While enjoying Aerial America on the Smithsonian Channel, I’ve mused about what we call ourselves in each of these 50 connected, yet vastly different, United States.
That led to musing about what residents in parts of other countries call themselves, and what names they give the demarcations that form legal, interior boundaries.
I know Canada has provinces.. I think Mexico has states, and Italy has regions. Beyond that I’m ignorant. When I comment to across-the-pond blogging buddies, I don’t even know whether they call their country England or Great Britain, let alone what interior demarcations the countries of the United Kingdom use.
Sure, I could Google this. But wouldn’t it be fun to hear from you – either in comments here, or in a post of your own – helping me fill in some blanks?
Without any of us checking Google?
You could throw in a tidbit or two about a friendly rivalry within a state; or a ‘nit’ between rival states; or what the heck you call yourself in Saskatchewan (Saskatchews? Saskatchewanian?)
Canadian Provinces
I thought I know how most of our states’ residents refer to themselves, but once I started the list I see lots of blanks. I’ll tell a couple of tales, and maybe ‘yinz’ can take it from there.
Colorado – we call ourselves Coloradans.
Overall, we’re a pretty friendly bunch, probably because so many of us are transplants from another state. If you migrated from east of here, chances are you were headed to ‘California or Bust’, but you made a pit stop somewhere along Colorado’s gorgeous Front Range and never got back in the car.
Flatirons Looking North to Mt. Meeker and Long’s Peak
Coloradans think Nebraskans are ya-hoo farmers, but that’s because their farm-bred, corn-and-beef-fed university football teams ran roughshod over us for way too many years.
The only other out-of-staters we turn up our noses at are Texas skiers. Honestly I love Texans other than pseudo-skiers. They fly charters into our mountain towns in the winter; deplane wearing their one-of-a-kind Prada Skiwear; light their cigars and head down the ski slope twanging, “how d’y’all stop these thangs?”
Michigan – call themselves Michiganders (unless you identify strongly with the long-simmering tension between the Yoopers and the Trolls).
That little feud notwithstanding, Michiganders are generous and welcoming, although they’ve never forgiven upstart Indiana for building a toll road that includes a 2-mile stretch around the southern end of Lake Michigan. Michiganders don’t go to Indiana, but they do travel to Illinois to visit Chicago; and that little intervening stretch of Indiana toll road means they have to shuck out some coin to those greedy Indiana folks.
New Hampshire and New York – I don’t know what either state calls themselves, but I know for certain New Hampshirites aren’t fond of New Yorkers!
One year Hub and I flew into Portland, Maine for a road trip up the coast then across Maine to tour New Hampshire. As we walked to the lot to get our rental car, I saw our assigned car had a New York license plate.
Me muttering: “New York?!? Ugh! They’ll just love seeing us coming.”
Hub: “What are you talking about?”
Me: “I’m pretty sure New Englanders don’t like New Yorkers.”
Hub: “Why not?”
Me: “Pushy ,,, loud … overly intent on getting the absolute best bargain. Take your pick.”
Hub: “Oh pshaw!”
No, he didn’t actually utter ‘pshaw’ but he didn’t believe our car license would make a difference.
Fast forward to a heavily-forested New Hampshire country lane where I spy a weathered ‘Antiques’ sign with an arrow pointing down a long dirt driveway. We stop well short of the house where we see a woman move the curtain and peer out at us. As we get out of our car, she hurries out the door.
“We’re closed,” she said in that tone that means ‘go away’.
I quickly responded, “We’re not from New York; we’re from Colorado. This is our rental car.”
“Well come on in,” she smiled with a welcoming sweep of her hand.
So there you are! You can give me answers for the following list; leave a snippet about your state or country, or write a post of your own if you’ve got something to say.
Something tells me you do!
Washington Washingtonians
Oregon Oregonians
California Californians
Arizona ?
Utah ?
New Mexico New Mexicans
Colorado Coloradans
Montana ?
Wyoming ?
Idaho ?
Nevada Nevadans
N. Dakota North Dakotans
S. Dakota South Dakotans
Nebraska Nebraskans
Kansas ?
Oklahoma ?
Texas Texans
Minnesota ?
Iowa Iowans
Missouri ?
Louisiana ?
Arkansas ?
Mississippi Mississippians
Alabama ?
Tennesee ?
Kentucky ?
Illinois ?
Indiana ?
Wisconsin Wisconsinites
Michigan Michiganders
Ohio Ohioans
Georgia Georgians
Florida Floridians
N. Carolina ?
S. Carolina ?
Virginia Virginians
W. Virginia West Virginians
Pennsylvania ?
New York ?
Maryland ?
New Jersey ?
Connecticut ?
Rhode Island Rhode Islanders
Massachusetts ?
Vermont Vermonters
New Hampshire ?
Maine ?
Delaware ?
Alaska Alaskans
Hawaii Hawaiians
bemuzin 
Comments on: "The Name Game" (72)
I don’t think we really have a term for us folks from Connecticut. We are the Nutmeg state and I’ve heard some old-timers say Nutmegers but, no. I identify more with New England than CT, as a distinction from New York. I love New York, but not from there. As for friendly rivals, we do sometimes refer to drivers with Massachusetts plates as “Massholes” but only if they are driving aggressively.
Massholes is good 😉. And I have very fond memories of all my visits to the state of New York and NYC. It was just a funny episode with the rental car!
I was waiting with anticipation for how ‘Connecticutters’ referred to themselves because I thought residents of every state revised the state name into a residents’ moniker. Apparently not!!
Does nutmeg grow on trees as a nut or seed?
Watched the Aerial Connecticut last night. Gorgeous countrysides and historic preservation of architecture. It is startling how much older the eastern states are in their settlements than here. In every state, so far, I’m fascinated by the names of numerous Indian tribes (that’s how narrator refers to them) that I’ve never heard, and how so many states, towns and bodies of water are native names with descriptive value. Surely there’s a post or two wandering through research on that meandering topic!
I think nutmeg is a seed of some kind of tree. I wish I had a name for you, but consider what we’re working with 🙂
Connecticutions?
Connecticators? Connecticuticians?
When my niece was two, she called the state “kennuckyduck” maybe we can work with that.
Hey I guess you better not use that really cute phrase ‘kenneckyduck’ that your niece called you because Askimet threw that comment into my spam folder, and I just now saw it. And I told Askimet it wasn’t spam and Askimet ate it!
From now on I’m going to call you ‘foie gras’ because that is much more high brow than kenneckyduck spam!!
Good to know. How that’s spam, I don’t know but my niece would probably be embarrassed anyway.
hahahaaa
That’s an interesting story about New Hampshire. I didn’t know there was such resentment. We’re from New Jersey and I always get the feeling people lump us in as New Yorkers and think us rude. I’ve never liked labels or judging people simply by where they’re from or any other reason. We were in NH last summer on the way to Maine and never felt that resentment but who knows, maybe we didn’t see it. I don’t know what we call ourselves here…Garden Staters, maybe?
Thanks for commenting, George. The aerial episode on New Jersey was very well done; you have many beautiful nature features in your Garden State. I agree that you often are a misunderstood state, and I certainly have a much more favorable impression after learning more about your history and contributions to the US.
As I wrote this, I did reflect on my distaste for labels, but I wrote it in the spirit of light-hearted anecdotes, and hope my readers take it as such.
Oh, don’t misunderstand my response, Sammy. I thought it was a great post. I was referring to the individual from NH who pulled her curtain when she saw your NY plates. I was in Milwaukee several years ago in business and I was eating for an elevator at the hotel and began speaking with a very nice local couple as we headed up to our floor. We had a short but nice conversation and when they were getting off the elevator she asked where I was from. When I told her NJ the woman shook her head and said, I’m surprised you’re even speaking with us” and walked away. That’s what I mean by judging with labels. Loved your post.
Thank you, George.
Just making sure I hadn’t offended you because labels can be a touchy subject. I’ve been meaning to write a post on labels. I guess I’ll do a short one right here 😊
I have read several bloggers who bemoan the use of labels and I, too, think it’s all-too-easy to stereo-type with them.
On the other hand, our world from very early times is vast, unpredictable and scary. As humans, we use labels to help define ourselves, find our ‘peeps’, ultimately as tools to help us make sense of a complicated world. Unfortunately they are also an instrument of division, sometimes with great cruelty.
Governments, institutions and businesses use them out of necessity and convenience (often to our frustration and detriment).
In all realms of labelling, we can carry it too far – both in imposing labels and in being ultra-sensitive to them.
I’m a strong advocate for balance in everything, and am careful how I use labels, but I also fault our current hyoersensitivity culture as being more of a hindrance than a help in bringing us together.
I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for responding.
Very interesting! I look forward to hearing about the other states and as to how they are referred. Surely New Yorkers are from NY? Maybe other states have ‘ians’ at the end … Here in SA we are South Africans (we’re getting a bad rep/rap lately … gloom and doom in our beloved/beleaguered country).
Thank you, Susan! I think New Yorkers is correct, but if I wasn’t 100% certain, I left it blank – especially because so many might add ‘an’ or ‘ian’ and I’d guess wrong on those!!
I daresay there are few places in the world right now where we don’t think we are living in very troubled times for one reason or another, and local economic and societal conflicts have an impact well beyond borders. I suppose I soothe my angst by looking at history and realizing there has never been an untroubled time because even if conflicts weren’t openly occurring, it was only because something or someone was being done illegally or through oppression.
While that sounds utterly discouraging, I take it – for myself – as acknowledging the human race is, and always has been, complicated. Doing what is right is as elusive today as it was in the Garden of Eden. Honestly, your current series is helping me a great deal to understand why we are so troubled.
Actually, people from Wisconsin identify themselves as “Cheeseheads”.
I am said to say, my brother moved behind the cheddar curtain. We meet at the Mississippi, him on his side, me on mine, to talk.
“How ya do’n” I call across the water.
“Do’n,” he calls back.
“Okay then..”
“Okay…”
The conversation usually holds us for another year.
LOL I knew about those crazed cheeseheads but never heard ‘behind the Cheddar wall’. Too funny.
You have such a knack – even in this shortened version, you engage and entertain. Thanks so much😊
I’m an Ohioan, but I was originally a North Dakotan and even an Iowan for a stint. And for a few years as a child, I even lived in Saskatchewan, Canada. But I have no idea what that would make me.
Clever post idea!
Since they all end in ‘an’, you might be a Carriean 😀. Thanks for visiting, Carrie. Hope you enjoy this first week of (ack!) july !
Well, it will be nice to get out of the unpredictable weather patterns of June.
Our meteorologist is saying predictions are for a ‘wetter than normal” July.
Great! I’m not even sure we still have a ‘normal’ for comparison!
Awesome post and great comments! Being from across the pond, I can tell you our local areas are “counties” but whether we’re from the UK, Great Britain or England depends on personal preference. Hubby says he’s English whereas I say I’m from the UK. We’re a bit mixed up over here lol 😉
LOL, you’re no help at all, Lainey!! (OK, maybe a little since I now know you have counties, but are they English counties or counties in the UK ?!?!?)
I commented on a blog of an American writer who lives in London. One of her readers wrote me a snippy criticism about not calling her the right ‘label’ but she neglected to tell me what I was supposed to do!!
Noooo! That’s just mean of her…counties are all across the UK and have “shire” at the end like in The Lord of the Rings, lol. So I live in the county of Nottinghamshire – Robin Hood country! x
That’s very robin hoodish 😀
I have ordered a map of … Ok I can’t remember if it’s England or all the UK but when it gets here, I’m looking up all my blogging buddy havens!
I think people from Illinois call themselves ILLINI (pronounced ILL-EYE-NYE, accent on the EYE). This is really only a guess on my part, but my uncle was from Illinois, and I remember him using that term. But then again I suppose it might only refer to “the fighting Illini,” which is how the University of Illinois characterizes its sports teams and fans.
I live in Wisconsin, and while it’s true that pretty much everyone in WI is a cheesehead (meaning a Packers fan), we are indeed also called Wisconsinites.
Great post!
Thanks, Melinda! Great to hear from you 😀
I KNEW I should know Illinois, but forgot all about Illini (great job on sounding it out for us!). It probably is football-based but then what isn’t in the midwest in autumn ?!
Oh, and people in Minnesota are Minnesotans.
Thanks! I guessed right on Wisconsinites and Minnesotans, but needed verification from ‘an expert’ !!
Okay, here goes ….. the Kingdom of Great Britain was formed in the early 1700s with the union of Scotland with England and Wales. About a 100 years later Great Britain united with Ireland to form the United Kingdom (so made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland). Then in the 1920s part of Ireland left the union so it is now the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. When people refer to Britain, rather than Great Britain, they are usually referring to the United Kingdom. The individual areas within each country are called counties.
Hope that makes sense!
I need a drink 🍷
Thanks, Eileen, for that concise and remarkable history! Thus was so much more helpful than trying to wade through Google links. I am going to flowchart this because I will remember it if I do that.
Probably best Scotland didn’t vote to sever or there would have been yet one more change to the Greats!
I’m a Californian and always will be tho I reside in Oregon right now. Oregonians call us Californicators.
Another two I guessed correctly 😀
I love this post, Sammy, and the comments above, since I had no idea how to refer to the people of some states either. I see you got Californians, which is what we are, and if you talk about L.A., we are Angelinos. Or something like that. In Romania, there are only regions and of course, cities. So different our world, isn’t it? One more reason I love traveling — aside from sightseeing — to submerge myself in said culture and way of thinking for a little while.
Thanks for this post. I learned a lot. 🙂
Thanks, Silvia 💖. I’ve been a Boulderite, a Denverite and now an Arvadan 😀. Hub has made me promise not to collect any more city monikers of our own.
It is interesting, though more difficult, to alight temporarily somewhere on a deeper level than tourist. We don’t read the “off-the-beaten-path” books ‘cuz everyone reads them, but we always try to find residential n’hoods to walk whether here in the states or overseas. Hub is a great ‘wandering’ companion and is happy to miss a few ‘must-sees’ for more local snippets of our travels.
As a former Michigander (a term I always hated by the way…how about Mitten-ite, or the ever-popular “factory rat”?), you seem to have covered the basics. I gave passing thought to writing a post about what we call residents from other states (as opposed to ourselves), but couldn’t figure out a way to maintain a PG-13 rating.
LOL I gotcha. I had to bite my writing quill to maintain my self-imposed apolitical blog 😀 the United States are like having 49 brothers and sisters. They might drive you crazy and you never see eye to eye, but in the end you’re family.
Mitten-ites has a certain appeal although I was always proud to be a Michigander, but then I lived on the western side of the state where wheat and cornfields, fruit orchards, vegetable farms and many colleges and universities influenced our lives far more than the auto industry.
Ha! People from New York call themselves New Yorkers. And, because it such a big state, it divided into many differing people styles: people from New York city and surrounding suburbs are arrogant, believing they are the only good part of the state with their theatare, stocks and blue bloods, pushy and impatient. People from western NY, where I live, are friendly, have flat A accents (similar to the Chicaugo accent) and mostly good people. That said, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, formerly booming industry towns have spent the last thirty years in bad downward spirals, resulting in ghettos in central downtown locations and improper management of world wonders like Niagara Falls, resulting in tourists preferring the more picturesque Canadian side. Upstate NY (Adirondacks, where those convicts were) is equally economically challenged, forced to rely on prisons for job sources. It is an area rich in physical beauty, lots of it untouched. When you are there, as I will be Thursday, you feel like maybe you are alone on earth. It’s heard to beat that small amount of isolation.
Now my WP is acting up. My response to you (see below) showed up as a comment!! Egads 😀
Whew, they caught him. I kept thinking of you when that would come on the news, even though I know you’re not there now! Such a shame about the Rochester and Buffalo areas. Rochester was so fortunate to have Eastman Kodak – who would have ever guessed entire industries and processes would just disappear? Sorry to hear the Adirondacks are suffering, too. I hoped tourist trade would keep that area thriving. Enjoy your solitude in that heavenly place.
What a great post Sammy! I will have to come back to this as I want to read all the comments as well and I am too busy enjoying the sun and trying to watch the tennis! I did see a comment from over the pond by Lainey which I’d like to add to.
Not all our counties are ‘shires. There are a lot like Kent, Dorset, Sussex, Surrey, Devon and Cornwall, Somerset, Suffolk and Norfolk – the ‘shires tend to start in the middle England and continue northwards, but then you come to Cumbria which used to be Cumberland once and Northumberland which was Northumbria. You see borders and counties got renamed and changed around in the 1970s I think. Yorkshire (my home county) was split into Ridings. There was the West Riding (industrial), East Riding (agricultural and fishing) and North Riding (rural). Now you have North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire (which was Humberside at one point until people complained so much it was returned to East Yorkshire), West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. Politicians like to change things 😦
You then get metropolitan areas such as Greater London, Greater Manchester. Mercia which is the West Midlands. Wish you’d never asked now?
Where I live currently, Ludlow, the inhabitants are known as Ludlovians – sounds very intellectual 😀
Our neighbours in the Black Country (Birmingham) are known as ‘Brummies’
Ludlovians – yes, definitely intellectual and probably aliens from planet Ludlovia 😀
Thank you so much for all this info. You, Eileen and Lainey have given me lots of details to look for or jot on my map of England when it arrives, and I’ve really enjoyed hearing this from you rather than Google!
Enjoy sunshine! Who are you rooting for? I was an avid tennis player and fan for years – always rooting for Evonne Goolagong. Now I watch a match two but not the whole tournament.
Lots of shires in Scotland too, but Wales is a different kettle of fish. Gwynedd, Powys (that’s the one next to me), Ceredigion (used to be Cardiganshire until 1974) and Conwy for starters!
Rooting for Andy Murray and any other Brit who manages to get on court! Though they always put us through nail-biting matches 😕
Oh my, you have given me a lot to study!!
Between comments from my ‘across-pond’ friends and all the Native American- derived names of cities, rivers and lakes on Aerial America, I’m going to be immersed (but not well-versed) in geography, history and newly discovered ancient languages. I’m royally chuffed 😍
Musing leaves little time for tennis nail-biters!!
Always good to learn something new 😀
Keeps us out of trouble.
Had to smile at this post because last weekend I was googling the difference between England, Great Britain and United Kingdom because I couldn’t figure it out. 🙂 NH residents are sometimes referred to as Granite Staters. And as Dan said, MA aggressive drivers are definitely referred to as Massholes. I’m also going to hazard a guess that the reason your NY plates weren’t received well has more to do with the Yankee vs Red Sox rivalry up here because New England is basically Red Sox Nation. 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Judy! My curiosity knows no bounds and sometimes I need more than Google can give me 😀 thank goodness our across-ponders set us straight in comments! I never thought about the baseball rivalry, and sports nuttery can make foes of neighbors !! Thanks again.
hmmm …. this is one of those posts that makes my head hurt.
I live in Ontario, but because I came from the north, I think of myself as a Northerner – then a Canadian. Never an Ontarian.
Strange now that I write that. I’ve lived in the south for most of my life now, but I still consider myself a Northerner.
… although I think of my husband as a Quebecker 😉
Are you sure you aren’t a Contrarian 😀😎😀
I find it hard to think of any Canadian calling themselves a Southerner !! (Until I look at your map, then Whoa)
I was really hoping you could tell me about those Saskatchews ( makes me think of eating nuts).
If your head hurts, Maggie must be lying down with a cold washcloth on her head since I haven’t heard from her!!
LOL! I guess I didn’t really consider how funny it would sound to an American to have a Canadian refer to other Canadians as ‘Southerners’. It is all a matter of perspective 😉
I had to google the Saskatchewan question because I’ve never heard it used. Apparently the correct answer is Saskatchewanians. I think I would simply stick to “Canadian” 😉
LOL that was my 2nd guess but I like the ‘nutty’ version. I love these moments when we get a little geographical ‘whoa’ and our horizons expand. Such a fabulous part of this global band of bloggers 😀💥
I have to admit I really hoped they were called Saskatchews. They should be … it’s a great name 🙂
Haha that story about the New England antique store is quite something! Then again, we have that kind of ‘animosity’ between French and English. The French hate how the English just roll up to France and expect to be spoken to in English, and expect to have their English beer and eat their English food. Well not all English do that, but a lot do.
I even had that reaction once. I find it really rude to come into someone’s country and not at least try and say ‘hello do you speak English’ in that language – you know make some effort to communicate. This rather obnoxious Brit came up to me when I was in Paris once, and launched into English at me, without so much as a ‘Bonjour’. I got so annoyed, I replied in French, told him I didn’t speak English, and walked away. I felt a bit bad later, but honestly, he could at least have said Bonjour, and asked ‘Anglais?’
Question for you Sammy: did you name all the American states from memory? 😉 Curious how many people actually know them all.
I did, but I had to check to make sure they were correct! When I was young I had a puzzle with each state as a piece in which the state name and capital were written. I did that puzzle a lot!! And now I can’t remember all the state capitals.
It’s not that hard to name them if I start at one ‘corner’ of the country and, in my mind, visualize the pieces running next to each other.
Sammy D! You are only half right about Michigan (IMHO)! Many of us refer to residents of Michigan (especially when we used to live there :)) as MICHIGANIANS. My family always thought Michiganders sounds like a bunch of geese. When I lived in California we referred to ourselves as California girls and boys. And in Arizona it’s Arizonans. The other thing is I lived in Michigan for 35 years and never heard one person refer to anyone living in Michigan as a troll. Trolls were dolls and in fairy tales and in Norway. I think troll is a derogatory term that those blasted Yoopers tried to put on people who are just normal regular euchre players. 🙂
LOL LOL Yes that visual of squawking ganders always came to mind for me but I NEVER heard the term Mighiganians!! Maybe the east/west dividing line between Ganians and Ganders was Battle Creek !!
Oh yeah – Trolls – I heard it from my sis-in-law and she’s always right 🙂 She said they call us that because we lived ‘under the bridge’ (get it? south of Mackinac Bridge).
My sis-in-law is always right but she can’t tell a right bower from a left bower.
Thanks for the chuckles 🙂
I have the same SIL!! No kidding!
Although last time I was ‘home’ I must say she suddenly developed a KILLER instinct for Oh Hell when before I could always count on her being ‘the patsy’!!
Guess who grew up in Saskatchewan? True story. Saskatchewanian it is my friend. Such a clever post. Love your sense of humor!
Woo hoo – a died in the wool Saskawatchian 💥💥👏👏👏🇨🇦🇨🇦
Did I even spell that right??!?
I’m a tad disappointed you aren’t the nuttier Saskatchew, but I am thrilled to have met you just so you could give me the scoop 😉
Thanks for swinging by, Sue.
Oh we who hail from Saskatchewan, or Saskabush as it is fondly called, are a hardy bunch. No not quite the right spelling but I’ll forgive you. 🙂
Dang, I didn’t spell it right. You’ll have to become a Saskatchew ‘cuz that other one makes my head hurt (to quote Joanne)
Those little icons are supposed to be Canadian flags. I have a fuss-budgety iPad!
Your post made me laugh. It also made me want to visit America! Isn’t it fascinating how eclectic and diverse your country is? Us, Europeans, should probably start referring to individual states rather than the country as a whole. 😀
Thank you, Ellie. I imagine even the small countries have regional differences. Heck, when we visited the Tuscany region in Italy those little mountaintop villages were still ‘snarking’ about the villagers one mountaintop over!!
Ha ha, yes it definitely isn’t an American thing only!
Coming to think of it, we totally do the same here in London and… Same again in Bulgaria.
Ha! If only we could all look at ourselves with a little more light-hearted finger-pointing and humor 😊
What an interesting post, Sammy! Saskatchews cracked me up. I see you have Vermonters already on your list, but I have to add that sometimes we’ve been called Vermonsters because of our Lake Champlain monster, Champ. (And not because of bad behavior, of course.) 🙂
LOL i recently read something on Lake Champlain (I had no idea how long it is!!) and the article mentioned your monster, but not Vermonsters. LOL TOO FUNNY – this is what I love about our nationwide and global ability to connect – hearing local lore brings us all closer 💖
Indiana people are Hoosiers and damn proud of it (and our toll roads! haha!)
LOL I thought of you with those toll roads. Next time I’ll tell the toll attendant to give my 25 cents to Joey 😀. Seriously! Indiana still pays toll attendants instead of an electronic system. That cannot be ‘efficient gov’t’ !!!
‘Hoosiers’ was the first movie date Hub and I had way back when. I was familiar with that, but wasn’t sure if you had an additional name based on Indiana.
I love these kinds of posts – finding out tidbits about my global Blogging Buddies 💖
My husband’s father’s family lived in Milan, Indiana, which is where the story of Hoosiers takes place, but I don’t like that movie. I do love being a Hoosier though 🙂
I can barely remember the movie, but I still have my date !!