Dixie Borders

The borders of the Dixie region shown here demonstrate a functional region in that it is not culturally homogeneous. While the region is littered with mechanic shops with the name Dixie, the places where they are found differ greatly and cross numerous state borders, mountain ranges and coastal planes.
Dixie can also be viewed as a formal region due to the similarities of places inside it. Not having formal borders, or having border zones, is a trait of a formal region. This is explained in the core-periphery concept. While in the "heartland" of Dixie you can most clearly see the traits that make Dixie a recognized, distinct region, the further away you go from the core, the weaker some of these traits become. There are also outliers, meaning that a region or place may demonstrate some traits of a different region due to its near proximity, while not really being a part of the region. You can see this in the number of Dixie auto shops in Ohio north of Cincinnati, even though it is not a part of the region. The Nine Nations shows how the Dixie border and Foundry border collide, and one of the results of this proximity is shown in the outlying shops in the Foundry area of Ohio, which increasingly sees itself culturally Dixies ideals.