Photo Game: Post a Photo that Really Sums Up a State

[Big John]

Does this sign in Oklahoma still exist?

[Brandon]

Does this sign in Oklahoma still exist?

Sadly (or happily) no.  The service area is long gone.
https://goo.gl/maps/WtDYxUth2amA8WjW8

[MikieTimT]

This is the Oklahoma photo that sums it up for me.  This is when my kids and I walked across the US-64/Garrison Ave. bridge over to Moffett, OK from Ft. Smith, AR during the road closure from the AR River flooding a couple of months back.  The broken down Prius at the welcome sign was just the icing on the cake and brought a smile to my face given what the sign stated.

[SSOWorld]

A picture I took a while ago:

https://live.staticflickr.com/4173/33664437883_fca96df94f_b.jpg

(But that's only Western WA)

What does that sum up? That it rains? That bikes and transit are superior to cars? or biker helmets aren't needed despite the laws? (Probably all 3)

Woah, steady on pal. It sums up transportation in Western Washington very nicely: lots of cars, lots of buses, lots of cyclists, and plenty of steady rain/drizzle to get in the way of it all (the last one being paramount). Oregon is very similar in this regard; it's a relatively unique combination, otherwise.

It would be difficult to find a photo that sums up all of Washington, as Eastern Washington has virtually nothing in common with Western Washington. Would have to involve the mountains in some way. But that would be pretty boring, so I applaud Bruce for trying to find a photo that at least sums up part of the state.

Nah - I could tell the difference between east and west of the cascades by just crossing the pass (whichever one one crosses - I crossed at Snoqualmie) Nothing but barren land east, nothing but tall pines west - until you reach Seattle and it opens up briefly before you dive into the water.  Undersized freeways (I-405).  Honestly, Seattle is not bad at all, there are quirks in each city - and national park.

[jakeroot]

It would be difficult to find a photo that sums up all of Washington, as Eastern Washington has virtually nothing in common with Western Washington. Would have to involve the mountains in some way. But that would be pretty boring, so I applaud Bruce for trying to find a photo that at least sums up part of the state.

Nah - I could tell the difference between east and west of the cascades by just crossing the pass (whichever one one crosses - I crossed at Snoqualmie) Nothing but barren land east, nothing but tall pines west - until you reach Seattle and it opens up briefly before you dive into the water.  Undersized freeways (I-405).  Honestly, Seattle is not bad at all, there are quirks in each city - and national park.

Sorry, what I meant by "boring" was that posting a photo of Mount Rainier doesn't really sum up Washington State, since there's more to the state than just that mountain. Sure, it's the only geographic feature (besides the Cascades themselves) that can be seen and referenced all over the state, but there's mountains everywhere. Yes, Rainier is particularly impressive, but it's not really a unique identifier for the state. Washington's only hope would be two photos that sum up each side of the state. Bruce's photo sums up the western half nicely, eastern half would probably be summed up by an apple laying in a desert?

[bing101]

This Represents California Well

[epzik8]

This represents the entire Delmarva Peninsula



SM-S820L

You've got that right! I live in Harford County, which isn't quite the Delmarva, but is still in the Baltimore metro, so I've got plenty of RoFos at my disposal.

[jakeroot]

This Represents California Well

I was gonna say "no, that represents most cities with traffic". But, considering A) it being sunny, B) the pine and palm trees, C) the carpool lanes, and D) the freeway width, it does sum up the heavily-populated areas of California really well.

[Bruce]

Nah - I could tell the difference between east and west of the cascades by just crossing the pass (whichever one one crosses - I crossed at Snoqualmie) Nothing but barren land east, nothing but tall pines west - until you reach Seattle and it opens up briefly before you dive into the water.  Undersized freeways (I-405).  Honestly, Seattle is not bad at all, there are quirks in each city - and national park.

Eastern WA isn't totally barren, especially if you move away from I-90. Most of the Okanogan Highlands and Selkirks resemble that of the Cascade foothills (with large forests and deep ravines). The Columbia Gorge and some of its associated water features (including old channels from the great Missoula flood and volcanic activity) are striking. Moses Lake also has a few sand dunes, Spokane has thinner forests, the Palouse is rugged and wrinkled...

For that matter, Western WA also has some different landscapes. Actual rainforest (with dense foliage that isn't found anywhere else in the USA), fjords galore, wide open valleys, and plenty of small towns that were transplanted from the Midwest. I'd claim that Washington has the most diverse collection of landscapes in the country. We're only missing stuff you'd find in the tropics.

[kphoger]

For Missouri, I was trying to find a picture of a redneck in front of a Dollar General, but I couldn't find a good picture...

[webny99]

For Missouri, I was trying to find a picture of a redneck in front of a Dollar General, but I couldn't find a good picture...

Missouri? That sounds like something one sees all the time in the Southern Tier of NY.
I guess that doesn't prevent it from summing up Missouri, but it just wouldn't be Exclusive TM.

[mrsman]

This Represents California Well

I was gonna say "no, that represents most cities with traffic". But, considering A) it being sunny, B) the pine and palm trees, C) the carpool lanes, and D) the freeway width, it does sum up the heavily-populated areas of California really well.

For those that are curious, this location is where the 73 merges into the 405 in Costa Mesa.

But it is stereotypical that you will see something like this at any suburban LA, SD, or even Bay Area interchange where there are wider freeways.

[Max Rockatansky]

This Represents California Well

I was gonna say "no, that represents most cities with traffic". But, considering A) it being sunny, B) the pine and palm trees, C) the carpool lanes, and D) the freeway width, it does sum up the heavily-populated areas of California really well.

For those that are curious, this location is where the 73 merges into the 405 in Costa Mesa.

But it is stereotypical that you will see something like this at any suburban LA, SD, or even Bay Area interchange where there are wider freeways.

I'd say that is more representative of Metro Los Angeles than the rest of the State.  California is overwhelmingly rural despite having several of the largest urban areas in the United States.  What I tend to more associate California with is something more akin to this:

IMG_3597 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

[cjk374]

Alabama (but I know this was Georgia)   https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.qoLA1LrQ4XMuoFyWPDoYIgHaDI&w=224&h=127&c=7&o=5&dpr=1.15&pid=1.7

No.  This is Alabama:

You're missing the firearms and run-down houses.

I have done many miles of driving in AL....can confirm this dude's ugly mug is on 98% of the billboards in the entire state.

[webny99]

This Represents California Well
[img]

I was gonna say "no, that represents most cities with traffic". But, considering A) it being sunny, B) the pine and palm trees, C) the carpool lanes, and D) the freeway width, it does sum up the heavily-populated areas of California really well.

For those that are curious, this location is where the 73 merges into the 405 in Costa Mesa.
But it is stereotypical that you will see something like this at any suburban LA, SD, or even Bay Area interchange where there are wider freeways.

I'd say that is more representative of Metro Los Angeles than the rest of the State.  California is overwhelmingly rural despite having several of the largest urban areas in the United States.  What I tend to more associate California with is something more akin to this:
[img]

The average square mile may be rural, but that's not where the average person lives. The people overwhelmingly live in cities and do indeed deal with that traffic, despite plenty of space for them to spread out a bit.

[Max Rockatansky]

This Represents California Well
[img]

I was gonna say "no, that represents most cities with traffic". But, considering A) it being sunny, B) the pine and palm trees, C) the carpool lanes, and D) the freeway width, it does sum up the heavily-populated areas of California really well.

For those that are curious, this location is where the 73 merges into the 405 in Costa Mesa.
But it is stereotypical that you will see something like this at any suburban LA, SD, or even Bay Area interchange where there are wider freeways.

I'd say that is more representative of Metro Los Angeles than the rest of the State.  California is overwhelmingly rural despite having several of the largest urban areas in the United States.  What I tend to more associate California with is something more akin to this:
[img]

The average square mile may be rural, but that's not where the average person lives. The people overwhelmingly live in cities and do indeed deal with that traffic, despite plenty of space for them to spread out a bit.

Half the state doesn't live in those major metro areas.  It's pretty assumptive to lump the character of a state as large as California into the identity of the Los Angeles Metro Area.  I would assume a good percentage of New Yorkers don't associate their state identity completely with New York City. 

[hotdogPi]

This Represents California Well
[img]

I was gonna say "no, that represents most cities with traffic". But, considering A) it being sunny, B) the pine and palm trees, C) the carpool lanes, and D) the freeway width, it does sum up the heavily-populated areas of California really well.

For those that are curious, this location is where the 73 merges into the 405 in Costa Mesa.
But it is stereotypical that you will see something like this at any suburban LA, SD, or even Bay Area interchange where there are wider freeways.

I'd say that is more representative of Metro Los Angeles than the rest of the State.  California is overwhelmingly rural despite having several of the largest urban areas in the United States.  What I tend to more associate California with is something more akin to this:
[img]

The average square mile may be rural, but that's not where the average person lives. The people overwhelmingly live in cities and do indeed deal with that traffic, despite plenty of space for them to spread out a bit.

Half the state doesn't live in those major metro areas.  It's pretty assumptive to lump the character of a state as large as California into the identity of the Los Angeles Metro Area.  I would assume a good percentage of New Yorkers don't associate their state identity completely with New York City.

The Los Angeles metro (including the Inland Empire) and the Bay Area sum up to more than half. That doesn't even count San Diego.

[Max Rockatansky]

This Represents California Well
[img]

I was gonna say "no, that represents most cities with traffic". But, considering A) it being sunny, B) the pine and palm trees, C) the carpool lanes, and D) the freeway width, it does sum up the heavily-populated areas of California really well.

For those that are curious, this location is where the 73 merges into the 405 in Costa Mesa.
But it is stereotypical that you will see something like this at any suburban LA, SD, or even Bay Area interchange where there are wider freeways.

I'd say that is more representative of Metro Los Angeles than the rest of the State.  California is overwhelmingly rural despite having several of the largest urban areas in the United States.  What I tend to more associate California with is something more akin to this:
[img]

The average square mile may be rural, but that's not where the average person lives. The people overwhelmingly live in cities and do indeed deal with that traffic, despite plenty of space for them to spread out a bit.

Half the state doesn't live in those major metro areas.  It's pretty assumptive to lump the character of a state as large as California into the identity of the Los Angeles Metro Area.  I would assume a good percentage of New Yorkers don't associate their state identity completely with New York City.

The Los Angeles metro (including the Inland Empire) and the Bay Area sum up to more than half. That doesn't even count San Diego.

Nonetheless looking to a traffic jam in Los Angeles as a "summary"  of the State of California just doesn't fit.  We're talking a state with 9 National Parks, two deserts, tons of mountain ranges and coastline.  If we're going to use a traffic photo then one from Los Angeles doesn't speak well to the over all context of the State.  I would probably say that something like traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge would be far more representative of the contradiction of massive urban sprawl coupled with massive expanses of outdoor recreation.  For me personally (and I know that I think doesn't speak for most people) I associate California more with the Sierra Nevada Mountains more than anything else. 

[Max Rockatansky]

For Arizona the Grand Canyon probably is pretty representative of all the climate zones seen in the state; low lying desert, pine forest and volcanic strewn plateau.  Pretty much all of that can seen all in one place along the east rim.

1 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

[webny99]

I'd say that is more representative of Metro Los Angeles than the rest of the State.  California is overwhelmingly rural despite having several of the largest urban areas in the United States.  What I tend to more associate California with is something more akin to this:
[img]

The average square mile may be rural, but that's not where the average person lives. The people overwhelmingly live in cities and do indeed deal with that traffic, despite plenty of space for them to spread out a bit.

Half the state doesn't live in those major metro areas.  It's pretty assumptive to lump the character of a state as large as California into the identity of the Los Angeles Metro Area.

I don't think it matters that the image happens to be in the Los Angeles area. It's a summary of a Californian city. Of course, that doesn't mean it sums up the state as a whole, but the warm climate cities with a lot of traffic are what comes to mind first.

I would assume a good percentage of New Yorkers don't associate their state identity completely with New York City.

Very true. There's one big difference, though. New York is more like two states. New York City and Long Island are one, and then the decent and beautiful part of the state is another. With California, on the other hand, there's big cities located throughout the state, and you can't neatly chop it in two between urban and scenic like you can with New York. 

I would actually expect a picture of NYC in some form or fashion to be used to sum up New York state. It's just a fact that nobody cares about, or even knows about, the rest of the state. But I would then say, that picture of NYC sums up everything south of the Tappan Zee, and you now need to consider everything north of there as a completely separate state, with a different picture probably including waterways/waterfalls/mountains/etc.

[Max Rockatansky]

^^^

That's the thing you could chop California into regions which are fairly distinct culturally:

-  Southern California essentially is the most densely urbanized area in the state and a lot of it's identity is wrapped up around in.  The traffic and way of life surround Los Angeles, Riverside/San Bernardino and San Diego seems to be the popular perception by outsiders of what California is mostly like.  Once you get north of the San Gabriel Mountains the overwhelming urbanization tends to disappear rapidly (sans places like Lancaster/Palmdale and Hesperia/Victorville).
-  The Mojave Desert region of California is far more rural and has a ton of historic ties to the silver mining era of the eastern Sierra Nevada Range.  Owens Valley in particular was heavily associate with agriculture until the Los Angeles Aqueduct project drained Owens Lake.
-  San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley are extremely driven by agriculture the life style that surrounds it.  Usually this is where you'll find the most angst against the bigger cities since the way of life clashes with what people in urban area wants (the High Speed Rail debate comes to mind).  Sacramento is something of an oddity which seems to be becoming rapidly urbanized but the other bigger cities in the area like Fresno and Bakersfield still slant to agricultural ways of life.
-  Much of the Pacific Coast from Ventura north to Marin County is fairly similar in that it usually has that same coastal city flair to them.  Even the San Francisco Bay Area seems to have that whole "coastal city feel" to it which makes it substantially different than Southern California.
-  The western Sierra Nevada Region and Lake Tahoe are more tied to the early mining era of California.  That being the case the areas are heavily rural and much more oriented towards outdoor activities.  Tahoe in particular has more in common with colder U.S. states that have winter sports and large lakes.
-  The Northern Coast and Cascades region of California is somewhat similar to the Western Sierras.  Much of the industry up that way was either tied to logging or mining booms which have long since faded.  Suffice to say you couldn't find a much different place than Los Angeles with the likes or Eurkea, Crescent City or even a place Yreka. 

So with that all in mind it is hard to come up with a photo that encompasses all of the following attributes:

-  Urbanization and urban traffic.
-  Coast Line.
-  Agriculture.
-  Mining.
-  Desert.
-  Mountains.

I would say something San Francisco oriented is coming to come far closer to hitting the major themes of California in a single picture.  So with that in mind this is probably the best I could come up with, this is the Marin Headlands looking eastern towards the Golden Gate Bridge towards San Francisco:

0 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

With the above in mind the photo hits four of the six themes:

-  Urbanization with the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge and San Francisco.
-  Lots of coast line with San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate.
-  Lots of mountains which are represented by the Marin Headlands, the San Francisco Peninsula and Diablo Range in the background.
-  Mining is represented well by San Francisco itself since the Bay was the major port of entry during the California Gold Rush.

[MikieTimT]

^^^
That's the thing you could chop California into regions which are fairly distinct culturally:

California should be chopped into regions which are fairly distinct culturally.  Then the areas not in the urban congressional districts would actually have some representation as for the most part, they don't identify with the needs of the city-dwelling masses there.

[Max Rockatansky]

^^^
That's the thing you could chop California into regions which are fairly distinct culturally:

California should be chopped into regions which are fairly distinct culturally.  Then the areas not in the urban congressional districts would actually have some representation as for the most part, they don't identify with the needs of the city-dwelling masses there.

The water rights alone make that an impossibility now.  If that were going to happen it was probably going to have to be before all the water infrastructure of the early 20th Century was built. 

[MikieTimT]

^^^
That's the thing you could chop California into regions which are fairly distinct culturally:

California should be chopped into regions which are fairly distinct culturally.  Then the areas not in the urban congressional districts would actually have some representation as for the most part, they don't identify with the needs of the city-dwelling masses there.

The water rights alone make that an impossibility now.  If that were going to happen it was probably going to have to be before all the water infrastructure of the early 20th Century was built.

With all of the Californians moving to Colorado (among many other places) these days, water rights for California are a subject that's likely to come to a head again in our lifetimes.

[vdeane]

^^^

That's the thing you could chop California into regions which are fairly distinct culturally:

And you can do the same with both upstate NY and NYC/Long Island.  The point is that NY has a VERY wide divide that pretty neatly cleaves the state in two, whereas California does not because it has multiple large metro areas.  Let's face it, most people who think of stereotypical NY will think of NYC, just as most people thinking of stereotypical CA will think of the urban areas.