Hawaii is the most racially diverse state in the union and whites are a dinstinct minority there at 21% of the population. <link>

Alaska, meanwhile, is 74% white. <link>

Is this the real reason why Alaska is called more "authentically Ameican" than Hawaii?

Only indirectly. A place is more authentically American if its culture and values are determined by the people whose ancestors fought in the American Revolution. It just so happens that most of those people are white; nevertheless, Quebec is also white, and if we were to annex Quebec it would certainly not make that province "authentically American."

progressivebulldog:

Alaska, meanwhile, is 74% white. <link>

I went to the link, scrolled down to the portion on race and found that adding the populations for each race given by this source produce a total greater than the entire population of Alaska. My guess would be that the survey used by this source allowed participants to select more than one race, and therefore the math is not simplistic enough to readily claim that an entire 74% of the population is white. Either that or there is a flaw in the data set and another source should be used.

I certainly believe race is why Hawaii is considered less American than Alaska-- because it has a majority Asian-Pacific population.

So, I had to go to the US Census to find more data on whether or not Alaska's supposed prowess in "American-ness" can be linked to the percentage of white people whom live here when compared to other states.

<link>

I really don't think such assertions have anything to do with race, and everything to do with culture- right or wrong.

Frankly I don't know if the 74% figure is totally accurate but what is clear is that Alaksa is definitely predominently white and this is certainly what most people probably think of when they think of a "typical" Alaskan.

A "typical" Hawaiian is probably perceived by many Americans as a native Hawaiian.

The fact is that even though Alaska is separated fro the contiguous US it borders Canada which is an even more "white" country than the US.

I'll bet many Americans feel that they have more in common with Europe or Canada than with Hawaii even though Hawaii is part of the US.

AlaskaJennifer:

I really don't think such assertions have anything to do with race, and everything to do with culture- right or wrong.

Right. It's not that people are whiter in Alaska, but rather that the white people in Alaska are more Heartland America types than, say, the white people in Boston or northern New Jersey.