Continuing on from my previous post in which I discussed similarities between New Yorker’s and Alaskan’s persona, I will now compare how both regions are exceptionally eclectic, especially with its residents, visitors and passerby’s.

The reason for this similar mixture of people is based on the assumption that each place promises something and therefore appeals to an array of personalities.

New York attracts artists, fashionistas, tycoons, celebrities, etc, because it can encompass and maintain a level of expectation for individuals seeking various opportunities.  The city has a lot to offer to many different people.

Alaska has the aura of promising different prospects to a range of people as well.  It holds true to the notion as a place of the unknown, a place where anything can happen, just like New York.  This creates a mixture of potential for many disparate people.  Whether it is fishing, art, seclusion, oil, etc., Alaska offers a lot to numerous people.

Diversity

When walking the streets of New York, within a one-block radius you could easily walk into: a beggar, a tycoon of the corporate law type, a hipster/struggling artist clad in flannel, a cluster of immigrant workers smoking heavily, a socialite drenched in fur, an NYU student, a smug foreign diplomat, a Kardashian, and I could play this game for hours.  My point: New York City epitomizes the cultural mosaic that makes up America.

Just like New York, Homer, Alaska, loves to put on display its various personalities; and this was surprising considering its low population density.

The collection of characters ranged anywhere from the classic tobacco chewin, sign shootin (almost every road sign in Alaska has bullet holes in it) red-neck hick, to the rough around the edges commercial fisherman, to the “do ya’ll have some sweet tea” southern tourist (Alaska gets lots of these), to the hipster/struggling artist (they seem to be everywhere), to the bohemian dress clad hippy, to the male nurse who tried to convince me to walk around town dressed as a nun, to the silken dress wearing Orthodox Russian ladies, and again, this game could go on.

Conclusion:  Homer, Alaska, and New York City both have a mystic that emanates a type of promise land where anything can happen, which appeals to a full range of individuals.

Next Post

Stay tuned as we dive deeper into how a small drinking village with a fishing problem begins to look a lot like one of the largest cities in the world. Did you know that the Deadliest Catch guys have a lot in common with an investment banker?!