I’m not real sure what to call these – but when I visit a place, I tend to superimpose the other places I know onto it. An example would be The Hawaiian Islands which early on when I lived there I began exploring and putting into the context of California. For example – or rather I’ll just explain it all.
Oahu is like San Diego. It has sunny weather, surfing, beaches, higher income, a multicultural proximity from being more cosmopolitan than the other islands, and it has the Navy and Marine Corps bases which creates a sort of conservatism with the beach vibe.
Kaui is more like San Francisco with a sort of free spirit, hippie energy Berkley vibe and also the big big money of tech billionaires.
Maui is essentially Los Angeles. Hollywood, celebrities, a fake plastic surgery vibe, some mumbo jumbo spirituality, and an underlying uneasiness like the Mansons living in the hills.
Big Island is far Northern California. There’s a bit of Marin on the Kona side but mostly it’s all Shasta and Siskiyou counties, Lassen volcanic wasteland, Redding ranchers.
Molokai is sort of California Central Valley and central coast. Farmers but not ignorant farmers like up North.
Lanai is Monterey and Big Sur. Beautiful but owned by the rich, no longer for the poor.
Niihau and Koholawai I haven’t been to, but Koholawai I think of as Salton Sea and Niihau is more like a gated community – not a wealthy one but a closed one.
Anyway, I”m doing the same thing in Taiwan as I explore this country. I haven’t found my perfect place yet, but there are some contenders.