So American peeps - which state are you from and what do you

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Replies

  • emd0019
    emd0019 Posts: 179 Member
    Alabama residents are obsessed with football. We are divided by University of Alabama fans or Auburn University fans. Makes for a fun fall as long as you keep it all in good fun! As a University of Alabama Fan we say "Roll Tide"!!!! Alabamians also like to go to church. It is a family thing, if you are not there on a Sunday, everyone will be calling to check up on you. They will take care of you in your time of need through tragedy or just small bumps in the road. I had surgery in June & was down for a few weeks, I still have frozen food in my freezer from my church family!!

    I have to say that I think the state has come a long way on the racism front and I wish people would visit the state before they automatically think we are a bunch of dumb hicks that hate someone for the color of their skin. It is not the case at all!!

    If you ever visit and someone says "Bless your heart" just know, it is not a compliment, it's the #1 southern insult. We can't be harsh even when we try!! haha

    Only one problem with these statements.... obsessed is not a strong enough word.
    I love it down here and think your description is spot on.
    Not to mention one of my favorite things is going back to KY and saying Bless Your Heart to people.
  • Daisy374
    Daisy374 Posts: 539 Member
    I'm a Maryland girl too :bigsmile: I live close to and work in the city (Baltimore), but live in a rural area.
    I love that we get all 4 seasons, and yes... I also love that we get SNOW!
    I am a Paralegal and currently work in Estate Administration. It is interesting, but would love to find a job closer to my house... :)
  • rgoodearl
    rgoodearl Posts: 360 Member
    Born in Wisconsin, but have lived in AZ, MN, IA, MI, TX, IL and Kentucky for the last 5 years...and I must say, KY is a beautiful state with great people ! I work for a manufacturer in Sales and Marketing and travel a fair amount domestically and internationally.
  • Texan here! I am a legal assistant at a great firm

    GOD BLESS TEXAS! Its hot in the summer and semi cold in the winter. Spring & Fall are perfect weather. The thing about Texas weather is it is consistent! lol

    I love this great state.
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
    My husband was in the military for 20 years, so we have lived all over. But we have been in Southern Nevada (short A in the middle) in the city of Las Vegas for about 11 years now. I absolutely love it here! The best things about living in Las Vegas are having something fun to do all the time and the mountains! I adore the desert landscape here. :)

    Weather can be tough in the summer months, but you get used to the 100 + degree temps. It is supposed to hit 100 today, BTW. The rest of the year, the weather is really beautiful with almost no rain. When we do get a storm, it's a real novelty. So you can get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather just about every single day.
  • LaDiablesse
    LaDiablesse Posts: 862 Member
    I'm in Louisiana. Born in New Orleans & raised in St. Bernard Parish. Currently living in Lafayette which is about 3 hours west of New Orleans (Stupid hurricane Katrina!) Even just being 3 hours away, everything is different here.

    Food seems to be everything around where I have lived. Festivals celebrating specific foods are all throughout the year. Lots of musical diversity. Beautiful plantations to visit. Lots of history.

    It's so funny to see movies where the people are supposed to be from the New Orleans area. We don't sound like that. We tend to not pronounce our R's. Ex: Hea instead of saying here. Be-ya instead of beer. TH's tend to get shortened too. Hence the Saint's song "Who Dat" lol

    We're not all like what has been portrayed on TV whether it's the news or movies.

    I work in the accounting office for an oilfield company. That whole BP disaster has been a nightmare reaching much further than has been covered in the news.
  • VelvetKey
    VelvetKey Posts: 193 Member
    Timmy Hos! I grew up between Buffalo and Rochester, NY but now live in Virginia. I've also lived in Connecticut and Masschusetts. When I say I'm from NY, I like to clarify by saying, "the part of NY that's closer to Toronto than NYC" :laugh:

    I used to use my hands and put them together in the shape of NY and then use my thumb for NYC; Rochester was about where my index and middle finger met; maybe saying that would have been easier!
  • heidiqt
    heidiqt Posts: 45 Member
    from Seattle washington, LOVE IT Go Hawks. Live in Holland Michigan, which is the Western most part of the state, on the Lake. Beautiful here and most importantly Automotive Industry, the bread and butter that treats us quite well!
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
    True Alabama Girl!! It's not called "Alabama The Beautiful" for nothing! We have beautiful woodlands, white beaches and colorful fall mountains. The humidity is tough on some but if you live here long enough you get used to it. The whole state practically shuts down at the mere mention of snow but the kids love it because that usually means no school! I live in a small town that some might compare to Mayberry from the Andy Griffin Show. It has a "Main Street" with a courthouse in the middle of town and a drug store with a snack bar offering the best homemade milkshakes you have ever tasted. It is a close knit community where kids can be kids and I don't think I would want to live anywhere else.

    Alabama residents are obsessed with football. We are divided by University of Alabama fans or Auburn University fans. Makes for a fun fall as long as you keep it all in good fun! As a University of Alabama Fan we say "Roll Tide"!!!! Alabamians also like to go to church. It is a family thing, if you are not there on a Sunday, everyone will be calling to check up on you. They will take care of you in your time of need through tragedy or just small bumps in the road. I had surgery in June & was down for a few weeks, I still have frozen food in my freezer from my church family!!

    I have to say that I think the state has come a long way on the racism front and I wish people would visit the state before they automatically think we are a bunch of dumb hicks that hate someone for the color of their skin. It is not the case at all!!

    If you ever visit and someone says "Bless your heart" just know, it is not a compliment, it's the #1 southern insult. We can't be harsh even when we try!! haha

    I have been a stay at home mom for 10 years, before that I was a buyer for a major healthcare company.
    Hope I gave you a little better view of Alabama!

    I, too, am from Alabama..the northern part of the state. This lady ^^ said everything about our great state there is to say! I don't need to add anything!
  • Saruman_w
    Saruman_w Posts: 1,531 Member
    I'm in Mississippi. I'm a Software Developer.

    It's apparently the fattest of all states. I'm breaking from that mold. It gets hot here... then cold again.. then hot once more. Got some very fickle weather. It snows very rarely down here, and when it does it's usually only for an hour then quits and melts.
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    I'm currently residing in SW Louisiana and was born and raised in South Central Louisiana (Cajun country or Acadiana). The best thing I can say is that it is home for me...and the food is 2nd to none! Which is probably why I needed to join MFP!
    The worst thing is probably the weather. It is hot and humid 8-10 out of the 12 months and you have hurricane season in the middle of it. You just learn to deal with it. Although I do miss the seasonal weather from when I lived in KY a few years back.
  • zippo32
    zippo32 Posts: 1,407 Member
    Middle of the nation.............................Missouri......(MO)................................................................I know it's is not technically the middle but it feels that way...........................................
  • Louisiana here! a few miles north of Baton Rouge (the capitol). The best thing about the state: THE FOOD! Do not come to Louisiana thinking you will start a diet. It will not work.

    We have two seasons: Hot & Cold with Hurricane season merged with the Hot season. We aren't how they portray Louisianians on TVs and movies. My friends and family shake our heads every time they get something wrong about Louisiana. We love our history and our food. If you want fun, come to Louisiana.
  • VegGrrl
    VegGrrl Posts: 336 Member
    Portland, Oregon. Very mild weather but we do have 4 seasons. We're also known for "Keeping Portland WEIRD!" (Check YouTube for scenes from "Portlandia" and you'll see what I mean...) It's gotta be the most vegan friendly place in the world, which is just one of the reasons I love it here.

    I work in Criminal Justice, but if I told you where or what I do - I'd have to kill ya! LMAO
  • shoppie
    shoppie Posts: 618 Member
    This ishas been such an interesting read for me! :heart: I really love how passionate some of you are about your state, it definitely makes me want to see more of the States than I have! I do have a few more questions now though:

    - someone mentioned Jersey shore - what is 'snooki' (yes I goggled it, it did not enlighten me but then I guess I have UK centric google??)
    - how on earth do you get hoosier state from indiana?? I had to google to find what hoosier meant!
    - how is missouri supposed to be pronounced? I thought it was mizz-or-eee-?
    - why do the New Yorkers hate the red sox?? What is with that? I was in NY when the red sox won the world series and you'd have thought the planet was being taken over or something...

    Never going to Texas if its has loads of critters ARGH! ooh, mind you I'm now reading another post about the food, maybe I co0uld be persuaded :laugh: I had absolutely no idea the state name came from the term 'friend' that was really interesting!!

    I'll be honest and say that Mississippi & Alabama were both states I mentally had pegged as racist so its good to hear that isn't true - probably hugely out of date (or from some historical thing randomly shoved at me at some point that has stuck!) Hoe can 'bless your heart' be an insult though?!?!

    Nebraska sounds lovely - I am going to google that and find out where it is when I have finished reading

    Utah snowed into JUNE??? OMG!!! :noway:

    OMG and an Alabama person actually typing 'y'all' I AM SO EXCITED!! That is so quintessentially American to me but have never actually seen or heard it I don't think! :laugh:

    I did giggle at Ohio's 4 seasons of summer and 3 varities of winter! :laugh: Probably not for me though!

    Thanks so much for sharing your homes with me!

    Someone asked where I am from - well originally I'm from Somerset which is in the South West of England and farming country. I then went to Birimingham to study which is central and lead me to have an irrational dislike of Alabama because when I lived abroad people kept asking me if I was from Alabama and I was very 'erm, no, Birmingham ENGLAND!!!'. I met my DH there and we settled in a suburb of London. Its about 30 mins from central London which is great as you have everything you could ever possibly want to do right on your doorstep, yet where I live is actually very green (I can't cope with being too far from greenery and DH is a city lad which is how we have ended up in this sort of halfway house!) The biggest negative about where I live is that it is a generally affluent area and honestly some people are *soooo* snobby. My accent vanished very quickly when we came here as I'd never have got a decent job with a broad farming country accent.

    England in general does have rubbish weather, we just cannot seem to accept it and as usual have been whinging about the lack of 'summer' this year. The last good summer we had was 2006, we need to get over it and stop moaning. Oh wait. no, yes we do moan as much as people make out!! On the other hand, I had a very interesting chat with a guy at work once who has lived in the US, Australia and Singapore for significant chunks of his life but he says he loves England best (he is native Australian) as he think it is the most tolerant, accepting country he has ever visited (he is Asian culturally and also happens to be gay so has had a fair few problems in some places!!) - that made me feel really proud to be British :heart: I do like to think that in general we judge each person individually, but like any generalisation its just that, a generalisation.
  • Troll
    Troll Posts: 922 Member
    Texas. The good? I feel slightly superior knowing that i can drive for 8 hours and still be in my home state. The bad? It gets so hot i swear it feels like birds spontaneously combust in the summer.

    But really, what other state can you see desert, rolling hill country, large forests, lakes, rivers, AND the ocean? I'd never live anywhere else :)
  • elizabethblake
    elizabethblake Posts: 384 Member
    Alabama here!

    The good - second most diverse eco-climate in the country - only California has us beat because we don't have a desert. Much too humid. Some of the prettiest beaches are in Gulf Shores.

    The bad - corrupt government, racism, intolerance, rampant obesity, plummeting home values, THE HUMIDITY OH MY GOD THE HUMIDITY.

    I'd move to North Carolina in a heartbeat! Or Colorado. Or California. I really hate Alabama!

    That's not a very fair way to portray Alabama:huh: I have been down here for fall, part of winter, spring, and part of summer for 2 years now. The landscape is pretty. I visited NE alabama near Sand Rock and loved the environment. We went deer hunting, shot guns, and rode the horses over the fresh snow (yes I know how stereotypical that sounds). A lot of my friends down here are extremely in shape. Granted I am centered around Auburn University but I see people running all day, everyday, not to mention the people biking on the roads.
    The humidity isn't even that bad. I know it gets hot down here but the humidity down here isn't nearly as bad as the humidity I have to deal with up in KY.
    Plus while I have experienced some racist and some intolerance most people are not like that.:angry: Almost everyone down here is friendly and extremely cordial.:flowerforyou: You can find some true southern gentlemen down here as well as some southern belles so I guess some stereotypes are true. I think alabama is very nice.
    The only problem I have is that my accent has gotten thicker and my friends from KY start picking on me because I sound a little different but other than that I haven't had any major problems. :happy:

    But you don't live here, right? Not day in/day out? I've lived here over 20 years, much more than your two. I grew up in Southern Indiana, on the banks of the Ohio, so I know how humid that part of the country can be. My high school didn't have air conditioning - oy! Alabama has them beat, in my opinion.

    I live in Birmingham, the largest city in Alabama. The pollution is so bad that we have ozone alerts almost every day during the summer. I also live in the city limits - there are reports of break-ins every week in my neighborhood, which is one of the better neighborhoods in the city. Racism is still very much a part of the South, unfortunately. I'm looking for a new hairdresser right now because of the racial comments my last hairdresser (of 15 years!) made when I last saw her.

    You live in a nice college town that is very different from Birmingham. My husband is an Auburn grad, War Eagle!

    I'm progressive with a liberal slant, which automatically makes me a fish out of water in this state. You may not agree with me and that's fine, but remember that small college town life is very different from living in the city. btw - I agree that the natural areas are wonderful. My husband and I are avid backpackers and have hiked 171 miles of the Pinhoti Trail in Northeast Alabama - twice!
  • I'll be honest and say that Mississippi & Alabama were both states I mentally had pegged as racist so its good to hear that isn't true - probably hugely out of date (or from some historical thing randomly shoved at me at some point that has stuck!) Hoe can 'bless your heart' be an insult though?!?!

    I usually mentally translate "bless your heart" as "oh, you poor, stupid person" Example:
    Me- "I'm at my wits end with Fiona" (my 6 year old)
    Husband's grandma "Bless your heart, she's just a sweet, stubborn thing"
    Translation: "You moron, how can you let a 6 year old get the better of you"

    :bigsmile:
    England in general does have rubbish weather, we just cannot seem to accept it and as usual have been whinging about the lack of 'summer' this year. The last good summer we had was 2006, we need to get over it and stop moaning.

    I love your weather! I'll trade with you! We lived in England (RAF Lakenheath, near Brandon in Suffolk) from December 2003-December 2007. Summer '06 *was* fantastic, but I loved the weather as a whole. I desperately miss living in England, I would give an arm and a leg if we could move back. The only thing I don't miss is the cost. The exchange rate was 2:1 when we lived there, so every time we did anything off base we had to remember we were paying twice as much as we thought.
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    The down side is there is NO night life for families. Unless you go to bed at 9 p.m. there isn't much to do past then. The town all but shuts down at 10-11pm on a Saturday night! haha. I'm not big in to bars otherwise I could go hang out in a section of town just north of downtown called Broad Ripple Village. Broad Ripple is where all the affluent post Indiana University grads all flock to when they move to Indianapolis to find jobs. It is focused toward the 20-30something age group and frankly, I'm not too keen on hanging out in those kinds of environments. I just don't really "fit in" i guess. haha.

    Move down here! Southern Indiana/Louisville, KY being represented!

    I live in a weird part of the state (IN) that is called Kentuckiana. Seriously, it makes no sense unless you live here. We stole all the hills from the North and created hills and knobs (yes, "knobs" - get your minds out of the gutter :wink: ) for beautiful drives. I'm in the Ohio River Valley area, which means we get about 70-90% humidity all the time with all seasons - which you may experience all in the same week. We've also got a good music scene that's constantly on the rise, along with retstaurants, museums, etc. In Louisville, we have a six-story bat (Louisville Slugger!) that can be seen from different parts of the city, and probably from planes, too. We're a huge hub for college sports with U of L, UK, WKU, IU, and Butler mong others, being followed with pure passion.

    Great place to visit! (Just don't look for me, I'm moving to CO in two weeks :laugh: )
    I spent 8 years living in either Louisville or outside of Louisville (LaGrange)...miss it up there!
  • staceyseeger
    staceyseeger Posts: 778 Member
    San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio is almost like a state within itself. We have Tex Mex food that is SOOOOOOOO GOOD - but its so bad for you. In San Antonio, winters are great! You wear a jacket in the morning and in the afternoon you are in shorts. In the summer, we all spontaneously combust from the heat from HELL!!!!

    SO much to do in San Antonio. A bad Mexican resturant will not last a month. A good mexican resturant will barely keep its doors open. You have to be GREAT and cheap to survive here! We have the river walk, the San Antonio Spurs, the Alamo and numerous landmarks to keep tourists happy.

    SOOOOOOO true! Can't get much farther South or HOTTER:explode: or drier:laugh:

    I, too, LOVE my REAL, AUTHENTIC mexican food! No chain restaurants! :laugh:
  • tallteacher
    tallteacher Posts: 74 Member
    ....and for those of you who HATE humidity? Another thing I love about Colorado (CO) is that it isn't very humid. In fact, it humidity gets over 35%, we are complaining about how awful it is! LOL!
  • heaverchell
    heaverchell Posts: 513 Member
    I'm in GA and I am a SAHM to a 7 year old and almost 5 month old.
  • heaverchell
    heaverchell Posts: 513 Member
    I was born and raised in the Panhandle of FL before moving up to GA
  • heaverchell
    heaverchell Posts: 513 Member
    ATL GA

    I am just south of you in Henry County
  • ESVABelle
    ESVABelle Posts: 1,264 Member
    I'm in Kansas. The Sunflower state. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen sunflowers out here though. I'm in Wichita, which is home to Wichita State University Shockers...as in Shock-Top...as in Wheat...they are an angry grain? Don't worry. If you don't get it, neither do I. Lots of wheat fields out here. And all the farmers burn their fields in the spring. Apparently, it replenishes nutrients. But mostly, it obstructs the view of the road because of smoke.

    There are kinda seasons in Kansas...but not really. There's "Damn, it's really hot" and "Holy ****, it's 0 degrees"...with not much variation in between. You'll have to excuse my disdain for this God-forsaken state. I'm not from here. I don't like it here.

    I'm originally from Virginia - the Eastern Shore, specifically. Located on the DelMarVa peninsula. The "slower lower Shore". A simple way of life with high humidity, mild temperatures and 3 different cardinal directions that lead to water. People say y'all, rarely use the 'g' at the end of verbs and consistently "Bless your heart" or "Love you to death, but..." (the sweet form of insult) - I love being from the South!

    I've also stayed in Hawaii. Gorgeous. I climbed a mountain and went to the beach all in the same day. It was glorious and I miss it terribly. There are no seasons there. It's just gorgeous, all the time. If it rains, it doesn't rain on the whole island and there's a 95% chance you'll see a big ol' rainbow. Beautiful.
  • Phoenix1401
    Phoenix1401 Posts: 711 Member
    I live in Texas and Im a student. :)
  • elsham
    elsham Posts: 549 Member
    NYC baby! Best place on Earth. Enough said.
    Although it does get a bit crowded...
    ...and it's a bit dirty...
  • vsharkey
    vsharkey Posts: 20 Member
    I live in New Orleans, LA and am variously a receptionist, a voice/piano teacher, and an opera singer (depending on the time of day).

    Great things about southeast Louisiana: Delicious food! Beautiful wetlands. Lots of historic and cultural sites and activities. The music. Mardi Gras. Rare freezes, and even rarer snow. The four seasons: crab, crawfish, shrimp, and oyster. The laissez-faire attitude. Parades and festivals for everything.

    Bad things about southeast Louisiana: Delicious food (if you're trying to be at all healthy). Terrible roads. Mardi Gras. The four seasons: almost summer, summer, still summer, and January 15. The humidity (dear god, the humidity!). Rampant corruption and the good-ol-boy system.

    Before moving here, I lived in Atlanta, GA and I grew up in northern NJ.
  • blazergrad
    blazergrad Posts: 603 Member
    True Alabama Girl!! It's not called "Alabama The Beautiful" for nothing! We have beautiful woodlands, white beaches and colorful fall mountains. The humidity is tough on some but if you live here long enough you get used to it. The whole state practically shuts down at the mere mention of snow but the kids love it because that usually means no school! I live in a small town that some might compare to Mayberry from the Andy Griffin Show. It has a "Main Street" with a courthouse in the middle of town and a drug store with a snack bar offering the best homemade milkshakes you have ever tasted. It is a close knit community where kids can be kids and I don't think I would want to live anywhere else.

    Alabama residents are obsessed with football. We are divided by University of Alabama fans or Auburn University fans. Makes for a fun fall as long as you keep it all in good fun! As a University of Alabama Fan we say "Roll Tide"!!!! Alabamians also like to go to church. It is a family thing, if you are not there on a Sunday, everyone will be calling to check up on you. They will take care of you in your time of need through tragedy or just small bumps in the road. I had surgery in June & was down for a few weeks, I still have frozen food in my freezer from my church family!!

    I have to say that I think the state has come a long way on the racism front and I wish people would visit the state before they automatically think we are a bunch of dumb hicks that hate someone for the color of their skin. It is not the case at all!!

    If you ever visit and someone says "Bless your heart" just know, it is not a compliment, it's the #1 southern insult. We can't be harsh even when we try!! haha

    I have been a stay at home mom for 10 years, before that I was a buyer for a major healthcare company.
    Hope I gave you a little better view of Alabama!

    I'm also from the Great State of Alabama and I think PlumLovin's description of our state is pretty spot-on! I LOVE Alabama ... I've lived here all my life and yes, while there are some things that aren't perfect and there are some issues, the same can also be said for absolutely every other state in the nation as well. I get frustrated when people make broad, sweeping comments about the entire state being "racist" or "redneck" or whatever other derogatory term they choose ... have they met every single one of the 4.7 million individuals that live in the state? In my humble opinion, such comments only show their own ignorance and intolerance.

    I work for a major company located in downtown Birmingham with a group of racially and ethnically diverse individuals that are all college educated, literate and intelligent individuals. One of the great things about being centrally located within the state is that I can drive just a few hours south and be at some of the most beautiful beaches in the country ... or I can drive a few hours north and enjoy the incredible views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Yes, the summers here get hot and humid, but since I love summer and hate winter, that works out just perfect for me! :)

    Here's something I read somewhere once before that pretty much sums it up .... :)
    A few of the things that make Alabama a great place to live:

    Front porch swings
    Home-made ice cream
    Grilling burgers out back
    Friday night football at the high school
    'Roll Tide' and 'War Eagle' on Saturday
    Church on Sunday, no matter what
    Kids playing in the yard until it's too dark
    Catching "lightnin' bugs" in a jar
    Flowers and berries in the spring
    Sweatin' in the summer
    Colors of the fall
    Maybe one snow in the winter
    Flying the flag more than one day a year
    A Christmas parade that lasts 5 minutes
    Staying 2 hours after the parade to say hello to everyone
    Knowing the neighbor's dog by name
    Saying sir and ma'am
    Having a neighbor show up with a "mess of fish" to share
    Covered dish suppers and "dinner on the grounds"
    Vacation Bible School and kids with koolaid stained faces
    Knowing the difference between family and community, but not making a big deal out of it.
    And most of all, thinking of Alabama FIRST when you hear the word HOME.

    No, our state's not perfect ... none of them are ... but I'm proud to call it my home and there's no place else I'd rather live! Y'all have a good day now! ;)
  • Masterchef2000
    Masterchef2000 Posts: 127 Member
    England in general does have rubbish weather, we just cannot seem to accept it and as usual have been whinging about the lack of 'summer' this year. The last good summer we had was 2006, we need to get over it and stop moaning.

    I love your weather! I'll trade with you! We lived in England (RAF Lakenheath, near Brandon in Suffolk) from December 2003-December 2007. Summer '06 *was* fantastic, but I loved the weather as a whole. I desperately miss living in England, I would give an arm and a leg if we could move back. The only thing I don't miss is the cost. The exchange rate was 2:1 when we lived there, so every time we did anything off base we had to remember we were paying twice as much as we thought.
    [/quote]


    I love the weather here as well. We moved from Germany to here and even though the day might turn cloudy, at least most mornings we wake up with sun! How I missed the sun living in Germany. We live in the opposite direction from where you lived here but we love it so much! And the exchange rate is soooo much better as well. It's still high but not 2:1 anymore.

    It's supposed to be hot here this weekend...I'm sure people will complain about that as well although anytime the heat is out...so are the people!

    London is one of my favorite places to go to. I wasn't into Paris so much. London however, is right up my alley. :-)
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