# stereotypes of states **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272 "2003-02-02T07:08:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/81 "2003-02-06T12:58:33Z")
Navada: The capital of Las Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/82 "2003-02-06T13:41:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fusoya \* > > **Michigan** - love to call soda Pop > > \*\* This one is very true, everyone in Michigan I have ever spoken to does this. The deer hunting obsession has more to do with the fact that we have buttloads of em and some of them have to go otherwise we run out of parking space. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/83 "2003-02-14T18:25:16Z")
El estado de Florida no tiene nada de estes, come se dice “sterotypes?”. Todas las personas aqui hablan la lengua perfectamente, y votamos en todas de las elecciones, pero no podemos contar los votos. ¡Cuba Libre! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/84 "2003-02-14T19:32:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cornflakes \* > \*\*People say bad things about Texas? \*\* Which reminds me of one of my unfulfilled lifelong dreams: I want to open a formalwear store in Houston geared toward bikers and punks. I’ll call it **Don’t Fuck with Tuxes**. On-topic, every day I think Lord Jesus Christ Almighty and Jefferson Davis that I live in a stereotype-free state. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Perm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Big\_Perm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Perm)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/85 "2003-02-14T19:35:52Z")
Since no one has chimed in about Indiana yet… this place is the most backwards state I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. This is like the focal point for the rural hillbillies and rednecks from the south and the trailer park suburbanite trash from the surrounding areas. You can’t go more than an hour or so without seeing some rusted out vehicle with some type of custom lettering that might say “It’s alright if your (sic) scared!” or “Fear This!” Oh well, at least they provide us with manual labor I suppose =\ ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/86 "2003-02-14T19:41:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DanielWithrow \* > \*\*On-topic, every day I **think** Lord Jesus Christ Almighty and Jefferson Davis that I live in a stereotype-free state. > \*\* :smack: Okay, I done guess ya’ll thank we’s a bunch of illiterates. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/87 "2003-02-14T20:21:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fusoya \* > \*\* > > **Rhode Island** - everyone’s a farmer or mafia > > \*\* Farmers??? Mafia I would believe. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/88 "2003-02-14T20:36:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Broodha \* > \*\ ***Rhode Island** > > “Ooh! It’s so little! Oooh it’s so small! Ooooh, how long does it take to drive across it? Oooh, how tiny! Oooh, does everyone know each other? Oooh, it’s as big as my city/county/my daddy’s farm! Oooh, is it really an island? Oooh, how do you all fit in that puny state? Oooh, why is it its own state? Oooh, aren’t you basically a city in Massachusetts? Oooh, you could fit like a million Rhode Island’s in my state! Oooh, how far do you live from Providence? Oooh, I guess you’re never far from Providence, ha ha!” \*\* What about the concept that Rhode Islanders think everything is far away. Don’t you know residents of the East Bay take a lunch when going to the Warwick Mall? ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/89 "2003-02-14T23:52:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MadScientistMatt \* > \*\*One peculiar thing I noticed when I lived in Ohio was that many peopel up there played a card game called eucher, which I hadn’t heard of before. It seems many of them believed this game was mostly played in Ohio. \*\* And all this time I thought Euchre was unknown outside of Indiana. Shows what I know. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/90 "2003-02-15T00:05:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by autz \* > \*\*I recently moved to **Arizona**. Anyone got a stereotype for Arizona??? \*\* Have you got your turquoise bolo tie yet? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/91 "2003-02-15T00:15:54Z")
Native Californian. I I run into one more transplanted New Yorker who whines about how he can’t get a decent pizza here, I will suggest he go back to where he came from…and don’t forget to pick up a snow shovel on the way. ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/92 "2003-02-15T00:37:32Z")
I’ve been to almost every state, and I’ve lived in CT, VT, ME, (that’s Maine), RI, MA, and (shudder) CA. Here we go… CT- everybody sells insurance VT- Wants everybody from CT out of their state ME- Huh? We’re a state? RI- You don’t want to make fun of RI, if you know what I mean MA- Without a doubt, the most aggressive drivers in the country CA- The most distracted drivers in the country. I saw someone just today who was eating, putting on lipstick, talking on a cell phone, and cutting me off all at the same time. grrrrr… ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/93 "2003-02-15T00:41:50Z")
Illinois-- it’s not a homogeneous place: Chicago, Suburbs and “downstate” (which includes Lake County which is north of Chicago) each have their own special charms. Indiana-- kind of gets a bad rap. The arts and culture are definitely underrepresented outside of the college towns and Indianapolis. The population is not what you would call racially diverse. Despite two high powered state universities, Notre Dame and lesser public and private colleges generating an extremely high number of graduates from its schools annually, the state ranks very low in percent of residents with a college degree. (Brain drain) Downhill skiing there doesn’t exactly compare favorably with Vail. Very conservative politically and fiscally. Low crime rates outside of Gary. Cheap real estate and low taxes. Limited recreational opportunites in most non-urban areas (95% of the state). Some breakaway regions fought for the south in the civil war. Lots of pale skinned, ruddy white boys with buzz cuts playing basketball, giving an inordinate amount of headfakes, picks, and passing while playing violent close quarters man-to-man defense. Very susceptible to the fast break, penetration offense and fouling out against traditional basketball teams. Some of the best unguarded outside shooters ever known. Millions of reps outside alone at the backboard mounted to the side of the barn explains most of it. Outrageous three-point bank shots. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/94 "2003-02-15T01:50:27Z")
Here’e one… Cops in Ohio care about one thing and one thing only, giving tickets to people from Michigan. Also, Ohio in general has a big inferiority complex about us great lake staters. especially when it comes to college sports(excepting this season of course). ---
**Author:** ![aaaaaarrgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@aaaaaarrgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaaaaarrgg)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/95 "2003-02-15T05:56:03Z")
wow i am surprised that there’s not more new jersey bashing going on here…it’s all i ever seem to hear! people from any state will make fun of new jersey, even if they’re from tennessee. and of course everyone thinks that the entirity of new jersey is made of gum-chewing, big-haired, long-nailed, whiny-voiced, hairspray-doused women and overweight plumber men who live in identical houses with lawn ornaments and plastic on the couch. only some of us. we’re no worse than queens. and really all of that holds true only for some of the state…most of it is pretty spacious and nice-smelling. and living here most of my life, i have never heard anyone really say ‘joisey’. what most people who judge new jersey know about the state is what they’ve picked up from going to a mall or driving down a highway. and no, i do not know my exit number. people from new york city think they’re the best thing since sliced bagels (which of course, are inedible anywhere outside the 5 boroghs, as is pizza). they all have cell phones, sunglasses, at least one black turtleneck, watch hbo, wear heels, hate tourists, and know very little of life outside of their city. people from connecticut are all rich, hoity-toity, and live in their own universe. people from the south eat too much at the waffle houses. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/96 "2003-02-15T17:35:40Z")
Them waffle houses is a nash’nul insti-tooshin! ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/97 "2003-02-16T01:34:57Z")
**Montana** – Stay the hell out. We mean it. Tourism is good, but we don’t need you buying land. We got all of the land we need and we don’t want you goddamned Californians and East Coasters buying it up and sending property taxes through the roof. It’s bad enough that you’ve turned Missoula into a Bay Area Colony, we don’t want you buying up the prime land in Eastern Montana, too. What’s the best way to see California plates? Through the scope of your rifle. Note to all non-Montanans: Get in, pay money, get out. And if you end up bear food, don’t expect us to mourn. We’re cold. We’re colder than anyone else. Okay, maybe not Alaska. But Alaskans are barely American to begin with. We laugh at cold and wear shorts and tee-shirts until the lakes freeze over and the highways are closed due to snow. Cold is defensive: It keeps away bugs and Californians. You know those milita types? Well, _you_ try having the largest portion of your state owned by the Federal government. The BLM is about as bad as Ted Turner when it comes to land ownership. When the revolution comes, Montana and Alaska will be the first to go. We’ll carve a swath out of Canada and link up. We’ll take a warmwater port when we make Idaho and Washington state secede. Now, get the hell off my land! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![grettle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@grettle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grettle)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272/98 "2003-02-16T02:11:24Z")
## quote: ## Originally posted by Joe K Oklahomans love football, will race someone to be the first one at a four-way stop only to let the other driver go first, are ultra-conservative, refer to all carbonated soft drinks as “Coke”, and everyone in the Yukon area knows or knows/knew someone who knew Garth Brooks. The same refers to Edmond (replace Garth Brooks with Shannon Miller), Midwest City (insert Vince Gill, Toby Keith), ad nauseam. :sigh: I miss Oklahoma. Ya, sorry **Michael Ellis,** I don’t. And I vouch for _all_ these details being true. At the University (the red one not the orange one) there are T-shirts made by some campus organization that say, “A drinkin town with a football problem.” I think the same thing can be said for the whole state. I do remember, while growing up in that backwards state, being told that **Texas** wasn’t _really_ part of the United States, but that we just used it as a buffer from Mexico. I always thought that we should just let it go seeing as though it wasn’t very effective. Always told taht they were the worst drivers too, until I moved to **New Jersey** , and we have the self-proclaimed worst drivers. Thank Og I haven’t picked up the terrible accent and blended it with my own Okie accent :eek: **Florida** is filled with old people, **Arkansas** is definitely the most hickish (where else can you marry your cousin without any teeth because her grandpa will shoot you if you don’t, type hickish), and **California** is so much a different world that it may as well be another country, with all their new fangled laws and beach attitudes. I guess no one really stereotypes middle America, or stereotypes them all together. Let’s hear slams for Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Wyoming! C’mon guys, I want to _learn_ somethin’ here! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypes-of-states/152272.md?page=4)