U.S. Dopers: what are your uninformed impressions of other states?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I was going to ask for people’s impressions of my own state, but I figured broaden it more.

I guess I’m basically looking for steretypes of states, but I want to know what uneducated impressions that real people (i.e., Dopers) actually have of various other states. I’m curious to hear how accurate they are. Of course, I’m particularly interested to hear people’s idea of Ohio, my own state.

I don’t mean opinions like “state X sucks.” Rather, simply, what comes to mind when you think of a state you’re not personally familiar with?

2

Interesting question.

I’ve visited most states, but missed some in the midwest.

Never having seen Kansas, my mental image of the place is one big flat wheat field.

Never having seen Nebraska, my mental image of the place is one big flat corn field.

Am I close?

3

I should amend that:

Kansas is one big flat wheat field surrounding a basketball arena.

Nebraska is one big flat cornfield surrounding a football stadium.

4

Honestly, I imagine every state save Alaska (and maybe Hawaii) is mostly like the other in that it’s a bunch of small, generally conservative, towns with a liberal sprinkling of farming communities throughout with anywhere from one or two to over a dozen larger cities that are the true identifiers of a state.

I admit to thinking of Alaska as nothing but snow, a pipeline, and half a dozen cities though.

5

Ohio: flat, not a lot of trees, farmland. Boring. At least, that’s my impression of it!

spoke- is pretty much right about Kansas and Nebraska as seen from the highways going through them, but I have it on good authority that parts of both are awfully pretty when you get away from the interstate.

Oh my. I’ve lived in and visited many, many small towns and really take issue with the idea that the larger cities are the true identifiers of a state. In many ways I think the big cities are the parts that are bland and homogenous, especially newer mid-size cities that have little history behind them.

6

Well, I assume there are no virgins east of the 100th merdian because those states don’t have any volcanoes.

:smiley:

7

Possibly but when I think of New York, I think of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx, not some town I’ve not heard of. Same for Northern California and San Francisco; Southern California and Los Angeles; Illinois and Chicago; and, even though I live in a small town outside Salem, Oregon and Portland.

Obviously, it’s more complex than that but having lived in a city of 40,000 in Tennessee, another of 250,000 in Nebraska, and a small town of 10,000 in Oregon, I just don’t think they’re really that unique. There was more to do in Lincoln than there was in Cleveland (TN) or Dallas (OR) but the populations really were not that different from one another although the cities themselves and the climate obviously were.

Plus, characterizing big cities as bland and homogenous is just as insulting to their citizens as my statement was to small towns’ populations.

8

Before I moved to Washington, I thought that the entire state was very liberal. Now I know that Seattle is very liberal, and the rest of the state is middle of the road to conservative. At least that’s the impression that I get.

Being originally from Utah, I’m always curious to find out other’s impressions of it. When I moved here, I was a little annoyed with how I was treated (until it came to be known that I’m not Mormon). A lot of my co-workers were rather rude to me and sarcastically apologized for swearing in front of me, among other things. Now when I’m asked where I grew up, I tell them and quickly find a way to fit in that I’m not LDS so they won’t start acting weird. It’s annoying.

9

My impression of Ohio, is that one shouldn’t speed when driving through it.

10

I should have contributed some of my own…

That’s pretty much the image I get, too.

Perhaps you’d be happy to know (or perhaps you don’t care) that Mormons are not the first thing to come to my mind when I think of Utah. I generally think of geographic features like mountains, deserts, and things in the national parks.

11

I’ve always pictured New Jersey as one great big suburb.

12

Oh, I know very well what people’s uninformed opinions of Alabama are like. In fact, I have a vein throbbing in my forehead right now just thinking about them.

13

I’ve always pictured New Hampshire as a much blander version of Vermont.

14

Especially if you’re driving a semi. Everyone’s just gonna have to trust me on this one. If your vehicle has 18 wheels, don’t speed. Or, at least, don’t get caught.
[sub] I wonder if that warrant is still active :cool: [/sub]

15

Ooh, I like this one.

I can’t say so much for states, but I’ll throw out my uninformed opinion about whatever if you don’t mind :wink:

BTW, I’m from Mississippi, but I’m not typical

SoCal, Full of superficial people who wanna make it in the movie business
NoCal all the way to Washington. Full of hipsters who constantly try to impress you with how special they are or sit around all day basking in their individuality

Idaho, Monatana, Wyoming… No clue… Honeslty I have no picture

Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona…Hippie enclaves in liberal towns surrounded by Libertarians

Great plans states… Cows… Smell like cowshit (I’ve been through before)

Texas… Never had a good opinion of Texans. Firstly I met a bunch at college who act like they are total badasses. Then there’s Bush

Tenessee, Alabama…A lot like MS, but only more religious…
Southern Lousianna…Cajun, southern, but really weird… I like it

Great Lakes States… Dirty industrial graveyards full of blue-collared guys drinking PBR in a local dive bar.

Florida…Suburbs… and then Miami,

Honestly though, I think people think that Mississippi is very religious, but I would bet that it isn’t as religious as Alabama or Tenessee. You see a lot more religious propaganda in those places than you do here. Also, in general, we are always at the bottom of the list, and that includes teen pregnancy. The truth is that we just have dirtier lives down here, and that kind of prevents us from getting too holy. Sure, you have your Southern Baptists and all, but then most people aren’t, and almost all people get sick of living in such shit towns that they turn to drugs, booze and whatnot. Hey we don’t have it good, but I’d rather have grown up in shit than grown up in a pristine town where everybody tells you what not to do…

16

I’d include the Seattle suburbs as well, at least in my age bracket (19).

17

Being 100% honest, I have a very bad impression of Texas.

I once had occasion to read thousands of emails from all over the USA. Without question, the most offensive and, well, unevolved, ones came from Texas. Really ugly and distasteful stuff. Lots of bullies and people who lack humility down there, it seems.

(My apologies if this seems like a political shot. It is not intended to be. Any political overlap is purely coincidental)

18

Unless you’re in line with 50+ other semis in which case, hammer down. Oh boy, was that fun. Ohio goes by real quick at 75mph, btw. Convoy, bitches. I hate Ohio. :smiley:

19

Now tell me you weren’t thinking Thank G*d for Mississippi! when you were typing that. :stuck_out_tongue:

I want everyone to know that Merkwurdigliebe lives in a different part of Mississippi than I do or any I’ve ever been to for that matter. Unfortunately, he’s even wrong about the number of Southern Baptists. Maybe he’s just trying to justify his personal involvement concerning the last part of that statement.

20

Okay, maybe I was exaggerating, but I used to think that we were obviously the worst in every possible category, but then I have some other opinions that I recently formed.

Firstly we don’t have the kind of Judge Roy Moore national fiascos that other states are typical for. Secondly we don’t have anybody demanding that we teach Creationism in schools (at least not where I went).

Secondly maybe its just an age thing? Also I was raised as a Methodist, so that may have something to do with it, but nobody that I knew was all gung ho about religion. Sure, everybody goes to church as is customary, but most people my age just seemed to be more discouraged than anything at the lack of opportunities here. Honestly we are the subject of all the jokes of all the neighboring states…But when someone in the national media makes a joke about the South? Who do they pick? Amost never Mississippi. Its always Alabama, and others because they tend to be much more vocal backwards things. I’m serious, take a trip to eastern Tenessee some time and see if you don’t find it more backwards! Hey, the 18-29 age-group voted 61 percent for Kerry in the last election, which is higher than all of our neighboring states, also higher than California and New York. Not that I don’t think we’ve got problems, but wasn’t it Faulkner that said something along the lines that the prettiest flowers grow from the smelliest manure? Maybe not him, but it was certainly about him.

Again, maybe I’ve just had a different experience not growing up in the Methodist influence, but we always despised the Holier than thou attitude and I’ve never had to deal with it too much until I’ve been elsewhere.