The problem is a social one, I think, in the UK, it's pretty easy to think of other cities as something more than simply 'Them', I'd still consider someone from Birmingham or Glasgow as one of 'Us', despite the fact I'm closer to France than Scotland, there's a big piece of water between us. In the States it's much harder, there are lakes the size of small countries between cities, or entire mountain ranges. Someone from Texas would find it hard to consider their lifestyle had anything to do with someone in New York, also, the way the Government works there, with Federal and State levels, is a brilliant idea for encouraging diversity, but can also help to cause insular communities, in my opinion.