# Define your region (of the US) with a yes/no question **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 16, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327 "2022-06-16T20:20:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/181 "2024-04-17T18:37:29Z")
Do you have Greek and Roman place names like Camillus, Cicero, Cincinnatus, Corinth, Fabius, Ilion, Junius, Macedon, Marcellus, Pompey, Romulus, Scipio, Sempronius, Sparta, Ulysses, and Virgil? Yes=New York. New York doesn’t quite make the 12-hour mark but Google Maps gives 8.5 hours from Montauk to Niagara Falls. People forget how long Long Island is. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/182 "2024-04-17T19:22:32Z")
How much of Alaska has state or interstate highways? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/183 "2024-04-17T19:32:02Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > New York doesn’t quite make the 12-hour mark but Google Maps gives 8.5 hours from Montauk to Niagara Falls. People forget how long Long Island is. If you’re taking the LIE from Montauk to the Throg’s Neck to start with you’ll easily pass the 12 hour mark. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/184 "2024-04-17T19:56:56Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Do you call interstates/freeways “The \*\*\*”?" > Yes = Southern California I did a check on this up in San Jose- which is certainly not SoCal. people did say the 5. Less emphasis than a died in the wool SoCal, but it was still there. The fact that people move back and forth , and traffic reporters do too, means that this is not longer a line in the sand. Not to mention, there are great long involved debates as who where SoCal ends and NoCal starts. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > Do you have traffic circles. > Yes=New Jersey We have a few here. Do People talk about dropping over to Disneyland for a few hours? = SoCal. Are there Taco trucks/stands everywhere= SoCal, but maybe some other SW states? (sadly, despite trumps promise there is not a taco truck on _every_ corner 🤪 ) > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Is there a 90% chance that the person who sells you a donut speaks Khmer? > Yes: Southern California More or less, yes. > [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Did you learn about Cinco de Mayo in elementary school or from a beer commercial? > > School = Southern/Central California Yep. We even did the hat dance in serapes we made ourselves- sorta. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Do you know how to play Sheepshead? Here in SoCal that is a rather large and tasty deep sea fish, not very common. > [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Can you drive on the road that inspired the song “Hot Rod Lincoln”? > > Yes = Idaho. The “Spiral Highway” in Lewiston, Idaho. > No, _not_ Southern California. > > It’s a very steep, insanely curvy road. San Pedro? The grapevine?? > [@beowulff](#): > > Do Saguaros grow here naturally? > > Yes = Arizona. > Regardless of what the movies show, Saguaro cacti only grow in the Sonoran desert of Arizona and Mexico. There are a few in SoCal. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/185 "2024-04-17T20:16:15Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > How much of Alaska has state or interstate highways? From [wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Interstate_Highways_in_Alaska): > The Interstate Highway System in Alaska comprises four highways that cover 1,082.22 miles (1,741.66 km). The longest of these is Interstate A-1 (A-1), at 408.23 miles (656.98 km) long, while the shortest route is A-3, at 148.12 miles (238.38 km) long. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/186 "2024-04-17T20:59:30Z")
According to Google Maps, from Homer to Deadhorse (via AK 1, 3, 2 and 11) is 1,072 miles and takes 21 hours 32 minutes. However, AK 11 (the [Dalton Highway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalton_Highway) or North Slope Haul Road) may not exactly meet the criteria for a major highway; still, stopping at the junction of 2 and 11 leaves 657 miles and 12 hours 16 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/187 "2024-04-18T14:23:11Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Do you call interstates/freeways “The \*\*\*”?" > Yes = Southern California Hah - that’s something I’ve noted on the boards before. A movie or TV show referring to an East Coast highway like that. “The 95”. X-files did it once that I recall, and the Brendan Fraser version of Journey To The Center Of The Earth did as well. Pretty sure 95 was the highway in question both times. It’s “95”, or maybe “I-95”. To be fair, NAMED highways can be referred to with “the”. The New York Thruway. The Whitehurst Freeway (which is NOT a freeway!). The Pennsylvania Turnpike. But if I’m calling any of those by their numbered routes, I’m on 87/90 (or I-87/I-90), 29 (or route 29 or US 29), or 76 (or I-76). In the case of NY, I’ll likely call it by the route; in the case of the PA turnpike, I’ll call it turnpike. In the case of the Whitehurst, I call it “Crap. I got on this by mistake again. Google, Take Me Away!”. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/188 "2024-04-18T14:38:23Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > > > Do you call interstates/freeways “The \*\*\*”?" > > Yes = Southern California > > Hah - that’s something I’ve noted on the boards before. Good point by both of you. Named highways get prefaced with ‘the’, I noted ‘the LIE’ in this thread. Typical of the New York Parkways like the Taconic and the Sawmill. Other highways there like the Expressway and the Van Wyck too. In Philadelphia there’s the Schuykill or the Turnpike. Bridges everywhere get a ‘the’ I think. Off the top of my head I can’t recall any numbered routes that are referenced with ‘the’ other than in California. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/189 "2024-04-18T14:43:27Z")
You sure you guys aren’t from [California](https://youtu.be/dCer2e0t8r8?si=Y9zBmhT_RTooXd_w)? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/190 "2024-04-18T14:53:51Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The Amish use buggies in Ohio but I don’t know if they have those signs. Many states allow horse drawn vehicles to be used on the public roads also, but the image on the sign is clearly based on an Amish style buggy. I’ve seen them in upstate New York, also - quite recently. I’ve seen the buggies themselves a few times (including once when there was a whole long line of them; must have been on a Sunday or something). My favorite buggy-sighting, though, was in Strasburg, PA, when we saw a buggy going through the drive-through window at a bank. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/191 "2024-04-18T14:58:08Z")
Do the locals smugly insist that I-64 be referred to as “Highway 40” (“Highway Farty” if you’re south of Farty-Far), even if doing so confuses their out-of-town guests? Yes= St. Louis. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/192 "2024-04-18T15:07:51Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > You sure you guys aren’t from [California](https://youtu.be/dCer2e0t8r8?si=Y9zBmhT_RTooXd_w)? I am. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/193 "2024-04-18T15:26:10Z")
How can these be called “interstate” highways? None of those roads lead to other states. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/194 "2024-04-18T15:37:30Z")
Wait until you hear about interstate H-1! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/195 "2024-04-18T15:39:55Z")
How many times has this been asked and answered on the Dope? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/196 "2024-04-18T16:37:52Z")
What a stupid question. How would I know that? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/197 "2024-04-18T16:41:03Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > How can these be called “interstate” highways? It’s one of the great mysteries in life. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/198 "2024-04-18T18:43:05Z")
I’m sorry, I thought you were being sarcastic since it’s come up so often. It’s the Interstate Highway System. Some of the highways cross state lines, many others are all contained within one state. They have a common set of regulations for everything from route numbering to construction standards. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/199 "2024-04-18T20:15:52Z")
All good and my apologies for reacting harshly. Things haven’t been the best around chez chef of late. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327/200 "2024-04-18T20:23:02Z")
I believe this is why highways in SoCal get the “the”. Many of them are better known by their names than by their route numbers. It’s almost always “the Pasadena Freeway”, not route 110, or “the Santa Monica Freeway”, not Interstate 10. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-your-region-of-the-us-with-a-yes-no-question/966327.md?page=11)