What STuPiD stuff do people believe about YOUR state/area?

Jeano - those are pretty funny!!

I am originally from Los Angeles, now I live in MD. When I tell MD people that I am from L.A. I usually get "Weren't you afraid that the entire state would fall into the ocean?" (Well, I can't say I lost sleep over it [8|])

Now that I live on the east coast, everyone from L.A. has no idea why I would "choose" to live anywhere else but L.A. [8|]

I lived in LA for about two years. I found it completely amazing how self-centered people were. I asked a movie person (my boyfriend of the time was in the movie business) if they were not afraid of a large earthquake happening, and she said, "Well, it won't happen now because I am making my movie!"

Okay...........

Edited to add: I was in several earthquakes there, one rather large one. Pretty scary! I'm not afraid of the earthquakes in Alaska while I am in Fairbanks, since we withstood 7.9 a couple years ago without ONE death!

I live in Fort Worth, Texas which is part of a huge metroplex most commonly known as DFW. 
 
People who have never been to TX think that we ride horses everywhere and that you will see a cowboy on every corner and that there might be cows everywhere too.  We don't ALL live on ranches, drive pick up trucks, ride horses everywhere or even go two-stepping all that often.  You CAN see this if you go to the right place, and there probably are plenty of people here who fit that stereotype, but just b/c it is called Cowtown doesn't mean there are cows everywhere people!  This place got that name a LONG time ago. 
 
I would say that the great majority of us Texans probably do say y'all though! 

For me, my personal favorite, we live in Rhode Island-- "It must be great to live on an island".  [8|]

Well, in addition to all the Texas ones, we don't all chew tobacco or drive pickups with rebel flags and gun racks.

ORIGINAL: willowchow

For me, my personal favorite, we live in Rhode Island-- "It must be great to live on an island". [8|]

ROFL!!!

Yes, tourists ask how we keep the islands from bumping into each other....no, I'm not making this up! Do you ever have tourists who seem to think an island is floating, like a boat?

If I heah "Pahk ya cah in Hahvahd Yahd" one more time, I'm gonna puke.
 
We aren't all horrible drivers, either - I have over a million safe miles driven in a tractor trailer. 
 
If you can't drive around a rotary, stay home, but don't blame me for doing it right!
 
Whatever creepy crawlies you eat wherever you live, they are NOT lobsters.  Homarus Americanus are lobsters.
I hate when people say, "You eat the bellies????" when referring to steamed clams.  Of course we eat the bellies - it's the best part.
 
 
 

I haven't heard any adults have this belief; but when I was in high school, my youth group went to a conference where we were the only group from CA. The rest were from Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.  Even though we all lived at least 2 hours from the nearest beach, we convinced the rest of the high schoolers that we started school at 10, so we could have surfing during "the best waves" and that we took skateboarding & surfing for PE.
 
 When I lived in NYC, the Californians always asked me how I handled living with "all those rude people." And they worried about me being out after dark or riding the subway because it was so dangerous. [8|] 
 
 

jeano - you mean NOBODY'S igloo collapsed during the earthquake????????? [sm=rofl.gif]
 
jensw - I just spent a week in Manhattan.  Me and the people I was with kept asking each other where all the infamous rude people were.  I have never spent time in a friendlier, more wonderful city.  I mean that.
 
I dunno what you all think of England, but from what I can remember people saying to me while I was in Canada, but I can tell you we DO all drink tea all the time, we don't all speak like Hugh Grant (shame! But my SO does), nobody I know knows the Queen, only the rich play polo, only London has those double decker red buses and it's true that if you can make the Beefeaters outside the Tower of London laugh, you get to keep their hat.
 
Kate

I live in Mississippi, everything you hear about It is true[sm=biggrin.gif]

What I want is to try an authentic english pastie.
 
Many people think of Texas as desert and tumbleweeds. There are some downright humid jungle areas, too. And then, the piney woods of East Texas with skyscraper trees. The one rumor that is true is how big Texas is. The husband of my wife's daughter mentioned how it would take 4 hours to drive the lengthwise distance of New Jersey. In Texas, it takes 4 hours to get from our house to my in-law's house.
 
The one thing that people think that bothers me is how deep they think the accent is. It's much more subtle. And the accent varies depending on where you are. To that end, if you ever see the comedian Ron White, his accent is authentic.
 
And BoneyJean is right. Not everyone is a cowboy and it takes a good-paying job to take care of horses. One friend of mine owns 3 horses, two mules, and 4 dogs. Every month or so, he has a ferrier come out to attend to the hooves and shoeing, etc. He bought a new haypick on a trailer. He keeps an old Chevy Truck 4WD for driving his 15 acres. And he has a high-paying job. He'll wear mud boots more often at home.

Oh, those are hillarious!  I definitely feel for everyone!... although apparently everything we hear about England is true [8D]  (hehehe!) 
 
In Hawaii we have a number of them, when I lived in LA I worked at a California Pizza Kitchen prints where you're from on your name tag.  I got these questions from many, many people but it was concentrated by patrons since I met so many people in a day

Jean, I really, really understand, I bet Alaska is at least as bad as Hawaii for misconceptions, I love the altitude comments while at the dock.  That's ridiculous! 
 
Here are my biggies:

- Do the majority of people speak English there? --- More or less [:-]
- Are they going to make Hawaii a State? --- Umm, yeah, it's been for like 50 yrs now.
- Did they finish the bridge yet? --- Yes, they finished a 2500 mile long bridge (although I started keeping it more interesting for myself and saying "yes, but it's extended off Mexico as it's closer", or saying "a tunnel turned out to be more economical." 
- What's the biggest wave you've surfed?  --- Cause if you're from Hawaii you surf.  Jen, I did something similar talking about how surfing was a mandatory class in schools here []
- Do you know my cousins friend, Bob Smith? He lives over there...  ---  [sm=smack.gif] 
- What happens when the volcano erupts? --- Kilauea is the only active volcano and it's been erupting continuously for over 20 yrs.  So not much.
- How long does it take you to walk from one end of the Island to the other, do people have cars??  [sm=uhoh.gif] Are you kidding?
 
I eventually changed my nametag to read that I was from Studio City (part of LA County).

I fortunately don't hear a lot of  wierd stuff about Vermont  when I'm working up on the mountain in ski school, although I get to meet people from all over the world (some are from Israel or Japan). Although many would ask me where I am from even though it said right under my name on my name tag.
 
I have heard of a couple from... I think New Jersey (but location is irrelevant) look at a horse and say "Oh look, a cow!"
 
But, I don't know what people "think" about Vermont, so, nothing really funny or anything...

ORIGINAL: pumaward
I have heard of a couple from... I think New Jersey (but location is irrelevant) look at a horse and say "Oh look, a cow!"

 
[sm=rotfl.gif]Thanks, I needed that!
 
Kate