The U.S. states and their defining characteristics

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Imagine all 325 million Americans are asked what they associate with every single of the 50 U.S. states.
They can give exactly one answer per state. The answer can include a statistical fact, a city, a square/building, a person/family, an event, climate characteristics, characteristics of its people, their heritage, a sports team, an agricultural produce or an industrial product.
What do you think would be the main answer for each state?

PS: Wouldn't it be nice if I could put this question into a geography board? 😉

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

My guess:

[Strudelcutie4427]

AK- cold
HI- tropical
CA- LA
Oregon- Hipsters in the woods
Washington- Hipsters in Seattle
ID- potato farms
NV- Vegas
AZ- desert
NM- desert/aliens
UT- Mormons
CO- South Park
WY- Yellowstone
MT- mountains
ND- cold and empty
SD- Mt Rushmore
NE- corn
KS- corn
OK- tornadoes
TX- Texas
LA- swamps
AR- rednecks
MS- rednecks
AL- rednecks
FL- Disney World
GA- rednecks
SC- beaches
NC- beaches
TN- country music
KY- horses
MO- St Louis
IA- corn
MN- cold/funny accents
WI- cheese and packers
IL- Chicago
MI- cars and lakes
IN- mike pence
OH- Cleveland
WV- coal and hillbillies
VA- civil war
MD- Baltimore
DE- small
PA- Philly
NJ- Jersey Shore
NY- NYC
CT- very rich and very poor
RI- small
MA- irish people, Boston
VT- Bernie
NH- no sales tax
ME- lobsters

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Thank you for your assistance!

NM- desert/aliens

I thought all the aliens lived in Lincoln County, Nevada?

[DINGO Joe]

Thank you for your assistance!

NM- desert/aliens

I thought all the aliens lived in Lincoln County, Nevada?

Google Roswell

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Thank you for your assistance!

NM- desert/aliens

I thought all the aliens lived in Lincoln County, Nevada?

Google Roswell

Ah, I thought Area 51 was in Roswell. Good to know!

[RINO Tom]

I'm pretty sure maps like that actually exist, so I will do my own personal one.   A lot of these are really random, but I tried to type the first thing I thought of:

AL - Alabama Crimson Tide football
AK - The Fourth Kind
AZ - Desert
AR - Bill Clinton
CA - San Diego
CO - Rocky Mountains
CT - Stuffy people
DE - I literally think of nothing ... is it real?
FL - Florida Keys
GA - Peaches
HI - Beaches
ID - Boise State Broncos football
IL - Peoria
IN - Indianapolis
IA - Iowa Hawkeyes
KS - Lawrence
KY - Kentucky Derby
LA - True Detective, season 1
ME - It
MD - Martin O'Malley, LOL
MA - The Revolutionary War
MI - Fall leaves
MN - Snow
MS - The Grove/Ole Miss tailgating
MO - Missouri Tigers basketball's vomit-colored jerseys and their trash fans
MT - Joe Montana
NE - The College World Series
NV - Las Vegas
NH - Honestly, now it's TN Volunteer/MT Treasurer
NJ - The It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode at the Jersey Shore
NM - Breaking Bad
NY - My old neighbors from Long Island and how ignorant they were of geography/the strange pride they took in being dumb on the subject
NC - The Outer Banks
ND - Fargo
OH - Most "normal" state
OK - Dust Bowl, even though I've read it was actually farther west
OR - Portland being famously bizarre
PA - Founding Father times
RI - Horrible drivers
SC - "Old money South"
SD - Mount Rushmore
TN - Country music
TX - George W. Bush
UT - Mormons
VT - Forests
VA - Robert E. Lee
WA - Mount St. Helens
WV - John Denver
WI - Door County
WY - Cowboys

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

WY - Cowboys

There are cowboys in Wyoming?

[cvparty]

idaho potatoes wisconsin cheese

[Nyvin]

Kansas would have to be the Wizard of Oz

[jimrtex]

[libertpaulian]

AL - Alabama Crimson Tide football
AK - Sarah Palin
AZ - Phoenix
AR - Bill Clinton
CA - Hollywood
CO - South Park
CT - "Old Money North"
DE - Corporations
FL - #FloridaMan
GA - Outkast
HI - Weather
ID - Potatoes
IL - Chicago
IN - Indianapolis
IA - Corn
KS - Leavenworth
KY - UK Basketball
LA - Nawlins
ME - Lobstah
MD - Affluent technocrats
MA - Boston
MI - UM Football
MN - ELCA Lutherans
MS - Elvis
MO - The Arch
MT - Libertarian populists
NE - Nothing
NV - Las Vegas
NH - MT Treasurer...thanks a lot...
NJ - Jersey Shore
NM - Gary Johnson
NY - NYC
NC - Charlotte
ND - Fargo
OH - 2004 election
OK - A mix of Southern, Southwestern, and Plains
OR - Portland
PA - Gettysburg Address
RI - Family Guy
SC - "Old Money South"
SD - Mount Rushmore
TN - Nashville
TX - George Strait
UT - Mormons
VT - Bernie Sanders
VA - NOVA
WA - Starbucks
WV - Coal
WI - Vulvar Packers fans
WY- Cowboys I guess?

[Mr. Smith]

AL: Rednecks
AK: Cold
AR: Rednecks
AZ: Heat
CA: Berkeley
CO: Hippies
CT: Old Money
DE: Corporations
FL: Insanity
GA: Jimmy Carter
HI: Vacation
ID: Mormons
IL: Chicago
IA: Corn
KS: Corn
KY: Derby
LA: Nawlins
ME: Lighthouses
MD: Crabs
MA: Harvard
MI: Jalopies
MN: Kindness
MS: Faulkner
MO: Adam Ohndi-Ahman
MT: Cowboys
NE: Corn
NV: Casinoes
NH: Nothing
NJ: Corruption
NY: NYC
NC: Basketball
NM: Heat
ND: Oil
OH: Cleveland
OK: Fat people
OR: Crater Lake
PA: Philly Cheesesteaks
RI: Tiny
SC: Carolina Barbecue
SD: Mt. Rushmore
TN: Memphis Barbecue
TX: Cowboys
UT: Mormons
VT: Ben and Jerry's
VA: Military
WA: Seattle
WV: Coal
WI: Cheese
WY: Yellowstone

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Interesting what you can learn from this forum. I didn't know that lobsters lived in Maine, I rather thought Louisiana were famous for its lobsters.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

WY- Cowboys I guess?

You're the second one who says that. Are the really so many cowboys living in Wyoming?

[MasterJedi]

Nobody has said beer for Wisconsin yet? Surprising.

[RINO Tom]

Interesting what you can learn from this forum. I didn't know that lobsters lived in Maine, I rather thought Louisiana were famous for its lobsters.

Maine lobster is thought by many to be the best in the world.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Maine lobster is thought by many to be the best in the world.

I ought try it, but unfortunately I don't like to have living animals thrown into boiling water. 

[ملكة كرينجيتوك]

WY- Cowboys I guess?

You're the second one who says that. Are the really so many cowboys living in Wyoming?

It's a very rural and sparsely populated state, hence nothing else worth mentioning aside from Yellowstone.

AL: Sweet Home Alabama
AK: Cold
AR: Walmart
AZ: Hot
CA: Silicon Valley + Hollywood
CO: South Park
CT: Income inequality
DE: Joe Biden
FL: Thunderstorms
GA: Peaches
HI: Tropical
ID: Potatoes
IL: Corruption
IA: Corn
KS: Corn
KY: Bluegrass
LA: Nawlins
ME: Basically Canada
MD: Next to DC
MA: Education
MI: Auto industry
MN: Friendly
MS: Backwards
MO: St Louis
MT: Cowboys
NE: Corn
NV: Vegas
NH: Hates taxes
NJ: Suburbia
NY: NYC
NC: Basketball
NM: Breaking Bad
ND: Fracking
OH: Rust Belt
OK: Backwards
OR: Crater Lake
PA: Philadephia + Pittsburgh
RI: Family Guy
SC: Old South
SD: Mt. Rushmore
TN: Country music
TX: King of the Hill
UT: Mormons
VT: Bernie Sanders
VA: Military
WA: Apples
WV: Coal
WI: Cheese
WY: Yellowstone

[kcguy]

It's interesting that so many people list "corn" for Kansas.

For some reason I think of Kansas as a wheat state.

[scutosaurus]

AL: Birmingham
AK: Polar bears
AZ: The Sonoran Desert
AR: Wal-Mart
CA: Hollywood
CO: Liberals
CT: Rich suburbs
DE: No sales tax
FL: Hurricanes
GA: Atlanta
HI: Beaches
ID: Coeur d'Alene
IL: Corruption
IN: Mike Pence (my apologies to the good people of Indiana)
IA: The Iowa Caucus
KS: The Wizard of Oz
KY: Mammoth Cave
LA: Hurricane Katrina
ME: Stephen King
MD: John Delaney
MA: Salem Witch Trials
MI: Car manufacturing
MN: South Canada
MS: Racial polarization
MO: St. Louis
MT: Paleontology
NE: Fake state, doesn't exist (there's context behind this one)
NV: Las Vegas
NH: Angry women
NJ: More corruption
NM: Roswell UFO incident
NY: New York City
NC: Asheville
ND: Oil pipelines
OH: Sherrod Brown
OK: Tornadoes
OR: Portland
PA: Independence Hall
RI: The smallest state
SC: Civil War
SD: Badlands
TN: Chattanooga
TX: Don't mess with it
UT: Mormons
VT: Bernie Sanders
VA: NOVA
WA: Dota 2 International Championship
WV: Coal mining
WI: Cheese
WY: Yellowstone

[ملكة كرينجيتوك]

It's interesting that so many people list "corn" for Kansas.

For some reason I think of Kansas as a wheat state.

Hmm yeah, Kansas does seem like more of a wheat state. IIRC the patriarch of the murdered family from In Cold Blood ran a large wheat farm. I used the above poster's responses as a template and forgot to come up with something original for many of the states I have no strong opinion on.

[jimrtex]

WY- Cowboys I guess?

You're the second one who says that. Are the really so many cowboys living in Wyoming?

[jimrtex]

It's interesting that so many people list "corn" for Kansas.

For some reason I think of Kansas as a wheat state.

Not a wheat state, but The Wheat State.

[RINO Tom]

Maine lobster is thought by many to be the best in the world.

I ought try it, but unfortunately I don't like to have living animals thrown into boiling water. 

If it makes you feel any better, that sounds isn't them screaming and they barely feel anything!