Regional cultures, far from atrophying in the face of national and global cultural circuits, are both enduring and reproducing themselves. This is not just due to locals holding fast to their traditions but to cosmopolitans becoming knowledgeable about the culture of place as part of their ongoing identity construction. Results from Survey2000, an online survey conducted by the National Geographic Society, show the processes that are maintaining and even increasing the cultural distinctiveness

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... f American regions as indicated by residents' knowledge of local literature. One such process involves what we call cultural "cowbirds," people new to a region who catch up with the natives' local cultural knowledge. 1 The authors worked equally on this research; their names are in alphabetical order. We presented an early version of this article at the American Sociological Association's 1999 annual meeting, and we are grateful for the comments received at that time. We also wish to thank