After a lifetime in the Northeast, I have relocated to the rural Black Hills of Western South Dakota (yup - people actually live in South Dakota!) It has been a fascinating exploration of the wide expanse of American culture. The Black Hills are a bit of an anomaly in the high plains begin an island of forested mountains in the midst of the prairie. My town of Custer is about 30 miles east of the Wyoming border, another 60 miles north of the Chadron, NE, and about a 6-hour drive from Denver. More coastal residents need to know that there is a vast country out here. Surprisingly everyone speaks American (or some version of it) and considers themselves to be part of the same country that you guys live in.