A term created by sex columnist and liberal Dan Savage in the wake of the 2004 Presidential Election to describe the concentration of the political left in the United States near major cities and college towns in terms of islands of diversity in a sea of conformity. The implication is that the islands have their own interests to attend to and should disregard the sea.

It is thought that this exists because rural communities tend to be more isolated from other cultures than urban communities, and because people tend to leave the rural world for an education in urban areas and not go back.

The original article can be read at www.urbanarchipelago.com.
Although I'm not completely on board with the idea of the Urban archipelago, the idea of cities as islands is certainly a talking point.
by Lady Csyde November 19, 2004
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