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Which state do you believe exemplifies/epitomizes the soul/heart/trademark of the U.S. and why?
Me first!
My pick would be Kentucky as the heart of the nation! It used to be the gateway to the "west" at one point in time. (see Cumberland Gap National Park) This pioneer spirit still exudes today!
For me Missouri feels like that and it's one of the reasons I chose to live here. It's the most "Americana" place I've ever been! The barns are classic, homes are typically Midwestern, people are EXTREMELY patriotic (but not lemmings), whole generations of families go to the local baseball games which are awesome in a state of the art stadium called Ebbetts Field..Everyone stands with their hands over their hearts and the farmers with their hats in their hands for the National Anthem. And your neighbors will come and knock on your door and check on you if they don't see you for a week. I went to the hospital and got admitted without telling my immediate neighbor in May of 06 and when I got back, he walked over to my property and asked where I'd been? I told him the hospital. His cheeks flushed with anger actually and he told me, next time tell us what's going on. We were worried about you!
And then this godforsaken ice storm in January that went way beyond the typical and destroyed so much.... my neighbors have all the tools, I don't. I have 4.3 acres of oaks and hickory and I had thousands of heavy limbs drop in the storm along with complete trees. Everyone's properties were just mangled. They put together a team of 9 men and helped me saw up and clean up my property!!!! Took nearly a month of Saturdays and some days inbetween, but they made miracle progress. I've done the same for them and helped on other's properties. We've got them all basically cleaned up now. People help each other here without question. And...they have an honor system. If they have spent all that time showing you trust and giving you their hands...and you ever treat them not the same way...you will lose them. Betrayal isn't tolerated well. They are just great people who treat you like family and expect you to do the same for them too. I like it very much!
You feel like you're truly in America, not sorta America, partial America, a place that's called America but doesn't feel like it..no. Here you are without a doubt in real America and I absolutely love it!
I understand you like the southern region of California but Southern California is not a state per se.
Just trying to get people to look at a state in the overall sense.
As far as I'm concerned, Los Angeles is the capitol of the state and Southern California is its own entity .
Anyways, Southern California has every sort of amenity, tourism second to none, nature (beach, mountains, desert) and citylife, plethora of educational opportunities (USC, UCLA, UCI, UCSD, 6 Cal State's, Claremont Colleges, Pepperdine), cultural opportunities, diversity, and a mix of conservatives/liberals and techs/artists.
Another place that might fit the description is Ohio. I've never lived there but I've ridden a bicycle across the state. You get a certain feel for a place pedaling along at 12 mph, far different than cruising along in a car. It's also a great way to meet total strangers along the way and get to know what's on their mind.
If I had to tell somebody from another country where to visit in the USA to get a feel for day to day life in our country, Ohio would be a pretty good choice.
Ohio is a mix of urban, suburban, rural. Rich farmlands to heavy industry. Amish to Appalachian folks to all kinds of city folks. Birthplace of a bunch of former presidents (can't remember them all, but some were pretty decent). License plates used to say something like "heart of it all". One day driving time to over half the population in America. Historic Ohio river valley, Lake Erie, Dayton - home of the Wright Brothers. Lots of good universities. Lots of famous sports teams too. Four distinct seasons and a huge variety of beautiful trees. Socially and politically Ohio is a mix of what you would find across the USA. There is no single religious affiliation that dominates in the cities and towns - again it's a big cross section of our society. Ohio is one of those states that isn't in the pocket of the far left or far right, so they are a pretty good barometer of the mood of the nation at any particular time. That independence to me epitomizes freedom in America.
1) Because I live here.
2) Because it's not the typical midwest response to this question.
No one ever said I wasn't biased, haha.
If only California was the primary epitomization of this country...
(I'd be much more willing to call myself an "American" - not to say that I don't like this country right now.)
I think Kansas. To me Kansas is the true heartland. It even has a touch of southern to it in some areas. But its as central as you can get I think in the United States. And it was really the Western Front where a lot of clash between the whites and Indians happened.
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