# 50 Staters **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147 "2010-03-11T19:34:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/1 "2010-03-11T19:34:18Z")
Show of hands, how many of you have been to all 50 states? How long did it take you, and what age did you reach that goal? Was this on purpose, or did it just happen? So far I’ve been to all of the east and west coast states, the rest of New England, Texas, Colorado, Ohio and Kentucky. AKA all of the blue states except Illinois, Hawaii and New Mexico. There really isn’t much to bring me to the middle and west of the US, although I did almost get sent to Idaho on a business trip last year. One of these days I plan on doing a road trip - US-6 westbound, I-90 eastbound, which will knock out every other missing state except Hawaii and some of the deep south states. ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/2 "2010-03-11T19:57:58Z")
I’m up to 34, but I’m working on it! Growing up that was one of my dad’s things on vacation. “Oh, there is another state just a half hour out of our way – let’s go cross the state line!” I need to get New England and the Pacific Northwest, plus a few random and Alaska/Hawaii. But I will! (I’m also at only 4 countries, so need to work on that.) My 4 year old daughter has 17 states, and will be adding California next month. One of my goals is to take her to all 50 before she grows up. I hope it will happen! ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/3 "2010-03-11T20:01:26Z")
Gol durnit, I’m a 49er. Been to all except Hawaii, and doubt whether I ever will get there. As a kid, we moved a lot and even from NYS to California. Then in the Army to Texas and Alaska at 18. Then after coming back from Japan, started traveling on business, and in the next ten years made all the rest. For what it is worth, in Canada I was in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon Territory. Does all that make up for missing Hawaii? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/4 "2010-03-11T20:09:37Z")
I got the hard ones out of the way, Alaska and Hawaii. But only CA on the West coast, NM, NV, TX and OK in the middle, but I think I have all the East of the Mississippi. Oh and nothing up near the Canadian border in the middle. So all but; MT, ID, WY, MN, SD, ND, WA, OR, WI and LA So 40. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/5 "2010-03-11T20:12:23Z")
I’m a 49er too, but I’m missing South Carolina. I’ve had two siblings live there even and still have no desire to make it to 50. My wife is a 49er and missing North Dakota. Both love to travel and jump at any new opportunity to visit somewhere interesting. Neither of us really were striving for 50, it is just coincidence. I had 47 states, 7 Canadian provinces, and 16 Mexican states before making it to Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/6 "2010-03-11T20:40:01Z")
I entered my 50th state, Alaska, in 1987 at age 27. My parents took us on driving trips when I was a kid, before air travel was common, so I formed the goal of reaching all 50 early on. I hit the more distant ones (West Coast, Alaska, and Hawaii) by airplane as a young adult. After I entered all 50, I decided that some of the early visits were either too cursory (drive-throughs) or too long ago (early childhood), and set a new goal of spending at least one night in all 50 states. I completed this by staying in New Hampshire in 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/7 "2010-03-11T21:08:31Z")
I’ve never been to Alaska - but my car has. Does that count? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/8 "2010-03-11T21:17:28Z")
47 here – the only continental one I’m missing is Florida. One of these days. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/9 "2010-03-11T21:22:01Z")
I’m missing Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Maine, and possibly Iowa. A few years ago my now 78-year old father was visiting Florida and decided that he had to take a detour of several hours in order to achieve a lifelong goal by visiting his 50th state, Alabama. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/10 "2010-03-11T21:26:32Z")
Spending a night in each state is an interesting goal. That brings my number down significantly. Lesse. Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington. 20. Not so bad, at least I have New England done. I can’t fathon how I will EVER spend a night in Delaware though…kinda reminds me of how I managed to sleep with one of my ex’s in all 4 major time zones (CT, TX, CO, CA). And my best friend lived in Hawaii for 3 years. I was just never able to scrounge up the $ for plane ticekts… ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/11 "2010-03-11T21:35:40Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > I can’t fathon how I will EVER spend a night in Delaware though… Work for a corporation that gets sued! Seriously, that happened to me. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/12 "2010-03-11T21:48:01Z")
I’m at 49. I’m missing North Dakota. (And I’ve only been in Minnesota on a airport stopover between other states, which I think only sort-of counts.) I reached 49 in 1988, but I don’t see getting to ND anytime soon. I’ve spent the night in at least 34 states. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/13 "2010-03-11T21:51:53Z")
I’m at 48. The only ones I’ve missed so far are Alaska (one of these days!!) and Hawaii, which we’ll probably hit on vacation in the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/14 "2010-03-12T00:54:25Z")
I visited all 49 continental states by the time I was sixteen. Picked up Hawaii a few years ago. I’ve also been to every Canadian province and territory that has road/ferry access (curse you, Nunavut!) ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/15 "2010-03-12T01:10:08Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > Show of hands, how many of you have been to all 50 states? > > How long did it take you, and what age did you reach that goal? Was this on purpose, or did it just happen? > > So far I’ve been to all of the east and west coast states, the rest of New England, Texas, Colorado, Ohio and Kentucky. AKA all of the blue states except Illinois, Hawaii and New Mexico. There really isn’t much to bring me to the middle and west of the US, although I did almost get sent to Idaho on a business trip last year. One of these days I plan on doing a road trip - US-6 westbound, I-90 eastbound, which will knock out every other missing state except Hawaii and some of the deep south states. Well, you come on down when you get ready. We’ll be waiting. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/16 "2010-03-12T01:22:03Z")
I have yet to visit Alabama, Arkansas and Kansas. So I’m a 47er, matching my age. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/17 "2010-03-12T01:25:42Z")
I’m missing Alaska, Montana and the Dakotas. But I have a dog named Dakota, so I’m claiming 46 and a fraction. I’m 34. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/18 "2010-03-12T03:41:15Z")
I’ve been to all but Alaska, but I’ve been to DC, USVI and Puerto Rico, so more than 50 US jurisdictions. I’m working on visiting all the counties (or county equivalents) in the US and have been to about 62.5% of the 3142 so far. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/19 "2010-03-12T04:10:30Z")
I’m missing Alaska, too. I was oh-so-close to Alaska many years ago on a family vacation. We took the ferry on the inside passage from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert and back. I don’t think we even got off the ferry in Prince Rupert because the weather was so lousy. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147/20 "2010-03-12T20:10:12Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Gol durnit, I’m a 49er. Been to all except Hawaii, and doubt whether I ever will get there. It just dawned on me, I don’t know if I can count Alaska. When I was there in 1945-1947, it was not a state, still a Territory. So, can I still claim that one? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-staters/532147.md?page=2)