# How Much State Pride in Your Area? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2016, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978 "2016-05-29T12:06:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/61 "2016-05-31T15:12:34Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > Same here in Alabama, there is a certain amount of “Southern” pride among the unreconstructed Confederates, but most worship at the Church of Football, with Nick Saban as the lead prophet (along with those heretics at Auburn). I lived in Muscle Shoals for about 11 years. When I was asked, I’d say I was mostly a fan of the Buckeyes and whatever team happened to be playing against Michigan and add apologetically that since my niece in law was studying for her Ph.D at Auburn, I guess I had to support them over UA. Folks there were pretty understanding about that. I tried to be out of town whenever Auburn and UA actually played each other, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/62 "2016-05-31T15:13:03Z")
Am I the first New Yorker in this thread? By golly I am. New York City doesn’t have much to do with Upstate. Former asshole mayor Ed Koch went so far as to call them people who “waste time in pick-up trucks.” The Adirondacks are an excellent mountain range, the Finger Lake region is pretty, but I have to desire to visit or cut up old jackpots with folks in Schenectedy or Utica or Rochester or Buffalo. “Brooklyn Pride” is clearly a thing – who goes to Queens or Staten Island? – but it breaks down even further into “neighborhood pride.” I’m a proud Park Sloper. Fuck dose guys in Cobble Hill and Sheepshead Bay. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/63 "2016-05-31T15:31:28Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I’m here in Pittsburgh, where city pride is practically in our blood. 😃 State, not so much. (Especially when you consider our rivalry with Filth-er, Philadephia.) It is kind of cool to be on the beach in the Caribbean and have a local ask where you’re from. They usually reply, “Oh, yeah, go Steelers (or Pens)”. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/64 "2016-05-31T15:36:04Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Jesus. Obviously we lived in two different Texases in some sort of parallel-universe situation. I think that you lived in Texas long ago. Also–where did you live? Vidor? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/65 "2016-05-31T16:44:12Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > About the flag thing, Oregon has what’s probably the worst flag of any of the 50 states. I hardly ever see it anywhere. Worse than that lame-ass rag Washington uses? A green field with a quarter on it? Oregon’s flag is a rare bird among flags in that it is not the same on both sides. Poor choice of beaver, though. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/66 "2016-05-31T16:55:32Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Jesus. Obviously we lived in two different Texases in some sort of parallel-universe situation. I live in San Antonio, been here since 2009. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/67 "2016-05-31T17:24:39Z")
Wyomingites have a ton of state pride based on our “wild west” history, sparse population, and vast outdoor scenery. Most Wyomingites are proud of being the least populated state in the union and prefer to keep it that way. The image of the cowboy on a bucking bronco graces our license plates and most everything else in the state. We only have one four-year university and no professional sports teams. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/68 "2016-05-31T22:03:11Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > [Virginia’s is] probably the only flag in the world that shows man-boob. The standing figure on Virginia’s flag is an Amazon, which makes it female. > [@eschereal](#): > > Worse than that lame-ass rag Washington uses? A green field with a quarter on it? Oregon’s flag is a rare bird among flags in that it is not the same on both sides. Poor choice of beaver, though. The different reverse is one of its biggest problems. Usually it’s made as a double flag, that is, two rectangular pieces of cloth sewn back-to-back. That makes it very heavy so it doesn’t flap in the wind very well. I agree that Washington’s is not very good, but Oregon’s is worse. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/69 "2016-06-01T13:18:59Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The standing figure on Virginia’s flag is an Amazon, which makes it female. Well I’ll be doggone, it IS a woman boob! Not an Amazon (according to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_and_seal_of_Virginia)), but the roman deity Virtus. Wow, I had always assumed it was a male figure. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/70 "2016-06-01T14:02:04Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > Wyomingites have a ton of state pride based on our “wild west” history, sparse population, and vast outdoor scenery. Most Wyomingites are proud of being the least populated state in the union and prefer to keep it that way. The image of the cowboy on a bucking bronco graces our license plates and most everything else in the state. We only have one four-year university and no professional sports teams. Fair enough - it’s a beautiful state. - Slow Moving Vehicle, graduate, National Outdoor Leadership School, Lander, Wyoming. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/71 "2016-06-01T17:00:04Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Well I’ll be doggone, it IS a woman boob! Not an Amazon (according to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_and_seal_of_Virginia)), but the roman deity Virtus. Wow, I had always assumed it was a male figure. You’re right, she isn’t an Amazon, but she’s dressed as one. Hence the bare breast. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/72 "2016-06-02T01:15:42Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > We have a completely unremarkable state flag. It is just the State Seal on a blue background. State pride runs pretty deep when you talk about Husker football though. > > The retired football coach, despite his lack of any apparent political ability was elected to two terms in Congress. In his second run he received 93% of the vote… And yet he somehow lost for governor. My pals in Nebraska said it had something to do with his generous benefits for illegal immigrants. But, heck, he could said “I’ll give all illegal immigrants instant citizenship” and _Tom Osborne_ still should’ve won! ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/73 "2016-06-02T01:26:57Z")
My state Hawaii has tons of state pride. I read somewhere that we’re the second-most tattooed state name/flag after Texas. Could be our geographic isolation (hard to pick up and move to/from another state) and cultural mix (Pacific Islanders and their tattoos). Our flag is a sort-of mix of the US and UK flag, the same one used when Hawaii was an independent kingdom. Yes, there is the occasional group that wants the kingdom restored, but they don’t seem to be in the news much anymore. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978/74 "2016-06-02T09:57:25Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > However, in its defense, Texas is the only one I think who has earned it. It’s a great place to live - cheap, comfortable, of historical importance, great people, vibrant cultures, an economy that just chugs along. I can’t imagine leaving here now that I’ve arrived. This describes how I feel also. I’ve lived in a half-dozen states and a few countries in Europe, and Texas is exactly where I want to be. Not a native, but as the bumper sticker says: “I got here as quick as I could”. Although largely symbolic, we put considerable effort into ensuring our kids were born on Texas soil. No other place matches our views on crime and punishment, individual and property rights, and the role of government this well. We’re not in-your-face about it nor flying the state flag\* from our pickup, but we’re wildly enthusiastic about Texas and wouldn’t live anywhere else. \*yet, but there are days… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-state-pride-in-your-area/755978.md?page=3)