What state is the biggest mystery to you?

[Rain Man]

During the course of your Internet travels, you make the acquaintance of a nice person from Thailand named Santawanjanoop Parseethanawanapattapittyparwanathanasan. Santawanjanoop informs you that he/she (you don't know if Santawanjanoop is a male name or female name) is moving to the U.S. next year, and will be living in [insert state name here]. Santawanjanoop asks you for a brain dump of what it's like to live in [insert state name here].

What state would give you the most trouble?


For me, a couple of states stand out. Connecticut is probably the most mysterious state for me. I don't know much of anything about it, and can hardly even name cities in Connecticut. Is it urban, or is it just a bunch of New York suburbs? Connecticut is kind of a black hole for me.

Another state that is challenging on a different scale is California. I know a fair amount about the state, but I can never keep all of the second-tier cities straight. Where is Santa Monica compared to Santa Anna compared to Santa Rosa compare to Santa Rosita (if there is a Santa Rosita). That state has far too many cities that start with Santa.

The other mysterious state is Delaware. I still question whether it really exists, or if it's some mythical place like Shangri-La or Cibola or Puerto Rico.

[luv]

You have a very overactive imagination, don't you? That, or you're just really bored.

[Skip Towne]

Is there really an Iowa? We've always called it Ohio down here.

[Frazod]

Why are there no major cities in northern California? Is it some uninhabitable wasteland, or have shitty weather, or what? Perhaps that's the area of the state where the normal people live, and there aren't enough of them to form a major city.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by frazod

Why are there no major cities in northern California? Is it some uninhabitable wasteland, or have shitty weather, or what? Perhaps that's the area of the state where the normal people live, and there aren't enough of them to form a major city.

Yes. YES! That's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. Why is that? I envision big stands of primordial redwood forests, and uninhabited rocky beaches where Big Sur-type waves crash against the shore under the call of seagulls. North of there, people live along the Washington coast, and even the Oregon coast. South of there, people are jammed by the millions along the coastline in tiny apartments at huge prices, yet there remains hundreds of miles of uninhabited space just north of them. What's the deal? Are the beaches infested with giant, man-eating crabs? Do Bigfoot creatures rule the area? Are there dinosaurs and smilodons and California condors that swoop down and carry off struggling gold miners to their deaths? What's the deal?

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yes. YES! That's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. Why is that? I envision big stands of primordial redwood forests, and uninhabited rocky beaches where Big Sur-type waves crash against the shore under the call of seagulls. North of there, people live along the Washington coast, and even the Oregon coast. South of there, people are jammed by the millions along the coastline in tiny apartments at huge prices, yet there remains hundreds of miles of uninhabited space just north of them. What's the deal? Are the beaches infested with giant, man-eating crabs? Do Bigfoot creatures rule the area? Are there dinosaurs and smilodons and California condors that swoop down and carry off struggling gold miners to their deaths? What's the deal?

One word:

Environmentalists.

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yes. YES! That's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. Why is that? I envision big stands of primordial redwood forests, and uninhabited rocky beaches where Big Sur-type waves crash against the shore under the call of seagulls. North of there, people live along the Washington coast, and even the Oregon coast. South of there, people are jammed by the millions along the coastline in tiny apartments at huge prices, yet there remains hundreds of miles of uninhabited space just north of them. What's the deal? Are the beaches infested with giant, man-eating crabs? Do Bigfoot creatures rule the area? Are there dinosaurs and smilodons and California condors that swoop down and carry off struggling gold miners to their deaths? What's the deal?

Nope. It's just me, my family and my close friends. We kill all of those Southern Californians stupid enough to wander up here.

[58-4ever]

Wyoming...why isn't there more people inhabiting this place? It just seems like one of those giant square states without much of a history (although I'm probably way off).

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by 58-4ever

Wyoming...why isn't there more people inhabiting this place? It just seems like one of those giant square states without much of a history (although I'm probably way off).

The Wyoming thing is a bit of a mystery to me, too. I've done a fair amount of work there, and it seems like a nice place. The only thing that I can figure is that it's not good agricultural or grazing land, and so didn't get any kind of early start on settling. Colorado might be identical if not for the fact that Colorado had lots of mining opportunities.

Wyoming's got lots of mining now, too, but it's stuff that wasn't valuable when the settlement of the West happened - stuff like gas and coal.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by 58-4ever

Wyoming...why isn't there more people inhabiting this place? It just seems like one of those giant square states without much of a history (although I'm probably way off).

There are vast stretches of Wyoming that are nothing but rock-strewn wastelands. No water anywhere, nothing living.

[Lonewolf Ed]

Originally Posted by 58-4ever

Wyoming...why isn't there more people inhabiting this place? It just seems like one of those giant square states without much of a history (although I'm probably way off).

Unless I am mistaken, Wyoming was the first state to grant women the right to vote. Wyoming is not as populated as Montana, not sure why, but it seems that once you are out of view of the mountains in Wyoming, it is pretty desolate. Eastern Montana is desolate, too, but the western part has more forests and mountains, and consequently, more people.

Now as for a state I can't understand: California, definitely, and it is entirely because of the people there.

[DanT]

Originally Posted by frazod

Why are there no major cities in northern California? Is it some uninhabitable wasteland, or have shitty weather, or what? Perhaps that's the area of the state where the normal people live, and there aren't enough of them to form a major city.

The weather is good and some of the most productive farmland in the world is here, in the Central Valley, which is ringed by mountains. I think the physical layout is why the big population centers in Northern California are in the Bay Area and, to a much lesser extent, Sacramento (where I work). The location of the waterways and the mountain passes has had a big effect on what areas were viable for large-scale settlement.

That's just my amateur opinion, though.

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by frazod

Why are there no major cities in northern California? Is it some uninhabitable wasteland, or have shitty weather, or what? Perhaps that's the area of the state where the normal people live, and there aren't enough of them to form a major city.

Absolutely correct, my friend. Outstanding insight from an outsider!

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by luv2rite

You have a very overactive imagination, don't you? That, or you're just really bored.

I have many more thoughts, but a lot of them get stuck in my elbows on the way from my brain to my hands. I have very bony elbows.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Another state that is challenging on a different scale is California. I know a fair amount about the state, but I can never keep all of the second-tier cities straight. Where is Santa Monica compared to Santa Anna compared to Santa Rosa compare to Santa Rosita (if there is a Santa Rosita). That state has far too many cities that start with Santa.

All those cities are south of Santa Maria, which is north of Santa Barbara, but south of Santa Margarita.