# In 49 of 50 states one thing, in the 50th something else??? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 8, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653 "2014-07-08T17:38:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/81 "2014-07-09T13:22:01Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Wild guess: Idaho? Close. It’s Massachusetts. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/82 "2014-07-09T13:22:40Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I imagine there are large parts of New York where “the city” is something else too. Even in the outer boroughs, midtown and downtown Manhattan is “The City”. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/83 "2014-07-09T13:36:48Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > 49 out of the 50 states do Barbeque completely wrong. The one state they do is right is [del]Texas North Carolina South Carolina Kansas Tennessee[/del] you know which one. Eastern or Western North Carolina? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/84 "2014-07-09T13:40:06Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Even in the outer boroughs, midtown and downtown Manhattan is “The City”. This is true, but I think Lord Feldon was referring to large parts of New York _state_. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/85 "2014-07-09T13:44:34Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Since it includes the word ‘down’, I wouldn’t have guessed it to refer to something as far north as Maine. I believe it derives from “down wind”, but I could be wrong about that. Has anyone mentioned Parishes in Louisiana? I don’t think any other states have Parishes. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/86 "2014-07-09T13:49:21Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Close. It’s Massachusetts. Damn! Missed it by that much. ☹ My second guess was going to be Guam, until I realized you had said _state_. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/87 "2014-07-09T13:58:57Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Why would going to the city mean Manhattan in Texas? Really, I’m curious as to the reasoning. It wouldn’t. I’ve lived in Texas- Dallas and Houston in particular, for all of my 41 years, and if someone said “going to the city” living there, they’d get some really weird looks and probably be asked “WHAT city?” Even if you were out in the boonies somewhere, the assumption would certainly be that “going to the city” meant the nearest big city - Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus, Amarillo, El Paso, etc… not NYC. Even then, I bet it’s more likely that the city’s referred to by name. On the subject of state police/state troopers, Texas has the “Department of Public Safety”, which encompasses the highway patrol, the state equivalent of the FBI, the Texas Rangers and the DMV (which wasn’t even called the DMV until the last 3-4 years). The commonly used term is DPS Trooper, or sometimes highway patrolman if they’re actually on the highway, although I suspect there’s a more formal name somewhere in the bureaucracy. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/88 "2014-07-09T14:15:56Z")
People in southern Michigan cities go “Up-state”, where people suspect them of being from "Downstate) People from southern Wisconsin go “Up North”, where people they meet suspect them of being from Illinois. . ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/89 "2014-07-09T14:21:50Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > People in southern Michigan cities go “Up-state”, where people suspect them of being from "Downstate) > > People from southern Wisconsin go “Up North”, where people they meet suspect them of being from Illinois. . In the Colorado mountains, you go down (literally) to the City (Denver). And in my case, I go up to go home. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/90 "2014-07-09T14:32:37Z")
In 49 states, “going outside” means leaving a building; in Alaska, it means going to any of those other states. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/91 "2014-07-09T14:40:29Z")
In 49 states, USC stands for the University of Southern California. In South Carolina it stands for the University of South Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/92 "2014-07-09T14:50:57Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > In 49 states, USC stands for the University of Southern California. In South Carolina it stands for the University of South Carolina. I once met a Californian in Malaysia wearing a SDSU T-shirt, he was highly insulted when I asked if he went to South Dakota State, in Brookings… ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/93 "2014-07-09T16:10:54Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > In Nebraska, news reports of the State Legislature call it “the Unicameral”, because Nebraska is the only state in the union that has a unicameral state legislature (only one assembly, not a House and a Senate). Yes, the blindingly white Unicameral. There used to be one contrarian black guy, Ernie Chambers, who used to attend wearing a t shirt amidst all the suits. To make a point during death penalty debates he facetiously tried to change the method from electric chair to guillotine 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/94 "2014-07-09T16:36:41Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Yes, the blindingly white Unicameral. There used to be one contrarian black guy, Ernie Chambers, who used to attend wearing a t shirt amidst all the suits. To make a point during death penalty debates he facetiously tried to change the method from electric chair to guillotine 🙂 Why wouldn’t a blindingly white state have a blindingly white legislature? Nebraska is, like, 90% white. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/95 "2014-07-09T16:56:15Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > The 9/11 attacks didn’t happen in NYC, Washington and Pennsylvania. They happened in NYC, Arlington County Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Geographically speaking, the Pentagon is in Arlington County but the building itself is considered part of DC. Just ask the Postal Service. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/96 "2014-07-09T17:15:56Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > In 49 states, USC stands for the University of Southern California. In South Carolina it stands for the University of South Carolina. I would say that in most states with an SEC football team, “USC” or “SC” is first thought of as the University of South Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/97 "2014-07-09T17:21:17Z")
Depending on where you are, the “tri-state area” can vary dramatically. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/98 "2014-07-09T17:33:48Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > In Houston, we went to Galveston. In Village of Tiki Island my uncle went to his back yard. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/99 "2014-07-09T17:38:04Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > No. In everywhere, the 9/11 attacks are known as “the 9/11 attacks”. Or “the events of 9/11”. Or “September the 11th”. I have never heard anybody anywhere tack on a list of any length of geographic locations. Add me to the people who have never heard the locations included in the name. It’s “9/11”. > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > In the other 49 states, “Down East” means all of Maine. In Maine, it means the coastal region between Penobscot Bay and New Brunswick. It means the same in MA as in ME, probably because they used to be the same state, and there was a lot of (shipping) traffic between them. > [@Rodgers01](#): > > …And the TMI/Three Mile Island thing as well. Granted, I’m not a native, but I did live in Pennsylvania for a number of years and I never heard anyone use the acronym to mean anything other than “too much information.” And I vacation on an island in NH called “three mile island”, and we refer to it as TMI all the time. I am always confused when I hear those letters by people who mean “too much information”. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653/100 "2014-07-09T18:13:49Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > People in southern Michigan cities go “Up-state”, where people suspect them of being from "Downstate) > > People from southern Wisconsin go “Up North”, where people they meet suspect them of being from Illinois. . Uh, what? I have never heard anyone here (Michigan) say “up state”. We go Up North, apparently like Wisconsin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-49-of-50-states-one-thing-in-the-50th-something-else/692653.md?page=6)