I currently live in Minnesota (USA). I was born in Minnesota, grew up in Minnesota, went to college in Minnesota and can’t imaging leaving. (I spent one year in North Dakota as a kid) I can sign the state song (Hail Minnesota!), we have Lady Slippers growing on our land and I used to be able to name all the counties and county seats. (I had an excellent fifth grade teacher) I was born here and I’ll die here.
However, I’m currently friends with and co-workers with a majority of people who don’t really give a hoot about any, neither the one that they were from, nor the one that they are in now. (I know that this is a part of the reason that they are here - if they cared that much, they’d probably still be there and I’d be here.)
So here’s my question: Do you love the location that you are in or are you just there for the money/love of someone/on the lam? Is it normal to care about your state? Or are they interchangable to you - if the jobs/climate/whatever is better somewhere else, you’ll have no qualms about going?
I live with my parents on LI, and my train ride to NYC is only about 40 minutes, so I’ve always loved being this close to the city. I don’t think I’ll always live on the island, but I can’t imagine ever living more than a few hours from NYC.
I love West Virginia (grew up in Kentucky, which I could care less about). I don’t want to leave, ever, and if I ever had to I’d be really upset.
The climate here is pretty nice. We get all four seasons but nothing too extreme, and plus the only natural disaster we have to worry about is flooding (quakes and twisters are rare). The people are the salt of the earth: friendly, accepting, honest types. The scenery is amazing. If the job market would just improve, it would be the perfect state.
I care very much about helping to make this state better and seeing WV become the state that I know it already is. It really is a hidden jewel.
I find myself having to defend my native state an awful lot, as I’m currently living in Rochester, NY for the summer. Apparently everyone here thinks everyone in PA is a bunch of hicks. Usually I just whip out the old “Well we don’t have sales tax on clothes, nyah nyah.” and then they pull out “Here you can buy alcohol anywhere you want, nyah nyah.” and then I have to resort to the whole pretty scenery and trees and stuff… I’m really rather babbling, aren’t I?
THe point of this post: I like my state, and I’ll defend it if I feel its honor is being impugned, but I really wouldn’t be adverse to moving elsewhere.
I love New York. We have the greatest city in the known Universe on the bottom, suburbs in the middle, trees and scenery and crap near the top, and a whole shitload of stuff to do. We also have one of the most expansive public transportation systems in the nation. I grew up in Manhattan and Westchester, went to school in Rochester and Ithaca, and now I live in Queens. We also have the coolest state nickname (Empire!) and mottor (Excelsior! It was the name of a Star Trek ship too. (It got blowed up though. ))
Michigan is obviously the greatest state in this grand Republic of ours. Once we seize Toledo back from the curs in Ohio (State motto: If you drive through us, you can get to Michigan!), Greater Michigan will be complete. And we have superb beaches!
I’m California (Southern) born and bred. My family moved to [Lesser Helium], CA in 1979. With the exception of 54 weeks in '96-'97 during which I was traveling around America, I have lived here since.
Now, after 20-odd years, I don’t see myself living anywhere else. Sure, I could, but I would never be as happy as living in [Lesser Helium].
With luck, I’ll be here another 50-60 years, and with or without the special permit, a friend will spread my ashes from one of the hilltops.
I’m from North Eastern Ohio. I’ve lived there all my life. There are aspects of the area that I really enjoy…driving around in the country, seasonal changes, all that fun crap, but there are also things about it that I don’t like…the weather’s often horrible, usually very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter, and the area is the source of really bad sinus problems for me. In short, I appriciate the good parts, down play the bad, but if the oppertunity came up to move out of state, I probably would, or at least be fairly ambivalent.
I was born in Ohio. I went to college in Kentucky. I joined the Army and have lived all over. Having said that, I am a displaced Texan. I didn’t like Pennsylvania because the people don’t ever move and don’t like outsiders besides there is a tax to work in that state, give me a break! I am living in Arizona but it is TOO FUCKING HOT. It was 117 yesterday and the low was 99. I want to go home to Texas. Texas is good. Texas is arrogant. Texas DESERVES to be arrogant!
I also live in North Eastern Ohio, and have for all of my life. I like the seasonal changes, but not the never-ending winter. The scenery is nice, lots of rusty, abandoned farm equipment, and silos. I’ve never had any sinus problems that Orange Skinner mentioned, but it is humid a lot. If I was able to move away, o would be really picky about where I was going. I would not want to live in the Southwest or North East United States.
Not particularly, but then I grew up Air Force. I do hate my current location, where I am living only for the sake of family, and would much rather go back to Texas. Not because I think Texas is especially wonderful, but because it is 1) familliar and 2) not here.
I call it “state patriotism,” and it seems to vary from state to state. Some things I look for are representations of the state shape, and the display of the state flag. States that have a very strong, distinct identity tend to have very state patriotism.
Based on what I’ve seen in my travels through the state, Texas seems to be the most “state patriotic” state. Everywhere you go, there’s reminders that you are in Texas; the Lone Star flag, state shape silhouettes everywhere, businesses everywhere named Texas (something). Amarillo seems like it’s the most Texan Texas city, as if it’s overcompensating because of its location in the cold Panhandle.
New Mexico and Colorado also seem very “state patriotic.” I know Kansas, Missouri and Florida aren’t .
Buffalonians could give a damn about being in New York; they’re Buffalonians first. There’s really very little state patriotism in New York, I’ve noticed. In fact, Upstate residents feel left out in a way, because the prevailing attitude among state leaders and most people outside the state are “New York State = New York City.” Few in Upstate New York call themselves “New Yorkers,” because of the term’s default association with New York City residents.
Although I grew up in upstate New York, I feel like my heart is in New Mexico. Something about the place just clicked with me, despits its very obvious shortcomings.
I’ve lived in several states (though I grew up in the one that I currently live in), but while I care about the state government and their actions, the state itself doesn’t evoke any real sense of loyalty or pride for me. But neither do I dislike the state, I just don’t go around announcing that “I am a Tennessean”.
I’ve lived in Michigan most of my life with a stint in the Chicago area for a couple of years. I like Michigan, but I’ve traveled almost anywhere in the U.S. and I’d love to try living in Oregon, Washington or Northern California.
My wife is from West Virginia. Not long after we got married she started asking about moving there. I get bored when I go there for a weekend, I couldn’t stand living there. Not sure I would really describe the people there as “salt of the earth” either. Maybe it’s a different part of WV.
Go for it. Just remember to give up the UP when you get yer hands on Toledo!
Mr. Athena and I had a conversation the other day. He was discussion how different it was here than it was in Colorado, and how there were always little things coming up that impressed on him the difference. Anything from license plates expiring on your birthday to the way it stays light out until 10 pm would make him realize that He Wasn’t In Colorado Anymore. He asked me if I’d experienced the same thing. I had - I knew exactly what he was talking about. The entire 11 years I lived in Colorado I lived in a sea of those little inconsistancies - the native plants were wrong, the light came through the trees the wrong way, the way car dealers were closed on Sundays, etc. etc.
I’m finally back in da UP, and everything is Just The Way It Should Be. Yay! If 11 years in what was considered one of the best small towns in the US (Boulder, CO) couldn’t pull the UP out of me, nothing can.
Yeah, it depends on where you are. Charleston and Huntington have lots to do but if you’re in, say, Logan, bring a book to read.
WV has had a brain drain for years. Young fresh college grads reluctantly leave because there are no jobs. What’s odd, though, is that they WANT to come home. There are organizations named to the tune of “KYOHWVA refugees” who try to keep up with what’s going on back home and what jobs are opening up. We’re about to get a federal prison opened up here and I think it was something like 1,000 people applied for jobs, and many of them lived in other states but were from this area.
As far as salt of the earth, there’s good and bad folks everywhere I guess. Maybe I see WVians in a different light because of the negative feelings I have towards the attitudes I grew up with in western Kentucky.
Many Idahoans (myself included) are proud to be residents of this great state. I was born and raised here and most of my family lives here as well; we don’t plan to go anywhere anytime soon. We have plenty of mountains, forests, lakes and rivers. Recreational opportunities abound. We have four distinct seasons. The air is clean, the humidity is low, and there are plenty of wide, open spaces. Boise is our biggest city, about 200,000 people with about 400,000 in the overall metro area, so while there is an urban environment here, it’s not too big or too crowded. As Idaho has a distinct and readily recognizable shape to it you will see the same things you see in Texas with reminders that you are in Idaho. Lots of business are named “Idaho _____”.
Nope. I don’t feel any particular attachment either to the state I grew up in (Virginia), or the one I live in now (North Carolina). I do rather like the town I live in, but I don’t expect or want to spend the rest of my life here.
I would gladly move almost anywhere in the developed world if the opportunity arose.
I love my adopted state Rhode Island. Before moving here I lived in Queens, NY, Long Island, NY, Albany, NY and Plattsburg, NY and before that Bangor, ME. I hate all those places, but my little suburban home and my nice work neighborhood in Providence are just lovely. I adore the accent here, I love the political intrigue (and I miss Buddy Cianci), my commute isn’t soul-destroying and in fact, it’s quite relaxing and scenic. I love the lobstas and mobstas reputation little Rhody has. I love that I can walk out my office door and see someone I saw on the news recently any day of the week, and that’s not just because I work near the court, city hall and the state house but because we’re so small that a larger percentage of folks end up on the news. I love being near to NY, nearer to Boston, but not being right there. I love being the mother of a native Rhode Islander (born at Women and Infants just like most good Rhode Islanders) who often claims to be “wicked tired”, “wicked hot” or “wicked thirsty” and holds hand in the pockin’ lot like a good boy. On the other hand, I have never eaten a NY System and I’m not nuts about Dell’s lemonade, but if it’s good for my state, I’ll make the sacrifice and have those items for lunch today.
))