Can We Actually Guess Which State You Live In?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can We Actually Guess Which State You Live In?
Image: Andrea_Hill / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images

About This Quiz

"E pluribus unum" is the traditional motto of the United States. It's Latin, and translates as "Out of many, one." The United States may be one nation, but it is made up of 50 states, several territories, and a district. Those 50 states alone are a tremendously varied collection of regional cultures, lifestyles, religious groups and industries.

Listen to a political analyst and they'll describe the nation with words like "the Rust Belt" and "the Left Coast" but these terms are reductive and demean the proud regional cultures that make up the USA. Some parts of the country have a long history going back to the nation's founding, with some events to be proud of, and some to be a little squeamish about. Others were born in the era of expansion, when Manifest Destiny prompted Americans to push west until they met the Pacific, building farms, digging mines and establishing trade with the far east.

Some parts of the country even have their own cuisine, prompting the creation of "California-style pizza", "Chicago-style pizza" and "New York-style pizza" joints all over the world. With all these tiny variations in the culture, how could anyone say for sure where someone lives with just a simple questionnaire? Take this quiz, and you'll find out.

How many people in your state work in the media?
Lots of them
Huge numbers in certain areas of the state, and some who commute in
Very few
None, I think

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How late are people, usually?
Very! How did you know?
A bit, and very unapologetic for some reason!
If anything, they're annoyingly early!
Rarely. People usually come right on time.

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How far is the distance of your commute to work?
Not far at all
About average I guess
Relatively short
Pretty long

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How many people in your state work in agriculture?
Lots and lots of people
Some people, but not many
It's a big business, but it doesn't employ all that many people.
We have a thriving industry, but it's no longer one of the biggest.

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How much cold weather clothing do you need to get by where you live?
Very little
Never enough
Some. It'll sneak up on you.
Piles of it

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How would you describe your most hardcore boots?
Ski boots
Bean boots
Timberlands with a steel toe
Wellies

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What sport is biggest in your area in the summer?
Soccer
Baseball
Motorcross
Football

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Is your state specifically the home of your regional sports franchise?
Yes. We're ground zero for sports excellence.
No, except for college sports.
Yes it is! But it's not the best team or anything.
Not at all

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What crop would your state be known for?
Grapes
Sweet corn
Lettuce
Potatoes

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What state would you definitely not want to live in?
North Dakota
Arizona
Michigan
New York

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How educated is your state compared with the average for the country?
We're very well educated.
We have some really well educated people, but not a plurality of them.
Less well educated
I'd give us a D plus.

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What percentage of your fellow statesmen would you estimate are transplants?
At least a third
Almost half
A sixth
A tenth

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How many people in your state work in mining?
Very few these days
None, I'm pretty sure.
Lots of people
A minority, I'm sure.

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How many languages are commonly spoken in your state?
4
2
3
1

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For what sport is your region known?
All of them, really
Baseball, football, and to a lesser extent, basketball
Baseball
Football

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How much new home construction is there in your state's major urban centers?
Very little. It's shameful.
Not enough, that's for sure.
Growth isn't bad.
Loads! It's nuts!

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How many people in your state work in manufacturing?
Some, but it's a small number.
Very few
It's a good slice of our economy.
It's one of our biggest industries.

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How far do you have to drive away from the major cities to get to a really quiet place where you can't hear or see any planes or cars?
It'll be a couple hours.
I'll have to leave the state.
Only an hour or so
Thirty minutes

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How close do you live to your nearest neighbor?
They're just downstairs.
I can spit out my window and hit their porch.
If I throw a stone from my porch, I can hit their roof.
I'll have to drive for a few minutes.

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How's the social safety net in your state?
Fantastic!
Not terrible
Terrible
What's a social safety net?

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How many internet service providers do you have in your area?
41, but not enough.
8. It stinks.
27, not enough.
We have 31 ISPs.

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How politically active is your community?
Very. We're stoked!
We're somewhat active, but polite about it.
Lately, very active.
We're pretty set, thanks.

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How much "old money" do you have in your state?
Not a whole lot
A whole lot
We have our fair share.
Very little

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How many people in your state work in health care?
Plenty
The average, I guess.
It never seems like we have enough.
It's one of the biggest industries.

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What kind of tourists visit your state?
Families
People from neighboring states
Snowbirds
Outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen

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What kind of shoes do you tend to wear in the summer?
Breathable sneakers
Crocs
Boots
Flip flops, if it's hot

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How long have you lived in your state?
About a decade
Five years
Three years now
All my life

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What sport would you practice in the winter?
Basketball
MMA
Shooting
Hockey

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What state (other than the one you live in) would you be willing to live in?
Florida
New York
New Mexico
Colorado

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How long in time is your commute to work?
About 30 minutes
About 25 minutes
About 26 minutes
Just 17 minutes

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You Got: