I know that as an NT (native Texan), I am very proud to be a native of this great state. I’m also reasonably sure that there other states out there that are unrecognized for their own greatness and wonderful qualities and I’d like ya’ll to share them with us.
Other kind of useless but interesting state facts:
Texas is the only state to have flags from six different countries fly over it: Mexico, Spain, France, The Republic of Texas, The Confederacy and the United States of America.
Victoria is the caravanning capital of Australia. Now some would say that is because everyone wants to leave the state, but I reckon its because Victorian’s are more adventurous.
I’m a NT living in OKC.
The Sooners seem to like beating UT in football*.
Our weather changes periodically. Many small animals like living here. Others don’t. Lots of extremely varied terrain (something I always loved about Texas, too).
LOL…that’s true. One year I got stuck at the State Fair during the OU/Texas game and it got pretty nasty when the game let out and OU had whipped our butts soundly. After I watched a fight break out (and a whole assload of cops come running over to break it up), I left.
Oh…another cool fact.
Big Tex, the official mascot of the State Fair of Texas, began his life as a giant Santa Claus.
I believe that I read somewhere PA has more roads per square mile than any other state.
They are mostly in crappy condition, and we have the most well-rested road crew in the Nation, but perhaps the first statement is true-they’re just plumb tuckered out. :rolleyes:
Michigan has strange stones called Petoski stones, only found at Petoski Michingan, which are glassy and have radial markings. Presumed to be from a meteorite, and now the state rock.
Well, I live in Michigan now, but I grew up in Nebraska.
Many people think of it as boring, backwards, and awful to drive through. But it played an important role in the settling of the American west and still plays a big role in feeding the world. The Oregon Trail and Morman Trail went through Nebraska, and the Union Pacific railroad is based here. Thanks to the Homestead Act, thousands of poor-but-brave folk (many of them immigrants)became farming and ranching landowners here. We produce tons of corn, and a lot of beef. Nebraska is on the Central Flyway, and our fields provide grain for millions of migrating birds. The badlands are strangely beautiful and feature some amazing fossil beds.
It’s a great place, particularly so ever since we got electricity and running water in the 1970s.
Capital: Oklahoma City
Date of Statehood: November 16, 1907
Flower: Mistletoe
Tree: Redbud
Bird: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Oklahoma was playing football before it was a state. It’s the only one of two Division I football programs to win seven or more national championships. And OU is the only Division I football program ever to record 47 straight victories.
Sooner squads have combined for 22 team national championships including seven in football, seven in wrestling, four in men’s gymnastics, two in baseball, one in men’s golf and one in softball.
My hometown of ShattuckOklahoma has a population of less that 1200 people. My high school graduating class had 28 people. This was the public school. Up until a few years ago you only had to dial 4 digits to call someone in town. Even then, everybodys phone number began with ‘2’.
I can’t think of all that much to say about Oklahoma as a state, but the City of Tulsa is pretty nice. I’ve lived here my whole life and although I’m currently trying to save enough money to move to New York City, I’ll always love my hometown. Recently, I rented a movie called Chillicothe, which was apparently a big deal at Sunance back in 1999. It was filmed and takes place right here in Tulsa. Lately, I’d been in a bit of an anti-Tulsa mood, but that movie realy made me feel good about living here. God, that sounds so stupid, but I thought I should put my two cents in.
I’ve lived most of my life in Minnesota. It’s a great state, but I’ve learned since going to college out east that most people think of it as just “One of those middle states.” The next time that phrase comes to mind, just remember this:
Minnesota is the home of the world’s best meat product, SPAM.
State Flower: Red Clover (I ate these things as a kid…good.)
State Bird: Hermit Thrush
State Anima(well, non-bird animal)l: Morgan Horse
State Tree: Sugar Maple (Duh)
Yeesh, all that is from memory, and I think I leaned it way back in second grade!
Other interesting facts:
Largest producer of Maple Syrup and other maple goods in the US
Despite being the green mountain state and known for it’s tree-filled hills, most trees in the state were cut down in the 1800’s for the logging and sheep herding industries. Needles to say, most of the trees in the state are less than 200 years old.
Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery (also the first state to have an African-American graduate from college and serve in the legislature in the mid 1800’s.)
Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was a Vermonter.
One of the few states the prohibits using billboards to advertise (I never appreciated this law until I started driving on roads out of VT and NH a lot.)
Best damn cheese in the world! (Seriously, Cabot Cheese has won numerous prizes for best cheeses in many competitions, and for good reason, it’s scrum-diddly-umptious!)
Tennessee has a great secret – a fitness spa out in the woods outside a small town. The photographs don’t show the caves that are on the property, including a beautiful double span “natural bridge.” Just peace and quiet by a great trout stream!
My home, Western Australia is fairly alien place to most foreigners. For instance, check out our bizarro flora emblem, the kangaroo paw. Or even our fauna emblem, the fearsome numbat.
Interesting wildlife aside, this is an astonishingly diverse state. Western Australia contains not one, but two UNESCO World Heritage listed places: Shark Bay (including the stromalites, among the oldest lifeforms on the planet) and Purnululu (including the Bungle Bungle ranges).
Also interesting is the sheer size of this place: 2.5 million square kilometres (1 million square miles)! Comparison wise, that’s three times as large as Texas and four times as large as France (excluding Western Australian territorial waters, which further extend the disparity).
Astonishingly, there’s only 2 million or so Australians resident here. Of these, 1.4 million of us live in sole city, Perth and the surrounding south-west region, leaving a WHOLE lot of empty space!
