11) The Agricultural Core

When viewed from a bird's eye perspective, land parcels in the Agricultural Core are rectangular in shape.  The reason behind this was so that land could be more accurately accounted for.  The Land Ordinance of 1785 began this trend.  It was then that land was delimited and split into territories determined by east-west and north-south lines.  The parcels were then divided into townships.  Townships were originally 36 square miles.  From there, land was divided even more precisely before being put up for sale.  This led to what looks like a rather precise grid of land when viewed from above.

All of this is in stark contract to the orientation of Malibu.  Malibu is situated on a narrow sliver of land along the coast with no room for grids of land.  Homes and shops are built wherever they will fit.  Many homes built right into the sides of mountains.  When viewed from above, there is no order or organization of Malibu's properties.

Do these regions' people embody their land orientation ideals?  Are people in the Agricultural Core more conservative and old-fashioned because their properties are all organized into perfect squares?  Likewise, are residents of Malibu more free-thinking and independent because of the lack of structure in the organization of their properties?  It's unlikely that land organization is the sole cause of these character traits, but it is interesting to consider, no less.