Meta: Wizarding Schools in the USA
Where would a Wizarding school be in the United States and what would it be like?
Well, there's the obvious fandom choice, Salem, MA. Now, I know why people put it there. Salem's associated with witches. But, think about this. Salem is associated with a witchcraft hysteria that ended in 19 executions, and hundreds of people being stuck in jail. Now, imagine for a moment that you're a wizard in, say 1700, who wants to emigrate to America with your family. Are you going to go to a place, run by Puritans, that killed twenty people for being witches? If you're a Puritan wizard, okay, maybe. But considering that the Puritans were a persecuted religious minority in England, you're probably not. So, going to go to a place that still has Indian attacks, bad winters, and neighbors who'll hang you? Well, I certainly wouldn't. So where might you go?
Virginia's a thriving colony, where they're much less likely to burn you at the stake. It's older than the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and a bit better settled. They've even got this perfectly good island no one wants to use, Roanoke. A curse is great for keeping Muggles away!
Now, jump ahead to 1800...
Civilization is spreading west. So, if you want to found another school, the coast isn't as good as it used to be. Salem's more friendly, but also far more crowded. After all, it's now a bustling sea port and a Boston suburb. But there's a large population in the Northeast, and the Virginia school's a bit far away. Well, Vermont's got loads of isolated areas, a small population, and it's far closer than Virginia. So, found a second school in Vermont.
Now to 1850...
We're got a ton of new area here. Maybe there's already a school in New Orleans, founded by the French? The population's increasing fairly rapidly. Now, where to put more schools? Florida's now a state, and the populations of the other southern states have increased. Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina all have a ton of barrier islands (small islands just off their coasts). Add in a hurricane, disguise the island, and tell everyone it sank. And what about the Southern Appalachians? They're fairly central, and isolated. So, stick a school there. The Gold Rush is still ongoing in California, creating a population boom on the West Coast. People avoid the desert, so why not stick a school in the California desert?
1900...
You've got a big population in the middle of the country now, so you need schools there. Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Wyoming, or just about any other state in the middle could have a school. Basically, by this point, there could be a school just about anywhere in the United States. Now, my selection criteria were isolated if possible, centrally located, and maverick friendly. Some of the older schools might not be in isolated locations anymore, but with a gradual population build-up, I'm assuming that the school was able to adapt and keep hidden.
There's one problem with the Hogwarts model as applied to America. The vast majority of American students don't go to boarding schools. The United States has a history of educating students locally, and using public funds to do so. Hogwarts appears to be a British public school/ American private school. I think it's more likely that instead of following the Hogwarts model (which is itself based on the British educational system), the majority of American Wizarding schools would be similar to the Muggle versions. Thus, you'd have local elementary (6yrs-10yrs) middle (11yrs-14yrs), and high (15yrs-18yrs) schools. Some schools might go from 5 yrs to 18 yrs, some might just do 5 to 12, or just high school, or anything else.
The population of the United States is over 300 million, and it's area is 3.79 million square miles. Compare this to the United Kingdom with 60.5 million people and 94,526 square miles. You've got much more room to play, and it's easy to imagine schools built before European colonization, schools that specialize in various forms of magic, maybe even schools that combine Muggle technology and magic.
The above are simply my speculations. I'd love to hear from other people. Where are these schools, what are they like?
Well, there's the obvious fandom choice, Salem, MA. Now, I know why people put it there. Salem's associated with witches. But, think about this. Salem is associated with a witchcraft hysteria that ended in 19 executions, and hundreds of people being stuck in jail. Now, imagine for a moment that you're a wizard in, say 1700, who wants to emigrate to America with your family. Are you going to go to a place, run by Puritans, that killed twenty people for being witches? If you're a Puritan wizard, okay, maybe. But considering that the Puritans were a persecuted religious minority in England, you're probably not. So, going to go to a place that still has Indian attacks, bad winters, and neighbors who'll hang you? Well, I certainly wouldn't. So where might you go?
Virginia's a thriving colony, where they're much less likely to burn you at the stake. It's older than the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and a bit better settled. They've even got this perfectly good island no one wants to use, Roanoke. A curse is great for keeping Muggles away!
Now, jump ahead to 1800...
Civilization is spreading west. So, if you want to found another school, the coast isn't as good as it used to be. Salem's more friendly, but also far more crowded. After all, it's now a bustling sea port and a Boston suburb. But there's a large population in the Northeast, and the Virginia school's a bit far away. Well, Vermont's got loads of isolated areas, a small population, and it's far closer than Virginia. So, found a second school in Vermont.
Now to 1850...
We're got a ton of new area here. Maybe there's already a school in New Orleans, founded by the French? The population's increasing fairly rapidly. Now, where to put more schools? Florida's now a state, and the populations of the other southern states have increased. Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina all have a ton of barrier islands (small islands just off their coasts). Add in a hurricane, disguise the island, and tell everyone it sank. And what about the Southern Appalachians? They're fairly central, and isolated. So, stick a school there. The Gold Rush is still ongoing in California, creating a population boom on the West Coast. People avoid the desert, so why not stick a school in the California desert?
1900...
You've got a big population in the middle of the country now, so you need schools there. Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Wyoming, or just about any other state in the middle could have a school. Basically, by this point, there could be a school just about anywhere in the United States. Now, my selection criteria were isolated if possible, centrally located, and maverick friendly. Some of the older schools might not be in isolated locations anymore, but with a gradual population build-up, I'm assuming that the school was able to adapt and keep hidden.
There's one problem with the Hogwarts model as applied to America. The vast majority of American students don't go to boarding schools. The United States has a history of educating students locally, and using public funds to do so. Hogwarts appears to be a British public school/ American private school. I think it's more likely that instead of following the Hogwarts model (which is itself based on the British educational system), the majority of American Wizarding schools would be similar to the Muggle versions. Thus, you'd have local elementary (6yrs-10yrs) middle (11yrs-14yrs), and high (15yrs-18yrs) schools. Some schools might go from 5 yrs to 18 yrs, some might just do 5 to 12, or just high school, or anything else.
The population of the United States is over 300 million, and it's area is 3.79 million square miles. Compare this to the United Kingdom with 60.5 million people and 94,526 square miles. You've got much more room to play, and it's easy to imagine schools built before European colonization, schools that specialize in various forms of magic, maybe even schools that combine Muggle technology and magic.
The above are simply my speculations. I'd love to hear from other people. Where are these schools, what are they like?
"300."
"We don't have a 300th floor."
"You do now. Obliviate!"
You could do an exchange program to a Navaho school in the desert or go to the southeast (modern GA) to learn from the Cherokee.
And maybe links with Aztec and Mayan wizardry, and Incan schools in the Andes and at least one in the Amazon, or perhaps Patagonia...
And while I'm thinking about it, how much of Wizarding identty is tied up in Muggle countries? Do the rivalries and bad blood carry over? Is race as big a factor in the Wizarding World as it is in the Muggle one?
You're thinking along the lines of where there is room.
I'm thinking more along the lines of lay lines, areas of where magic intersects.
Where Hogwarts is located magic and mythicness is part of it's history. It is loaded with mythical areas marked by history, magic, unearthiness.
So the schools in the States, would be more along the lines of where 'mythical' areas are. So Florida, Utah, California, Mississippi, Wyoming, The Appalachians, etc. Basically anywhere where there are major mythical areas or 'known' areas to be magic and mythical are probably the best best.
And I don't think they would follow in your timeline either. The Americas were first settled around 30k years ago by groups that were from the Siberia/Alaska/Mongolian area.
Then there another major immigration happened about 20 to 10kya. This is where we have most of our indigenous (Native American) populations come from.
Not to mention there were the Incans, Aztecs, Mayas, etc in South America. And you absolutely cannot forget the Vikings. They first landed at about 900 a.d. Who's to say that any of the 'extinct' groups are really gone and that they just haven't hidden themselves from muggles?
It would be best to not follow conventional thought of population and politics but that of where our mythology of powerful magical areas are, like New Orleans.
Wizards don't have to 'fear' the muggles, remember they have spells to hide their communities in plain site and make others forget what they saw. So, in that vein of thought, Salem is probably a good contender.
As for the school system setup...I don't know. We mainly have a public daily education because of the farming and expansion into the west in the 1800's. Where kids were needed at the end of the day for chores on the family farms.
The East and older parts of the U.S. had followed the boarding school mentality and some of them still do and there are also military schools.
I think it is quite possible that both types of the schools exist, depending on where the school is.
After all, it is only when the kids come of pre-teen/puberty age that they are formally schooled in magic. Before that they may have tutors or some type of public primary education school system.
I didn't go by ley lines because I have no idea where they are. I can point you to local mysterious areas, and a few in MA, but over the entire country, not so much. Let's see, Little Egypt in the midwest, Rabon County here in GA, the Etowah Indian mounds (also GA),St Augustine in FL, and a lost village or two in MA.
You're completely right about Wizards not needing to fear Muggles, but I think it's easier to keep hidden when not in plain sight. Plus, it's much simpler to hide an obviously magical building in, say, Podunck Nevada, then it is in Manhattan.
Why 11? (Besides JKR says so. Not aruging with her, just wondering) Is there some historical reason for 11? And if there is, does that apply by the time Western Europeans settle in America? And why would the Native Americans use 11 too? It might actually be easier to teach younger Muggleborns. The younger they are, the less indoctrinated they are, and the easier to reprogram.
You're right, there certainly would be both types of schools.
Kinda like how Stonehenge is such an area, Scotland, etc.
I was saying that it would more in line with magical communities to set up schools/villages in areas of land where are certain activities present.
It's not that they are finally able to learn magic but more along the lines they are entering adulthood. 11/12 is the typical ages of puberty for kids. So I think the age 11 thing is that they are mentally of age to be able to grasp the ability to control their abilities.
I think it might be pretty universal that 11 is the age that they get in tense formal training, since their bodies are now in the process of growing to be able to handle the demands of mastering their abilities.
With the wide diverse nature of the Americas, I think there would be quite a few magical schools in areas of where magic is more prevalent or easily able to use. It might also be that in areas where schools are built that it is because of the intense magic in a contained area that the area itself has become magical. I guess it's the chicken and the egg syndrome, which came first, the fact that the school was built in an area of high wild magic, that the process of building the school cause the land to be saturated with magic, or was it a combination of both?
Because, for which ever one it was, it more or less correlates to what would happen in other parts of the world concerning them building schools.
I love this topic, and it's one I've thought a lot about -- not necessarily schools, but where wizarding communities would flourish. There are certain cities I've always seen as wizarding cities, and that always appear in my fics: Toledo, Galway, Fez. Strangely, there are very few places in the U.S. where I'd imagine wizards. The Outer Banks is a good suggestion, and I'd add Savannah, and surely there are some in rural Louisiana (how else can you explain a magical place like NOLA?). Probably a few places in the west, Priest Lake in Idaho and maybe some Oregon settlements.
But in North America, I think magical folk would be much more likely to settle in Canada. Maybe for the very reasons that you suggest:
The population of the United States is over 300 million, and it's area is 3.79 million square miles. Compare this to the United Kingdom with 60.5 million people and 94,526 square miles.
Compare this to Canada with 33 million people and 3,854,085 square miles. LOTS more room. I was actually born and raised in Texas, which is supposed to have "elbow room" but after living in Canada for years it feels stifling and dense with people when I go back.
Anyway, in terms of wizard populations, Montreal is where I often envision Draco relocating when he has to escape Britain. Cape Breton and Newfoundland are also places where I can see wizarding communities thriving. Then there's Quebec City, founded 400 years ago, which just reeks of magic. And out west, the Gulf Islands are perfect for communities that just really don't want to draw attention to themselves. For some reason, I see people like the Weasleys populating the islands. ;)
Just some thoughts -- this is a fun topic to muse on!
"Excuse me sir, wasn't there an island there?"
"Yes there was, but it... err... it sank."
"It sank."
"Yeah, you know, big hurricane, lots of wind, gravity, not watertight, the usual. Nearly impossible to keep a island afloat these days."
"..."
"..."
"It sank?"
Massachusetts - United States - North America
Famous for its seventeenth-century hysteria over witchcraft and witch trials, Salem is today a typical suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. There is still a witches' institute in Salem, though, which we know because Harry walked by their tent at the Quidditch World Cup (GF7).
I'm not sure what it is, exactly. But we know that there are Witches in Salem, by this. Also, there were several nationalities present at the Quidditch World Cup, and since mostly people from the UK attend Hogwarts, one can assume that there are other schools in other countries - Other than Beaubaxtons and Durmstrang, I mean.
Where exactly they lie is anyones guess, as is what they're like. Unless JKR adds information in that Encyclopedia she plans on writing, at least.
There is a lot of insanely deep woods in North Carolina, especially deep because of the 'Kudzu That Ate the World' (as they call it out here). The Kudzu makes it impossible to see how deep the woods are, or even where the ground is.
There's also the possibility of a school in a hidden building, but personally I think that one of California's schools should be in Disneyland or the general resort area--there are just a lot of places to hide a school, especially considering the way magic can enlarge rooms.
Middle America is easy to hide a school in--there is so much nothing out there. So much...just acres and acres of nothing but prairie. Also we have some mountains. I can see a school in the Rockies. Or in San Francisco--that town is weird enough, just like LA, Hollywood, or (to a slightly lesser extent) Orange County.
I wouldn't be surprised if the 'Hiding the Wizarding World' thing was more lax in the US, as well. Possibly some of the founding fathers were from magical families, or knew magicial families. The Enlightenment would be something the WW would react favourably too, after all, considering it would mean more open attitudes about people who were weird.