What is your favorite thing about your state/province?

[StellaBlue]

My favorite thing about Texas is that I can get away with being an atheist so long as I acknowledge that football is our real religion.






Other things I love (and missed when living abroad):

[tjwmason]

1. The beauty of the English countryside

in particular the Chiltern Hills - combined with such easy access to the world's greatest city (London).

[Dem_4_Life]

2. Texas

I love...
*Weekend drives in the Hill County
*Gruene Hall
*Real Texas Bar B Que
*Bluebonnets
*Whataburger
*Texas Art
*Dixie Chicks
*Tex Mex Food
*The Alamo
*Wide Open Spaces
*Texas Democrats (there are more than people outside of Texas think)

Just to name a few.

[Goblinmonger]

3. That's a tough one

because I am transplanted to Wisconsin. Though I am originally from North Dakota so it is a step up.

Here is a pictoral tour of what I like about Wisconsin:

Gotta love this to even get a driver's license here:


Our local lake (it's a big bastard):


Gotta love this:


Being a transplant, I LOVES me this:
http://images.google.com/url?q=&usg=__9DwgIsuxzy7LKgOcBzRVKFQpZ8k=

[Arugula Latte]

4. Oregon, off the top of my head:

* Easy access to mountains, amazing forests with towering giants, high desert and ...
* An absolutely spectacular coastline where ALL beaches are public access
* Portland -- because it's liberal, it's livable, it's green, it's got views of Mt. Hood, and the people aren't as intense and competetive as I encountered growing up in the Bay Area
* Amazing fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally (pears, apples, cherries, berries, hazelnuts, mushrooms, etc. are some local specialties) and the farmer's markets to buy them in
* The fact that we may NOT pump our own gas by law--I frickin' HATE pumping gas and I don't have to feel guilty about not doing so :woohoo:
* Vote by mail -- the entire state does. We get a great voters' guide with arguments pro and con for each issue and candidate endorsements, etc.
* We haven't had a Republican governor in more than 20 years.

lots of other things, too ...

[skygazer]

5. Born in Vermont, live in California

Vermont -

Dirt roads
The beauty of the mountains and small villages
The comfortable small-town atmosphere
The people
The politics
The old cemeteries with stone walls surrounding them and the slate stones
Autumn
Maple syrup
County fairs
Covered bridges
Familiarity


California -

The beauty of the rugged mountains and gorgeous coasts
The people
The politics
The diversity of both the people and the landscape
The neat little towns
The colorful history

[GOPisEvil]

6. Pretty much everything in your post, with one addition.

www.gruenehall.com

:thumbsup:

[u4ic]

7. The diverse landscape

The Rockies - Banff, Waterton Lakes and Jasper National Parks:




Columbia Icefields (which are receding rapidly due to global warming):



The Badlands (Drumheller area):

and the Hoodoos:



Grasslands:





Wheat Fields:



Boreal Forest in northern Alberta:



The northern lights over my city:


About 1/2 hr outside my city:



:hi:

[ironflange]

8. Thanks, you saved me the effort

The mountains are the best, I can get there from my house in half an hour. I had my first trip north this summer -- Slave Lake, Cold Lake, very nice.

Now, if only we could get rid of the goddamn Ralphites.

PS. I'm seriously thinking of changing my avatar. You're right, they DO suck.

[u4ic]

9. LOL

The tradeoff of living in Deadmonton - it's much more liberal, but there's nothing around here, except Elk Island. (and a better hockey team):D

I miss being in the south, near the mountains; I used to live in Lethbridge (and Ft Mac, but I don't miss those days, for some reason...).


You (Calgary) just can't get rid of Ralph, can you? Teaching media studies? (half of his classes will be laced with "uhhhhhhhhh...") Bribing him should be easy... :rofl:

[ironflange]

10. I used to live near him, in Lakeview

I'd see him at the local plaza in his blue Beetle, usually heading for the liquor store. We saw him once in a track suit walking the dog. All alone, no bodyguards or anything, Canada is great. Anyway, it was a squandered opportunity to yell, "Hey, that's one ugly mutt you have there!" Ralph sez <whatever>, I yell back, "Shut up, I was talking to the dog!"

This is funny, Google "Ralph Klein" and this appears on the second image page:



:rofl:

[yellowdogintexas]

11. Regarding Kentucky and Texas

Kentuckian transplanted to Texas...

regarding Kentucky:

MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK!!

THE KENTUCKY DERBY

pulled pork barbeque with hot vinegar sauce
turnip greens from the plant bed in early spring
sweet corn in the fields in the summer
fresh tomatoes, eat them in the garden still warm from the sun

tobacco barns in the fall with the blue smoke drifting out over the countryside
my sister
my cousins
my college
my old friends who are still there
my aunt's rose garden

Things I love about Texas in addition to those already stated:

Sundance Square
Fort Worth's Museum District
First United Methodist Church and the Good Neighbors Sunday School Class
mild winters
Central Market
Brave Combo
Live Theatre, especially the HIp Pocket Theatre

[YankeyMCC]

12. The history

- the shot heard round the world, early labor movement

The country side - rolling hills that come alive in Autumn, the beautiful coastline along our two great capes

The climate - some complain and I will at times joke about it but it really is a great balance here

The people - New Englanders and Bostonians in general seem to have a reputation of cold unfriendliness...and perhaps I can understand how we can come off like that but in my experience New Englanders are among the most sincere, neighborly (perhaps dependable is a better term), and loyal once you earn their friendship in the nation

The Town Meeting spirit - I can't say 'politics' in general because there is a taint to it of the old machine type politics at times but our New England town meetings are truly wonderful examples of democracy

[1gobluedem]

13. It's touched by four of the five Great Lakes

The color is gorgeous
The beaches are beautiful
And it's home to Ann Arbor, which boasts one of the greatest public universities ever among its several million virtues
And...we put the world on wheels and helped create the middle class that the GOP is trying to do away with.