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Everyone knows NY, CA, TX and FL. After that it gets murky and depends more on the person. New Jersey is more famous than one thinks because it’s mentioned a lot in movies and shows set in NYC. Tennessee is mentioned worldwide in commercials for whiskey. Meanwhile Kentucky has its own global fast food chain. Alabama has its own classic hit song played across the world. Same with West Virginia. Its random but I legit feel that makes those states better known than even a state like Georgia which is a lot less known than its dominant city Atlanta.
agree and HI and AK may also have a decent association
else it would mostly be hit or miss; some folks will make an association and these may be different depending on the are someone is from
cities probably have a larger list more commonly known
I'm amazed at how many people reference movies/tv shows that are so old. I live in Milwaukee and people seem to think it's like Laverne and Shirley or Happy Days. I'm too young to have ever watched either. I remember Rocky but I don't think anything about that movie. It was made before I was born. I was in the prime of Fresh Prince days but still, that was a long time ago. Do people in Sweden or Uruguay really think of Philadelphia because of a 40+ year old movie?
I think you underestimate the reach of some of those movies worldwide. American pop culture, especially classic Hollywood, is a huge deal in many parts of the world. I walk through markets in Chennai, India when I'm there and I see Wizard of Oz, Grease!, The Godfather, Mary Poppins, etc. DVD bootlegs, shirts, posters, etc. Here in the states, we move on quickly and very few films, shows, musicals, etc. stay relevant for long. But in many places around the world, that's not the case - especially places where there isn't as much access to full libraries of modern TV/Film, or a theater scene that draws Broadway shows. So yeah, in many places, a 40+ year old movie still resonates even with people who are not even 20 years old.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kidphilly
agree and HI and AK may also have a decent association
I think it's almost a certainty that Hawaii is top 5. It gets plenty of pop culture/media coverage and references, plus it's one of the country's largest tourism markets (particularly with Asian tourists). I pointed out earlier that more people are flying from Tokyo to HNL than from LA or any other American city. It's also one of the few American tourism markets where you could argue that the state is as well known as (maybe better known) than the principal/primary city. One of the sticking points for people on Hawaii is that doesn't fit the stereotypes of "America" and I don't disagree. But the thread isn't about which states are "most stereotypical American;" it's simply the most well known.
I agree that Alaska is definitely on that list. Alaska has sort of a mystique about it due to its remote location, natural beauty, and vast, unspoiled wilderness. Unlike Hawaii, it doesn't have the tourism numbers, and unlike CA/FL/NY, it doesn't have the population. But people know Alaska like they know other remote, beautiful regions of countries like Lapland in Finland, The Highlands in Scotland, Bavaria in Germany (though Munich/Nuremburg are big cities), Bali in Indonesia, etc.
Lol most people outside the nation don’t realize Texas is in the American south. Heck even in the Southeast, there are people who have western themed images when they first think of Texas. When people start to talk to Texans about horses, Cowboys, ranches, open sky, sand, etc., Texas does fit this and this is what most people think.
That's the truth.
My daughter is 37. She's a military wife and a former military brat who has lived all over the world. When she tells someone she went to high school in Texas, often they ask her - very seriously - if she rode a horse to school.
I am not sure she has ever been on a horse in her entire life!
On an aside note, I was flying from Europe back to Texas a few years ago and I was sitting next to a European girl who was visiting the US for about a week. I asked her where she was going (she was flying into DFW) and she was so excited - she said, "Oh, Dallas, Austin, San Francisco, LA, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston and NYC! And maybe Denver." And get this - she planned to DRIVE most of those places. Ye gods!
Every person I've ever met anywhere in the world, if it came up in conversation (which it often has) has known pretty much where California, Texas, and NYC are. Maybe Florida. And they've known that Alaska is very big (even if they're not sure where it is) and that Hawaii is a group of islands really far from the mainland.
I think it's almost a certainty that Hawaii is top 5. It gets plenty of pop culture/media coverage and references, plus it's one of the country's largest tourism markets (particularly with Asian tourists). I pointed out earlier that more people are flying from Tokyo to HNL than from LA or any other American city. It's also one of the few American tourism markets where you could argue that the state is as well known as (maybe better known) than the principal/primary city. One of the sticking points for people on Hawaii is that doesn't fit the stereotypes of "America" and I don't disagree. But the thread isn't about which states are "most stereotypical American;" it's simply the most well known.
My sister-in-law grew up in Romania in the 1970s and 80s, when it was a Soviet puppet state. According to her, when people imagined being free to travel the world, the exotic place they all dreamed of was...Honolulu. Sis-in-law has been wanting to go to Honolulu for her entire life. She says she would still score major points with her relatives and friends in Romania if she makes it there.
Which states are the most famous internationally? This refers to the state as a whole, not just famous cities (e.g. Illinois as a whole, not just Chicago).
I'm confident about my top 5, but not so much after that. Alaska is pretty recognizable since its so distinct.
California
New York
Texas
Florida
Hawaii
Pennsylvania
Massachusetts
Nevada
Arizona
Washington
From my perspective, I think it really depends on which part of the world you are talking about. California would be number one no matter what in all metrics, but I've seen the following
California and Hawaii for Asia (as many have pointed out, both are famous for East Asians)
California, Florida, Texas and New York (for Latin Americans, particularly since many have relatives in those states, and since I live in Miami and have visited Latin America many times, most know Florida very well)
California, New York, Florida (for many Europeans)
As many have pointed out, cities are much more well known than their state (i.e. Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston). I remember two specific occasions visiting family in South America, and pointing out Heinz ketchup packets, saying that I lived near Pittsburgh where Heinz is from. I would say it is in Pennsylvania (some knew what I was talking about, but most did not), and once I said Philadelphia, they knew automatically (though I would say that it is 6 hours from there).
Another time was during the Columbine shooting, and some people were wondering how far did I live from Colorado (and I was living in Pennsylvania).
I've lived in the Middle East and Europe for half a decade. Here are the top ten I've heard:
NY, CA, FL, TX- these are the undisputed top.
HI would be a close next. Aside from this, very few states are known and it becomes cities (i.e. a lot of folks in the Middle East knew Vegas, but they didn't know Nevada).
NJ, TN, AZ, were slightly known. IL, MS, WA, MA were also known to an extent.
I may have missed one, but it is really those four, and then a huge drop off.
New York is kind of murky because while everyone knows the city, I doubt many people know about the state.
The rest of the top 10 would probably consist of state references in popular media, i.e.:
Kansas
Georgia
New Jersey
Kentucky
Tennessee
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