Deceptively large states

[CapeCodder]

Sorry if this has already been done.

What states do you find deceptively large? For me, Pennsylvania and New York come to mind, as does to an extent Connecticut.

I'll give an example: When I took a trip from St. Louis to Wakefield, MA I thought the distance between Utica, NY and Albany was at most, 50 miles. I was wrong. It's more like 100 miles.

[AlexandriaVA]

I'd say Alaska, only because it usually gets cartographically beat up by being an inset on maps of the United States, off to the left of the west coast (along with Hawaii).

Growing up, we'd drive from the DC area to Pittsburgh, taking I/70I-68 to western PA. I knew Maryland was a relatively small state, but taking 70/68 all the way west across Maryland made it seem like a huge state. Ironically, it's also skinny...in the same region of western Maryland, you can drive from West Virginia to Pennsylania, cutting across Maryland via US-220 (Cumberland) in like 10 minutes.

[vdeane]

On US 522, you can cut across in 2-3 minutes.  Only 2.17 miles.

[adventurernumber1]

The most significant example that comes to my mind right now is the state of Florida. After just looking it up on Google Maps Directions, it sounds like it would take around 12 hours to drive from Pensacola, FL to Key West, FL. Looking at Florida on a map, it is a pretty big state, but driving between those two cities makes current perceptions now seem deceptive. 

[RobbieL2415]

Massachusetts.  It's actually larger than New Jersey in terms of land area.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Texas.

[jwolfer]

The most significant example that comes to my mind right now is the state of Florida. After just looking it up on Google Maps Directions, it sounds like it would take around 12 hours to drive from Pensacola, FL to Key West, FL. Looking at Florida on a map, it is a pretty big state, but driving between those two cities makes current perceptions now seem deceptive. 

Agreed with Florida. People come to Miami on vacation and think it's a quick day trip to Disney World

Z981

[webny99]

It's probably mostly states east of the Mississippi that qualify, because of the general (and mostly correct) perception that Western states are comparatively vast.

I don't know how big New York is generally percieved to be, but I can see how a cross-state trip on the thruway could be substantially longer and more boring than expected. FWIW, Georgia is the largest eastern state in land area, beating out NY, PA, and Florida.

[hbelkins]

To me, Pennsylvania fits this bill. I was on a county-collecting loop the day before the State College meet a few years ago and it took a lot longer than I anticipated.

[briantroutman]

Texas.

If this thread was "Large states" , yes. But "deceptively large" ....I'd have to say no. If anything, Texas's size is probably oversold. This postcard "map"  of Texas is probably not that much of an exaggeration of some people's mental maps:

The most significant example that comes to my mind right now is the state of Florida.

+1 on Florida. When I moved from SF to Tampa and crossed the Alabama/Florida line on I-10, part of my brain said "OK, you just have to clear this little stump of a panhandle, turn down I-75, and you're there!"  In reality, it was a long drive.

It's probably mostly states east of the Mississippi that qualify...

Agreed about this. I think the popular impression is that the western states are huge and the eastern ones tiny. And being able to cross several state lines quickly on trips like Washington to New York or Milwaukee to Kalamazoo makes this seem true. But traverse some of these states the "long way" –New York to Buffalo, Detroit to Marquette–and you're in for a surprisingly long intrastate drive.

[cl94]

In the east, Michigan, and New York are the big ones.

Living in New York most of my life, I've heard quite a few things from visitors. A lot of foreign visitors to New York City try and go to Niagara Falls on the same trip, not realizing it's a 7+ hour drive each way. It takes less time to drive from Buffalo to Chicago than it does to drive from Buffalo to the eastern end of Long Island. I-90 across the state is a 6 hour drive if you're lucky (often longer), as it's 386 miles. And because of its size, there is no defined New York culture (or anything close to it).

[Rothman]

I still am amazed that AR is bigger than PA.

[Brandon]

Michigan.  Always amazes outsiders that it takes longer to go from Houghton to Detroit than from Atlanta to Detroit.  Like Florida, one can easily spend an entire day inside the state and still not quite get through it, from Luna Pier to Ironwood.

[ce929wax]

I always thought it was a long drive across Kentucky and Tennessee.

[Beltway]

Cumberland Gap, VA to Chincoteague Island, VA

611 miles and 10 hours driving time

[Max Rockatansky]

Florida, just look up what a drive from Pensacola to Key West entails mileage wise. 

[jp the roadgeek]

Maine.  It is the 2nd longest stretch of I-95 in a single state at 303 miles, and is the 2nd longest single state stretch of US 1 at 526 miles, only 19 miles less than that of Florida's.  It is 382 miles from Kittery at the southwestern tip to Madawaska near the northeast curve.  That is longer than a trip from NYC to Montreal or Pittsburgh.

[kurumi]

Texas is quite huge.

[Hurricane Rex]

Texas and Alaska for me.

[slorydn1]

North Carolina doesn't seem like much, and even going the width of it on I-40 its about 6 hours from New Bern to the TN Border. But I-40 cheats by exiting stage right after getting past Waynesville.

TN state line on US-64 near Wolf Creek to NC-12 intersection on US-64 near Manteo-now that is a ridiculously long trip, about 567 miles according to Google

[freebrickproductions]

For me, it was Virginia when I was going up to New Jersey last fall. Of course, I was taking I-81, but still.

[Bickendan]

Gonna go with Michigan here. The drive from Port Huron to Ironwood via Houghton was longer than I expected.
The drive across Montana along I-94 and I-90, with the detour up to Helena, was mentally shorter; even I-5 from LA to Ashland would be mentally shorter, and that's a longer drive.

[DandyDan]

Missouri can be if you enter from Iowa north of Rock Port and want to go to St. Louis. I can only imagine what going to Memphis is like from there.

[GaryV]

Michigan.  Always amazes outsiders that it takes longer to go from Houghton to Detroit than from Atlanta to Detroit. 

Sorry, you're a little off there.  Having made both trips several times, it takes a couple hours longer to get to Atlanta.

We live in metro Detroit, and 2 of our kids went to Michigan Tech in Houghton.  The deception is that when you get from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge, you're still not halfway to Houghton.

[1995hoo]

I will echo Virginia. You can cross the northern part from DC or Maryland to West Virginia in about an hour, yet I-81's Virginia portion is over 300 miles and US-58's Virginia portion is around 500 miles.