assume some understanding of customary measures.
-Clothing
The US government does not regulate apparel or shoe sizes. Although there are informal standard sizes, they are not strictly enforced.
The only thing you can count on is that sizes tend to be consistent within the same brand. If you plan to shop for apparel or shoes, you will have to do some trial-and-error for each brand to determine what fits, because you cannot rely on any brand's sizes as equivalent to another's. Every clothing store, and most all stores who sell clothes have a "dressing/fitting room" you'll have to try things on. Especially jeans. It could be fun!
--Some American clothing stores or sometimes it's employees know generally the sizes of jean measurements and their American equivalent. Some stores in shopping malls such as "The Buckle" or the "Silver Jeans Brand" sell their jeans in european sizes.
If all else fails, Google or use a search engine to find your "size" jeans and it's American equivalent. Charts are available online for free.
-Electricity
This is a boring section if I do say so myself. Purchase an adaptor.
Electricity in the United States is provided to consumers in the form of 120 V, 60 Hz alternating current, through wall outlets that take NEMA 1 or NEMA 5 plugs. (NEMA stands for National Electrical Manufacturers Association.)
--NEMA 1 plugs have two flat blades, one of which may or may not be polarized (slightly larger than the other), to ensure that the hot and neutral blades are inserted correctly for devices for which that matters.
--NEMA 5 plugs add a round grounding pin below the blades. --All US buildings constructed or renovated after the early 1960s are required to have three-hole outlets that accept the two blades and one pin of NEMA 5 plugs, as well as both polarized and unpolarized NEMA 1 two-blade plugs.
Confusing I know. You just have to buy an adapter or learn as you go. It's always easier to learn better with experience.
-All of North America and nearly all of the Caribbean and Central America follows the same US standards for electricity and plugs.
If you are arriving from outside of those areas, you will need to verify whether your electrical devices are compatible with US electricity and plugs.
The rest of the world uses 220-230 V at 60 Hz, for the simple reason that they began large-scale electrification at much later dates than the US and after wire insulation technology had significantly advanced.
This meant they could select a higher voltage and lower frequency, which required less conductor material (meaning less use of expensive metals) but at the expense of more insulation and larger, more heavily insulated plugs.
--Most consumer electronics, computers, and shavers are already designed as "dual voltage" devices capable of accepting voltages from 110 V up to 230 V and between 50-60 Hz.
For those devices, an adapter is sufficient.
--Purchase your adapter at home before you depart!!!! Most US stores carry adapters designed to adapt NEMA plugs to other countries' outlets, not the other way around.
The differences in voltage and frequency are primarily an issue for travelers with hair long enough to require the use of a hair dryer. Foreign visitors regularly find their hair dryers to be starved for power in the US; conversely, Americans' hair dryers are regularly burned out and destroyed by high voltages overseas. Apart from doing without or waiting an annoying long time to dry one's hair, the solutions are to either
--(1) buy a high-wattage transformer capable of stepping up 120 V to 220 V
-- (2) buy a cheap US hair dryer for use during your trip; (3) book hotels that cater to international travelers and place hair dryers in the rooms for this reason. Alot of hotels have this dryer in the bathroom. A hair dryer can be purchased at most stores for about 10-20 dollars depending on location.
--Differences in prices between primarly the north and south states, are somewhat crazy! Gas especially. It is almost a dollar cheaper in southern states, sometimes more!
It's known as "The Cost of Living" and it varies from state to state. In rich well populated states such as New York and California, prices for groceries are extremely different-higher than states with less of a population. A gallon of milk in California is way more expensive than in Montana or Michigan.
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