“Why do you stay?” New Yorkers field that question from relatives in Florida, coworkers in Texas, and seatmates on every flight out of LaGuardia. The answer takes longer than the flight. These are the things New Yorkers keep having to defend, and why they’ve stopped apologizing. The State Isn’t the City New York City covers…
How many times can one person explain that Arlington isn’t Washington, D.C.? Ask a Virginian. They’ve lost count. Here’s everything Virginians are tired of explaining to outsiders. It’s Not West Virginia Virginia and West Virginia went their separate ways in 1863, when the western counties refused to follow the rest of the state into the…
Order a cheesesteak with Swiss in Philadelphia, and watch how fast the line goes silent. Pennsylvania runs on unwritten rules, and out-of-staters break them within an hour of crossing the state line. These are the things you can’t say about Pennsylvania around a local. Wawa and Sheetz Are the Same Say this in Pennsylvania, and…
Every Georgian has a relative up north who saves their questions for the annual visit. You could give the answers in your sleep. And every summer, over a sweating glass of sweet tea, you go through them again anyway. These are the things Georgians are tired of hearing about their state. Say Something Southern Georgians…
Californians will criticize their own state for an hour, but heaven help the outsider who joins in. Gas prices, rent, the 405: The complaint license belongs to locals, and it doesn’t transfer. But underneath all that griping sits a long, satisfied list few people say out loud. These are the things Californians are secretly proud…
Ask a Texan about Texas, and you’ll get a speech. Bigger, better, friendlier, freer. But catch that same Texan in August, sweating through a shirt in a parking lot, and a few honest thoughts start slipping out. These are the things they’d rather you didn’t repeat. 1. Property Tax Bite “No state income tax” is…
Mountains on one end, ocean on the other, barbecue in between. For a lot of North Carolinians, that sentence is the whole argument. But the Tar Heel State has more reasons than that to keep its residents from ever wanting out. 1. Mountains and Beaches in One State Few states let you start the day…
Tell someone you’re from Virginia, and there’s a fair chance the next thing out of their mouth involves coal mines or John Denver. That’s West Virginia. Different state. These are the things Virginians are tired of explaining to out-of-staters. 1. No, It’s Not West Virginia Virginia and West Virginia parted ways during the Civil War,…
A moving truck idles in a Fairfax cul-de-sac while sad neighbors wave from their driveways. Scenes like that played out tens of thousands of times across Northern Virginia last year. No doubt, Virginia has its perks. But these are the downsides that are causing many Virginians to move out of state. Note: This is general…
Florida’s average home insurance bill now runs higher than any state in the country. For a lot of Florida households, that one line item can break the whole budget. So they do the math, point their moving truck north, and trade hurricane premiums for something they can afford. These are the top states they choose….
