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My first thought was Ohio. The only thing I can think of that's lacking is an ocean and ocean. boats, fishing, is important to a lot of people.
I think of it as American spirit, not in terms of race or religion or anything else. Just the general American feeling, not extremes one way or the other.
I would say every state is as all-American as the rest. I mean, how can any one state be more American then another?
They all have cities surrounded by American style suburbs. Small rural towns. Main street. 24 hour convenient stores and gas stations. State fairs. Fourth of July parades. Farmland. Forests. Parks. Political mixes of conservative/liberal. Farmers markets. Thanksgiving. Mall Santas. High school football games. Camp grounds. Cheezy tourist attractions. And many other things considered "Americana" can be found in every state. Larger states might have more of some particular things but that doesn't make them more American then the smaller ones.
I agree with this, except for maybe Hawaii. Does anybody think Hawaii is an all-American state?
It has nothing to do with size, rather "All American" feel. Florida has a high minority population which by definition sort of disqualifies from the term.
Ohio, the link to the Northeast, South and Midwest. It seems to have a little of everything besides, ocean and mountains. Politically, it is the bellwether state and the go to for picking the next president.
All the bigger states, although Ohio is a pretty big state, have their own cultures that are not really represented nationwide. Ohio seems like it could be placed in any state in the US.
We all know one state cannot embody a whole nation, however, what state would come closest to being the All-American state.
I was born in Olympia, WA, however, my parents moved to the UK when I was VERY young. I wouldn't say my home state is All-American (however, I have only lived there for 2 years as a baby, so not great recollection).
I'd rule out:
Washington (State, obvs)
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
New Mexico
Arizona
Hawaii
Alaska
Arizona
Oregon
North Dakota
South Dakota
Maine
Florida
Louisiana
Mississippi
Delaware
Vermont
Minnesota
Nevada
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Connecticut
Curious to know what states out of the remaining states would sum up the USA.
Ohio absolutely! Although I'm a recent transplant to this great state, I've had my eyes on it for some time, and it's a perfect microcosm of America.
In fact, the fact that Ohio is frequently thought of as a "bell weather state" in presidential elections, and the old saw "As Ohio goes, so does the country" bares that out.
Ohio has a "little bit of everything and nothing too extreme". We have some relatively large cities, plenty of rural areas, and suburban centers. We do have a coast with beaches and lighthouses - but it's on Lake Erie, and there are some hills that give way to the Appalachians of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.Many small towns positively sing with American icons - general stores, and town squares, white steepled churches and tree lined streets with stately pre-war colonial style homes that conjure visions of Wally and Beaver Cleaver walking home from school on an early Autumn afternoon.
In fact, although it was never announced officially on "Leave it to Beaver", Mayfield, home of Ward, June and the boys alluded to it's Buckeye roots on a number of episodes, and the checks on Ward's desk were imprinted with "Mayfield OH".
I think frequently when producers of television programs want to write a place into the script "Ohio" works because most Americans can relate to at least part of it, and it's location does not command attention the way NYC, Hawaii, Alaska, California or Florida would. It's a good backdrop for average.
And that's not a bad thing.
Ohio looks like America physically - from farms with silos and red barns to cities with respectably tall buildings. There is no dominant ethnic group or race here. We are diverse but not so diverse that we don't look like a melting pot - because we are.
I'd say Ohio hands down.
Last edited by sheena12; 10-14-2013 at 01:12 PM..
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We have some relatively large cities, plenty of rural areas, and suburban centers. We do have a coast with beaches and lighthouses - but it's on Lake Erie, and there are some hills that give way to the Appalachians of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.Many small towns positively sing with American icons - general stores, and town squares, white steepled churches and tree lined streets with stately pre-war colonial style homes that conjure visions of Wally and Beaver Cleaver walking home from school on an early Autumn afternoon. 
