# How many states have you visited? (poll) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148 "2010-03-11T19:52:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/21 "2010-03-11T20:57:23Z")
My parents wanted to show my sister and I the US when we were kids so we sent every other summer driving all over the western half of the country. Once we made it to Illinois from California and back in two long months. Since then I’ve driven through most of the Great Plains for football and I work for a company based in Alabama. The only states I’m unsure of are Oklahoma because we played a team from Panhandle State but I don’t remember playing there and Alaska since we stayed in a hotel there on a layover once. Without them I’m at 22. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/22 "2010-03-11T20:59:59Z")
> [@](#): > > I voted “41-45” but I miscounted. It’s actually 46. I work for a Federal agency that has a regulatory presence in 49 states, and I travel quite a bit for work. Plus, from my personal history–it adds up to just about all of them. I think we balance out. I thought I was voting 41-45, but the poll shows me in the next category up. I’m missing Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Alabama, Mississississippi, and Florida, but I think I’ve been everywhere else (though I’m not completely certain on Iowa). The standards I use for having officially visited a state are the ones my sister came up with: You have to buy something there, and you have to use the restroom. Using the “airports don’t count” criterion doesn’t change anything, though, since the only one at risk for me is Utah, and I’ve stood at Four Corners. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/23 "2010-03-11T21:00:39Z")
Thrity-five. That surprised me once I started counting. FTR: Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Kansas, Massachusetts and Connecticut. I’ve missed out on the Pacific northwest, a good share of New England, Hawaii and Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/24 "2010-03-11T21:22:28Z")
Unfortunately, I voted before reading the OP. I’ve physically been in 41 or 42 states, but of those, about half a dozen may have been drive-throughs. States I haven’t yet been to: Hawai’i Alaska Washington Oregon Idaho Montana North Dakota South Dakota Kansas(? – don’t know if I-44 crosses any part of Kansas) States I basically have just driven through (although I think I’ve set foot in most of them): New Mexico Utah Wyoming Nebraska Texas Arkansas Georgia States I have actually lived in: Rhode Island Connecticut Pennsylvania Maryland Michigan Tennessee California Iowa ---
**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, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/25 "2010-03-11T21:34:10Z")
I don’t think that most people have seen more than 20 miles or so of Delaware. Both I-95 and Amtrak pass through the hook at the top of the state, where Newark and Wilmington are. I’ve lived in every New England state except Vermont (if you count month long camps and college as living), currently live in New York, and spent the first year of my life living in South Carolina. I also spent a month living in hotels in Washington State last year for a work project. Also, as the OP of the thread which inspired this thread (thanks for stealing posts from me!) stated, I’ve been to every east & west coast state, as well as Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, and Colorado, and I have been to Vermont (Mt Stowe). ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/26 "2010-03-11T21:34:34Z")
21 plus D.C. (I’ve lived in the bolded states) **Michigan** Indiana Ohio Illinois Minnesota Wisconsin Pennsylvania New York Massachusetts Iowa South Dakota Wyoming Colorado Utah Nevada **Arizona** California New Mexico Virginia California North Carolina Washington, D.C. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/27 "2010-03-11T21:47:41Z")
Fifteen — Minnesota (home), North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, New York, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Montana, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and Michigan. ---
**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, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/28 "2010-03-11T21:50:39Z")
I didn’t read the OP completely before voting. That brings me down to 48 from 49, since I’ve only been at the airport in Minnesota. The other state I’m missing is North Dakota. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/29 "2010-03-11T22:06:16Z")
Just under half: [ul] [li]Washington[/li][li]Oregon[/li][li]California[/li][li]Nevada[/li][li]New Mexico[/li][li]Texas[/li][li]Colorado[/li][li]Kansas[/li][li]South Dakota[/li][li]Minnesota[/li][li]Iowa[/li][li]Missouri[/li][li]Wisconsin[/li][li]Illinois[/li][li]Indiana[/li][li]Michigan[/li][li]Florida[/li][li]North Carolina[/li][li]New York[/li][li]New Jersey[/li][li]Massachusetts[/li][li]Vermont[/li][li]Rhode Island[/li][/ul] Technically speaking, my foot did touch down in a few more states, but it was just on the patch of ground between my car and the gas station counter. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/30 "2010-03-11T22:48:38Z")
1. I’m missing Alaska, Hawaii, and Rhode Island. Most have been hit during my annual baseball park trips. There’s a team in Pawtucket that I hope to see within the next couple of years (perhaps I’ll write a limerick about the experience); and Mrs. Wheelz and I _will_ get to the islands one of these anniversaries. Alaska, I dunno. Some people I know have taken cruises there and had good things to say, but it doesn’t really sound like my thing. Maybe after I’ve been to RI and HI, I’ll make an effort to get to AK just because. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/31 "2010-03-11T22:50:19Z")
Let’s see, by region… I’ve been to Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhodes Island, Connecticut, and New York, but not Vermont or New Jersey. That’s 6 out of 8. I’ve been to Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, but not Delaware or Wisconsin. That’s 15 / 19. I’ve been to Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, but not North Dakota. That’s 24 / 29. I’ve been to Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, but not the Carolinas or Oklahoma. That’s 32 / 40. I’ve been to Utah, Nevada, and California, but not Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington or Idaho. That’s 35 / 48. I’ve been to Hawaii, but not Alaska. That’s 36 / 50. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/32 "2010-03-11T22:53:02Z")
All but Louisiana and Alabama. I’m hoping to get to both this year. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/33 "2010-03-11T22:59:14Z")
A whole lot of them, but I’ll need to look at a map to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/34 "2010-03-11T23:02:37Z")
What I can remember off the top of my head. This may not be a complete list. A lot of these were just driving through: Louisiana Arkansas Texas Kansas New Mexico Arizona California Nevada New York Pennsylvania Iowa South Dakota North Dakota Montana Minnesota Wisconsin Indiana Florida Missouri Nevada Utah Virginia Illinois ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/35 "2010-03-11T23:23:15Z")
By the criteria of the OP, 14. California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. By my personal criteria, only 12. I don’t count Indiana and Ohio because I just spent the night at motels near I-80, during the course of various road trips between IL and NY. I really don’t feel I experienced anything characteristic about either state. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/36 "2010-03-11T23:25:11Z")
12 Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming in the west via car trips. Add to that plane trips to Hawai’i, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. Montana consisted only of West Yellowstone, and North Carolina was only because I flew into Raleigh-Durham when visiting relatives in Virginia Beach, but I did get out of the car during the drive. I hope to visit my brother in Colorado soon, and I’d like to take a road trip on the old Route 66 to Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/37 "2010-03-11T23:27:20Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/38 "2010-03-12T00:00:41Z")
Crap! I meant to pick 41-45 I just squeaked in on that one with 41. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Monk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/2acd7d/32.png) [@Electric\_Monk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Monk)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/39 "2010-03-12T00:09:23Z")
46 All except ND, SD, WY, MT. One of these days I gotta fly into Rapid City and drive around a little. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148/40 "2010-03-12T00:19:27Z")
Roughly in order of my first visits: South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Virginia\* Florida New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Illinois Tennessee \*I checked with Google Maps and found that Reagan National is in Virginia, not DC; this saved me from that whole “does DC count” debate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-you-visited-poll/532148.md?page=3)