# Do American states have the most iconic shapes of any national subdivisions?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-states-have-the-most-iconic-shapes-of-any-national-subdivisions/729845>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 3, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-states-have-the-most-iconic-shapes-of-any-national-subdivisions/729845 "2015-09-03T19:57:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-states-have-the-most-iconic-shapes-of-any-national-subdivisions/729845/101 "2016-03-18T19:57:11Z")

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> [@CookingWithGas](#):
>
> He lost the UP.

😕

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-states-have-the-most-iconic-shapes-of-any-national-subdivisions/729845/102 "2016-03-19T15:21:40Z")

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> [@bump](#):
>
> I kind of think what the OP was getting at is that a FEW US states (TX, CA, FL primarily) are some of the most iconic national sub-divisions out there. And that’s hard to argue with. I’d bet that the outlines of Texas or California would be very recognizable almost anywhere.

But to the extent that is true, it’s because of the preponderance of American media, and even to the amount of times those specific states and their shapes come up in American media. There is nothing more special about the shape of Texas than about those of Oklahoma or Guanajuato, but it’s on more media more often.

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**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-states-have-the-most-iconic-shapes-of-any-national-subdivisions/729845/103 "2016-03-19T15:34:23Z")

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> [@leahcim](#):
>
> He has the UP, it’s part of New England now (and not close to the rest of Michigan) marked as “MI (Upper)”.

That’s not (the location of) New England, that’s the western shore of the Chesapeake.

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**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-states-have-the-most-iconic-shapes-of-any-national-subdivisions/729845/104 "2016-03-19T15:58:40Z")

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> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> Florida: America’s wang!
> 
> Catchy tourism slogan.

Virginia’s actual tourism slogan (you can even get free bumper stickers from state offices) is “Virginia is for lovers.” This has resulted in the perennial Mid-Atlantic East Coast tourism joke/mock slogan:

Virginia may be for lovers, but in Pennsylvania they have

[Intercourse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercourse,_Pennsylvania).

Virginia and Pennsylvania are close enough that many people could really divert from one state to the other upon discovering something interesting in the other one.

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