States known only for their cities or states without any well-known cities (how much, bars)

[IShootNikon]

What are some states that no one talks about, but only refer to the main city in the state.

One obvious one is Las Vegas.

Not many people would say they "are going to Nevada" It's either Vegas or Reno.

Conversely, what states are only know by their state and never reference any of it's cities?

I'm guessing a handful are the smaller New England states and Wyoming.

[kyle19125]

I would say the Dakotas, Delaware and West Virginia also. Oddly enough NJ as well as you often hear they're from there, minus referencing a city unless pressed.

[TheTimidBlueBars]

I'm always surprised by how much people talk about "Texas" as a whole --- "that's not how we do it in Texas", "people in Texas are so friendly". It's a state of almost 30 million people and there are multiple major cities that are all very different from each other.

It's kind of interesting how Washington and Oregon are different in this respect, even though they're both Northwestern states with a similar western/eastern dynamic. There seems to be much more of a pan-Oregonian identity, whereas both residents and outsiders of Washington will specifically talk about Seattle, Spokane, the Olympic Peninsula, etc. if that's what they mean.

[Guineas]

Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars

I'm always surprised by how much people talk about "Texas" as a whole --- "that's not how we do it in Texas", "people in Texas are so friendly". It's a state of almost 30 million people and there are multiple major cities that are all very different from each other.

It's kind of interesting how Washington and Oregon are different in this respect, even though they're both Northwestern states with a similar western/eastern dynamic. There seems to be much more of a pan-Oregonian identity, whereas both residents and outsiders of Washington will specifically talk about Seattle, Spokane, the Olympic Peninsula, etc. if that's what they mean.

Puget Sound also cuts off much of the Olympic Peninsula from easy access to Seattle. Also most of the Oregon larger cities are still west of the mountains or just east of it. Spokane WA is almost as far east from Seattle as Boise ID is to Portland OR.

The Texas thing is also more political than anything else, and the people who talk like that often think their worldview represents the whole state, except they really do not.

[bawac34618]

Originally Posted by IShootNikon

What are some states that no one talks about, but only refer to the main city in the state.

One obvious one is Las Vegas.

Not many people would say they "are going to Nevada" It's either Vegas or Reno.

Conversely, what states are only know by their state and never reference any of it's cities?

I'm guessing a handful are the smaller New England states and Wyoming.

Good point. When I hear "Nevada" the first thing that comes to mind is open desert as far as the eye can see and 100+ miles between gas stations.

There may be some exceptions, but I'd say any state that doesn't have a 1+ million population metro area tends to have it's cities overlooked. Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Iowa, Montana, Idaho, and the Dakotas all qualify in my opinion.

[citylove101]

Except for presidential election years, nobody I think talks about New Hampshire, nor could they they name any city in it. Even my friends in the Boston area generally say something about Vermont or Maine. But hardly ever New Hampshire.

[Ohio614]

Surprised no one has mentioned New York.

Massachusetts with Boston.
Illinois with Chicago.

On the flip side, I would say wisconsin has more state identity than any individual city in that state.

[jos_carter]

All of the New England states sans Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Delaware all don't have a major city that dominates people's images of the states. The closest one is Rhode Island with Providence but even then most don't know much about that city unless you're from the area.

[kimumingyu]

Originally Posted by jos_carter

All of the New England states sans Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Delaware all don't have a major city that dominates people's images of the states. The closest one is Rhode Island with Providence but even then most don't know much about that city unless you're from the area.

What is the major city in Jersey that dominates people's image of it? I can think of probably 4 that are household names.

[Heel82]

Originally Posted by kimumingyu

What is the major city in Jersey that dominates people's image of it?.

Philly and New York