I can't talk well about being a Utha-n because I am not one. I haven't lived here long enough, and I don't feel like a true Utah person to be able to speak about this with authority. So I will expand my comments to embrace the whole region, the intermountain west.
Of course the first thing is the mountains. Out here we know mountains. Big ones. dangerous ones, glorious ones. Everybody has "my" mountain. It's the mountain you see all the time, the one you relate to. Even people who live out on the plains where you can only see the mountain by standing on a hill and using binoculars, have their mountain.
Westerners know the cardinal directions because they have their mountains. Because you know your mountain is to the east-west-north-south, you know the rest of the directions. And our roads usually go straight and long according the compass directions. We perfected the city on the grid system of streets so our cities are easy to get around in. It's difficult to lose your way in the built environment of the west. Westerners get upset and frustrated out east when we are surrounded by trees that keep us from getting our bearings and where the roads meander every which way.
Westerners love the sky. Montana may call itself "Big Sky Country" as though they own the thing, but the Big Sky is everywhere in the west. We all have it, and we all love it.
Because we all have the Big Sky, westerners know how to read it and to see weather coming and going. We may or may not know the names, but we can all read clouds and see fronts. Westerners are pretty good at predicting the approaching weather.
Westerners know water. We don't have that much of it, and even if we have never heard of him, we all agree with the explorer John Wesley Powell that the west is all about water. Fighting over water is a unique western sport, but one with serious consequences. We all know there isn't enough water to go around. We all feel we have the right to the water that is nearby. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. We are all worried about water. We all appreciate water. We do not take water for granted.
Westerners know their neighbors. As it turns out a lot of those neighbors are the most ignorant, cussed, stubborn, sons or daughters of camp cooks with unmatched socks for brains who can't be trusted farther than you can spit. But if you need them, your neighbors are there, and when they need you, you show up and give whatever you can.
Most Westerners are not cowboys or ranchers, but Westerners really will wear cowboy boots and hats for everyday, and nobody thinks that's odd ... even in a big city. You don't have to dress this way, and most people don't, but if you decide to, it's normal. Just be sure your boots are scuffed up and have that used look and the hat has kind of molded itself to your head. Unless you are in the rodeo, you should skip the rest of the gear though.... except for the jeans, of course. Everybody wears jeans.
Actually Westerners dress casually overall. We are big on fleece, sturdy shoes, parkas, tee shirts (long and short sleeved) and jeans. Don't forget the jeans. They were invented in the US West, after all.
Westerners like to drive big cars and trucks. Many of us actually need them because of where we live and what we do for work or play. For those who don't drive pickups or SUV's, the car of the west is some kind of Subaru. All wheel drive, you know. What do I drive? A Subaru Imprezza.
Westerners have guns. Those of us who do not like guns have learned not to bother to fight this one because we will never win. Surprisingly, for all the guns we do have have, we don't actually shoot each other all that much. As a traveler unless you are doing dangerous things like buying drugs or hanging out trying to get into urban gangs, you really don't need to worry much at all about the guns that are out there.
Out west we have this genre called "western art" which also extends to literature and music. I never heard anybody speak about "eastern art", "southern art" or "northern art." You probably recognize western art when you see it. It's naturalistic and about landscapes, wildlife, horses, pioneers, cowboys, Indians. Some of it is highly romanticized; a lot of it is really good.
Westerners are in love with our outdoors. Even though some of us tear it up for mining or build big dams over gorgeous canyons, or hunt the animals, we all fundamentally love our place and will try to protect it with fierceness. In the end that's what makes us Westerners.
