Some state residents’ nominclatures are fairly well known, but others seem just plain awkward. The straightforward ones:
Alaska - Alaskans
American Samoa - American Samoans
California - Californians
Georgia - Georgians
Hawaii - Hawaiians
Iowa - Iowans
New York - New Yorkers
And so on.
Some of the ones that don’t seem to have any appealing designation:
DC - Districted Columbians? Columbia Districters? I know we usually say “Washingtonians”, but then how do we distinguish from those of the Great Rainy State?
Or how about “Arkansas?” I would say “Arkansans,” with emphasis on the second syllable, but I heard some news guy pronounce it as “Arkansawans,” with emphasis on the third.
I’m living in Montana now, and I think that makes me a Montanan. A Ute is a member of a particular native American tribe, not a general term for all residents of Utah. And add Ohio to the list of straightforward ones (Ohioans).
People who live in Maine because of the beautiful summer weather are Mainers. People who stay for the winters too are Maineiacs. I am a Maineiac.
Some people from away call us all Down Easters because they think we all live Down East. In fact, only the Down East part of Maine is Down East. I’ve been Down East, and the people down there say, “No, this isn’t Down East. Down East is Down East.” I hope that clears things up.
There are several major varieties of Virginians, with “Rednecks” being the most prominent along with a sun-shy northern migratory group known as “geeks.” We also have “rabid Bible-thumping televangelists,” “scum-sucking politicians” and their parasites, “lobbyists,” as well as “squids,” who periodically come ashore to drink and entertain prostitutes.
All can be described as “of The Old Dominion,” or very occasionally, “Dominionites.”
That’s what I’ve always called my neighbors to the north-northwest. Actually, “Nude Mexicans” has a nicer ring to it. And if this were the pit, “Those [expletive deleted] that suck the Rio Grande dry”.
I grew up in New Hampshire, and so know most of the New England state resident nicknames (some are regional to a certain area):
Maine: Maniac, Mainer, Down Easter
New Hampshire: New Hampshirite, Granite Stater
Massatwoshits(massachusetts): Masshole, Bay Stater
Connecticut: Connecticuter
Vermont: Vermonter, (special note: to Vermonters, all out-of-staters are “Flatlanders”)
Rhode Island:Rhode Islanders
Only really interesting one is perhaps Massachusetts, where the only quasi-official residents name is “Bay Stater”
I always prefered “Masshole” anyways.
Connecticut residents are also called Nutmeggers. I’ve never been sure why, but my father speculated that the dishonest Yankee traders from Conn. were famous for selling wooden nutmegs to housewives.
Males from Michigan are Michiganders; females from Michigan are, of course, Michigeese.
New Mexico: New Mexicans, whether you like it or not
Utah: Utahans
Montana: Montanans
Illinois: Illinoisans
