Guten Tag

[Metonymie]

Meine Familie ist auch aus Deutschland, ausdrücklich aus Hesse

I grew up in Hessen.

From what I gather, there's kind of a cultural divide between north and south Germans, I suppose not unlike how there is in America. The Oktoberfest/laderhosen stuff is more associated with the Austrian, Bavarian, German-Swiss culture and you won't find Berliners who identify with it, any more than you'll find many cowboys in New York or Chicago, though that image of Americans seems to be commonly found in foreign countries.

That's true. But also in Bavaria not many people wear "Lederhosen". It's actually a good way to identify tourists. They're the ones with the Lederhosen. Austrians, as bavarians, will insist, that there is a sharp difference between Austria and Germany (Switzerland is neutral, of course).