When you hear the phrase "normal" what comes to mind? Boring? Common?

The phrase "Normal America" has been thrown around for many years. When I hear it, I picture a small town in Nebraska with a Circle K and a Burger King on every corner. Turns out, according to a study done by Jed Kolko for fivethirtyeight.com, you should picture New Haven, Hartford, and Springfield, MA when you hear that phrase.

Kolko crunched some numbers on American cities based on age, race, education, and ethnicity, and came to the conclusion that New Haven is the US city that most resembles "Normal America". Tampa, FL came in at #2, Hartford at #3, and Springfield, MA at #5.

"Normal America" in 2016 is now defined as an ethnically diverse, highly educated, racially diverse city.

For comparison's sake, Kolko crunched the numbers on American cities that most resemble "1950's America", which he defined as "Much whiter, younger, and less-educated than today"

The cities that most resemble "1950's America" in 2016? #1-Ogden, Utah, #2-Lancaster, PA, #3-Chattanooga, TN.

After returning from a week's vacation in Northern New England, I'm honestly surprised that Maine and New Hampshire didn't show up at the top of the "1950's America" list. That's one area where time seems to have frozen.

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