# Which states are most well known across the pond? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982 "2017-09-10T01:35:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/141 "2017-09-17T23:13:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Obviously I must be including parts of other states, to reach a total greater than the state of New York. And what other way of measuring besides population would be relevant? Initially, I thought you were talking about the “New Yorker” map of the USA [View of the World from 9th Avenue - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_of_the_World_from_9th_Avenue) See also this “equal population” map [Population map: Use our interactive map to figure out how many flyover states it takes to equal one New York City.](http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/10/population_map_use_our_interactive_map_to_figure_out_how_many_flyover_states.html) which is just cool. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/142 "2017-09-17T23:35:38Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > From here across the Pacific ditch, and I promise I’m not googling, I’ll try to rattle off as many of the US states that I can: > > Arizona, California, Oregon, Nebraska, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, Washington, Illinois, Idaho, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Georgia, New England, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Connecticut, Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Louisiana, Wyoming… > > That was 5 minutes worth of brain-stretch. > > Now, for the 'Merkins, how many states (and territories) can you name in Australia? 😃 New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Middle Desert, Upper Desert, South Desert and New Zealand. Sorry, but you’re gonna have to blame the British publishers Mills & Boon for my ignorance since I learned this as a pre-teen reading Harlequins. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/143 "2017-09-18T00:09:32Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > _Indiana wants me > Lord I can’t go back there._ _I’m goin’ back to Indiana! Indiana here I come-- Com’on Tito, you can do it!_ ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/144 "2017-09-18T00:40:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Obviously I must be including parts of other states, to reach a total greater than the state of New York. And what other way of measuring besides population would be relevant? I was just trying to add precision to that comment. Your post didn’t specify that population was the measure. That made the statement potentially ambiguous, especially because when I see a statement like that, the first thing that comes to mind is geographic area, not population. And I think that a statement like “New York state is mostly New York City,” calls for specifying that the population of adjoining states are being taken into account. I think it makes sense to specify all that. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/145 "2017-09-18T16:02:55Z")
Growing up in the UK, I knew the names and approximate locations of Florida, California, New York\* and Washington (though admittedly the latter was due solely to being a grunge fan). I could name most of the states, though I would have missed a few (Mississippi? That’s a river! West Virginia? That’s just the western part of Virginia, right?) and added some that don’t exist (New England). I also would have pronounced Arkansas the way it looks, and I would only have been able to name it at all because of Bill Clinton. \*Even today, I can’t reliably locate New York on a blank state map, and I’ve lived in the US for 20 years and visited NYC several times. ---
**Author:** ![Remember\_me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Remember\_me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Remember_me)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/146 "2017-09-22T07:38:49Z")
To get a feeling on the geographical knowledge of “normal” people from the UK, you might want to have a look at yesterday’s episode of “Richard Osman’s House of games” (S01E14). It is readily available on Youtube (I am not sure about the legality of the video, so I won’t provide a link). From minute 16:26 to 22:00 there is a section misleadingly called “Where in Kazakhstan”, that deals with locating things on a map. In this episode is is things within the US. The contestants are not completely but are in fact celebrities (far from A-listers, of course). But their geographical knowledge is probably not far of from “everyday normal people”. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/147 "2017-09-22T07:54:38Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > I’ll never understand how New ‘England’ doesn’t include New ‘York’ and New ‘Jersey’ but then I’m from the south. The old Jersey isn’t in the old England either. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/148 "2017-09-22T08:50:32Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > \*Even today, I can’t reliably locate New York on a blank state map, and I’ve lived in the US for 20 years and visited NYC several times. All you have to do is look for Long Island, it’s at the western end of that. This works whether it’s a blank map of the state or the US as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/149 "2017-09-22T13:45:58Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > I have had many an argument with people in the UK who actually think there are 52 states. When I was growing up, we had _Trivial Pursuit_ (Genus II edition). The answer given for “how many states make up the USA?” was 52. Presumably, the US version didn’t include that answer (probably didn’t even include that question). Wikipedia doesn’t seem to think there was a UK version of the game, though. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/150 "2017-09-23T17:02:37Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > When I was growing up, we had _Trivial Pursuit_ (Genus II edition). The answer given for “how many states make up the USA?” was 52. Presumably, the US version didn’t include that answer (probably didn’t even include that question). Wikipedia doesn’t seem to think there was a UK version of the game, though. I played Trivial Pursuit a lot back in the day but never encountered that question, although I did hear there were extra questions not included in the US sets. One question in the Canadian version supposedly had to do with Reagan being the only president to marry a pregnant bride. But I’m curious what your version thought were the other two states. Washington DC presumably. Puerto Rico too? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/151 "2017-09-23T18:12:46Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I played Trivial Pursuit a lot back in the day but never encountered that question, although I did hear there were extra questions not included in the US sets. One question in the Canadian version supposedly had to do with Reagan being the only president to marry a pregnant bride. But I’m curious what your version thought were the other two states. Washington DC presumably. Puerto Rico too? Alaska and Hawaii, most certainly. It depends on whether you think “the US consists of 50 states, including the two that don’t fit on the map” or whether its “50 states, plus 2.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/152 "2017-09-23T18:19:30Z")
I’ve never heard of anyone mistaking the Lower 48 as 50 and then Hawaii and Alaska are extra. But I can imagine someone mistaking DC for a state. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/153 "2017-09-23T19:58:35Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Yes, this is a bit of a muddle. There’s: > > 1. University of Washington, a public university in Seattle, Washington > > 2. Washington State University, a public university in Pullman, Washington > > 3. Washington University in St. Louis, a private university in St. Louis, Missouri > > 4. George Washington University, a private university in Washington, D.C. > > 5. University of the District of Columbia, a public university in Washington, D.C. Also, Georgetown, a private university in Washington, DC. And I’ve known people to think that American University is the same as one of the above, because I don’t even know. And Eastern Washington University is big enough to get mixed in on occasion. It’s a public school in Eastern Washington state. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/154 "2017-09-24T03:33:23Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > 1. University of Washington, a public university in Seattle, Washington > > > > 2. Washington State University, a public university in Pullman, Washington > > > > 3. Washington University in St. Louis, a private university in St. Louis, Missouri > > > > 4. George Washington University, a private university in Washington, D.C. > > > > 5. University of the District of Columbia, a public university in Washington, D.C. > > Also, Georgetown, a private university in Washington, DC. > > And I’ve known people to think that American University is the same as one of the above, because I don’t even know. > > And Eastern Washington University is big enough to get mixed in on occasion. It’s a public school in Eastern Washington state. Well, if you want to get into the local Georges, there’s 1. Georgetown University, a private Catholic university in Washington, D.C. 2. George Mason University, a public university in Fairfax, Virginia and, okay, as you say, go ahead and add: 1. American University, a private university in Washington, D.C. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/155 "2017-09-24T03:51:53Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > From here across the Pacific ditch, and I promise I’m not googling, I’ll try to rattle off as many of the US states that I can: > > Arizona, California, Oregon, Nebraska, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, Washington, Illinois, Idaho, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Georgia, New England, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Connecticut, Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Louisiana, Wyoming… > > That was 5 minutes worth of brain-stretch. > > Now, for the 'Merkins, how many states (and territories) can you name in Australia? 😃 Just started reading the thread, but can’t resist a challenge: Western Australia (Perth), South Australia (Adelaide), Northern Australia (Darwin), Queensland (Brisbane), New South Wales (Canberra, and also Sydney, the capital of the whole place), Victoria (Melbourne), & Tasmania (Hobart). Your totality also includes Christmas Island, Norfolk Island, and a couple of other places. As for your list, good going, but “New England” is not a state; it’s a region, like “The Pacific Northwest,” “The Deep South,” or “The Bible Belt.” ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/156 "2017-09-24T04:06:41Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I believe this is intentional. The vast majority of states chose a capital city apart from the largest city. State politics have for many years featured a vicious rivalry between urban and rural polities, and for most of American history, rural people have managed to hold political power way out of proportion to their numbers. > > Just as an illustration, the only cities that are both their state’s largest city and also the state capital are: > > Phoenix, Arizona > Little Rock, Arkansas > Denver, Colorado > Atlanta, Georgia > Honolulu, Hawaii > Indianapolis, Indiana > Des Moines, Iowa > Boston, Massachusetts > Jackson, Mississippi > Columbus, Ohio > Providence, Rhode Island > Nashville, Tennessee > Charleston, West Virginia > Cheyenne, Wyoming > > And in several of these cases, the city became the largest only after being designated as the capital. > > Take Columbus, Ohio, for example. Ohio had several major metropolitan areas, particularly Cincinnati and Cleveland, when Columbus was founded just to be the state capital. Not only was it not the state’s largest city when it was chosen, but it didn’t even exist. The capital city is usually centrally located. The idea is that it should not present any undue burden for an elected representative to travel there. The largest city is a state is usually a port city. That’s why NYC is huge, but Albany is the capital of New York, and Chicago is huge, but Springfield is the capital of Illinois. In states without large port cities, the capital often did end up becoming the largest city-- Indianapolis, Indiana, for example. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982/157 "2017-09-24T04:25:56Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > As for your list, good going, but “New England” is not a state; it’s a region, like “The Pacific Northwest,” “The Deep South,” or “The Bible Belt.” Yeah, we’ve been going on about New England for four pages now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-are-most-well-known-across-the-pond/795982.md?page=7)