I think everyone can agree that every state in America has its own identity, culture and way of life. For example, when I, a Southern Californian, first visited Maine, I was most surprised by the little or no traffic – even during peak hours! By the way, I recently asked other Americans in the BuzzFeed community to share their “culture shock” moments when traveling to another state, and the responses were very interesting:
1. “The first time I went to Washington, I was in town to meet with others who worked for state attorneys general. We were there for a week and we visited the usual tourist spots, and I was with a friend who lives there. I had to ask if anyone from DC was driving a pickup truck, because everywhere we went, all I saw were vans and other vehicles, so trucks everywhere, so not just trucks, so not just texas. one on every street or corner!
-happy chicken63
2. “This is Utah. I really didn’t realize other states sold alcohol in their grocery stores! Our stores only have some kind of beer or hard lemonade.”
– hearts and dwarfs
3. “I was shocked when I went to New England. I grew up in Louisiana and Texas and now live in Oklahoma. All my life I’ve been told how rude northerners are, so when I visited New England I expected hard-to-understand accents, a lot of cursing and yelling. I was actually surprised at how nice everyone was and I met the hospital. Boston, Salem, Rye and Bangor absolutely blew this phrase to pieces. I left there wishing I could live there.”
– abourque
4. “I’m from the West Coast and moved to Illinois to vacation in nearby states. When I found out that other states don’t sell liquor on Sundays, I was shocked. I had no idea that I’d enjoy a lot of alcohol and not be able to buy booze in a free country. I guess they call it the Bible Belt for a reason.”
– very nice
5. “Giant palm bugs in Florida freaked me out. Residents seem to have accepted the fact that giant flying cockroaches are everywhere; I had to crawl out of my hotel drain and jump on my toothbrush once. I’ve never been so scared. Florida, no thanks.”
-radpumpkin657
6. “I’m from the New York area, so I’m used to most people behind the counter of any establishment usually working very hard to get quick customer service. Unfortunately, most places, especially Florida, don’t! There’s no sense of urgency.”
– Clumsystar448
7. “The first time I went to see family at lunch and heard sweet old ladies casually use the n-word, it shocked me. Yes, I know fantasy is everywhere, but it’s been years since I’ve actually heard people use racial slurs like that in real life.”
– the truth
8. “You can’t pump your own gas in New Jersey! I love it. I haven’t had service like this since I was a kid!”
– charm90
9. “I’m from suburban Northern Colorado and went to school at CU Boulder, which is known as a liberal college. Driving across Texas with my then-boyfriend during my junior year of college was WILD. Apparently, God has a lot on his mind about masturbation, swearing, and the Second Amendment, which means he has to pay for a lot of money. And the steaks were pretty cheap.”
– Anonymous
10. “It was my first time in Arizona. We were in a big chain grocery store and I saw a man with a gun in his belt.”
– Sharpstar4483
11. “When I moved from Illinois to South Carolina, my school-aged daughter said they had a holiday called ‘Confederate Day.’ I didn’t believe her at first, but yes, there are such school holidays.
– Anonymous
12. “I grew up in Southern California but studied in Tennessee. I’m half Korean and I grew up in such a diverse area, so I never thought about it. Most people (especially other Asians) could tell I wasn’t fully Korean, but in the South it wasn’t. I can’t tell you how many times you comment on everything like Tennessee, I say, I speak great English. I can understand. Great, it’s the only language I speak. I also get questions about where I’m from native, but when I said I was from California, the follow-up question was always, “No, where are you ORIGINALLY from?”.
“All in all, my culture shock was my first experience of racism and stereotyping as an Asian American. Overall, though, I love the South! Great food, interesting things, and mostly great people, even if they’re a little wrong.”
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-TK, 35, California
13. “I was born and raised in the Northwest (Oregon and Washington). On my first trip across the country as an adult, I got a craving for donuts one day and went to a donut shop somewhere in North Carolina. Well, Northwest Donuts is a maple bar. It’s like a long donut with maple flavored icing. Well, what was I talking about when I wasn’t talking. i learned that maple bands are a regional thing.
– parryboucher
14. “How flat North Dakota is. The land doesn’t change in elevation for miles and miles. No hills or valleys—just farmstead after farmstead.”
– And 68
15. “I grew up in the suburbs of Carson City, Nevada, where there’s not a lot of diversity. I’m black and I was adopted into a white family, so I was very used to being a minority as a teenager. When I was 19, I went to Chicago, and my mind was completely blown. White people were a minority there, and I couldn’t find a different grocery store at every hair and skin store. yes good”.
-grouchyswan78
16. “I’m a West Coast girl from Oregon and California. I traveled to Kentucky coal country with a friend who was visiting family in 2010, and I’ll never forget walking through a Walmart and standing in line to pay for gas and seeing everyone smoking inside. This was a few years after indoor smoking was banned on the West Coast. And no matter where we were, people looked up and down. said, ‘You’re not all from here, are you?’ I’m not even kidding.”
-floating801
17. “When we moved to West Virginia for my job, the dentist was surprised that we didn’t want to pull my husband’s tooth ourselves. Apparently, it was very common for people to just pull teeth?! Our neighbors confirmed that this was common practice because so many people couldn’t afford to go to the dentist.”
– Anonymous, South Carolina
18. “I was born and raised in the Bible Belt of Texas and flew to San Francisco with my husband in 1977. Let’s just say there was a LOT of culture going on that I didn’t even know existed.
-nostalgic ghost466
19. “My first big travel experience was flying to Texas in the summer. I’ve never seen so much ROAD in my life! All the highways, long roads, and millions of bridges were really a shock to me. My aunt kept telling me to ‘go around your ass to get to your elbow’ and she was right!”
– Jade, 26, North Carolina
20. “I live in a deep red part of Florida and work remotely for a company in Vermont, so you can imagine the culture shock I get every time I visit the main office. But the biggest one for me was during COVID-19. Florida basically pretended it didn’t exist, but when I was in Vermont, I had to show proof of my vaccinations to get in all those two years.”
– Chelsea, Florida
21. “I currently live in Georgia and have lived in the South my whole life. I recently had to spend two weeks in Ohio for work. I’ve heard that when fast food/chain restaurants come up with new menu items, they test them in the Midwest, and I’ve always wondered why that is. My observation after two weeks in Ohio? The people there are obsessed with food. What they talk about last night: What they talk about, they’ll go to on the weekend, what new restaurants are opening, etc. And if you mention a restaurant, most people can tell you which restaurant was there before that! I don’t remember having a conversation there that didn’t involve food.
– Anonymous
22. “I live in Washington state and when I first went to Arizona I was amazed at how many billboards lined the highways and freeways. They were mostly for accident lawyers and they were everywhere! Driving was like looking at a constant stream of ads.”
-babyyoda4325
23. “When I went to New Orleans and the public restrooms didn’t have seat covers. Does everyone just sit on the seats? Apparently seat covers aren’t a thing in some Southern countries.”
– Emily, 32, California
24. Finally, “I was born and raised in the South, I live in Georgia. My wife is from Illinois. When we first visited her hometown, as well as Chicago, I found it strange that everywhere we went to eat on our trip served cottage cheese. I also made the mistake of ordering lunch a few times.
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– Justin, 43, Georgia
If you’ve experienced “culture shock” while visiting another US state, what really surprised you? Let us know in the comments, or you can submit your story anonymously using the form below!
Note: Some suggestions have been edited for length and/or clarity.