There's a remarkably high level of knowledgeable interest in the American presidential election … in Europe, where I live. This week's presidential debate was carried live on radio and television –live being very early in the morning in Europe– but also was rebroadcast during more normal viewing or listening hours. The French media –newspapers, magazine, web sites, radio, television– puts out a steady flow of news and analysis.

The red state/blue state dichotomy still has currency in the United States; in France, it's an article of faith. In France, most people accept that America is divided between red states that vote republican and blue states that vote democratic. From travel or personal affinities, many French observers are most comfortable with the coasts and democratic-leaning policies and politics. The red middle of the United States, viewed from France, is more of a terra incognita, rarely visited and believed to be peopled by rural folk who lack schooling but are exuberantly religious yet prone to violence.

I've been fishing for a more nuanced view of America to share with my European friends. I'm interested in connections between demographics and voting, so I was drawn to the Patchwork Nation project on the web site of the Christian Science Monitor (secular French readers, don't be alarmed: this is a reputable and nonpartisan newspaper, put out in the blue state of Massachusetts). I recommend the Patchwork Nation site for those who want to see beyond the red/blue dichotomy.

The Patchwork Nation project looks at the United States by county –the basic administrative building block– and assigns each county one of eleven different types. The types are colored by economics (monied 'burbs vs. service worker centers) but not wholly determined by wealth: university towns (camps & careers) differ from military centers (military bastions).

The resulting presentation of America as a patchwork is supported by some good journalism –each of the eleven types has been assigned a representative town or city– and commentary. There are also some interactive tests, so that a curious French visitor, armed with US zip codes, could compare her politics with residents in Omaha, Miami Beach, Las Vegas, Baltimore, or a small town in upstate New York.