Continuing of my Brainstorming sessions for "Nemo" a Post-Industrial, non-dystopian novel/series which I will be beginning as my National Novel Writing Month project, starting November 1st.

As usual, Mood music. Feeling a bit Piratey today.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f55CqLc6IR0]

As has been mentioned, the population of the world is quite a bit smaller than it used to be. The Former US has been affected just as strongly as the rest of the world, with very few exceptions. Communities are much smaller than they used to be, and for the most part are focused strongly on survival.

Empire State:

New York is one of the places that most strongly resembles the early 21st century. The concentration of wealth and power meant that as the rest of the world fell apart, their infrastructure and well being was secured, even at the expense of the communities around them.
Following the Old Brazilian example, New York converted nearly completely to Ethanol, and is inordinately proud of that fact. They still claim that it was their switching to ethanol that ended the great storms of the world, when in fact it had little to nothing to do with it.
New York has everything, and the vast majority of "New Yorkers" don't know what price is paid for it. They don't know about the corn and beef fields patrolled constantly by mercenaries, shooting trespassers in search of food on sight. They are a bit perturbed by the fact that the market is still down due to the rest of the world not getting its shit together and just making the necessary adjustments to live like Americans.
Most folks who live here would NEVER leave. They have heavy student debt, as well as numerous other responsibilities. They're lucky to have things that nobody else in the world does, and they are in the greatest country in the world after all...
Some very minor luxuries have been lost of course, since in this economic downturn everybody has had to tighten their belts a bit.
Crime prevention and anti-terrorist measures are everywhere. Adopting subcutaneous ID was one of the fastest ways that New York managed to almost completely clean up the "Homeless" problem, as well as ensure that criminals were swiftly removed.

The Gulf:

The Caribbean is back to being a major source of wealth, despite centuries of disasters and neglect. While the Oil is mostly gone, the hulks of the derricks are a treasure trove of old refined metals and speculation. Unfortunately, with the rise of buried treasure also comes the rise of piracy and treasure seekers.

In addition, this area is a prime example of Galapagos Syndrome. Islands often have wildly different cultures, and this extends to the people along the storm lashed coast as well.
This polarization of course has been fed for centuries by politicians in many of these small towns, creating a under siege mentality in many of them.

This is one area where I must admit that much more research is needed. While I don't see the ship going there yet, It very well may, as it is a ripe area for lots of swashbuckling/wild adventure.

The Midwest:

Overlooked by the coasts, the midwest just started doing without. The fall was not nearly as traumatic as elsewhere, with communities contracting rather than face a future without oil. Amish did surprisingly well out of the entire affair, as their handcrafts and buggies are now a major part of many towns, and owning an original Amish buggy is a status symbol among the wealthier strata of many city-states.
Whether communities survived or failed has come down to water. The time and wealth investment to transport water to some communities has resulted in them slowly dying off, to the point that ghost towns are common.

Republic of Texas:

Texas got its independence. However, that has come at an extremely heavy price. Most towns are completely cut off from each other, like the rest of the midwest, but Texas has added a nasty little variation. Texas has installed a pseudo-feudal system based off how much the community is seen to be supporting texas as a whole. Areas seen as being essential to the health of the state get more resources donated to them by areas that are not seen as essential. In practice this has created a similar situation to the old Soviet Union, in which areas were given quotas and rewarded or punished based off their production.
This of course has given rise to constant corruption among the higher officials, who are constantly jockeying to prove how much more Texan they are than the next town. Towns that don't contribute enough may have a visit from a group of Texas Cowboys who ensure that a proper amount is paid.

Ok, that's a couple hours... Phew. I'm not unhappy with the results, just for the moment my brain has gone dry a bit, and I don't want to force any more. Thanks for reading, and suggestions and feedback are also great.

And a bit of a tease for where I imagine my brain going tomorrow.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR-csWS1bcM]