favo(u)rite US state

I've never been to the US, so get canvassing right away!

Wisconsin for mine. Love ya Cheeseheads!

ive gone with the state itself, rather than for cities within it, and while that still leaves me with a few contenders, ive gone for new mexico, good scenery, good food, doesnt seem too colonized by suburban enchroachment (it might be, just not where ive been)

this is more about who comes in second, i imagine

Why? Is there an obvious winner?

i think there is

i presume you mean california?

come on Idaho

Dear ILX,

There are going to be, what, a maximum of 150 people responding to these polls, so do yourself a favour and keep the options down to a number that might give results that are even slightly statistically relevant.

Ta.

Maybe 696 should've split it up into regional conferences - top two from each advance to the national playoff.

Oh, what did della wear boy,
What did della wear?
What did della wear boy,
What did della wear?

She wore a bran new jersey,
She wore a bran new jersey,
She wore a bran new jersey,
Thats what she did wear.

One, two, three, four!

Oh, why did calla phone ya,
Why did calla phone?
Why did calla phone ya,
Was she all alone?
She called to say how ar ya,
She called to say how ar ya,
She called to say how ar ya,
Thats why she did call.

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro! ( spanish )

Oh, what did mrs sip, boy,
What did mrs sip?
What did mrs sip, boy,
Through her pretty lips?
She sipped a mina-soda,
She sipped a mina-soda,
She sipped a mina-soda,
Thats what she did sip.

Un, deux, trois, quatre! ( french )

Oh, where as ore gone, boy,
Where has ore gone?
If you want, Ill ask er,
Ill ask er where shes gone
She went to pay her taxes,
She went to pay her taxes,
She went to pay her taxes,
Thats where she has gone.

Eins, zwei, drei, vier! ( german )

Oh, how did wiscon sin, boy,
She stole a new brass key,
Too bad that arkan saw, boy,
And so did tenne see?
It made poor flora die, boy,
It made poor flora die, you see,
She died in misery, boy,
She died in misery.

Oh, what did della wear boy,
What did della wear?
What did della wear boy,
What did della wear?

perhaps mark is right, and i should have removed some of the states, limited it to a rundown of say, michigan, hawaii, california, georgia and maine

perhaps mark is worried that if we rub all 50 states together there wont be enough resulting paste left to enjoy

My dad used to sing that song when I was a kid but he only new the Delaware bit. Tis very nice to know all the words now.

And I went for D.C. cos it's where I lived and still where I would like to live when I go back. but Michigan was also a consideration.

GOTV for Wyoming yerrrr

i presume you mean california?

Really? Why's that?

states I have lived in and love include ohio, michigan and new york plus california where I spend time but have never officially lived. but my vote goes to pennsylvania for its unique blend of rural and urban, farmland and decayed industry, natural beauty and relative obscurity.

demographically pennsylvania is becoming the oldest state WRT population, all the young people are moving away. which is a shame on many levels though it does make penn a cultural repository of "the old weird america" driving around on its back roads = time travel.

runner-up: virginia, just the most beautiful sylvan glade of a state. see also oregon and maine for exotic and remote coastal grandeur.

sometimes when im traveling just for kicks i tell people im from california which is technically true but not really so actually true and they get all psyched. hey foreigners how come u luv cali so much wtf!

hey foreigners how come u luv cali so much wtf!

We don't

i want to go there more than most places.

UH YA U DO

XP

It's never interested me much

i mean i know why you love it so much - but thats really no excuse

I don't know really know what you're talking about, to be honest!

which is your favourite state, Tom D.?

i voted New York so there.

I don't really know, I've just never heard of this idea that California is obv. the most popular state - esp. with non-Americans

I don't know really know what you're talking about, to be honest

Hard question. I'm a bigger fan of singles rather than albums.

I think I would like Oregon the best, even though I've never been there.

do you like rain

what did you vote for, jhøshea?

i voted for new york cause thats where i live and its the best. i also enjoy the work of vermont colorado arizona louisiana texas and california - i vote for hawaii and alaska too even though ive never been there.

It looks like New York's the winner here!

i mean yeah everyone loves nyc and the rest of the state has some nice stuff but its really nothing compared to some of the nice stuff to be found elsewhere particularly out west

everyone should see the grand canyon its actually beyond comprehension

my home state (north carolina) is the only one I have enough information to form an opinion about. but most people seem to like it well enough, and it's got a pretty wide range of stuff in it, so what the heck, I'll vote for it.

tennessee has a nice name so it wins

i'm tempted by illinois because i love chicago so much... i love san francisco too, but not la, so i won't vote california. i love every bit of new york state i've travelled to.

I won't vote for New York until we get rid of New Jersey.

who the hell loves new york state that much?

i can't vote for california because of the people, from california (except all you ilxors obv, you guys are bros).

i have never been to alaska but it seems cool.

maybe americans shouldn't actually vote in this, and we can all see whatever wrong and fucked-up state you guys pick.

e.g. new york or illinois (!?)

see, tho, the problem is most non-USers will have little experience of the states beyond the major cities, i would have thought (which is why i side towards illinois, despite having only travelled to a couple of non-Chicago cities)

lolnois

DC listed but no Puerto Rico?!!!

guam '07

spread the word

kentucky needs hstencil to come out of retirement

or us saying his name 3 times:

HSTENCIL

voted for colorado obv

i actually edited out guam, puerto rico, virgin islands, northern marianas islands and england

Guantanamo Bay?

i dont think its a problem if people vote for a state because of one city, if thats what they want to do. i haven't chosen that way, but people can have different reasonings for liking things

I voted for South Dakota.

good choice, they do have gigglebee's after all

Even though I hate it most, I also love it most, so: California.

good bbq in kentucky.

try again (texas)

good bbq in texas.

ty

VACATIONLAND!!!

LOABSTAH !!!

yes m!ch!gan

actually, when i was in lousiville i ate in some shack that did both texan and kentucky bbq. it was good.

i'm voting new york tho.

can i change my vote to VACATIONLAND WICKED LOABSTAH !!!!

im getting nostalgic over here

Tennessee would be brilliant if it weren't for the fucking throwback bigots and those goddamn Titans

http://scoopsnoodle.com/playa/DSC04521.jpg

that is a picture of where the titans play and a really big guitar

i presume you mean california?

yes

everyone should see the grand canyon its actually beyond comprehension

80008000. then everyone should see one or two of the many more beautiful canyons in the southwest.

NO GABBNEB NO THERE IS NO CANYON BETTER THIS IS FACT STOP TRYING TO BE ALL LIKE THAT PEOPLE ARCHES IS NOT BETTER EITHER WTF

LIKE OH I KNOW THIS ONE CANYON NO ONE REALLY KNOWS ABT IT...

YEAH KNOW ONE KNOWS ABT IT FOR A REASON

IT IS BECAUSE THE GRAND CAYON PWNS IT IS WHY

START A POLL ABOUT CANYONS WHY DONT CHA

OH DONT TEMPT ME QUE

DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU

OK THEN

did I say other canyons were better jhoshea? no i said they were more beautiful.

OK FINE SORRY

I won't vote for New York until we get rid of New Jersey.

im going to kick you out of my hotel for saying that, jw.

I VOTED FOR NEW JERSEY AND ID DO IT AGAIN A THOUSAND TIMES OVER

LIL RHODY

what about bryce canyon??

or zion. i mean, that's sort of a canyon, right?

ps i voted for MT duh

TRAITOR.

no one else was going to

lil rhody otm

I voted for North Dakota but only because the UP hasn't seceded yet.

lol

i can't wait for cascadia to secede

Yeah, Jefferson Free State will trump UP I'm afraid.

I think if there were a Cascadia it might get my vote, but I think I do have to take CA over it

'it' being Washington

xxpost Dominic Jacobetti is rolling in his grave.

i voted for maine cos that's what the license plates on my truck say

i voted for VACATIONLAND!

You mean "SUV"?

xpost

people who mock my SUV don't get to go on camping trips with me

(OMG I apologize for this in advance)

- O, hi, Oh. Yer lookin' sleepy. U tah?
- Worn out from the car wash -- been washing tons of SUVS. Hawaii?
- Perty good. You seen that hippie lately?
- Not much, he's always home with Mrs. Hippie.
- Aww, how's she?
- Idaho, but Alaska.
- You do that. How's the big dance go?
- It was crazy. Al Abama tried to Mont Ana!
- Ana, the one of those fraternal twins from Mexico?
- Yeah, Luis y Ana.
- I heard she released a pop single recently.
- It's not that great -- I preferred indie Ana.
- Anyway, so this dance -- did you see Ken?
- Yeah, his wife was still nagging him about looking so sloppy.
- Haha right, "Ken, tuckyin yr shirt!"
- That's her, alright.
- What did Della wear?
- She had on her new Jersey. Lucky thing, too, cause her roommates are always borrowing it -- they borrow her things all the time, but they Nebraska!
- You know, that Della used to be my Maine squeeze. I owa a visit!
- Just watch out for her brother Dath, he's gone nuts.
- What do you mean?
- Saw him out the other day in a tuxedo with a bucket of dirt, looking for a peacher.
- What for?
- Said he wanted to marry Land!
- That Dath is nuts.
- But reliable. There are only two sure things in life: Dath and Texas.
- Well, I gotta head out and cook dinner. Got some new kitchen tools, and I'm gonna make a sin omelette.
- How ya do that?
- Just gotta crack some eggs and use my new whisk on sin!

- What's with that pile of smelly rotting fish eggs in your back yard?
- I was gonna keep them 'til they hatched, but it turns out roe die on land!

It's Rhode Ionland now?

dude nabisco what is wrong with you?

LOTS OF THINGS, including a lifelong dream (or anyway since like 4th grade) to construct a conversation including puns on every U.S. state.

BAN PUNNY NABISCO

O HAI YO

j/k

I voted for Hawaii, because that's where I live and it's a nice place. Pretty interesting too.
Where's all the love for MN? There used to be a strong MN contingent on ILX. Where did they all go?

I voted for ME

such a misallocation of talent is punacceptable!

god so many xposts my pun looks even lamer

Minnesota's alright, but "10,000" lakes can't step to 11,037 plus 4 of 5 Greats.

now I am imagining that nabisco does this whenever he's drunk

I voted for ME

me you and bell labs are the three smartest motherfuckers on this board.

Dom started it! And I do it less when I'm drunk and more when I'm tired.

Okay anyway I voted for New Mexico, because New Mexico is awesome, and its new official state question is "red or green?". But if I were going to ignore the flashy awesomeness of New Mexico, I'd have picked Illinois, which is a good solid all-around sweet state, with good cities and weird wind patterns, and someplace you can eat sweet corn directly and deliciously, instead of just having it processed to constitute 80% of other food products you buy. Also mid-Illinois big-belly corn farmers in red suspenders and feed-store caps = stylin.

people who mock my SUV don't get to go on camping trips with me

-- bell_labs, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 6:54 PM (41 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

I wouldn't anyway, dickhead.

Nabisco, don't make me make my bible joke again.

srsly jon wtf is your problem?

Third coast born that mean we're Texas raised
Texas motherfucker that's where I stay

NO FIGHTING ABOUT ME

Actually MN just rounded it down to 10,000 to give MI a sense of false security. It's 11,842 lakes really, plus rivers including the Missisippi, which sources in Lake Itasca. MI can also keep its militia dudes.

Haha so many people reference the milita as if there aren't insane armed rednecks in every state!

I cede the point on lakes, however.

MN is high up on my list. We visited friends near Bemidji a few years ago and I loved just about everything about the state.

One thing I will say for Michigan militia dudes = they tip grocery curbside-bagger boys VERY WELL

srsly jon wtf is your problem?

-- bell_labs, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 7:40 PM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Not being a drunk?

Maybe they're closet communists

xpost

Yes I know Dan, but OMG I am living the cliche as my sis has just married an MI guy whose late dad WAS one. No license plates, no taxes, ex-military. Charming, eh?

Our insane rednecks are slightly different: they adore our generous social services, the nation's highest standard of healthcare, a relatively inexpensive way of life and if religious as well as insane they're much more able to spell PEDOPHILE or JEZEBELS on their nice vigil signs because of enviable literacy standards.

hahahah wtf jon

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/519413669_a84c0ee769.jpg?v=0

Idaho's HELL'S CANYON is the deepest canyon in America. I totalled my car over it once...fortunately those guard rails on the sides of roads work. i was sure I would die. Sublimity.

I swear, there's something about Minnesotans and state pride! I know the President of Minnesota btw, true story. He lives somewhere in South Minneapolis.

I knew of a couple guys who claimed they were MIMilitia, but really I think they just liked trucks, guns, and "fishing" with dynamite.

That's basically what the Michigan militia IS, to be honest.

There were three in a bed
And the little one said
"Roll over, roll over"
So they all rolled over
And one fell out

Ahahah actually Alex fell out, eventually.

I voted for Hawaii. Nothing else compares.

story of my life ;_1

Hangover from explaining to Londoners that the stuff between NYC and LA is not as in New Yorker poster.

MI guy's dad was much murkier, honest, and passed on 'casual' racism gene to son.

I got the "party's over" line from 2 ilxors this weekend!

you're an animal!

i voted for VACATIONLAND!

Er, Vacation Kingdom:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si-JWz-CaCA

i voted for new jersey -- surprise, surprise, surprise ...

http://members.aol.com/ww2jeep4u/LicensePlatesWWII/1942Maine.jpg

I voted M!ch!gan. You'll be begging the Militia to mobilize when the Reds attack.

I wouldn't trust those guys to organize a bake sale, much less a national defense.

I'm voting for New Mexico. It's got the best food, the best community, the most beautiful scenery, and it will have a beach in a few short years.

I need to go to New Mexico.

NJ

xpost

I mean, I'd say they're about 15% McVeigh / white supremacist style, but 85% Promise Keepers / Cheech & Chong / Manalishi / Camping / Paintball.

New Mexico is genuinely really sweet -- I highly recommend it as a vacation spot for anyone who likes good chile, good scenery, and nice people. Even the spots that are really resort-y / vacation-y can't seem to be properly overwhelmed by that, because they're just too nice to begin with.

You forgot "Old Milwaukee Light" in that second list :)

On New Mexico: You must heed local etiquette:

1. Don't be the asshole who goes to a national park, walks off the designated path, and picks up pottery shards when it clearly states not to.

2. Don't tailgate like a city asshole. Leave your big SUV in Texas.

3. Don't be a Texan. If you're going to be one, pretend you're Canadian.

x

http://web.cs.wpi.edu/~imgd1001/a06/games/screen/Militia.gif

http://pubdecor.com/shop/files/Korrie/250_neonson_baddabing.jpg
http://www.oneatlantic.net/images/Njud.jpg
http://larrycutrone.com/db1/00067/larrycutrone.com/_uimages/UncleFloyd.jpg

Looks like NM is out for me.

Looks like NM is out for me.

Fine. Pick up pottery shards when you're told not to.

i could have easily voted for NM.

Oh, come to NM, you'll be fine and you'll love it and you'll be loved. And there's BATS aplenty!

Fine. Pick up pottery shards when you're told not to.

I picked up rocks in Big Bend. I am bad.

Also, I'm in Austin, largest urban population of bats, etc.

(NM is still on my near future list)

http://www.afterimagegallery.com/Barkerwalkingrainl.jpg

Walking rain. From New Mexico / Colorado.

xpost

Ha, Sam, Texans are totally allowed in eastern NM, trucks and all, so long as NM gets to claim a 20% share in Buddy Holly. You'd be totally fine, anyway -- it's the hardcore visible Texan vacationers that bug people.

That and also unreconstructed New Agers / hippies. Those are the bugbears for New Mexico and Colorado both: Texan stereotypes and unreconstructed New Agers / hippies. (Add "Mexicans" and "fundamentalists" for people who live in Colorado and are either assholes or would like to not be surrounded by assholes.)

Also, I'm in Austin, largest urban population of bats, etc.

Oh no no no. Austin always gets an exemption from any restrictions or exclusions. I thought that was universally known. My bad.

Nabisco - agree.

x and not x

in other words, nabisco, new mexico is the west coast's version of vermont?!? hippies & new age weirdos side-by-side with "don't tread on me"-old skool native types?!?

hippies & new age weirdos side-by-side with "don't tread on me"-old skool native types?!

Yes! Well, sort of. the hippies and new age weirdos are now being overwhelmed by the Republican retirees.

Yeah, both NM and CO don't have so much of an old "native" population. But NM has obvious New Agey and hippie draws (esp. w/r/t native Americans), and communities along those lines; it also has a big art community, which can verge in similar directions. The old school-seeming natives aren't so crusty -- they're often just nice dusty farmers and pleasant rural peeps. But not so many of them, and "old school" in NM doesn't mean that many years!

I dunno, I haven't been there in a long while, so maybe Abbott and humansuit can take this up, but ... it seems like over the past few decades, New Mexico has had a far less vehement reaction about immigration than Arizona or even Colorado. I guess I can think of a lot of practical reasons why that might be, but it's still interesting.

xpost to TN comments - Screw the Titans and their stadium. HELLO, TRIPLE A BASEBALL TEAM SCOREBOARD:

http://www.opry.com/Media/Images/DriveIn/Top10/SoundsScoreboard.jpg

land of enchantment = down with magical realism = mexico rules ok

"Is this the United States?!? Or are we living in some kind of new ... umm ... never mind."

it seems like over the past few decades, New Mexico has had a far less vehement reaction about immigration than Arizona or even Colorado.

Perhaps a lot of it has to do with the fact that a lot of people in New Mexico are within a generation or two of being new to the place anyway. Now, I can only speak of the Northern side (Los Al, Santa Fe, ABQ). But in those places, I believe that's true.

Another reason, people who go there go as a destination, often to contribute something, to learn something -- simply because New Mexico has such a distinct identity that newcomers are respectful of and want to participate in that identity.

Maybe that's true. But it's easy to overstate things.

x

No, I definitely think both of those parts are true -- the NM identity is already so mestizo to begin with that it'd be silly to fear vast cultural change, which isn't the case in, say, Colorado Springs. Plus it's just politically different, and it's not a border-entry point on the level that Arizona is, and a million other things ... but the fact that it's already very obviously mixed American / Mexican / Spanish / Native / etc. over its entire history would seem to really take the edge off on culture hysteria.

The irony if New Mexico objected to new Mexicans.

http://epguides.com/LaverneandShirley/cast.jpg

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/77/039_45554~Happy-Days-Posters.jpg

http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/onion_imagearticle1398.jpg

How did Fiona get in there???

That should be :

http://images.art.com/images/products/regular/10038000/10038711.jpg

http://wisconsincheesemart.com/images/CurdClubBox.jpg

new mexico is the west coast's version of vermont?!? hippies & new age weirdos side-by-side with "don't tread on me"-old skool native types?!?

i totally got this impression when i was there, well the former anyhow.

NM is going to do quite well in this poll isnt it?

don't compare colorado springs to the rest of colorado! that place is weird, man.

also i cant believe you voted for NM, nabisco. you traitor!

more cool jersey shit:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000000HIG.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
http://p.vtourist.com/1422892-Travel_Picture-Asbury_Park.jpg
our state's "gravity roads"

new mexico is the west coast's version of vermont?!? hippies & new age weirdos side-by-side with "don't tread on me"-old skool native types?!?

NM versus OR in snob/smug fight!

okay, for starters, VT isn't really like that anymore unless you go up to the Kingdom. for REAL backwoods hippy weirdos v. gun-toting manalishis, you gotta go to New Hampshire.

...and really, the West Coast version of that is Northern California. Hi dere pot-growing militia members!

it's close to 20 years (!) since i've been to VT (though it was to the northeast kingdom -- and even then there was a distinct difference b/w the northeast kingdom and the rest of the state [esp. in comparison to anything in/around bennington/brattleboro/woodstock]), so i'll defer to what river wolf says it's like nowadays.

and really, the West Coast version of that is Northern California. Hi dere pot-growing militia members!

Yeah that's right. If there were any militia people in New Mexico, I think they already surrendered.

So I think this will really increase the New Mexico vote, don't you? Hippies yes, militia no.

And Val Kilmer.

MN may have 10,000+ lakes but most of them seem rather puny. Give me Michigan and the three huge ones around it. But really the only part of Michigan I give a fuck about is the UP, though other select areas are not without their charms.

I just moved to Washington and so far it seems pretty OK. I've got deserts, wheat fields, big-ass mountains, oceans, rain forests, agriculture for good eatin', wineries, nice weather, no income tax, reasonably progressive politics, good wine and beer everywhere, cheap car insurance, cheap electricity, pretty license plates, and a couple other things. So far my only real downside is the state run liquor stores which just seem colossally stupid.

I get to keep tabs on Idaho which has lots of pretty shit, but still, it's Idaho and is often quite baffling. They just elected a man named Butch Otter as their governor. Seriously. An adult man who goes by BUTCH OTTER.

Butch Otter is a libertarian in Republican's clothes. He had a shoot-ff with the other guy running for gov.!

new mexico is the west coast's version of vermont?!? hippies & new age weirdos side-by-side with "don't tread on me"-old skool native types?!?

WTF most of the inland west is like this, and much of the coastal part as well esp mendocino northwards. wyoming and nevada possibly excepted, though each are plenty odd and unpredictable in their own ways. if anything the hippie/militia divide is greater in new mexico (hippies almost exclusively stay northern) than in oregon, washington, arizona and possibly colorado? i don't really know CO very well though.

everything good said abt new mexico so far is true but it's also being somewhat overrated. pretty but nothing compared to hawaii, alaska, california, washington, arizona, western montana or utah. from a southwestern POV arizona and utah have much better scenery and arguably better cities as well. new mexico does have better cuisine though.

ok also except utah from hippiedom. but it's hardly limited to new mexico. actually i think wyoming has more and more crunchy types lately?

Hippie militia split coexistence is insaniest in MONTANAAS.

agreed. also forgot: IDAHO!!

GUYS WHAT ABOUT WHITE POWER ILXOR INTERNET TROLLS IN FREE FOLK BANDS

my money's on new york, although i do so love my home states of massachusetts and montana

Idaho is in my BLOOD. It has a giant state park called CRATERS OF THE MOON which is just a field of warped igneous rock and igneaous rock caves from traveling hot spots in the east ID/west WY region.

az and ut does have much better scenery, but theres a more relaxed vibe about nm. i would recommend az or ut over nm to a visitor, but if i could live in a state i would choose nm

pretty but nothing compared to hawaii, alaska, california, washington, arizona, western montana or utah. from a southwestern POV arizona and utah have much better scenery and arguably better cities as well.

Um, NO. Show me the person who would rather spend his time in Arizona or Utah and I'll show you the person who is miserable and DEAD INSIDE.

It shames me that Gareth has seen more of the US than I have.

Yeah, I'm totally with humansuit: NM seems endlessly prettier than UT and AZ. But it might just be a matter of whether you enjoy cozy scrubby prairie and mountainsides versus Vast Awe-Inspiring Barren Wasteland type stuff?

Yeah, I think it does. Certainly I hold nothing against those who say that Hawaii is prettier than New Mexico - they're not really comparable in an objective sense and it simply comes down to taste. To a certain extent that's true of UT and AZ, although they are more comparable. But you can't say that they are hands-down nicer than New Mexico. No way. Want desert? Got it. Want mountains and snow? Got it. The range is everything.

Utah has that range and more, only it's all scary! It's like walking around the dry end of Pangea. Which some people like, but ehhh.

OK. I admit I don't haven't spent that much time in Utah. I feel shame. Shame for implying I know. In reality I'm just a New Mexico apologist.

Maryland has crabs. Heh.

http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/statusainthood/archives/images/wire.jpg

I'm afraid my grandparents' beloved home state of North Dakota is going to finish far out of the top 10.

You know what's a shit state-Delaware.

^TRU

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Surprisingly strong showing for NJ.

New Hampshire deserved a vote even though it's not my favorite.

Florida is on the bottom of the list where it belongs.

Science!

how the fuck does north dakoka get two and south none?

buncha aspies with bowl cuts clearly voted in this

You know what's a shit state-Delaware.

-- Bill Magill, Thursday, May 31, 2007 9:27 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark Link

A friend and I recently decided that this is because Delaware was the first state. It was the prototype - just a state with no added features.

Decent showing for the MN! ^_^

4-9 are fucking incomprehensible

Suck it, Michigan is great.

people are from there. pretty strong showing for Oregon, the indie Washington. (xpost)

u suck it michigan come back when u have a mountain or an ocean or bbq or something

u must not have seen Great Lakes b4

theyre big lakes oh great - you know whats a really big lake? the ocean.

I couldn't have a favorite state without mountains, beaches, and BBQ. It's just a coincidence that my family tree is rooted 250 years deep in North Carolina.

OK you win, have fun drinking your oceans.

No sharks = no credibility.

I WILL TY

People seriously need to stop sleeping on the upper midwest because in a lot of ways it's the greatest part of the country to live in.

(only real downside is the racial homogeny and that is changing drastically)

oh god not u too dan - im not sure that ive ever heard anyone sleeping on chicago already - it has its own thread and everything

midwest gets what it deserves

wtf, I'm from the outskirts of the Twin Cities! OIf course I Think the upper midwest is awesome! Basically I would move back there if I didn't have a weird hangup about living near my parents as an adult.

(also if my wife wouldn't stab me in the face for suggesting we move someplace where it is expected to get subzero temperatures during winter, oops)

(having said that, I almost have her convinced she could live in Chicago)

i am shocked that new hampshire didn't get a single vote -- that place is fucking great.

no its better to hate where you grew up see - try it i think youll love it

i think vt and vacationland kinda stole the nh vote

Well, I do kind of hate HSTNGS but MPLS/St Paul are awesome.

midwest gets what it deserves

Haha and so will NY when the rising oceans and floods wash it away.

xxp: You're right, if I grew up in a steaming cess pool I'd probably hate it too.

VT is great and all, but NH is realer than real, plus ocean

i hate newton and boston, you can too

xp

I haven't spent enough time in NH to really make a decision one way or the other but about 6 of my coworkers live there and commute to Boston. I think they're all crazy.

xp: WELL DUH anyone with sense hates Newton and Boston!

Boston = sux
Cambridge = pretentious sux
Somerville = semi-affordable given proximity to Boston, ergo best bet in the area

All this New Mexico talk is well-timed, since I will be visiting Albuquerque next week.

i hate hastings and the twin cities too and the rest of the midwest and parts of the south

jp is teh besst actually

xp

There isn't a ton going on in downtown TC but what's there is fun. Plus the people aren't total assholes.

i dont know ive never been there but im just going to go ahead and hate it retroactively for snobbish purposes

uh retroactively preemptively

gbx otm

I have love for the upper midwest yo, who are my Michigan voters besides Dan? Sleeping Bear THIS.

lol @ river wolf and his alter

also Laurel I ALWAYS VOTE MINNESOTA

laurel they tied texas what moer u want

No worries, Dan. We can still be friends.

GIVE ME HIBBING OR GIVE ME... um, actually almost anything else

MN STILL ROXOR THO

Oh wait, just realized: I wasn't talking about you! dan m is up there, see?

It is very funny, on most levels I couldn't possibly care less about being an American citizen but I fucking ADORE the fact that I grew up in Minnesota.

(xp: ha narcissistic cat is narcissistic)

Dan: this is true of most minnesotans i know, actually!

i am from minnesota but voted for alaska because it seems kinda similar and my parents don't live there

still tho dan perry basically 100% otm

Awww....poor Missouri :(

hahahaha MINNESOTA: WE LUV OUR STATE BUT NOT OUR PARENTS

(ps: i am tipsy)

(also who knew that MN basically = the TX of the north???)

Yeah, my vote for Michigan is a vote for the homestead and the fam and for the lakes and the woods. It is not a vote for my high school or etc in any way. But I can live with that dichotomy.

Not even I voted for Idaho, but it is the best shaped state. I like Utah's, too: I had a plan for a while to made Utah-shaped picture frames that cut off the top right 1/3 of the picture & sell them at tourist shops.

i mean i voted for montana even though the bros/rednecks/nouveau-rich/etc here are intolerable (actually some of the rednecks are A+++).

NEW JERSEY: BETTER THAN MOST STATES BUT NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK

also WTF oregon your state is the shitty version of washington

RIP UT

no

x-post

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

-- ILX System, Monday, June 4, 2007 11:01 PM

whoa.

also WTF oregon your state is the shitty version of washington

Maybe people were voting for Portland?

They were voting for Ramona Quimby love.

(also if my wife wouldn't stab me in the face for suggesting we move someplace where it is expected to get subzero temperatures during winter, oops)

-- HI DERE, Monday, 4 June 2007 23:26 (33 minutes ago) Link

Dude, you live in Boston, WTF?? Isn't it cold there???

portland != oregon, and besides, portland is the shitty version of seattle besides the blazers

ok the oregon coast >>>> washington coast, plus portland, plus v. comparable mountains, plus vast emptiness in the southeast

v. comparable mountains

UH

also WTF oregon your state is the shitty version of washington

SAME TING

all the states suck, people

DON'T YOU SEE, THIS IS JUST WHAT THEY WANT US TO DO

O NOW U GOT DEFENSE XXP

portland rules, fuck seattle

Powells books > > > Elliot Bay Book Company

Dude, you live in Boston, WTF?? Isn't it cold there???

It's cold, but it rarely goes below zero here. I think it's happened maybe... twice? since I moved out here in fall 1991, while in MN it's bizarre if it DOESN'T happen.

CAN'T WE ALL JUST AGREE THAT MOST OF THESE STATES ARE BETTER THAN ENGLAND

EXCEPT NEBRASKA

Most of them are bigger, too.

yes, OR coast > WA coast and OR desert > central WA, but Seattle > Portland and WA mtns > OR mtns, and even if you think things are still equal, the San Juans tip it

GR OTM, Nebraska sux

I WILL REP FOR NEBRASKA

OK who voted for delaware, wtf?

if we're going to pick on a state, let's pick on a Delaware

I WILL REP FOR NEBRASKA

YOU WILL REP FOR CORNFIELDS AND TRACTORFUCKING

All my sibs & parents remember from the family trip to Oregon was some stinky lake in east Oregon. They all call the whole state Stinky Lake.

GUYS NEVER FORGET

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bc/Franklins_cartoon.png

mw you're just contrary, there's nothing good about nebraska except the springsteen album

You know, I went to a wedding in Delaware and I'm still not convinced it's a real place.

OH WAIT I FORGOT HOW MUCH YOU LOVE BRIGHT EYES MR QUE

lol

DEAR PACIFIC NW PEOPLE: NARCISSISM OF SMALL DIFF AND SO MUCH CLOUDS HELOO

I HATE BRIGHT EYES GHOST RIDER HAVE YOU BEEN TO NEBRASKA PUNK

I have been to Nebraska. It sux.

someday i am going to have a party and ONLY invite people who are from the ORIGINAL THIRTEEN COLONIES

also i guess we need a worst us state poll, y/n?

i've been to nebraksa, it's depressing and long and flat

Kansas >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Nebraska

xp: Y TO WORST STATE POLL, DELAWARE NEEDS TO WiN SOMETHING

it is not as flat as kansas which is kinda cool flat

haha you don't think the worst state poll would turn out pretty much the same? except with jersey finishing a little higher?

(altho really Florida is the worst state becaue it has all of the trappings of awesomeness yet still manages to suck ass)

i've been to nebraksa, it's depressing and long and flat

-- ghost rider, Tuesday, June 5, 2007 12:12 AM (28 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

CHECK YOUR UNDERWEAR IF YOU WANT LONG DEPRESSING AND FLAT

http://blip.tv/uploadedFiles/Carlweaver-AdmiralWeaver422.jpg

ok ijust kidding. i make worst state poll now

north dakota is more depressing than nebraska, i'll grant that, but no one even goes through north dakota so how would they know

xp UH.jpg

many xps: dude he stopped reading after "LONG"

GUYS i just discovered a fact that changes EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW ABOUT NEBRASKA

the worst state is obv missouri - delaware has the ocean and seafoods that comes out it plus its really small which is pretty funny in its own way

i mean "the show me state" - great thank you for epitomizing the mid estern lack of imgination

Kool-Aid was created in 1927 by Edwin Perkins in the city of Hastings; it is the official soft drink of Nebraska. [6]

w

Missouri has:

1) St. Louis
2) Kansas City

Ergo: Missouri >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Nebraska

DELAWARE PROBABLY DOESNT EVEN HAVE AN OFFICIAL SOFT DRINK

hi, i'm in delaware

the official soft drink of the state of delaware is yoohoo

oh what what do they have one arch between them

xp

o god, Kool-Aid is the official drink of Nebraska? NUCLEAR RESPONSE NOW

xp: How do you know, rw/gbx? Are you in a blank formless void reminscent of E-Space?

the beaches around rehoboth delaware are ok but cmon that is practically maryland anyways.

kool aid >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> yoo-hoo

Isn't Rehoboth a big lesbian tourist spot?

delaware smells like a mill, the whole fucking state

people need to stop posting on this shit i always have to wade through like a zillion xposts

missouri can kinda claim tennessee williams, right? you coastal elites though are skewing shit, like seriously someone needs to back me up on this north dakota shit

also lol kentucky

Lesbians love mill smell, I guess?

gay, not lesbian

actually nevermind, i like kentucky, i think i meant lol kansas

rehoboth is beloved of gays of both genders.

st. louis has t.s. eliot and chuck berry

how did kentucky get no votes? thats a sweet place fyi

st louis had those things like a million years ago que now they have an arch

st louis has the st. louis cardinals.

st. louis has nelly

someone defend west virginia to me

i would have expected wyoming to get a few votes too

All of the guy gays I know like going to Ogunquit.

West Virginia has Wheeling, which is okay.

west virginia is sad, but at least it's not virginia.

w virginia - lovely green hilly

nelly and the cardinals both suck bigtime guys

cardinals won the world series last year DOUCHEROOSTER

and virginia is way awesomer than West Virginia

kool aid >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> yoo-hoo

physical challenge

doesnt mean theyre not totally hateable que

dude, how can anyone hate the cardinals? what are you from KC or something?

hi dere chicago.

oh. that explains it.

there are many godforsaken towns in wyoming that scare me. driving through on i-80 is a lot like the first scene in 'dead man' when johnny depp is going west and is all omgwtf. that being said it is a crazy beautiful state, even outside of the yellowstone/tetons/wind river corner.

i will take you on stephens i can run through a mile of gak faster than any horse

i hate the cardinals cause: they from the nl, they suck

i have nothing to do w/chicago

or any other place where people care abt cardinals

there are many godforsaken towns in wyoming that scare me.

ugh totally. big Meth problem in some towns.

I won't vote for New York until we get rid of New Jersey.

-- Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 12:34 PM (6 days ago) Bookmark Link

FITE.

Nice showing Maryland! You got heart.

NEW JERSEY: BETTER THAN MOST STATES BUT NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK

-- max, Monday, June 4, 2007 11:59 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

New Jersey's problem is that it's Scottie Pippen next to NY's Jordan.

haha, yeah, I'm surprised so many people voted for New York. I mean, I live in New York City and all, but it's a unique thing - culturally closer to New Jersey than upstate New York if you insist on comparing. New York State is OK and all, but it's mostly WASPY, wildernessy, and kinda weird (Smith's Pizza? what the hell is that?)

Missed this one, but I would have picked California. It is where I'd most like to live - sadly, I'll probably never be able to afford it.

If I had to choose just based on sports teams it would be Massachusetts because the Red Sox and the Patriots rock my world.

How do you know, rw/gbx? Are you in a blank formless void reminscent of E-Space?

-- HI DERE, Tuesday, June 5, 2007 12:18 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Link

http://www.dio.net/pictures_cd/waynes_world_front_big.jpg

Anyone who sez Washington > Oregon hasn't seen Spokane. The End.

I see your Spokane and raise you one Springfield.

Spokane? It's like an afterthought, it doesn't even really figure into the equation enough to really affect the decision. That said, it's really not terrible. Just kind of bland, a bit methy in parts, not a whole lot going on but not totally fucked.

I like Portland better than Seattle though. And I've only been to the coast of Oregon, not Washington yet.

Bellingham?

Also, Idaho's got kind of a cool shape but it seems like a desperate attempt to have an international border.

I'm biased here, but Michigan has the coolest shape. You can make a map from your hands and point to where you live. On an accurate map of the country or world it's easy to see exactly where I grew up. It's in two oddly shaped pieces that just look like they belong together. There's only one way to travel between the two. And so on.

* Rhode Island 2

HMMMMMMMMMM ....

WAIT A MINUTE
http://laserbeast.com/photos/woo/lightningbolt_061901_4.jpg

If Long Island -- excluding NYC Even -- New Jersey would still suck more than it.

do they not teach you how to use verbs in new york?

jon, have you ever been anywhere in NJ? (besides the meadowlands or hudson county)

If Long Island -- excluding NYC Even

You do realize that excludes Brooklyn and Queens, right?

jon, have you ever been anywhere in NJ? (besides the meadowlands or hudson county)

YES

You do realize that excludes Brooklyn and Queens, right?

YES. FUCK YOU. EVEN THE SUBURBS OF LONG ISLAND ARE BETTER THAN JERSEY

WAHT'S UP NOW BITCHES?!?!?!?

MAX, I AM TIRED AND YOU ARE TIRESOME.

Long Island = Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, Dream Theater, Blue Oyster Cult

Actually you also have De La Soul, Rakim, Public Enemy, Busta Rhymes, and Dee Snider

STILL HAVEN'T SAID WAHT IS SO GREAT ABOUT NJ!!!!

xpost

I'm basing this on most of the people I meet from LI being sweet and quite a few of the NJ people being total assholes.

NJ = Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Lauren Hill, Sinatra, Dionne Warwick, Redman, P-Funk, Isley Bros., Bill Evans, Misfits, Naughty By Nature, Queen Latifah, Patti Smith, Sugarhill Gang

Springsteen >>> Joel as local icon.

I think LI wins hip-hop but NJ wins otherwise

NJ has almost everything, even if sometimes it's a slightly watered down version

It's one of the most diverse states, it has a wide variety of landscapes, its population has one of the highest levels of education of any state

it has a wide variety of landscapes

In about 20 minutes you can go from a charming colonial town to a frightening urban apocalypse

MN ought to have come second because, well, we come second in every major sporting contest we have been in. And we could all probably compete well in a 'my parents are weirdest, RUN AWAY NOW' smackdown. This, as well as any form of being "differnt" (local pronounciation emphasised) means that you just want to get the fuck out at 18 but when you look back, you realise that most of the people you were hanging out with weren't afraid to make their own amusement.

Also I laugh because Dan escaped to the "not freezing" east coast just before the biggest, coldest and way-too-earliest blizzard in MN; it's so much less cold than when I was little, but I can't cope with the car culture.

beaches, mountains, farmland, etc.

NJ has a wide variety of landscaping

few suburban areas have better ethnic food than hudson, middlesex, bergen counties

Warren & Sussex counties = awesome

i like NJ, not so much the suburbs just the other side of the river, but a little further out. theres a lot of that 'last summer together' kinda feel about it, plus jbrs description of michael mcdonalds sweet freedom as 'jersey shore music' is pretty persuasive. it feels like a state to have some nostalgia in, for something that never existed. i like that

i didnt vote NJ though, or the top two, i voted new mexico, for a while on this thread it looked like it might even get 3rd!

I don't think I voted for NJ myself, in fact I may not have voted. If I were to vote again I think I'd actually vote for California.

I mean I'm defending it but no wai is it the best state.

i voted for NJ = SURPRIZE SURPRIZE SURPRIZE.

that said, if someone doesn't like NJ -- or anywhere else -- that's their prerogative. still, i am always curious whenever anyone puts NJ down as to whether or not they've ever been there and, if so, if they've been anywhere OTHER THAN the NJ turnpike or sopranos-land.

you guys are funny

NB: I looked at a few schools in NJ

also, i don't really like north jersey myself -- too many assholes and too NYC-ish.

Driving along, say, Route 4 around the Garden State Plaza, or Route 3 from Wayne to the NYC area or the stretch of the Turnpike right by NYC I can undertand the hatred for NJ.

everyone supporting jersey is otm, but i think jon might have asperger's syndrome or something

People in NYC seem to complain about people from north jersey but they never hang out in North Jersey

I'm basing this on most of the people I meet from LI being sweet and quite a few of the NJ people being total assholes.

;__;

I'm so busted re: voting for South Dakota.

how did kentucky get no votes?

I was on vacation when you all took this poll.

Also I laugh because Dan escaped to the "not freezing" east coast just before the biggest, coldest and way-too-earliest blizzard in MN

Hahahaha yes! 4 feet of snow on Halloween! Oh how I called FB and John and laughed at them.

oh shit i remember that blizzard. totally awesome -- i was at a halloween party at 4fton 4lps, and we went sledding!

that was the greatest halloween ever.

NH got screwed. I went to college there-best eight years of my life.

ditto

I like the look of North Jersey very much, but I mean, like, "north of Saddle River", not "north of Hoboken". It's pretty up there around Pompton Lakes & surrounding.

NH would've won a best state motto poll.
also best state liquor store, probably.

I'm biased here, but Michigan has the coolest shape. You can make a map from your hands and point to where you live. On an accurate map of the country or world it's easy to see exactly where I grew up. It's in two oddly shaped pieces that just look like they belong together. There's only one way to travel between the two. And so on.

I've only heard groans from native Michiganlanders when I ask them about the mitten/map thing.

And really. The U.P. should just be ceded to Wisconsin. Seems like it's more theirs than Michigan's.

Don't get me wrong. I like Michigan. It and my home state of Arkansas are "related" by basically being admitted together as free state and slave state. Many Arkansasians migrated to Michigan to escape the oppressive nature my state had back in the last century.

If you ever want to check out a good book from the library (it's out-of-print now), check out Land of Opportunity. It's about the sons of sharecroppers going to Detroit in pursuit of the American Dream. They formed their own business, set up their own financial parameters, and heaped many a profit during the 1980's. Unfortunately, they made their fortunes selling crack. But they were really good at it. There are chapters in the book where Lee Iaccoca and Nancy Reagan are blocking traffic downtown with their pro-business and anti-drug sentiments while the Arkies make the most of the opportunities given to them. It's better than any Ayn Rand novel, I tell you that.

We gave up the Ohio Strip for that northern piece of rock and mineral, and we aim to keep it.

Illinois got hosed too. Wrigley Field and its surrounding environs should have garnered it at least three votes on its own. And I'm not even a baseball fan.

Illinois has my favorite building ever - Carbide & Carbon. But that was not enough to win my vote.

er, the part of lakeview that "wrigleyville" is in could disappear from chicago and it would be fine with me.

re:

It is very funny, on most levels I couldn't possibly care less about being an American citizen but I fucking ADORE the fact that I grew up in Minnesota.

(xp: ha narcissistic cat is narcissistic)

-- HI DERE, Monday, June 4, 2007 11:49 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

are you an indie?

-- Serge Protecteur (nordicskilla), Saturday, January 28, 2006 9:58 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

I am a Minnesotan.

-- gbx (skowly), Saturday, January 28, 2006 10:03 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

Minnesotans have every right to be proud. The best and ironic part is that they're taught it's a sin to show one ounce of pride to anyone about it.

I've only heard groans from native Michiganlanders when I ask them about the mitten/map thing.

I was at a party recently and a guy was from Michigan and I asked him to make the mitten and he pointed way above his hand because he was from the UP and I hadn't been attracted to him up to that point but suddenly he had a sliver of a chance (though I doubt he was interested in me).

You can do the UP with your left hand if you don't care about the lower bit with Escanaba and Menominee, which is fine for me cause I'm only interested in the left thumb.

The right hand only comes into play as a point of reference to illustrate how far away Detroit / Ann Arbor / Lansing / Kalamazoo / Grand Rapids were.