We all know California, Florida, Texas and all that, but a lot of the states are just names on a map. So Americans, please tell us a little about the different states. What is Kenducky like for an example? What's the deal with Utah? Keep it relatively short, and please refrain from inside jokes and oneliners that no one but Americans understand anyway.
Tell us about the states
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GoodEnoughForMe
n.m.s.s.
Michigan has an incredible amount of coast line, making it a great tourist spot for the summer. While it's one of the most populated states, the scenic UP is empty, making it a great place to get away from it all (watch out for bears though!). We are currently enjoying lots of professional and college level sports successes (with a notable exception). We feature extremely varied weather. Just last week, we had snow, sleet, hail, rain, and thunder all in a 12 hour period.
The lower peninsula is relatively flat, the UP has more varied terrain.
Our economy does kind of suck though.
Places to check out: South Haven, Saugatuck, Traverse City
Place to Avoid: Downtown Detroit and Flint (err.... not the safest places).
The lower peninsula is relatively flat, the UP has more varied terrain.
Our economy does kind of suck though.
Places to check out: South Haven, Saugatuck, Traverse City
Place to Avoid: Downtown Detroit and Flint (err.... not the safest places).
Ohio is one of the bigger states. Its also considered the perfect microcosm of the entire United States with big cities, farms, rural areas, tourist areas and lots of ethnic groups.
We have 3 major US cities, Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinatti. We also have a good number of secondary cities like Dayton, Akron, and Toledo.
Ohio is probably best known for being a hot spot in the 2004 election. We are also known for having Cedar Point which is one of the biggest theme parks in the world and Wright-Patterson Airforce base (Probably the most important American airforce base) which is just outside of Dayton.
Ohio is also known for being the home state of more then a few of the U.S.'s best pilots and astronauts, and seven of our presidents (the most besides Virginia which is where all the founders were from.)
Like Michigan we have huge variations in weather. the common saying is "if you dont like the weather, wait 5 minutes"
Oh and we have a huuge rivalry in Michigan (mostly in college American football) which probably has its roots in Ohio and Michigan being the only 2 indiviudal U.S. States to have a war with each other.
Places to see: Cedar Point in Sandusky, the Columbus Zoo, United States Airforce Museum in Dayton, Rock n Roll hall of fame in Cleveland.
Places to avoid: Most of Columbus and Cincinatti, anything in the Eastern half south of Cleveland.
We have 3 major US cities, Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinatti. We also have a good number of secondary cities like Dayton, Akron, and Toledo.
Ohio is probably best known for being a hot spot in the 2004 election. We are also known for having Cedar Point which is one of the biggest theme parks in the world and Wright-Patterson Airforce base (Probably the most important American airforce base) which is just outside of Dayton.
Ohio is also known for being the home state of more then a few of the U.S.'s best pilots and astronauts, and seven of our presidents (the most besides Virginia which is where all the founders were from.)
Like Michigan we have huge variations in weather. the common saying is "if you dont like the weather, wait 5 minutes"
Oh and we have a huuge rivalry in Michigan (mostly in college American football) which probably has its roots in Ohio and Michigan being the only 2 indiviudal U.S. States to have a war with each other.
Places to see: Cedar Point in Sandusky, the Columbus Zoo, United States Airforce Museum in Dayton, Rock n Roll hall of fame in Cleveland.
Places to avoid: Most of Columbus and Cincinatti, anything in the Eastern half south of Cleveland.
Mr. Dictator
A Chain-Smoking Fox
Tennessee is rural.
I find it boring, but apparently many here love it.
And there seems to be some sort of ignorance-worshipping culture in the school system here.
I find it boring, but apparently many here love it.
And there seems to be some sort of ignorance-worshipping culture in the school system here.
thenooblet22
King
I think Texas is too big to describe in general. I'll just represent northern Texas. It has mild temperatures throughout the winter, with some freezing days and every couple of years, even snow. In the summer, it gets pretty hot, usually in the 90s-100sF. There isn't much to visit here unless you like sight seeing in Dallas. And no, we don't have cowboys, not at least around my town.
Sophie 378
Avvie by ybbor
This may be useful to people who don't know the maps by heart:
Spoiler maps of states and cities :
I know Illinois, the land of Lincoln, Obama and Broom Hillary, reasonably well. The state is in the middle of the US heartland and a major hub for transportation (rail, highways and air).
Starting with Chicago which borders Lake Michigan on its east and the suburbs are an hour drive from Wisconsin to the north, Indiana to the south and as far west as DeKalb (a uni and farms). Chicago is a city of great archtects and is currently battling Los Angeles for the 2016 Olympics.
The state has coal running underneath it from Coal City (south of Chicago) to Carbondale (six hours south of Chicago and near Godwynn's house near the bottom of the state) like a spoon.
On top of that is black dirt that makes the land very fertile on flat land through the middle. There are more hills and trees to the south. Outside of Chicago, much of the state is agriculture (corn, soybeans, cows, pigs).
On the western edge of the state is bordered by the Mississippi River. There are some neat cities along the river like Galena. Peoria is home to Caterpillar, Bloomington is State Farm Insurance, Springfield is our capital and the south has the Shawnee national forest.
There are destinations to visit in the state and touring Highway 1 starts in Chicago and ends in California. Quite scenic.
Starting with Chicago which borders Lake Michigan on its east and the suburbs are an hour drive from Wisconsin to the north, Indiana to the south and as far west as DeKalb (a uni and farms). Chicago is a city of great archtects and is currently battling Los Angeles for the 2016 Olympics.
The state has coal running underneath it from Coal City (south of Chicago) to Carbondale (six hours south of Chicago and near Godwynn's house near the bottom of the state) like a spoon.
On top of that is black dirt that makes the land very fertile on flat land through the middle. There are more hills and trees to the south. Outside of Chicago, much of the state is agriculture (corn, soybeans, cows, pigs).
On the western edge of the state is bordered by the Mississippi River. There are some neat cities along the river like Galena. Peoria is home to Caterpillar, Bloomington is State Farm Insurance, Springfield is our capital and the south has the Shawnee national forest.
There are destinations to visit in the state and touring Highway 1 starts in Chicago and ends in California. Quite scenic.
Fugitive Sisyphus
Escape Artist
Florida:
1/2 redneck, 1/2 New York, 1/2 Cuba, and ~48th in education.
1/2 redneck, 1/2 New York, 1/2 Cuba, and ~48th in education.
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
Alabama's about 4.5 million people in the Southeastern US, just above the Florida panhandle. It's split pretty evenly urban/rural. Major industries would be healthcare (mostly in Birmingham), aerospace (exclusively in Huntsville) and lumber. Mobile is a major seaport.
Lots of great public golf courses, for whatever that's worth
No professional sports teams, but great success in college athletics, particularly football. We also produce an absurd number of premier quarterbacks for such a tiny little state.
Politics is, of course, a mess, but they seem to have been doing a bit better lately, with the economy on a generally upward trend. We're definitely a 'red' state, with lots of religious wackos that you don't see day-to-day, but seem to come out of the woodwork come election time.
When it comes to ranking states in any category that would matter, we tend to do poorly. OTOH, we kind of nurture that perception to keep the rest of the country from moving here and screwing it up.
Weather: Hot and wet. Not tropical, but you've basically got six weeks of winter, two weeks of spring and ten months of humidity.
Lots of great public golf courses, for whatever that's worth
No professional sports teams, but great success in college athletics, particularly football. We also produce an absurd number of premier quarterbacks for such a tiny little state.Politics is, of course, a mess, but they seem to have been doing a bit better lately, with the economy on a generally upward trend. We're definitely a 'red' state, with lots of religious wackos that you don't see day-to-day, but seem to come out of the woodwork come election time.
When it comes to ranking states in any category that would matter, we tend to do poorly. OTOH, we kind of nurture that perception to keep the rest of the country from moving here and screwing it up.
Weather: Hot and wet. Not tropical, but you've basically got six weeks of winter, two weeks of spring and ten months of humidity.
tau_neutrino
Chieftain
I agree that Texas is difficult to describe. Austin is a liberal, progressive city full of students and activity. San Antonio, just 70mi away, is very conservative and a popular tourist and retirement destination. Lots of interesting towns between, including many cool ethnic German towns.
I've found that foreigners' perceptions of Texas to be heavily influenced by mostly outdated and/or incorrect stereotypes. One thing they probably have correct though is our crappy public primary education system. Universities are very good though.
Lots of Hispanics in the cities -- I think they comprise the majority of San Antonio's population now, and are nearing 85% in El Paso. Not many African-Americans in south/central TX, lots of Asians in Houston and a few in Austin.
I've found that foreigners' perceptions of Texas to be heavily influenced by mostly outdated and/or incorrect stereotypes. One thing they probably have correct though is our crappy public primary education system. Universities are very good though.
Lots of Hispanics in the cities -- I think they comprise the majority of San Antonio's population now, and are nearing 85% in El Paso. Not many African-Americans in south/central TX, lots of Asians in Houston and a few in Austin.
The Last Conformist
Irresistibly Attractive
Does Montana fulfill any function beyond taking up space on the map? You never seem to hear of the place, but it's big.
Trajan12
Deity
I approve of this message.
I'll have to add some to it later though.
The Last Conformist
Irresistibly Attractive
You never hear anything bad of Ningxia either, because you never hear anything of Ningxia, period. Montana is much the same in my experience.
Godwynn
March to the Sea
- Joined
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Illinois, the 5th most populated state in the Union. Behind Florida and above Pennsylvania.
It has a sprawling metropolis (Chicagoland) with wide open forests and lakes (Southern Illinois) and lots of farmland inbetween.
It is renowned for its corruption in government in the last administration (George Ryan - R) and current administration (Rod Blagojevich - D).
It has a sprawling metropolis (Chicagoland) with wide open forests and lakes (Southern Illinois) and lots of farmland inbetween.
It is renowned for its corruption in government in the last administration (George Ryan - R) and current administration (Rod Blagojevich - D).
PrincepsAmerica
Nothingness made flesh
AmericanTip: Montana is usually joked about as the place for anti-government, gun-nut redneck and unibombers.
It is actually alot of untouched, pretty wilderness too.
As for here in Connecticut. You never really hear much about us, we are very quiet and small.
We did spawn Joe Lieberman, so sorry about that to those people that got all pissed about him.
Our Governor is Jodi Rell (R) who was just elected after serving in the stead of John Rowland who had to step down due to some minor corruption. I voted for her. There have been a few instances around Connecticut of some bad corruption.
It seems we probably had the first constitution in history from what I've read. We are called the Constitution State because in the 1600's the Pilgrims in the seperate townships made a deal together and wrote a constitution forming the colony of Connecticut.
Sometimes there are jokes about us being rich because we are the richest state in the Union, or were for a while, someone may have passed us. But overrall we are a more average, middle-class New England state. Bigger than Rhode Island but smaller than Massachusetts. Pretty moderate in politics, but a blue state in general. Alot of boring middle class towns except for Hartford and New Haven. New Haven is a great city and has Yale University, pretty much the 2nd best university in the country. Yale basically controls New Haven.
1. Louisiana:
Blazing hot. Plenty of swamps. The swamps are very pretty, but you can't do much with them. If you walk on them, you sink and get your clothes incredibly dirty. Louisiana has very few good job opportunities. It suffers from a brain drain, that you hear about in Mexico or Africa, where the professionals leave. The girls are pretty when they're young, but get progressively fatter as they age.
Antedilluvian New Orleans and the rest of south east Louisiana had plenty of animals around. Racoons, armadillos, possums, and an absolutely vast number of bugs. It amazes me that CA and NJ have so few bugs around. I thought Louisiana was normal; it seems to be the exception. Frogs, bugs, snakes, and all manner of small animals were extremely common around where I used to live. Mosquitoes, roaches, and termites are incredibly common pests.
2. New Jersey:
New Jersey has plenty of natural beauty. Nice swamps, nice beaches, and nice forests. There are plenty of animals you can see around NJ, such as deer, racoons, possums, vultures, hawks, groundhogs, and others I can't think of right now.
The cities of Cape May and Princeton are special to me; they're both incredibly beautiful, as far as cities go. The cities in the northeast are much uglier. Newark is considered by many people to be extraordinarily ugly.
The people here are asses. It completely destroys my desire to stay here. It's amazing how many women around here have fake boobs. They totally outnumber the fake boobs I saw in Los Angeles.
3. California:
California has plenty of natural beauty. I used to live in Oakland, which is right next to San Francisco; that area is typically called the Bay Area. The population there is incredibly diverse, and very transitory. I met maybe a total of 5 people who were native Californians when I was living there. The rest were all transplants from elsewhere. The average stay for people in the Bay Area seemed to be 3 - 5 years.
There are an absolutely vast number of gay people living in the Bay Area. Stereotypes of gays where they seem like sissies are not entirely wrong.
California has more homeless than anywhere else I've ever seen, especially Los Angeles.
Californians in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco are stereotypical ultraliberals. Constant protests, constantly antiIsrael, antiUS, anticapitalism, proCommunism, and so on. Well, what I just described is what the protests look like. Californians like to protest a lot, for no particular reason.
4. New York:
My experiences in New York are limited to the cities of Niagara Falls and New York City only. New York City is fun and interesting, but I've grown tired of the noise, pollution, traffic, and wall to wall people. I'm no longer interested in it.
5. Nevada:
It's mostly desert. Cops hide around the bushes or they drive down the highway in the opposite direction as you. Since it's extremely easy to drive 30 miles per hour above the speed limit, you're bound to get a ticket. When I drove through it, I saw generally 2 - 10 other people on the road at the same time as me, and that's about it. For miles and miles around, you see nothing but desert. It's a little frightening, beautiful, and peaceful at the same time. You could kill somebody, dump or bury the corpse in the desert, and it wouldn't be found for a long, long time.
Las Vegas is fun.
6. Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama:
Essentially the same as Louisiana, as far as I can tell. Arkansas is hilly. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are almost entirely flat.
By the way, contrary to unpopular beliefs, Southerners aren't a bunch of inbred hicks. The South is the same as the north, basically. It's just hotter, fatter, and the average education is supposed to be worse. I can't really say too much about the poorly educated Louisianians. 99% of the people I knew in Louisiana were in college, or had degrees. But then, that may just be a fluke since I just didn't know many people outside of college. One of my exgirlfriends had a terrible education, and she had no desire for self improvement.
Blazing hot. Plenty of swamps. The swamps are very pretty, but you can't do much with them. If you walk on them, you sink and get your clothes incredibly dirty. Louisiana has very few good job opportunities. It suffers from a brain drain, that you hear about in Mexico or Africa, where the professionals leave. The girls are pretty when they're young, but get progressively fatter as they age.
Antedilluvian New Orleans and the rest of south east Louisiana had plenty of animals around. Racoons, armadillos, possums, and an absolutely vast number of bugs. It amazes me that CA and NJ have so few bugs around. I thought Louisiana was normal; it seems to be the exception. Frogs, bugs, snakes, and all manner of small animals were extremely common around where I used to live. Mosquitoes, roaches, and termites are incredibly common pests.
2. New Jersey:
New Jersey has plenty of natural beauty. Nice swamps, nice beaches, and nice forests. There are plenty of animals you can see around NJ, such as deer, racoons, possums, vultures, hawks, groundhogs, and others I can't think of right now.
The cities of Cape May and Princeton are special to me; they're both incredibly beautiful, as far as cities go. The cities in the northeast are much uglier. Newark is considered by many people to be extraordinarily ugly.
The people here are asses. It completely destroys my desire to stay here. It's amazing how many women around here have fake boobs. They totally outnumber the fake boobs I saw in Los Angeles.
3. California:
California has plenty of natural beauty. I used to live in Oakland, which is right next to San Francisco; that area is typically called the Bay Area. The population there is incredibly diverse, and very transitory. I met maybe a total of 5 people who were native Californians when I was living there. The rest were all transplants from elsewhere. The average stay for people in the Bay Area seemed to be 3 - 5 years.
There are an absolutely vast number of gay people living in the Bay Area. Stereotypes of gays where they seem like sissies are not entirely wrong.
California has more homeless than anywhere else I've ever seen, especially Los Angeles.
Californians in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco are stereotypical ultraliberals. Constant protests, constantly antiIsrael, antiUS, anticapitalism, proCommunism, and so on. Well, what I just described is what the protests look like. Californians like to protest a lot, for no particular reason.
4. New York:
My experiences in New York are limited to the cities of Niagara Falls and New York City only. New York City is fun and interesting, but I've grown tired of the noise, pollution, traffic, and wall to wall people. I'm no longer interested in it.
5. Nevada:
It's mostly desert. Cops hide around the bushes or they drive down the highway in the opposite direction as you. Since it's extremely easy to drive 30 miles per hour above the speed limit, you're bound to get a ticket. When I drove through it, I saw generally 2 - 10 other people on the road at the same time as me, and that's about it. For miles and miles around, you see nothing but desert. It's a little frightening, beautiful, and peaceful at the same time. You could kill somebody, dump or bury the corpse in the desert, and it wouldn't be found for a long, long time.
Las Vegas is fun.
6. Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama:
Essentially the same as Louisiana, as far as I can tell. Arkansas is hilly. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are almost entirely flat.
By the way, contrary to unpopular beliefs, Southerners aren't a bunch of inbred hicks. The South is the same as the north, basically. It's just hotter, fatter, and the average education is supposed to be worse. I can't really say too much about the poorly educated Louisianians. 99% of the people I knew in Louisiana were in college, or had degrees. But then, that may just be a fluke since I just didn't know many people outside of college. One of my exgirlfriends had a terrible education, and she had no desire for self improvement.
Shadylookin
master debater
Indiana: if you look really hard it kind of looks like a sock or boot. The only things we are known for is the Indy 500 basketball and corn. In my experience Indiana is a very conservative state in the sense that it never changes. The largest political issue for our state in recent memory was the republicans finally getting daylight savings time passed after about 30 years.
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