"Forgotten" parts of your state

[KeithE4Phx]

The far northwestern corner of Arizona, where I-15 runs through Virgin Canyon.  It's isolated from the rest of the state thanks to the Grand Canyon, and only connects to Nevada via I-15 and to Utah via 15 and Mohave County Rte 91 (old US 91).

Another section that is almost as forgotten is the stretch of US 60 between Wickenburg and I-10 near the Colorado River.  There's no reason for a US highway here for 30 years.

[Konza]

Southeast Arizona.  Cochise County and the wine country in eastern Santa Cruz County.  Amazing how many people from Phoenix and Tucson wander down here and realize how much it has to offer.  Almost as amazing how folks up there don't know what you're talking abut when you tell them where you live.

As Curly would say in "City Slickers" , "City folk..."

[DandyDan]

For Iowa, I don't think anyone thinks about the western quarter of the state.

As for when I lived in Nebraska, pretty much anything not right off of I-80 tends to get ignored. And if you live in Omaha or Lincoln, there's the Panhandle.

As for Minnesota, Southwestern Minnesota may as well be in South Dakota.

[Scott5114]

The main reason it comes up in conversation is as a talking point for TV meteorologists to point out how much colder/snowier it is there during the winter months.

Can they say that just for fun because no one will ever know, or is the weather really significantly colder?

This map tells you all you need to know:


The Panhandle is in the extreme north of the state, and the elevation increases as you go west and get into the high plains typical of western Kansas and eastern Colorado. This means that while the Panhandle experiences highs relatively in line with the rest of the state, nightly lows in Guymon are, on average, 7° cooler than those of Oklahoma City. Guymon also receives almost 9 more inches of snow per year than Oklahoma City does.

[texaskdog]

west Texas between El Paso and I-35

[NWI_Irish96]

If you talk to just about anybody that lives outside of the Indy metro area, they will tell you that their part of the state is forgotten. The prevalence of summer road construction in every nook and cranny of the state suggest otherwise.

If anything, the parts of the state that are in TV markets centered in neighboring states (Chicago, Louisville and Cincinnati areas) tend to be a little bit on the forgotten side.

[webny99]

The Panhandle is in the extreme north of the state, and the elevation increases as you go west and get into the high plains typical of western Kansas and eastern Colorado. This means that while the Panhandle experiences highs relatively in line with the rest of the state, nightly lows in Guymon are, on average, 7° cooler than those of Oklahoma City.

In retrospect, that should have been obvious. I tend to equate "Oklahoma" with "plains" and forget that there's actually quite a bit of variation from rugged and more Arkansas/Missouri-like in the east to high and dry in the west.

Guymon also receives almost 9 more inches of snow per year than Oklahoma City does.

9 inches is probably significant percentage-wise considering OKC doesn't get much snow to begin with.
But granted, that doesn't mean much to me here in the Great Lakes snow belt. There's easily that much variation just within the Rochester area, say between the airport and the northeastern suburbs. It's not uncommon for a single snow event to create a 9 inch differential: 12 inches near the lake and 3 inches further inland, for example. Double or triple that between work (further north) and home (further south) over the course of an entire season, and that's still just pocket change.

[webny99]

west Texas between El Paso and I-35

I don't know, maybe the specific towns/cities are forgotten, but the stereotypical image of Texas is absolutely west of I-35.

[tdindy88]

If you talk to just about anybody that lives outside of the Indy metro area, they will tell you that their part of the state is forgotten. The prevalence of summer road construction in every nook and cranny of the state suggest otherwise.

If anything, the parts of the state that are in TV markets centered in neighboring states (Chicago, Louisville and Cincinnati areas) tend to be a little bit on the forgotten side.

A little ironic since the politics of Indiana suggest that the state cares more about the areas outside of Indy than Indy itself.

As for more suggested forgotten parts, until recently it seemed that the southwestern corner of the state around Evansville was considered ignored. This was a major part of the argument for I-69's construction, at least the Chicago, Louisville and Cincinnati exurbs were connected to Indy via interstate.

[SEWIGuy]

If you talk to just about anybody that lives outside of the Indy metro area, they will tell you that their part of the state is forgotten. The prevalence of summer road construction in every nook and cranny of the state suggest otherwise.

If anything, the parts of the state that are in TV markets centered in neighboring states (Chicago, Louisville and Cincinnati areas) tend to be a little bit on the forgotten side.

I used to live in Terre Haute.  It should be forgotten.

[texaskdog]

west Texas between El Paso and I-35

I don't know, maybe the specific towns/cities are forgotten, but the stereotypical image of Texas is absolutely west of I-35.

True but people think Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso.  Do people outside of Texas plan trips to west Texas?  When you think National Parks do you think Big Bend?  Many Texans don't even know it's there, they think its nothing but tumbleweeds out there.

[GaryV]

the Great Lakes snow belt.

I went to school in Holland, MI.  One storm, in November as I recall, Grand Rapids (inland) got an inch.  Holland (5 or so miles from the beach) got a foot.  A guy I worked with who lived on the lake shore called in because the snow was up to his headlights - on his pickup truck!

[bing101]

Some of these cities Abandoned cities in California was California City in the Mojave Desert. Its near Bakersfield, CA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_City,_California

Here are more examples of Ghost cities in California

[Max Rockatansky]

Some of these cities Abandoned cities in California was California City in the Mojave Desert. Its near Bakersfield, CA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_City,_California

Here are more examples of Ghost cities in California

California City still claims over 14,000 people...granted over 203 square miles.  I would call that more of a failed real estate venture than a real ghost town.  Even still, they got way further towards their goals of making a large community compared to California Valley out in Carrizo Plain. 

[1995hoo]

I think most people in Northern Virginia forget that the far southwestern parts of the state are actually in Virginia. That is, if you grow up here, you learn early on in school that Virginia borders five other states (Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina), but it's a heck of a long way from Northern Virginia–or from Hampton Roads, for that matter–to anywhere on the Kentucky state line, to the point where I tend to think people forget any of that is down there. Certainly a lot of people here don't understand how very different the more rural parts of Virginia are compared to the urban parts. People here are aware of Roanoke, Blacksburg, and Radford (the latter two because of universities located there), but I think much beyond that is more of an abstract concept to most people. Certainly my wife was surprised when I told her it's almost 380 miles from our house to the Tennessee state line on I-81 and that it's almost 470 miles (all in Virginia) to Cumberland Gap.

You'd think that GEICO ad where the gecko stands on this marker on State Street in Bristol might remind people of some of what's down that way, but I think despite the commercial people tend to associate Bristol with Tennessee because its best-known feature–the speedway–is in Tennessee.

[bing101]

Some of these cities Abandoned cities in California was California City in the Mojave Desert. Its near Bakersfield, CA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_City,_California

Here are more examples of Ghost cities in California

California City still claims over 14,000 people...granted over 203 square miles.  I would call that more of a failed real estate venture than a real ghost town.  Even still, they got way further towards their goals of making a large community compared to California Valley out in Carrizo Plain.

I remember hearing stuff that California City was planned to have a population size as big as San Jose or San Diego and it was going to sprawl up to Bakersfield and Antelope Valley if it did succeed. Luckily it didn't happen due to environmental reasons.

[CoreySamson]

I think the portions of Texas coast not named Galveston, Padre Island, and Corpus Christi are largely forgotten, at least to me.

For example, if you live in Houston, when you want to go to the beach in the summertime, you always go to Galveston, never Surfside. If you live in San Antonio or Austin, you go to Corpus Christi, not Rockport.

Nobody talks about Matagorda, Freeport, Port Lavaca, Palacios or Fulton (that is until hurricanes come ashore in those areas).

[hotdogPi]

The part of Texas that everyone forgets, including both of you: Brownsville and McAllen. Ask anyone in most of the country which state any of those three cities is in, and almost nobody will know. They have over 100,000 people each, and it's a significant metro area. Compare with Laredo, which most people know is in Texas.

[Roadgeekteen]

The part of Texas that everyone forgets, including both of you: Brownsville and McAllen. Ask anyone in most of the country which state any of those three cities is in, and almost nobody will know. They have over 100,000 people each, and it's a significant metro area. Compare with Laredo, which most people know is in Texas.

The three cities are well known in the roadgeek community because of the 69E/69C/2 mess.

[Max Rockatansky]

Some of these cities Abandoned cities in California was California City in the Mojave Desert. Its near Bakersfield, CA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_City,_California

Here are more examples of Ghost cities in California

California City still claims over 14,000 people...granted over 203 square miles.  I would call that more of a failed real estate venture than a real ghost town.  Even still, they got way further towards their goals of making a large community compared to California Valley out in Carrizo Plain.

I remember hearing stuff that California City was planned to have a population size as big as San Jose or San Diego and it was going to sprawl up to Bakersfield and Antelope Valley if it did succeed. Luckily it didn't happen due to environmental reasons.

Usually those "master plan"  communities don't amount to much.  The Sun City brand seems to be the only one that pulls that off kind consistently with retirement communities. 

[Ketchup99]

Many Pennsylvanians would be surprised to learn that there's anything southwest of Pittsburgh. That's all seen as West Virginia.

[kevinb1994]

For NJ, probably the southwestern portion - Cumberland and Salem Counties.

I'd argue that Cumberland is even more forgotten than Salem, as Salem itself is much more historic...and has had more of a outside-of-itself connection than Cumberland (think of bridges vs ferries-the Delaware Memorial Bridge linking the Delaware and New Jersey turnpikes comes to mind, and that was a nice replacement for the long-retired ferry service to New Castle and Wilmington, for example) has ever had.

[Sctvhound]

I think most people in Northern Virginia forget that the far southwestern parts of the state are actually in Virginia. That is, if you grow up here, you learn early on in school that Virginia borders five other states (Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina), but it's a heck of a long way from Northern Virginia–or from Hampton Roads, for that matter–to anywhere on the Kentucky state line, to the point where I tend to think people forget any of that is down there. Certainly a lot of people here don't understand how very different the more rural parts of Virginia are compared to the urban parts. People here are aware of Roanoke, Blacksburg, and Radford (the latter two because of universities located there), but I think much beyond that is more of an abstract concept to most people. Certainly my wife was surprised when I told her it's almost 380 miles from our house to the Tennessee state line on I-81 and that it's almost 470 miles (all in Virginia) to Cumberland Gap.

You'd think that GEICO ad where the gecko stands on this marker on State Street in Bristol might remind people of some of what's down that way, but I think despite the commercial people tend to associate Bristol with Tennessee because its best-known feature–the speedway–is in Tennessee.

Yep. It's a long ways. For example, Wise, in the SW corner of the state, is an hour closer to Charleston, SC than it is to Virginia Beach. 6:15-6:30 to here, 7:30 to Virginia Beach. Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore is over 9 hours!

Louisville, OTOH, is only 4 hours away, and Wise is less than 3 hours from Ohio. You can go to Chicago, Detroit, or into Canada in less time than it takes to get to the end of the Eastern Shore.

[kevinb1994]

Florida's Forgotten Coast...I'll just leave it at that.

[webny99]

The part of Texas that everyone forgets, including both of you: Brownsville and McAllen. Ask anyone in most of the country which state any of those three cities is in, and almost nobody will know.

Three cities? You only listed two.