Which states are most well known across the pond?

[Arcite]

@Andy_L

This discussion of New England (by the way, could your friend be thinking of the fact that Connecticut claimed (and settled) some land in what is now Pennsylvania?) reminds me of the “Tri-State Area” question. New York and New Jersey are definitely part of the Tri-State area, but there are some who would call Pennsylvania the third state in that area (making a New York and Philadelphia axis) while most would say that Connecticut is the third state in the “Tri-State”.

When I was growing up in the greater Philadelphia area, some people used “tri-state area” to refer to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

[Clothahump]

@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?

I came up with Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and West Australia. Then I googled and found that I had forgotten about Victoria and Tasmania.

[Malleus_Incus_Stapes]

@BCP

• The one with the deadly spiders
• The one with the deadly jellyfish
• The one with the freakin’ dropbears
• The one with all the hungry crocs.
• The one with all the dangerous snakes.

@cochrane

• The one with all the hungry crocs.
• The one with all the dangerous snakes.

-The one with all the killer trees
-Queensland

There, got 'em all!

[gigi]

@Robot_Arm

Okay then.

Does anybody have a term for that part of the country settled in early colonial times, with small town centers spaced a day’s ride on horseback apart, remnants of stone walls and old farms, small inns and bed-and-breakfasts, colorful fall foliage (and its attendant tourism)? I had been using “New England”, but apparently that’s not right.

“Northern New England”, aka NH, VT, ME.

[Chronos]

New York and New Jersey are definitely part of the Tri-State area…

At least, New Yorkers think so. Every place in the country where three states border each other (which is all over the place), the residents make reference to the “tri-state area”.

And speaking of Connecticut claiming land, and speaking of Cleveland, the Cleveland area was also once claimed by Connecticut. Connecticut’s original borders were claimed as extending westward all the way to the Pacific Ocean, before anyone had any idea of just how far away that was. The Cleveland area was Connecticut’s “western reserve”, a term that’s still sometimes used for this region, and they got paid pretty well to relinquish their claims.

[control-z]

@Riemann

A significant proportion of Americans seem to be under the impression that travel to my new home state of New Mexico requires a passport.

That has to hurt tourism, at least some.

I had a friend who thought that, and also that Chicago is a state.

[buddha_david]

@pulykamell

What’s the famous Indiana song?

“Back Home Again in Indiana”, which is sung before each running of the Indianapolis 500. Probably not that well-known as far as state songs go, though.

[Little_Nemo]

@Ukulele_Ike

Cincinnati, I know nothing about. It’s at the other end of the state, abutting (ugh) Kentucky.

Cincinnati has Jungle Jim’s.

[cochrane]

@thelurkinghorror

“Commonwealth” has no legal meaning. Massachusetts, Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania are all commonwealths. The official distinction is “territory.”

I stand corrected. Even though it is officially called “The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,” that name does not carry any legal status.

[Wallaby]

@pulykamell

Well, there’s only like seven of them, right? Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria, and then I get lost. (Looks it up: Oh, well, they have quite generic names, so I can’t be faulted.)

Steve Hughes (aussie comedian) does a routine where he points that early British Explorers named the first 4 states - New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland. Then:
‘Hey, we’ve got 3 more states to name. What are we going to call them?’
‘Dunno. Tell me about them’.
‘Well, one’s in the north, one’s in the south and one’s west of the other 2’.
‘OK. Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia’.
‘Great. Done. Now what do we call this great big sandy desert and these snowy mountains’?

[cochrane]

@Arcite

When I was growing up in the greater Philadelphia area, some people used “tri-state area” to refer to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

I grew up in western Pennsylvania. We referred to the states of PA, Ohio, and West Virginia as the tri-state area.

[Ukulele_Ike]

In NYC, the “tri-state” area means NYC, eastern NJ, and SW Connecticut. It’s used mainly in traffic and transit reports, because these are commuter areas. Pennsylvania doesn’t enter in.

[Ukulele_Ike]

@Little_Nemo

Cincinnati has Jungle Jim’s.

I know “Cincinnati Chili,” which has an interesting past but I wouldn’t travel there to taste it…sounds a lot like “Greek spaghetti sauce with beans and cheddar cheese on it”…but not aware of “Jungle Jim’s.” Is it a food?

[Urbanredneck]

I have had to tell foreigners where Kansas is.

[Acsenray]

@Ukulele_Ike

I know “Cincinnati Chili,” which has an interesting past but I wouldn’t travel there to taste it…sounds a lot like “Greek spaghetti sauce with beans and cheddar cheese on it”…but not aware of “Jungle Jim’s.” Is it a food?

It’s a gigantic supermarket with more variety than most people can imagine — http://www.junglejims.com/ — I haven’t been there, but I’m told it’s really something to see.

[Hilarity_N.Suze]

@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.

Oklahoma City?

[Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus]

I think Alaska would be high on the list. I agree with Texas and California for obvious cultural and historical connotations regarding each. New York slightly less so, because the name is so strongly linked to just the city, I imagine much to the consternation and resentment of upstaters.

[Shagnasty]

@Acsenray

It’s a gigantic supermarket with more variety than most people can imagine — http://www.junglejims.com/ — I haven’t been there, but I’m told it’s really something to see.

Jungle Jim’s really is impressive. It is like Whole Foods and Disney World had a bastard child that is a little insane. I was given a tour of it by Jungle Jim himself and he isn’t normal but he does know how to run an eccentric, overgrown supermarket with more variety than you can imagine.

[glee]

John Mace wondered why Oklahoma wasn’t mentioned.
I know the song and the musical, but I thought Oklahoma was just a city!

I should have got Alabama though (“Sweet Home Alabama”)

[John_Mace]

@buddha_david

“Back Home Again in Indiana”, which is sung before each running of the Indianapolis 500. Probably not that well-known as far as state songs go, though.

Indiana wants me
Lord I can’t go back there.