Is it Pop, Soda, or Coke? Your State-by-State Guide to the United States of Soft Drinks

When referring to a soft drink, do you say pop, soda, or Coke? Your stance on the centuries-long debate reveals more about your roots than your flavor preference. In some states, ordering a "Coke" could get you a Dr Pepper. And if you grew up saying "soda," hearing someone ask for a "pop" might make you do a double-take.

A CARBONATED HISTORY

According to Fetch, the first carbonated drink was accidentally created by Joseph Priestley in 1767. By 1800, the population named the bubbling beverage "soda," and it stuck. A decade later, fans of the drink began calling it "pop," to mimic the sound of a cork being pulled. The debate was briefly settled in 1863, when Americans collectively embraced the name "soda pop," but the truce didn’t last long. As more soft drinks were invented, the naming debate grew, splitting the country into pop, soda, and Coke territories. Today, the way you order your soft drink can still reveal exactly where you’re from.

LET'S BREAK IT DOWN BY REGION

Individuals who grew up in New England likely refer to carbonated drinks as "soda," similar to those living in Wisconsin, Missouri, and the Southwestern U.S. Midwesterners and residents of the Northwest proudly call soft drinks "pop," while Southerners stand firm in the belief that "Coke" can be used to describe any and every fizzy drink. 

BECAUSE COKE WASN'T COMPLICATED ENOUGH

Americans may still be locked into the never-ending debate of pop vs. soda vs. Coke, but some regions have strayed off-menu with their own unique terms for the beloved carbonated beverage. Parts of the Northeast ditched "soda" in favor of "tonic." Scattered locales of Illinois, Idaho, and Utah have resurrected the two-word throwback, "soda pop." In Virginia and the Carolinas, it's not uncommon for someone to order a "carbo," while persons in Louisiana and Western Texas ignore the debate entirely and call it a "fountain drink." The terms "bellywash" and "sodiewater" also exist as further proof that Americans have never met a carbonated drink they couldn't rename. 

WHAT IT ALL BUBBLES UP TO

So, the next time someone orders a pop, a soda, or a Coke, remember: they're not being problematic, they're being regional. These word choices didn't appear out of thin air; they grew out of local habits and influences. The soft drink debate may never be settled, but that's half the fun! After all, no matter what you call it, it's the same carbonated drink, and evidence that small, everyday words can bubble into big conversations.