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You know, I always hated telling people I was from Georgia. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Peach State, and am proud that I was born and raised there. What drove me crazy was when I told people who weren’t from the Deep South that I lived there. Why? Because of the inevitable question:
“Atlanta?”
Like Atlanta is the only place in Georgia.
But you know, people from other places have to deal with the same thing, mainly in those states where a single city jumps to mind, like Hawaii (Honolulu) or North Dakota (Fargo). Can you name another city in Hawaii? If so, you’re in the minority. But I digress.
Where am I going with this? I began to ponder the numbers. What are the odds that a Georgian is really from Atlanta? Or that a Hawaiian lives in Honolulu? So, I did what all good researchers do, I dug up the statistics.
The results were a tad surprising. There are only a handful of U.S. cities whose populations make up more than 10 percent of their state’s population. (We’re talking cities, NOT metropolitan areas.) Here’s the list:
|
STATE |
POP. |
CITY |
POP. |
PCT. |
|
New York |
19,306,183 |
New York City |
8,214,426 |
42.55% |
|
Alaska |
670,053 |
Anchorage |
278,700 |
41.59% |
|
Hawaii |
1,285,498 |
Honolulu |
377,357 |
29.35% |
|
New Mexico |
1,954,599 |
Albuquerque |
504,949 |
25.83% |
|
Arizona |
6,166,318 |
Phoenix |
1,512,986 |
24.54% |
|
Nebraska |
1,768,331 |
Omaha |
419,545 |
23.73% |
|
Nevada |
2,495,529 |
Las Vegas |
552,539 |
22.14% |
|
Illinois |
12,831,970 |
Chicago |
2,833,321 |
22.08% |
|
South Dakota |
781,919 |
Sioux Falls |
142,396 |
18.21% |
|
Rhode Island |
1,067,610 |
Providence |
175,255 |
16.42% |
|
Oklahoma |
3,579,212 |
Oklahoma City |
537,734 |
15.02% |
|
Oregon |
3,700,758 |
Portland |
537,081 |
14.51% |
|
North Dakota |
635,867 |
Fargo |
90,599 |
14.25% |
|
Nebraska |
1,768,331 |
Lincoln |
241,167 |
13.64% |
|
Idaho |
1,466,465 |
Boise |
198,638 |
13.55% |
|
Kentucky |
4,206,074 |
Louisville |
554,496 |
13.18% |
|
Kansas |
2,764,075 |
Wichita |
357,698 |
12.94% |
|
Indiana |
6,313,520 |
Indianapolis |
785,597 |
12.44% |
|
Colorado |
4,753,377 |
Denver |
566,974 |
11.93% |
|
Pennsylvania |
12,440,621 |
Philadelphia |
1,448,394 |
11.64% |
|
Maryland |
5,615,727 |
Baltimore |
631,366 |
11.24% |
|
Tennessee |
6,038,803 |
Memphis |
670,902 |
11.11% |
|
Wyoming |
515,004 |
Cheyenne |
55,362 |
10.75% |
|
Oklahoma |
3,579,212 |
Tulsa |
382,872 |
10.70% |
|
Montana |
944,632 |
Billings |
100,148 |
10.60% |
|
California |
36,457,549 |
Los Angeles |
3,849,378 |
10.56% |
|
Wisconsin |
5,556,506 |
Milwaukee |
573,358 |
10.32% |
So there ya go. Atlanta isn’t on the list. (But read on.)
Many of the highest entries are from the newest states in the Union – Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico and Arizona. It’s also worth noting that Nebraska and Oklahoma have two cities each on the list.
Of course, this doesn’t take into consideration metropolitan areas, which was a necessary factor since many urban areas (think NYC or Chicago) span multiple states. But those numbers do made a difference. While only 1 in 10 Californians live in the city of Los Angeles, 1 in 3 live in “metropolitan” L.A. (which includes Long Beach and Santa Ana). When you factor in the suburban influence, Las Vegas leaps to the top of the list. Greater Las Vegas is home to 80 percent of the total population of Nevada.
And, lo and behold, although only 5 percent of Georgians live in Atlanta proper, the numbers change dramatically when you take the whole of metropolitan Atlanta into consideration. By doing that, I found what I had feared all along – about 55 percent of Georgia residents live there.
So if someone tells you they’re from Georgia, I guess it’s fair to follow up by asking about Atlanta. After all, you’ve got better-than-even odds of being right.
On my computer, the city and state columns seem to be switched. Writing from that great state of Chicago!
posted by Mac on 7-17-2007 at 10:46 am
You fool! JUNEAU is the capital of Alaska!! Incidentally, 30,711 people live in Juneau. Oh, the humanity.
posted by sarah on 7-17-2007 at 10:54 am
I have the same problem– when I tell people I’m from Illinois, they’d ask “Chicago?”
I started saying I was from “Southern Illinois. I still got the question. I gave up.
posted by Leigh on 7-17-2007 at 10:56 am
Other than that tiny blip, this is a great article!
posted by sarah on 7-17-2007 at 10:56 am
Sarah — what does this have to do with capitals? It’s about the largest cities in these states, not the capital cities.
posted by Sandy on 7-17-2007 at 11:03 am
Umm….Texas is HUGE…how come it isn’t on here?
posted by That one chick on 7-17-2007 at 11:07 am
I don’t really have that problem. I say I’m from North Dakota and most people give me a blank stare and ask, “is that the state with Mount Rushmore?”
posted by Sally on 7-17-2007 at 11:08 am
what’s more annoying if you live near one of those metropolitan areas is the inevitable follow up question: “oh, do you know so and so?” like everybody knows each other…
posted by Yerg on 7-17-2007 at 11:11 am
the chart has nothing to do with capitals… And I can’t think of another city in Hawaii…. And the size of Texas reeeally has nothing to do with the article.
posted by ac on 7-17-2007 at 11:11 am
When I’m traveling elsewhere and tell people I’m from California, it is invariably followed up by one of these questions:
1) Do you live in LA?
2) Do you know any movie stars?
3) Do you surf?
My response is that I’m a major property magnate in LA and that I surf with movie stars every weekend. This is generally met with skepticism. In reality I’m none of the above, but when such sweeping generalizations are made, I’d hate to disappoint them…
posted by Jason! on 7-17-2007 at 11:13 am
Yep, folks, sorry about the mis-labeled headers. I’ve fixed that!
posted by Sandy on 7-17-2007 at 11:20 am
First, it looks like the City and State columns are transposed.
Second, how old is this data? Because Las Vegas is surely much larger than the data suggests. Unless you meant only Las Vegas proper and not the Vegas metro area. It would be like counting just Manhattan and not the other burrows. Or, LA without Long Beach, et. al.
Last, try being from Nevada. Half of the State’s population lives in Las Vegas (I don’t). But the irritating part is that every person outside of the State does not realize that Las Vegas is completely different than everywhere else in the State. Did you know that:
It takes 8 hours to drive from Reno to Las Vegas? (Even people from California think they are next to each other.)
Most of the State (Geographically) can ice skate on outdoor ponds in the winter? (Much cooler than Vegas)
Most of the population of Las Vegas is not native and doesn’t even pronounce the name of the state correctly. (It is nuh-vad-uh; the ‘a’ is like in ‘apple’)
Las Vegas was not even a city when Nevada became a State?(It was a small Mormon outpost with only a few buildings.) It was not the largest city in the Nevada until the 1970’s?
Talk to anyone out-of-State and all they want to talk about Vegas. In case you didn’t pick it up, Northern Nevadans hate Las Vegas. Oil and vinegar. Fire and water. Toothpaste and orange juice.
posted by n2y2 on 7-17-2007 at 11:26 am
Yep, it does not surprise me that Nebraska has two cities on the list. There are predictions that Omaha and Lincoln will eventually expand into one another, making one huge metro area. I’m guessing if that happens, the metro would make up about 90%* of the population of the state. And yet, when I say I’m from Nebraska, people ask me if I rode a tractor to school…
*Exaggerated guess, not based on any facts.
posted by Molly on 7-17-2007 at 11:30 am
I know one in Hawaii..Kapaa! One reason is I have a business contact there, but also because of “Honeymoon in Vegas” and Nick Cage yelling into the payphone: “Is it Kapa-a, or Kapa-a-a??”
posted by Johnny Cat on 7-17-2007 at 11:30 am
yeah i’m from upstate new york, like in the middle of no where. i’m at least 4 hours from the city, but people hear new york and assume the city. :(
posted by pat on 7-17-2007 at 11:32 am
So let me see if I have this right….
27 states have a city that is home to over 10% of that states population, but that’s only a “handful” of the states?
Last time i checked, there were only 50 states. Looks like 27 is a majority.
posted by Lance on 7-17-2007 at 11:37 am
If city limit lines were drawn around where it really seems like you’re in a city, all of these would probably double- or more. But people settled in those suburbs because they didn’t want to be in the city. Guess what? A lot of other people thought the same thing!
When I tell people I’m from Kentucky, they just say, “Oh.”
posted by Miss Cellania on 7-17-2007 at 11:43 am
The size of Texas does matter for the article, as it has 3 cities (unlike Nebraska which has only 2 cities on it) which people would usually would guess if told that they’re from TX: Austin, Dallas and Houston
posted by That one chick on 7-17-2007 at 11:45 am
About Colorado, if you look on the map, you’ll see many of the other cities are all clustered close to Denver. In time, they could easily form a mega-metro area with an overwhelming urban majority in a state with a big total area.
posted by Miss Cellania on 7-17-2007 at 11:48 am
I love the fact that most of the cities on the list are not the capital cities. Without any facts to back me up, I would guess that the majority of capital cities in the US are not the largest in their respective states.
posted by Bill T. on 7-17-2007 at 12:00 pm
I’m from North Dakota. When I tell that to people they don’t say “Fargo?” They say, “You mean there really is a North Dakota?”
posted by EV on 7-17-2007 at 12:02 pm
Lance, 27 would indeed be more than a handful of states, but that’s not what the sentence says; it refers to “a handful of cities” with 10 percent or more of their states’ population. And there are certainly more than 50 cities in America.
posted by Mary on 7-17-2007 at 12:08 pm
The data for Nebraska could be expanded on further. If you include the Omaha metro (not just Omaha) the population jumps to over 800,000 (some of which is in Iowa). So, if you calculate the current population of the Omaha metro and Lincoln, you have well over half of the population of the state within a 60 mile radius, yet for some reason Nebraskans are looked at as backwoods rednecks.
posted by Ssquach on 7-17-2007 at 12:22 pm
I’m with Pat. When I moved to DC from upstate NY for college and people asked where I was from I’d say New York and teh response was always “Oh, I love the city,” or “which borrough?”
When I told them I was from upstate or changed my answer to upstate NY they said, “like yonkers?”
The point was I’m actaully closer to NYC in DC than I am from Rochester. NY is a big and diverse state that extends far beyond the Hudson River Valley
posted by jack on 7-17-2007 at 12:26 pm
You know, when people ask me where I’m from, I usually leave out the guess work for them, and just say Augusta, GA. After that I get one of two questions: A) How far is that from Atlanta? or B) Isn’t that where the Augusta National/Master’s Tournament is?
FYI, most Georgians don’t consider Atlanta natives/transplants to be Georgians. Atlanta is an enclave of northeners seeking refuge. Basically, if the restaurants don’t serve sweet tea, we don’t recognize it as part of the state.
posted by Absy on 7-17-2007 at 12:39 pm
Ugh… I remember when I was traveling though the south that restaraunts would insist on serving me brown kool-aid whenever I ordered tea…
Here’s a bit from wikipedia… not sure how accurate it is:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population
I try to avoid telling people the city I’m from. They either ask how close I am to LA, or if they know the city, make stupid jokes.
posted by Jason! on 7-17-2007 at 12:58 pm
I have to agree with Absy and add that southerners don’t typically consider Florida as part of the south. It’s the land of tourists and snowbirds.
Of course, when I tell people I’m from Tennessee, they either ask me if I like country music (no) or if I had to buy shoes for the trip.
posted by Amanda on 7-17-2007 at 1:06 pm
You guys think you have it bad, at least people can name a city in the State you live in! I live in Canada, where apparently we only have 3 cities (if we’re lucky!) in the entire country!
Any time I travel abroad and say I’m Canadian (there’s no point in claiming my home town or Province–blank stares would abound!), people always ask, “Oh, do you live in Toronto?” I almost fell off my chair in NYC when someone asked if I was from Montreal, or when in Chicago and was asked if I knew So-And-So in Vancouver!
Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, the only 3 cities in the world’s 2nd largest country.
But, then again, how many cities would one really expect to find in a country that is buried in snow 365 days a year, and where all the inhabitants live in igloos and have polar bears a childhood pets!!!
posted by Amy on 7-17-2007 at 1:22 pm
Looks like a lot of folks around here could brush up on their reading comprehension.
posted by Dave on 7-17-2007 at 1:23 pm
Las Vegas (or I guess the las vegas area) being at 80% makes perfect sense, considering how much of Nevada is radioactively uninhabitable.
I used to live in Atlanta and I consider it to be very much a part of Georgia- and I grew up in the rural south. It baffles me when people who say it’s a northern transplant city. Of course all the restaurants serve sweet tea. It makes me wonder if these people have ever even been to Atlanta.
posted by jill on 7-17-2007 at 1:26 pm
Eh… what is it that people are not comprehending, Dave? Just because the posts are not sticking exactly to the topic does not mean people have failed to comprehend.
That’s one of the things I like about the mental_floss site… no one telling me to stick to the subject or not to digress… just a free exchange. Heck, they even encourage it now with Friday happy hour.
BTW… I’ve discovered I really like Muenster cheese. I picked it up the other day at the store and used it in todays lunch. It pairs really well with smoked turkey…
posted by Jason! on 7-17-2007 at 1:36 pm
When I was in Italy the questions always went like this.
Q. England or America
A. America
Q. Which state?
A. Indiana
Reply aah 500! Ocassionaly with a vroom vroom just in case I didn’t get it.
I did get a different reply once when I told someone Indiana. “Ohhh Micheal Jackson!!” Which scared me a little.
posted by skeep on 7-17-2007 at 1:52 pm
I spent some time in Ireland and it was the same way. Tell them you’re from Boston and everyone automatically assumes you’re best friends with the Kennedys.
posted by Bill T. on 7-17-2007 at 2:26 pm
jill:
AARRRRGGGG! This thread is about what you are doing - stereotyping. Nevada is NOT radioactive. The nuclear tests were conducted in a very small part of the desert in a very large State. (The sixth largest State in the lower 48. It is also the most mountainous state outside of Alaska.) The radioactive clouds drifted into Utah, not Nevada. See the March-April 2007 issue of mental_floss, p.49, “The Mistake That Killed John Wayne”.
The rest of the State is not sparsely populated because of radioactivity, it has more to do with the lack of abundant water. Las Vegas is only making the problem worse by trying to suck the rest of the State dry like a kid going after the last drops of soda with a straw. In fact, the radioactive part of the State is very near Las Vegas.
While on the topic, The only reason that Las Vegas exists and is so large is because it is within a few hours drive of LA/SoCal. All the surfer-boys come and gamble on the weekend (cause I am sure that everybody in SoCal surfs, right?)
posted by n2y2 on 7-17-2007 at 2:27 pm
Has anyone looked at google maps…look at it and please try to tell me how Omaha and Lincoln can be a huge metropolis. I see about 5 houses on that barren stretch of cornfields.
skeep, im from indiana. When I went to europe the only thing they knew was the 500 too. I think one person knew Rik Smits from the Pacers. Im in LA now and when people ask what college I went to I dont even bother saying cause its so small, its just Indiana now.
posted by David on 7-17-2007 at 2:30 pm
Yeah, when I was in England and France, I would answer that question saying I was from Ohio. At the blank expression I’d get, I would then just wave my hand and say it’s somewhere in the middle.
posted by KJ on 7-17-2007 at 2:42 pm
David, you’re right, there is a lot of space between Lincoln and Omaha… right now. When people first started speculating about the two becoming one metro area, I thought they were crazy. But year after year, they are getting closer and closer to each other. It’ll still be a number of years from now, but I think it’s an eventual inevitability.
posted by Molly on 7-17-2007 at 2:50 pm
I’m from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and I’ve met people who don’t even know that Michigan has more than one peninsula. Some people I’ve met said that they thought that the UP was part of Wisconsin.
posted by Leah on 7-17-2007 at 2:59 pm
I’ve likewise discovered that I really like gouda cheese after my wife brought some back from Holland. And from her telling, I learned that gouda is pronounced more like “how-da” than the way I’ve always pronounced it.
Oh, wait; we’re talking about population ratios here… Sorry.
I live in South Dakota, Sioux Falls to be exact, and get the blank stare thing a lot when people ask me where I’m from. Either that or comments on how cold it is (it’s mid 90’s today), questions about indians or horses or “Dances With Wolves” or “Do you know so-and-so?” And yes, Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota, but it’s about a six-hour drive to get there, so no, I can’t see it from my house. And no, we don’t take a stage coach to get there; we drive.
The high population density in Sioux Falls - on the eastern border of the state - is a point of contention with many people in other parts of the state. On ballot initiatives and statewide voting in general, there is often a disparity between the way Sioux Falls votes and the rest of the state, and those west of the Missouri River rarely enjoy that fact.
Anybody compared this list with a red/blue election results map? I’d bet the cities listed are mostly blue.
posted by Dave on 7-17-2007 at 3:04 pm
Being from Michigan, of course, everyone thinks I live in Detroit. When I say we live in the Upper Peninsula, a lot of people just stare, blankly. For the few people who actually know where the UP is on a map, a lot of them think we are a part of Canada. And if you look at too many maps, the UP either doesn’t exist–as in the map doesn’t show the peninsula–or it is shown as a part of Canada. Is it a wonder so many people have asked: ‘Do you have electricity?’ and ‘Do you have to travel by dogsled in the winter?’ I guess they should try teaching geography in schools again, hey? :)
posted by cmk on 7-17-2007 at 3:11 pm
Here’s a couple for comparison.
This is for the recent 2006 elections:
www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2006/
This page has maps with comparisons to population density:
www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/2006/
I’ve noticed that while my state has voted blue, my county is bright red on the map. Hmm…
posted by Jason! on 7-17-2007 at 3:20 pm
I’m from New Hampshire. When I tell people from outside of New England this they will;
A: give me a blank stare
B: not know if its the state on the right of the left (VT/NH)
C: ask if NH is in Boston
D: be confused bc I don’t have a Boston accent.
Gotta love our schools’ geography teaching
posted by Amy on 7-17-2007 at 3:24 pm
Thanks to sports team Texas has cities people actually remember, but alas when telling someone you are from Texas the usuall response is still “Where is your horse?”
posted by Lindsey on 7-17-2007 at 3:28 pm
When I was at school in rural Missouri, I introduced myself as being from Chicago (though actually a far west suburb). I was surprised when my fellow students referred to me as being from Illinois! Even as a native Chicagolander, I never considered myself from Illinois.
I heard a couple years ago a local politician call Rockford as in “downstate Illinois.” It’s about 20 miles south of the Wisconsin line, as in north of Chicago! I hate to say it, but Chicagoans can be too proud sometimes.
posted by Lucas on 7-17-2007 at 3:50 pm
jack - amen!
when people ask where i’m from, i always say “western new york”. and then when people respond “oh, you mean upstate?”, i explain that, no, i’m not from upstate new york. upstate = lake champlain, watertown, etc. south of buffalo, near pennslyvania, is upstate of nothing, except possibly pennslyvania.
posted by heather on 7-17-2007 at 4:07 pm
At least many of y’all live near big cities. Being from Texas (even though we have several large cities), there’s a LOT of empty space between cities. Worse yet, I’m from the Texas Panhandle. When I try to explain where I’m from, I just end up saying, “That rectangle thing on the top of Texas.” If I’m lucky, I can say I’m near Amarillo and someone will know where that is . . . sorta. Even South Texans don’t always know where Amarillo or the Panhandle is.
And Lindsey: I get the “Where’s your horse?” question, too.
posted by Meagan on 7-17-2007 at 4:48 pm
well…I consider you lucky. When I tell folks that I’m from Georgia, most want to ask if I know Bo and Luke Duke from the Dukes of Hazzard.
posted by TAG on 7-17-2007 at 5:01 pm
I’m from New York, about an hour and a half north of the city. Whenever I say that, people almost ALWAYS say “So you’re from upstate?” No, upstate is Syracuse…..there is in fact more to the state than your summer bungalow in Westchester.
NYC and the rest of the state are two completely different entities. Well, three when you consider Long Island…..
posted by Kate on 7-17-2007 at 5:38 pm
Ouch. Y’all should try being from Mississippi. When I say where I’m from, people don’t ask where my horse is. They ask if I can read, and if we’ve desegregated yet.
The worst part is that when someone says something like “Isn’t Mississippi the fattest/poorest/least educated state?” the answer is yes, statistically.
For the record, we have a lot of problems. Scads. But we’re working on it. And this upcoming generation is relatively full of oomph and tolerance, so maybe we’ll pull up from the bottom in a few years.
Let’s hope.
posted by Aemi on 7-17-2007 at 7:02 pm
I live in LA (metropolitan area of), and go to school in Albany, NY. When I say I’m going to school in NY, I get “So how do you like ‘The City’” (as if I really give a rats ass about a big city when I’ve lived in one my whole life). When I say Albany, I get “Oh…Is that near Rochester?” The best response to Albany I got was “That’s a nice part of Oregon”
posted by PeteRepeat on 7-17-2007 at 7:33 pm
I’m from Buffalo, New York, and people from out of state are always surprised when they find out I’ve only been to New York City once. It’s not like it’s 8 hours away or anything.
Seriously though, Buffalo is the 2nd largest city in the state and we always get the shaft.
posted by Meta on 7-17-2007 at 8:10 pm
…… I live in Maine. While the capital is Augusta people only know of Portland “IF” they know that! Where I live Portland is a good 300 miles south and we refer to that city as “Boston North”.
We DO have summer albeit short. Yes, I have been to a dog sled race….. I’ve survived 40 degrees below zero…. we do have internet access, telephones, cars, boats,……. The closest city to me is Bangor where I need to go at least once a month for groceries…. that’s about an hour away.
I don’t know Stephen King but I do know where he lives. I don’t like lobster. I live hours away from the coast in the foothills of Mt Katahdin….. the northern most mountain on the Appalacin trail.
I really love provolone cheese in ommelettes with mushrooms. Bleu cheese is also excellent…. oh and feta!
posted by Sheila on 7-17-2007 at 9:02 pm
Generally when I mention that I live in New York I get the immediate response, “Oh I just LOVE that city!” Problem- I live in the southwestern corner of New York STATE, as far from NYC as I could be. I’ve begun to hate the place without ever having been there.
posted by Karen on 7-17-2007 at 9:28 pm
Western New Yorkers unite!
posted by Karen on 7-17-2007 at 9:30 pm
I live in Orlando, FL, and I always get the response, “Ohhh, so you live at Disney!” I don’t think people realize that Orlando is a real city, with its own culture that is completely separate from tourism. Orlando is not just a giant amusement park!
posted by weeble warble on 7-17-2007 at 11:10 pm
The New York thing is extremely annoying. I’m a Western New Yorker too - and am tired of hearing people say “oh” when I tell them I’m from Western New York - you know, Buffalo?
Sometimes it is just easier to play along: upstate? Yeah, that’s like being on the upper west side.
posted by julie on 7-18-2007 at 12:10 am
I remember in Middle school I spent the better part of one of my classes trying to convince this IDOIT that Omaha is not a state but a city. Granted this was in middle school, but even if an 8th grader can’t recite all 50 they should at least be able to recognize what is a state.
I live in Germany. At a fest this girl heard me talking to my daughter. She asked me if I was English, after a blank stare to told her no I’m an American. She beamed and started to tell me how much she loves LA and then asked me questions about it. After another blank stare I then informed her that I was from South Florida and had never been to LA. What I find is that if you are talking to someone who grew up in a country that you can drive across in less than a day, they really have no concept of how large American really is. On that note I’m not sure that most Americans realize how big the U.S. is. I took me living overseas to really grasp the size. From Ft. Myers FLA it would take us about 8 hours to get to the state line. From Bamberg Germany in 8 hours I could be in France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Poland, Chech., Hungary, or The Netherlands.
posted by GilreanEstel on 7-18-2007 at 2:50 am
And if you tell people you’re from New Jersey, they say, “Oh, I’m sorry.”
Actually, they think you know the Sopranos and live in Elizabeth or Newark and breathe in pollution, and drive on the Turnpike every day. ~_~
posted by xenylamine on 7-18-2007 at 11:37 am
Try living in Normal, IL. Normal is an old term denoting a teaching college, Illinois State University (go Redbirds) was founded as a teaching college and used to have “Normal” in the name.
As a result I always get the lamest replies “Are you normal?”, “Is there an abnormal?”, etc…
Most of the time my wife and I just tell people we live 2 hours South of Chicago (especially overseas)and if we get further questions, we’ll actually tell them the name.
posted by Dusty on 7-18-2007 at 12:07 pm
When I visited NYC, my mom and I were on a tour bus and the guide asked where everybody was from. I said Alabama and someone behind us said it must be different for them to have running water in their hotels. Why does everyone think that Alabma is in the dirt? Have they ever heard of U.A.B? You know like the number 5 medical school in the country!!
posted by Rachel on 7-18-2007 at 12:19 pm
Thanks for the clarification, Mary. Now this post by Sandy seems even more trivial and whiny.
People use something they are familiar with (such as the name of a large city in this case) as a common conversational touchstone. If someone says they are from NY state and I ask “are you from NY city?” There appears to be about even odds that they will say “yes”, we can then go on to talk about NYC. If they say “no” then the conversation can be about the part of the state they are from and its attractions/problems, etc.
In other words, its a form of conversational shorthand that people with normal social skills don’t find overly annoying…
posted by Lance on 7-18-2007 at 12:46 pm
Surprised to see so many Yoopers here! I was born and raised in the metro Detroit area. I used to work in the traffic department of a manufacturing plant, and a few of our customers were in the Thumb area. Sometimes I had to arrange for a truck to pick up in, say, Tennessee or Missouri, and I’d ask the dispatcher for the freight rate from their state to the Thumb area of Michigan. They’d inevitably ask “The what area?” I then had to go into a lengthy explanation - “You know on the map, how the state of Michigan looks like a mitten?” (Yes, Virginia, Michiganders actually call that area of the mitten that looks like a thumb “the Thumb.”)
posted by Jill on 7-18-2007 at 12:46 pm
“In other words, its a form of conversational shorthand that people with normal social skills don’t find overly annoying…”
True… but don’t you find complaining about it here very entertaining?
Please note, I have no social skills to speak of…
posted by Jason! on 7-18-2007 at 1:14 pm
Lance has a point, but he might be missing one as well. Shouldn’t saying “I’m from Georgia” make it rather obvious that I’m not from Atlanta? After all, if I’m from Atlanta, why not just SAY Atlanta? Everyone has heard of Atlanta. Same with Las Vegas or Seattle or New Orleans or Chicago.
I guess that’s a judgment call, though.
Good thing I’m not from Springfield!
posted by Sandy on 7-18-2007 at 1:38 pm
Interesting side note to the two Nebraska cities on the list: The University of Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium (in Lincoln) becomes the 3rd largest city in Nebraska seven Saturdays a year.
Holding around 83,000 people, that one building contains 4.69% of Nebraska’s population.
posted by Feiter on 7-18-2007 at 2:29 pm
Actually, according to Wikipedia, “The only city is the capital, Honolulu, located along the southeast coast of the island of Oahu. Other populous areas are not cities, but unincorporated areas…”
So, it’s OK not to be able to think of any other cities when you hear Hawaii.
Like others above, I live in Canada, which, according to much of the rest of the world it seems, consists of 3 cities and a bunch of wilderness. (sheesh)
posted by Don T on 7-18-2007 at 3:35 pm
Sandy:
Thanks for your comment. I got the point that you mention, but I believe that the social convention is to try to find some commonality of experience or knowledge.
My question then is: if someone says that they are from Arizona should I assume that they are not from Phoenix? There’s a 1 in 4 chance that they are, and that by using the shorthand I mentioned in my earlier post, that we can arrive at a more substantial conversation more quickly.
But what do I know, I’m from Montana!
Billings?
No, a different part of the Montana…
posted by Lance on 7-18-2007 at 4:05 pm
I live in Oklahoma and you would not believe how many people I meet who either start singing that #@$%*!& song, or say “Ewwww.” Mostly it’s Texans who say “Ewww.”
posted by Anthony on 7-18-2007 at 6:13 pm
David,
I still live in Indy and most people still haven’t heard of University of Evansville. I can’t imagine how it would be out of state.
Amy,
I’m originally from New Hampshire and when I tell people I’m from New England (it’s more recgonized than NH) I’ve actually had people ask what happened to my English accent.
posted by skeep on 7-19-2007 at 12:28 pm
Me:- Im from England
not english:- You from London?
Me:- Nope not everyone from england lives in London
NE:- Manchester?
Me:- Nope
NE:- Liverpool?
Me:- nope
NE:- then where abouts?
Me:- Leicester
NE: Never heard of it
Me:- Thats ok I dont expect you to it was only the richest city in europe not so long ago and only a few important battles have happened here like hastings and so on its not very important
NE:- you ever met the Queen?
Me- *groan*
posted by meggymoo on 7-19-2007 at 8:35 pm
@meggymoo: i know about leicester! i have a friend from there :)
posted by weeble warble on 7-20-2007 at 12:31 am
Okay, this is how it usually goes for me when I visit my uncle in Florida.
Them: Oh, you’re not from here?
Me: Nope. (Neither are you)
Them: Then where are you guys from?
Me: Arkansas.
Them: I thought so, with your accent.
Me: Oh. (And with your accent, where’s your cheese-head?)
Them: Where in Arkansas are you from? Is it near Little Rock?
Me: It’s not really…Do you know where Conway is?
Them: Where?
Me: Conway? The University of Central Arkansas? Searcy? The Little Red River?
Them: What?
Me: Ummm…only the home of the world record Brown Trout.
Them: Where?
Me:…About 75 miles north of Little Rock.
Them: Oh..okay…
posted by Emilee on 7-20-2007 at 10:02 am
So I’m from Arizona… When I say Arizona, I still get cowboys and indians or “Its a dry heat”… try living in Tucson (second largest city in Arizona) in the middle of the monsoon… not so dry then. And the “its a dry heat” makes the 109 degree heat feel SOOO much better… right….
posted by Kayla on 7-23-2007 at 10:04 pm
Well you can see how people would assume that from Nebraskans. They are always astonished whenever they see someone or something that is not part of their so-called traditional way of life.
posted by John Smith on 10-24-2007 at 7:09 pm
Perhaps the best way to avoid offending those from non-metropolitan (or non-famous metropolitan) areas would be to respond to “I’m from Georgia” not with “oh, from Atlanta?” but with “what part of Georgia?” instead. Then you can find your common ground and not offend us non-city folk.
I understand people from other areas of the country not having a detailed knowledge of other states’ cities. But I do think it’s inexcusable not to know where all 50 states are after about age 11. I’m from rural Nebraska (ie: not Lincoln or Omaha), and find that I only get the specific city question from other Nebraskans (99% of the time, from those in Lincoln or Omaha–non city folk know better). Now that I have moved to New York (incidentally, not *the City*), I’ve met with questions such as “Nebraska? What states are by that?” Really, it’s not that hard. They are big states–any elementary kid can learn them. (Though I have also heard the excuse that “all of those states are square”. Untrue, and also lame.)
I’d also say there is no real excuse for not knowing the Canadian provinces/territories. There are only 13–you can do it. I’ll confess I don’t know many cities in Canada (though Saskatoon, Saskatchewan has to be one of the best-named ever), but at least I can nod knowingly when I meet someone from New Brunswick. :)
posted by kate on 10-3-2008 at 8:54 am
I am from Rochester, NY and when I went to college out of state people even assumed Rochester was close to NYC. It’s closer to Canada.
posted by K on 10-3-2008 at 11:37 am
You think that’s annoying, try living in a state that has a city named after it. Whenever I say I’m from New York, people automatically assume New York City. Folks, it’s a whole state! And it’s worth seeing, with lots of nice places, apple farms and Niagara Falls and the Adirondacks and the capital! New York City is just this teeny-tiny part at the bottom, and while it might THINK it’s the center of the world, it isn’t, honest. Grr.
posted by M on 10-3-2008 at 4:06 pm
Wow, everyone here is insane about what other people don’t know about their state. I can say that a) I can name multiple cities is Hawaii and b) live in a state that should have the worlds biggest inferiority complex (New Jersey) mostly because people have asked me “is that it’s own state or is it a part of NY?” And for all of you New York staters out there, I always ask “what part” because I know you’re a little sensitive.
No one knows as much about where you live as you do. If someone thinks they know anything at all about NJ it’s Newark Airport and pollution. They don’t know that almost a quarter of our land is protected or farm land and it’sa penninsula. And while I did grown up 15 min from Newark, 5 min from Elizabeth and easily within 20 mins drive from 3 major malls, I don’t think anyone from outside the state knows that the Sopranos opening is so out of order geographically (in terms of where Tony is driving) that you’d think he was lost. And really do any of you care?
posted by Diane on 10-3-2008 at 8:43 pm
How’s this for irritating:
me:I’m from Utah
Them: You a Mormon?
Never fails!
posted by Heather on 10-4-2008 at 2:15 am
I think there are more people in my entire COUNTY in NJ than in the whole STATE of Alaska!
posted by Lelah on 10-5-2008 at 1:54 am
Two comments:
1) I was born and raised in Kansas for the first 11 years of my life. I love how people automatically think I lived on a farm and tell me things I already know - such as: “Oh, Kansas, like in Wizard of Oz?”
2) Now when people ask me where I live, I say “Orange County, California” and they know… perhaps due to the popularity of the show? Alas, if only all of us OC-ers were ultra wealthy and did nothing but throw big parties every day…
posted by CK on 10-7-2008 at 6:39 pm