Lets Brag on Your State

[Sam]

With ten plus inches of snow on the ground and it is still falling at 9 AM this Monday morning, I thought I would break up the boredom and give you some facts on my home state, Louisiana.

How about adding facts about your state to the post?

P.S.  I hate snow.

A Little Louisiana History

Louisiana is known as The Bayou State.

LSU, its flagship university, is tied with the University of Florida as the only school to win two BCS National Championship Football titles.

LSU is the only university to have a live Bengal Tiger on campus as its mascot.

Louisiana has the tallest state capitol building in the nation at 450

feet.

LSU is the only univesity in the world that has a course in Cajun French for credit.

The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans is the largest enclosed

stadium in the world.

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest over-water bridge in

the world at 23.87 miles.

Louisiana's 6.5 million acres of wetlands are the greatest wetland

area in America.

The oldest city in the Louisiana Purchase Territory is Natchitoches, Louisiana founded in 1714.

The first bottler of Coca-Cola, Joseph Bie Denharn, lived in Monroe,

Louisiana and was one of the founders of Delta Air Lines, initially

called Delta Air Service.

Delta Airlines got its start in Monroe, Louisiana when Parish

Agent, C.E. Woolman, decided to try dusting the Boll Weevil that was

destroying the cotton crops in the Mississippi River Delta from an airplane. It was the first crop dusting service in the world.

Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the largest

predominantly black university in America.

Baton Rouge was the site of the only American Revolution battle

outside the original 13 colonies.

The formal transfer of the Louisiana Purchase was made at the

Cabildo building in New Orleans on December 20, 1803.

The staircase at Chitien Point, in Sunset, Louisiana was copied for

Tara in "Gone with the Wind."

Louisiana is the No. 1 producer of crawfish, alligators and shallots

in America.

Louisiana produces 24 percent of the nation's salt, the most in America.

Much of the world's food, coffee and oil pass through the Port of New Orleans.

Tabasco, a Louisiana product, holds the second oldest food trademark in the U.S. Patent Office.

Steen's Syrup Mill in Abbeville, Louisiana is the world's largest

syrup plant producing sugar cane syrup.

America's oldest rice mill is in New Iberia, Louisiana at KONRIKO

Co.

The International Joke Telling Contest is held annually in Opelousas, Louisiana.

LSU (The Ole War Skule) in Baton Rouge has the distinction of contributing the most officers to WW II after the U.S. Military academies.

The Louisiana Hayride radio show helped Hank Williams, Elvis Presley

And Johnny Cash achieve stardom. It was broadcast from KWKH Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana from 1948 to 1960.

The term Uncle Sam was coined on the wharfs of New Orleans before

Louisiana was a U.S. Territory as goods labeled U.S. Were from "Uncle

Sam."

The game of craps was invented in New Orleans in 1813 as betting

was a common activity on the wharves.

When states had their own currency, the Louisiana Dix (French for

ten) was a favored currency for trade. English speakers called them Dixies and coined the term Dixieland.

New Orleans is the home of the oldest pharmacy in America at 514

Chartres Street in the French Quarter. These early medical mixtures

became known as cocktails (guess they were good for what ails ya?), coining yet another term.

New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz, the only true American art form.

Jazz gave birth to the Blues and Rock and Roll music.

Louisiana is known as "The Sportsman's Paradise" because of its outstanding hunting and fishing, both fresh and saltwater.

Viva La Louisiana!!!

[atx_newbie]

A couple more for my home state, Louisiana:

Shreveport, LA was the last capital of the Confederacy, holding out for more than 3 months after Lee surrendered at Appomatox.  The Union tried several times to capture the city by naval attack via the Red River, but never succeeded.

Shreveport is also the home to blues legend Huey "Leadbelly" Ledbetter.

Politicians and governments across world can only hope to have the same level of political corruption that exists in Louisiana (what, is that not something to brag about?  ;D )

[CWB]

The Cubs haven't won the World Series in 100 years.

Our Governor was just impeached and thrown out of office.

:-[

[atx_newbie]

The Cubs haven't won the World Series in 100 years.

Our Governor was just impeached and thrown out of office.

:-[

Yeah, but at least the Illini got to share a field with LSU in the 2002 Sugar Bowl.  It is one of the highest honors for LSU to trounce you in a bowl game  ;D ;D ;D

[Root beer]

State of Alabama:

Only state that has a college football team that won more National Title than any other NCAA Division I schools.

Is bass fishing captial of the world. Has best selections of lakes within a reasonable drive.

Was once the captial of the south back in 1800s.

Err, I'll post more later, must continue my paper!

[Bass Dude]

New York State:

Our Governor wants to add a "fat tax" on soda because it adds to the obesity problem.

Then he wants to tax gym memberships.  Why you ask---I don't know!!!  

He also wants to increase tax on beer, which could cause one the few remaining industries still remaining in our area (Budweiser) to move out of state.  It has already been made public that we are going to lose the plant that makes parts for Chrysler products, which employed countless people, (also because of the taxes and costs for doing business in NY).

Our Syracuse University football team has been a joke for the last 5+ years.

Our AAA baseball team was just sold to the Washington Nationals by a person that is now suspected to be skimming money and giving bonuses to get South American players.

You only have about 5 months of good fishing weather.

Good things about NY:

Our SU Basketball team is consistently in the mix and usually makes the NCAA tourney.

When the weather is good, you can't beat the fishing or the scenary.

The New York State Fair.

Good chicken wings and pizza!!

[bilgerat]

New Jersey:

Aaaa, ummmm, gimme a minute....... Oh yeah. Nope, never mind.

[fishfordollars]

Sam, my wife is flying into Dulles and then having to drive to Fredericksburg this afternoon. Any suggestions other than to stay home? That is not an option. When is it supposed to let up and how are the roads?

Texas: The lone star state. Large bass, and lots of places to fish. Average high temp for February is 62*. Roads are terrible, no state taxes, you will love the summer heat and humidity. Both average around a 100.  LOL.

Thanks,

Jack

[guitarkid]

I will "brag" on my state-

South Carolina.

Home of the pecker school (USC Gamecocks)

Worst schools in the nation

The most stupid laws

Home of the I can afford to pay 253000 for a high school golf team to practice at this country club, BUT

they complain when an elementary school shuts down due to lack of funding.

Yes folks, sad but true, SC lost an elementary school due to budget cuts.

I "love" South Caolina!

         -gk

[firefightn15]

Wisconsin(1848)- the badger state, named for the miners, who acted like badgers tunneling their whole lives for a living

Famous people: Ole Evinrude

                       Frank Lloyd Wright

                       Liberace  :-/

                       Harry Houdini

                       Eric Heiden

                       Douglas McArthur

                       Chris Farley

                       Tony Shaloub-MONK

Home to:  Mercury Marine

               Harley Davidson

               Greenbay Packers

               Milwaukee Brewers/Bambis bombers/Harveys wallbangers

               Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame

               St Croix rod

               

Places/events:  World Championship Snowmobile Races

                      The Milwaukee Mile

                      Fox River, one of a few that flows north

                      World's largest one day fish fry

                      Beer capital of the world

                      Is/was largest in cheese production

                      Hide out central for mobsters of the day (Al Capone)

[-HAWK-]

Florida

-Home of the Florida Strain Bass, If it wasn't for Florida You Cali guys would be catching those Northern Dinks.

-Fishing capital of the world.

-Can fish 365 days of the year

-The water Never freezes here.

-Largest Variety of senior citizens in the World.

-Home of the worst drivers in the world.

I could go on and on all day.

[tallydude]

Florida: We screw up elections.

[Sam]

Jack,

Sent you a PM.

Hope your wife can reschedule her visit to Virginia.

Please double check with airlines and rental car company to make sure flights are OK and that the rental car is available and can be leased.

I understand there is about 10 inches of snow in Fredericksburg.

Maybe any guys up that way can let us all know what is going on.

Sam

[Tokyo Tony]

Connecticut - beautiful from late spring to early fall (late April through mid-October), terrible for the rest of the year.

Too much taxation.

We have, I believe, the two largest free-standing casinos in the world, and the second biggest poker room (Foxwood's) in the country, behind the Commerce in L.A., CA.

The girls, generally, are not much to look at.

We have almost a foot of snow right now, and counting.

The beaches are pretty budget.

Bars close at 1:30 am, and you can't buy booze on Sundays or after 9 pm on any other days.

The people just aren't very nice, at least compared to southerners.

State record LMB just under 13, smallie just under 8.

Movin' south within the next year or two.

[NYfishwow]

Wisconsin(1848)- the badger state, named for the miners, who acted like badgers tunneling their whole lives for a living

I heard wisconsin has most drunk people in America, its a fact not insult.

TX and can't really brag about big things when i don't see any.

Nice state i guess

[Uncle Leo]

No can do, I live in Illinois.

[ejtaylor822]

We have it all: Mountains and the Ocean (Outer banks!!!!!!). Elevations from sea level to 6700 feet.

English colonists, sent by Sir Walter Raleigh, unsuccessfully attempted to settle Roanoke Island in 1585 and 1587. Virginia Dare, born there in 1587, was the first English child born in America.

North Carolina is the nation's largest furniture, tobacco, brick, and textile producer.

Did not have a professional sports team until 1980.

In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk.

Our new governor declared a state of emergency in January after 3-5 inches of snow fell across the central part of the state. Come on 2012!

Exactly 100 counties in the state.

State:

motto: Esse quam videri "To be, rather than to seem"

song: "The Old North "

flower: Dogwood

bird: Cardinal

colors: the red and blue of the N.C. and U.S. flags

tree: Pine

shell: Scotch bonnet

mammal: Eastern Gray Squirrel

salt water fish: Red Drum also known as the Channel bass

insect: European honey bee

gemstone: Emerald

reptile: Eastern Box Turtle

rock: Granite

beverage: Milk

historical boat: Shad boat

language: English

dog: Plott Hound

Christmas tree: Fraser Fir

carnivorous plant: Venus Flytrap

folk dance: Clogging

popular dance: Shag

freshwater trout: Southern Appalachian Brook Trout

Selected famous North Carolinians:

      Howard Cosell sportscaster;

      Ava Gardner actress;

      Richard Gatling inventor;

      Billy Graham evangelist;

      Andy Griffith actor;

      Jesse Helms politician;

      O. Henry writer;

      Andrew Johnson president;

      Charles Kuralt TV journalist;

      Sugar Ray Leonard boxer;

      Ronnie Milsap singer;

      Thelonious Monk pianist;

      Edward R. Murrow commentator and government official;

      Floyd Patterson boxer;

      Richard Petty auto racer;

      James K. Polk president;

      Soupy Sales comedian;

      Earl Scruggs bluegrass musician;

      Randy Travis musician;

      John Scott Trotter orchestra leader;

      Thomas Wolfe novelist.

      FrogTog, fisherman         ;D

We have some of the best and most controversial pork barbecue in the union. Our state is divided over Western Carolina and Eastern Carolina BBQ. Eastern North Carolina pork barbecue is vinegar-based sauce and the "whole hog" is cooked using both white and dark meat. The capital of eastern Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be Wilson although the wife and I consider Kings in Kinston, NC. Western BBQ uses a ketchup and vinegar based sauce and only the pork shoulder (dark meat) is used. The "capital" of western Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the Piedmont Triad town of Lexington, home of the Lexington Barbecue Festival which brings in over 100,000 visitors each October.

Home of the 82nd airborne, Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, Army Special Ops Command, MCAS Cherry Point, Pope and Seymour Johnson Air Force bases.

Finally, home of the University of North Carolina Tarheels!!!!!!! Say no more.

[roadwarrior]

Memphis, TN

The Good:

Birthplace of Rock n' Roll and the Home of the Blues.

World Championship BBQ

No state income tax

World Record Smallmouth Bass (Tennessee)

The Bad

Corrupt local government

Top three, murders per capita

Top Five "overall crime"

The Ugly

Second "Most Miserable City" (Forbes, 2/09)

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/020609_Forbes_Calls_Memphis_2nd_Most_Miserable

[Zel]

Well, here are some fishing laws still on the books in Pennsylvania:

You may not catch a fish with your hands.

You may not catch a fish by any body part except the mouth.

Dynamite is not to be used to catch fish.

Though you do not need a fishing license to fish on your own land, but a hunting license is required to hunt on your own land.

And if Muddy wants to know why I was often lake for a nite-bite fishing trip in the past, its because:

Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.

(I keep running out of rockets)

[Dan:]

Virginia

-home to the Chesapeake bay, the largest bay in the country - also great for fishing

-is tied with Ohio for most presidents produced

-played an important role in the US revolution that can only be rivaled by Massachusetts and PA

-has diverse landscape, from the flat shoreline of the tidal region to the steep mountains down by Burley.

-has more civil war history than anywhere else

-one of the top 10 most educated states

-one of the top 10 richest states

-has one of the best public university systems

[firefightn15]

Wisconsin(1848)- the badger state, named for the miners, who acted like badgers tunneling their whole lives for a living

I heard wisconsin has most drunk people in America, its a fact not insult.

Nice state i guess

We are just doing our part  for the economy.  I was in Iowa once for a week.  First night I ordered a pitcher for myself at happy hour, spent an hour drinking it, just to find out I was cut off.  My gulper wasn't even damp yet.  Long week!

[frogtog]

We have it all: Mountains and the Ocean (Outer banks!!!!!!). Elevations from sea level to 6700 feet.

English colonists, sent by Sir Walter Raleigh, unsuccessfully attempted to settle Roanoke Island in 1585 and 1587. Virginia Dare, born there in 1587, was the first English child born in America.

North Carolina is the nation's largest furniture, tobacco, brick, and textile producer.

Did not have a professional sports team until 1980.

In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk.

Our new governor declared a state of emergency in January after 3-5 inches of snow fell across the central part of the state. Come on 2012!

Exactly 100 counties in the state.

State:

motto: Esse quam videri "To be, rather than to seem"

song: "The Old North "

flower: Dogwood

bird: Cardinal

colors: the red and blue of the N.C. and U.S. flags

tree: Pine

shell: Scotch bonnet

mammal: Eastern Gray Squirrel

salt water fish: Red Drum also known as the Channel bass

insect: European honey bee

gemstone: Emerald

reptile: Eastern Box Turtle

rock: Granite

beverage: Milk

historical boat: Shad boat

language: English

dog: Plott Hound

Christmas tree: Fraser Fir

carnivorous plant: Venus Flytrap

folk dance: Clogging

popular dance: Shag

freshwater trout: Southern Appalachian Brook Trout

Selected famous North Carolinians:

      Howard Cosell sportscaster;

      Ava Gardner actress;

      Richard Gatling inventor;

      Billy Graham evangelist;

      Andy Griffith actor;

      Jesse Helms politician;

      O. Henry writer;

      Andrew Johnson president;

      Charles Kuralt TV journalist;

      Sugar Ray Leonard boxer;

      Ronnie Milsap singer;

      Thelonious Monk pianist;

      Edward R. Murrow commentator and government official;

      Floyd Patterson boxer;

      Richard Petty auto racer;

      James K. Polk president;

      Soupy Sales comedian;

      Earl Scruggs bluegrass musician;

      Randy Travis musician;

      John Scott Trotter orchestra leader;

      Thomas Wolfe novelist.

We have some of the best and most controversial pork barbecue in the union. Our state is divided over Western Carolina and Eastern Carolina BBQ. Eastern North Carolina pork barbecue is vinegar-based sauce and the "whole hog" is cooked using both white and dark meat. The capital of eastern Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be Wilson although the wife and I consider Kings in Kinston, NC. Western BBQ uses a ketchup and vinegar based sauce and only the pork shoulder (dark meat) is used. The "capital" of western Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the Piedmont Triad town of Lexington, home of the Lexington Barbecue Festival which brings in over 100,000 visitors each October.

Home of the 82nd airborne, Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, Army Special Ops Command, MCAS Cherry Point, Pope and Seymour Johnson Air Force bases.

Finally, home of the University of North Carolina Tarheels!!!!!!! Say no more.

EJ didn't leave much to say other than we have the highest gas tax in the USA

Our governor gets elected and goes on VACATION

And we have some of the best collages in the world, like Duke and State and if you want to become an Attorney you can go to Carolina. ;D

The only Black town in the USA  incorporated by free slaves ( Freedom Hill )

And then they have ME what else could you ask for. :

[ring fry]

Defending NCAA Basketball Champions.   8-)

[Daniel My Brother]

I live in Missouri. We HATE Kansas. That is all.

[Pitchinkid]

WEST "By God" Virginia

State Motto: Mountaineers are always free.

State Animal: Black Bear

State Fish: Native Brooke

State Flower: Rhododendron

State Tree: Sugar Maple (I think)

State Bird: Cardinal

West Virginia is a geographical oddity. Its 73 degrees one day and 18 the next. The women are beautiful and so are the sheep. Most public hunting land in the US. The 2 largest lakes in WV are Summersville and Stonewall Jackson lakes, both are roughly 2700 acres. We have both length and weight records for all game fish in this state. We are home to the sexiest man alive(myself). Everyone lives in a holler( or hollow). Home to such legends as;

Little Jimmy Dickens

Bob Denver

Don Knotts

Brad Paisley

The longest serving senator Robert C Byrd.

Elite Pro Jeremy Starks

John Henry

Booker T Washington( I think)

Coal Mine Wars

Hebert Hoover High school( Last school in the United States to graduate a minority.)

Jimzee

Pitchinkid

Booten

TroutFisher

and others.