Have you never left your home state? Do you know anyone who has never left their home state?
Posted by glowing-fishSCL@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 194 comments
Ok-Entertainment5045@reddit
Went my whole childhood without leaving Michigan. We went on family vacations by camping all over the state. Finally got out when I was in college.
andmewithoutmytowel@reddit
I don’t think I’ve known anyone that’s never left there home state, but most of the places I’ve lived are cities near state borders. As is, I sometimes pop over to the next state to go to a hardware store or buy furniture.
BACKCUT-DOWNHILL@reddit
It varies wildly state to state. I live in Oregon and don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that hasn’t left before because while we have a lot of great nature that’s kind of all we have. I have met a few guys who moved up from some of the big metros in California who had never left California before taking the job up here but that makes a little more sense because CA has pretty much everything you need
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
And especially in most of the Portland area, you are going to be very close to Washington state, so it seems inevitable to visit, even if only because of taking the wrong turn on the freeway!
I've lived on both sides of the Columbia River for the past 40+ years.
coolcatlady6@reddit
You'd think that, yet when I lived in Delaware and had the borders with three other states within about 10 miles I still kept running into folks who claimed never to have left the state.
hail_to_the_beef@reddit
I thought every kid from Delaware when to Philly or DC on a school field trip
Bashira42@reddit
They probably did. When I moved east from the Midwest, was shocked how many people had only been to Philly or other places on school trips, and otherwise hadn't gone anywhere. A small minority, but still! I was visiting places as much as I could afford (which wasn't much at the time)
hail_to_the_beef@reddit
Oh same. I grew up in Arizona- meaning you had to drive 6 hours to San Diego or LA or 5 hours to Vegas to see another big city. Moving to Maryland was great because I can get to so many other places so easily. I can even get on a train and go to Philly or NYC or Boston! But yeah many locals never go anywhere.
JuventAussie@reddit
That blows my mind to have so many close states.
I live in Australia and my state borders three others but the shortest drive is 6 hours and the longest drive is 14 hours to get to the state borders.
Even with that it is rare to find people who haven't travelled interstate or internationally.
coolcatlady6@reddit
To be fair the northeast states in the USA are smaller than average (Delaware is the 2nd smallest of the 50 states), and Delaware/Maryland/New Jersey/Pennsylvania happen to meet almost at the same spot.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Delaware-state
kirstynloftus@reddit
That’s crazy, especially with how small Delaware is. Hell, I’ve lived in NJ my entire life (aside from college that is) and had left the state before I was even a year old.
coolcatlady6@reddit
Oh 100%. I was in northern Delaware too, so Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were all super close. There were bike trails that were a short ride to the border, trains, buses, and of course roads and highways too. Every time I went grocery shopping I crossed state lines because there was no left turn allowed out of the parking lot, and going a couple blocks down to take a u-turn took me out of Delaware!
JadeBeach@reddit
So you have been to Washington and Oregon? For 40+ years?
That's it?
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
No.
hella_rekt@reddit
At least two?
SuperPomegranate7933@reddit
That phrasing stuck out to me, as well.
machagogo@reddit
The 90s were a wild time.
AbruptMango@reddit
We live 3 miles from the state line. When my son was in elementary school my son had friends who hadn't been across it.
GrunchWeefer@reddit
I live in New Jersey. I've taken a wrong turn and ended up in Staten Island before.
buginmybeer24@reddit
I never left my home state (Georgia) because I went to engineering school here, ended up with two really good jobs here, and started a family here. I'm not against moving to a different state, I've just never had a reason to.
giraflor@reddit
I have an agoraphobic cousin who has never left Maryland, which is very rare because school trips to DC are pretty standard. However, he had a lot of anxiety even as a kid that led to him not attending school regularly.
MM_in_MN@reddit
I live in Northern MN. Knew several people who had only travelled as far as Superior WI.. right across border from Duluth MN, or possibly Ashland (maybe hour + half into WI). My auntie was one. Has been to Canada, once. They drove to Thunder Bay for their honeymoon. Ooooh getting wild there Helen!! And she had to do something in Superior, for work? Not sure. I remember her saying she felt uneasy being so far from home. She was less than an hour. Probably less than 30 min, from home. I don’t think 5 min into WI counts as a different state. If you can still see MN, doesn’t count as leaving.
I have zero interest in that small of a world.
Bashira42@reddit
There are. Moved from Midwest to Pennsylvania, and met quite a few people who would talk like they really travel, when what the mean is going to the exact same place in New Jersey every year, once a year. For some, that is Atlantic City, for others it was some place with a beach. And that was it.
La_noche_azul@reddit
Em yea but California is also twice the size of the uk so it’s not that crazy
Vachic09@reddit
No one in my circle fit that description to the best of my knowledge.
JadeBeach@reddit
Poor people / working poor do not leave their own state because a) they cannot afford to take days off b) don't know anyone to visit and c) basically can't afford to.
My Mom and Dad never left their own state until they were in their 50's. My partner travelled through and visited many states as a kid because he was a military brat.
I've been to all 50 states because I crossed the country a lot.
One thing I can say about people who are only able to travel a little - they look at this country with a sense of wonder that is truely moving.
superkt3@reddit
“Poor/ working poor people“ from the northern part of Massachusetts go to New Hampshire alllll the time because there is no sales tax in NH and beer and cigs are cheaper, as well as clothes and electronics because they’re not taxed. Not to mention, there are very few northern MA people who haven’t been to Hampton Beach
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
Well, that depends on where people are. There are lots of places where poor people leave their home state every day for work. Lots of people commuting in interstate areas, like New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Portland Oregon...
That is why the number of people who have never traveled out of their own home state would have to be pretty small
SpookyBeck@reddit
I know tons of people drive 30 minutes over the border to Tennessee to buy lottery tickets all the time. Most people near me have traveled to Florida at least a few times. I haven't been all that far-drove to Pennsylvania twice to hunt with an ex in law. I have family in Illinois I visited as a kid. Atlanta a few times. Nashville alot. So for the most part I have not gone as far as I would have liked to by now.
JadeBeach@reddit
Good point - it does depend on where people live.
So in rural Mississippi, rural Alabama, rural Georgia, rural Georgia, rural North Carolina, rural Florida, rural West Virginia, rural Virginia, rural Tennessee, rural Kentucky, rural Louisiana, rural Texas, rural Indiana, rural Illinois, rural Iowa, rural Ohio, rural Missouri, rural Kansas, rural South Dakota, rural North Dakota...
You believe that most people have travelled beyond their own state? Based on people who live in Portland and DC?
Also curious about New Yorkers - New Yorkers love to see America? Who knew? My daughter went to college with mostly New Yorkers - most had been to only five states and those states were: California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine.
And as someone who spent most of my life in California, most people I went to college with and worked with had also been to maybe five states: maybe Oregon, maybe Arizona, maybe Southern Utah, defintely New York, and defintely Hawaii. All of them had travelled in Europe.
What's also mind-boggling is your idea - poor and working class New Yorkers leave NYC? Poor and working class people in Chicago to commute to... ? Poor and working class people in Portland commute to ? for work? Astoria?
sas223@reddit
I don’t think you’re familiar with the frustrate area. Yes, poor and working class people travel from CT and NJ daily for work. They take public transit.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
You might want to debate these figures, but for example, the Lincoln Tunnel alone carries over 100,000 vehicles between New Jersey and New York, per day. There are 20 million people in the New York City metropolitan area. Obviously, the commuting isn't in equal directions, I think there are more workers coming from New Jersey to New York than vice-versa. The same thing in Chicago, I would imagine, more workers are coming from Wisconsin and Indiana into Chicago than vice-versa.
Clark County, Washington, which has a population of over 500,000 people, is a major commuter suburb north of Portland. Again, probably a lot more people commuting into Oregon than vice-versa, but there are two large bridges full of traffic.
Does this idea really boggle your mind? That there are metropolitan areas in more than one state?
Sad-Stomach@reddit
Or they look at the country outside of the box they painted themselves into with a sense of horror. How many people in rural America are terrified of NYC or California because of the media they subscribe to?
Secure_Ad_295@reddit
I have never left my state and no many other people who have nor and find people who travel to be strange
Valuable_Tomorrow882@reddit
I live in New England and can be in 3-4 different states within an hour or less. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who never left the state.
Melodic_Pattern175@reddit
That was my experience visiting New England. We were driving through 4 states in a day. It’s so beautiful there.
Melodic_Pattern175@reddit
I know people who have traveled widely and others who have never left the state. It can differ widely depending on income and privilege. Some people are living paycheck to paycheck.
lightning_teacher_11@reddit
It takes forever to get out of my home state, but we have left many times.
bonzai113@reddit
yes, I have left my home state. born and raised in Kentucky until age 12, then family moved out west. moved to Indiana in 2015 at age 25.
PymsPublicityLtd@reddit
I live in New England and worked at a midsized law firm. The 2 top partners had never left Massachusetts. It wasn't for lack of money, they had the cars, boats, big houses etc. They took up skiing and eventially went out west to ski. It was the first time for them out of state as well as on a plane. I did not last very long at that firm, they were far too parochial.
NolaJen1120@reddit
I grew up in CA, but moved to Louisiana after college. I've also traveled a good bit around the country.
This is an interesting difference I've seen. I didn't know anyone in CA who hadn't traveled outside of the state. Most people liked going on vacation to other places.
But in Louisiana, I've met a number of people who have never traveled out of state and don't want to. As well as people who technically have, but only to nearby states and aren't that interested in going further afield.
I also have two friends that each grew up in more rural towns. They know people who have never traveled to New Orleans, even though they're less than 2 hours away. Though I got the impression that it's usually older folks.
tara_tara_tara@reddit
You don’t know anyone in California who’s never left the state but I can guarantee there are plenty of people in California who have never left the state.
It has nothing to do with California and Louisiana. It has to do with money.
Hwy_Witch@reddit
I've been to all but 2.
VenusPom@reddit
I teach in a poor area in Idaho and have a lot of students who have never left the state. I don’t think I know any adults who never have though.
machagogo@reddit
I have left it more times than I can count. (Also moved between states)
I know of no one who hasn't left saved for babies and toddlers.
Datonecatladyukno@reddit
Yes I know a lot.
GoblinKing79@reddit
A large percentage of Americans die within 50 miles of where they were born. I can't remember the exact number, but it's higher than you'd think. It's probably most common in poor and/or rural areas, though I know a pretty high number of people from suburbs and big cities who fit the "within 50 miles" radius.
I wasn't even born in the US, have lived in 8 states, visited another 10, and traveled to over 40 countries, so I don't qualify.
Penguin_Life_Now@reddit
Keep in mind a lot of them "move back home" either when they have kids to be around extended family or perhaps when they retire.
JadeBeach@reddit
Or to help take care of kids.
Penguin_Life_Now@reddit
There are all forms of support that having family nearby provides, that is just one of them. As a bit of the reverse of this My wife's youngest first cousin went to college, got married and lives in Little Rock, Arkansas, is now having her first child in a few months, and her elderly mother who was the last member of the family left in Houston, Texas area is in the process of trying to find a house to buy in Little Rock to be around her daughter and the soon to be arriving grand child. This is something she has been considering for some time due to issues with health, aging,lack of a local support system, etc. but the grand baby is what finally pushed her into making the move.
XelaNiba@reddit
I know some New Yorkers who've never lived more than 5 miles from where they were born and never will :)
They're very well-travled however
Polardragon44@reddit
I hope to die near where I was born but at this rate I'm going to be priced out of the area 🙄
Gothmom85@reddit
This is happening to me now. I hope to go back in retirement one day. I've been all up and down the east coast though. Moving 8 hours away.
Consistent-Fig7484@reddit
That’s not the same as never leaving the state though. My sister lives like 2 miles from our childhood home and may very well spend the rest of her life there. She’s also one of the most well traveled people I know. She’s lived in the UK and Tanzania and spent extended time in dozens of other countries and states.
BankManager69420@reddit
I had a mutual friend who had never left rural Louisiana/Arkansas. He visited Portland recently and saw his first skyscraper and non freight train.
AliMcGraw@reddit
My bestie married a Norwegian and most of his guests had been all over Europe but Chicago was their first American adventure and the rehearsal dinner was on the 66th floor of the Sears Tower ... which was higher up than any building in Oslo. The Norwegians LOVED it, just being so high up (when not in an airplane). I made lots of friends just by being able to point out highways and the lake and their airport for them and sort-of explain local features
NWXSXSW@reddit
Are you … more than one person?
JimBones31@reddit
No no, their mutual friend is our friend.
sas223@reddit
Maybe they’re talking about Public Universal Friend?
JimBones31@reddit
Reminds me of Magic the Gathering's "Legitimate Business Person"
fenwoods@reddit
They’s both friends with him.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
But even when they were in rural Louisiana/Arkansas...they had left their state, and been to two states.
JadeBeach@reddit
Digging a deeper well.
BankManager69420@reddit
Technically, but he lives on the border and culturally and geographically it was exactly the same. He had never been more than ~50 miles from his hometown.
DueYogurt9@reddit
And what was his reaction to our hometown?
OpeningChipmunk1700@reddit
gurl
AliMcGraw@reddit
It varies wildly by socioeconomic status. I left my home state before I was a year old (Chicago to SW Michigan on the regular, and Chicago to DC every summer). But in my 20s I lived in an impoverished rust belt city where 80% of residents had never been outside the COUNTY, let alone the state.
I worked with the schools there and one thing we pushed hard was getting ambitious high school students on field trips to Chicago and Springfield and UIUC -- not only the ones who were college-bound, but the ones who had clear visions of themselves in the trades too.
Travel was more expensive when I had kids (vs when I was a kid) but we leveraged Amtrak a lot to take our small kids to cities in neighboring states, because the train was an adventure in itself. Between Covid and the cost of travel, though, my kids have mostly travel to nearby states except for family weddings. When I was the age of my oldest two, I'd been to California, Canada, France, and London.
But I am also a vast believer there are excellent adventures close to home and so our train and road trips to Milwaukee and St. Louis and Muncie have all been fantabulous extravaganzas of novel experiences and neat local adventures.y special talent is planning local trips full of fascinating cultural things you had NO IDEA were nearby waiting for you to visit.
Complex_Activity1990@reddit
I’ve lived in 11 states and visited 17 out of 50. I’d love to see more of the US, but don’t especially love certain parts of the country right now.
Tristinmathemusician@reddit
I’m pretty close to that. I lived in California for the first 10 years of my life, then moved to Arizona. Beyond some brief excursions to Vegas and Western New Mexico, those are really the only two states I’ve spent time in. My family were just never big travelers and I never was one for wanderlust.
kae0603@reddit
I know many people who haven’t left. I am in my 4th. 6 if you count college.
gnirpss@reddit
I have traveled all over the country and the world, and most people I know have at least been to a few different states, as well as Canada and/or Mexico. However, I do have one great-uncle (now in his late 70s) who had never left the small state of Maryland until 2023. He traveled across the country to attend my mom's second wedding in Washington state.
CODENAMEDERPY@reddit
I’ve never met someone over the age of 16 who has never left their state. Except for one Hawaiian guy who was 21.
DummyThiccDude@reddit
I dont know enough about my grandmothers, but i would guess they didn't travel much.
Personally, i have been to 8 states. 2 of those were mostly just driving through, though
ZaphodG@reddit
I’m in New England. I’ve ridden my bicycle from here to another state. I’ve lived in 4 New England states and my mother lived in the other two. I can get to all 5 other New England states in less than 3 hours drive. I have a subscription at the New York City Ballet at the Lincoln Center. That’s a day trip train ride. I had a girlfriend in New Jersey for 7 years. I used to commute weekly to Philadelphia by train for a while. In college, I used to make beer runs to Quebec when Molson Brador was a thing.
I can certainly imagine being low income somewhere like Dallas and never leaving Texas. Distances are different in the Northeast. I can fly to London in the same time it takes to fly to San Diego. I’ve been to London a lot more than I’ve been to any west coast city. We’re driving to Prince Edward Island in June if they’ll have us. I go through 2 other states and 2 other provinces to get there. I’ve driven as far as Terre Haute Indiana in a day. 1,000 miles. I’ve done Denver in 2 days multiple times. I’ve never driven south of North Carolina but I’ve driven there in a day a couple of times. My sister got her PhD at Duke. I met someone at Beech Mountain not too long ago.
fuzzysocks@reddit
I've never met anyone who has never visited another state. I know a lot of Americans who have never left the country due to cost, but most people I know plan to spend their retirement traveling the US and the world <3
hellosquirrelbird@reddit
On the east coast, especially the northeast, everyone leaves their home state. You could travel through every New England state before you could cross WA state.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
Yep, and I imagine that with commuter rail, there are lots of people who commute between Rhode Island and Boston every day.
MrQuizzles@reddit
If by "commuter rail" you mean I95, I93, then yes. There's plenty of people who use commuter rail to do it, but most go by highway. I'd personally rather slit my wrists every day than drive up 93, but maybe that's just me.
A whole lot of people commute to Providence from Fall River and New Bedford by going up 195 every day, as well. It's a large part of why our current bridge problems are so problematic.
RI and MA are very much so entwined. It would be freakish to meet a native Rhode Islander who hasn't been to MA.
Travel to CT is less common because the part of CT that borders RI is the empty part. There are plenty of people in RI who work in Groton doing submarine/Navy stuff, though.
MaddyKet@reddit
You’d have to really work at it to live in New England, especially Southern New England and never leave the state. 😹
Important-Trifle-411@reddit
I worked with someone who never left her home state until she was in her 40’s!!!
Wait for it.. she was from Rhode island!!
Winowill@reddit
I knew someone in Eastern Washington that had never left their town. Never even been to Seattle or Spokane, both of which are 3 hrs away or less. As someone who grew up a military brat, this broke my brain.
refasu@reddit
Most people have left their home state. I've met people that haven't.
In South Texas if I found myself in conversation with kids I'd ask if they had ever felt snow and what they thought it felt like. So many had never seen it in person.
-Houston@reddit
I can’t think of anyone who hasn’t been to another country much less hasn’t left their home state.
Designer-Carpenter88@reddit
I’ve not left the country.
Designer-Carpenter88@reddit
I’ve left, but not to too many states. I’ve been to CA, UT, FL, and TN. That’s it
Setsailshipwreck@reddit
My dad in South Dakota didn’t leave the state until his mid-late 40’s, finally saw the ocean at 50 visiting me in Florida. The rare times he did travel he would pretty much only go right across the state line to a neighboring state, and that was only if he HAD to. One time he dated a girl from Montana though and I think he may have finally visited out there as well.
tuberlord@reddit
I know someone who at one point had never left Michigan. I suspect she has by now. I am not from Michigan and never lived there.
No-Diet-4797@reddit
I grew up there. It sucks.
tuberlord@reddit
I worked for a very large company for a long time. My manager lived in Marquette. I flew out there to meet him and some other team members once.
Mitch_Darklighter@reddit
Thank you for reminding me Michigan also has a Marquette.
Bright_Ices@reddit
A cousin of mine is in her 50s and has never left her home state, which she is 10000% positive is the BEST state ever.
Bluemonogi@reddit
I don’t know anyone who has never actually left their home state.
I have always lived near the border of another state so it is common to go to the neighboring state for work, shopping, entertainment, college, etc.
atlasisgold@reddit
I’ve met plenty of Alaskans who’ve never left the town they live in
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
That makes some sense, because there are some pretty big logistical hurdles there.
Chickadee12345@reddit
My older brother is 63. He has never been outside of PA and NJ. We grew up in southeastern PA. NJ is just a hop, skip and a jump away, so it's not like it's far. And he's only been there when my parents took us on vacation.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
He has never even visited Maryland? That is also a place you can visit on commuter rail from PA.
Chickadee12345@reddit
No. Never. It's only a couple hours drive, I used to go all the time to go to Conowingo Dam to see the Bald Eagles. And I've been to the Inner Harbor and a couple other places. He's gone to the Poconos a few times because some of his friends lived there. But that is still within PA. And he did about a half of a semester at main campus Penn State, which is in the middle of the state. But he didn't like being away so far, so he transferred to Temple which has a campus local to us.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
And Temple is a good university!
So why has he never left, if I can ask? Is this maybe an anxiety issue?
I am trying to figure out why people wouldn't leave, and it seems to be a matter of either time/money, or maybe disability or difficulty with traveling.
Chickadee12345@reddit
I think it has a lot to do with anxiety. He almost had a breakdown when he was up at main campus because it was all unfamiliar to him or something like that, I'm not really sure. I also went to Penn State, started at a local campus and spent my last 2 years there. I loved it. And eventually, he turned into a raging alcoholic. But he wasn't always. He still lives in the house we grew up in, although it's a nice house in a nice neighborhood. We inherited it when our parents passed away. I now live in NJ. I lived in NY state for a while too.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
Ah, okay, that makes more sense.
I get anxious when I can't travel!
FrequentLine1437@reddit
Yup. SoCal native... I'm middle aged now.. despite all the BS and insanity and stupidity of our leaders here, I'm not gonna leave. They are doing their best to push out the middle class to make room for more cheap labor.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
You have never left California?
FrequentLine1437@reddit
nope. moved around within socal quite a few times tho. lived in all the major counties. LA, SD, VC, OC, RC...
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
So you have never even visited Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon or anything like that?
EcstaticYoghurt7467@reddit
Most of my family is in SoCal. This seems to be VERY common out there. I think it's at least in part because you have to travel so far by car to get some place dramatically different than SoCal. A Six hour drive for me would put me in any one of 14 states, and I don't even live on the east coast.
My daughter's boyfriend at the time had only ever been to Ca and Mexico, and when he visited, when we were going to cross the border to another state, he was concerned because he didn't have his passport with him.
Fun_Independent_7529@reddit
Never left as in never even visited another state on vacation/holiday?
Or never left as in born & raised in that state and have always lived there?
I know a lot of the latter.
I don't think I know anyone personally who has never left the state they were born in at all. I can imagine they are out there though; there's a lot of poverty out there and some folks are also just homebodies.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
Never as in never.
Although I think this is maybe where the confusion came up---in another community, someone said "the vast majority of people have never left their home state". This was a community about travel, so he seemed to be saying that a "vast majority" of Americans had never even left their home state once. But he was probably getting that from the idea that most people do live in the state they were born in, and then projecting "never left" to mean "never traveled".
OceanPoet87@reddit
I think they were likely being figurative by using it in a comparison about passports?
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
My own guess is that it is an easy "Ameribad" point to make, that Americans are very provincial and untraveled within their own country.
You can read the thread and what they said:
https://www.reddit.com/r/TravelMaps/comments/1k84b58/for_us_travelmaps_we_have_over_2_quadrillion/
notyogrannysgrandkid@reddit
I live in Redneckville, Arkansas, but we’re close to the Oklahoma border. Everyone has relatives on both sides. So I doubt many people in my county over 6 months of age have never left Arkansas. More towards the center of the state, I could see it, especially people in the more rural parts of the Ozarks. There are still genuine hillbillies up there.
As for me, I’ve been to all but 4 states (WI, WV, NC, and SC), lived in 6, and traveled to/lived in 11 other countries. But I don’t think very many of my neighbors have a passport.
JadeBeach@reddit
Curious - how many times have you visited a state that was not in the PNW? How many times have you either driven across America or taken a bus? How many states have you been to, and how much time have you spent in each of them?
It's an incredible (and sometimes frightening) experience. For example, I'm never spending time in eastern Oregon on my own ever again in my lifetime. Creepy. But I would never have known how creepy Oregon can be if I had not done that. Or how beautiful the coast of Oregon is and how great the food is. Or how cruel cities like Eugene can be to a homeless woman in the winter. I
So many surprises - so again - how many states have you been to?
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
44 states, including several cross-country Greyhound trips, and including several cross-country railroad trips.
TheMagHatter@reddit
Most Americans have left their home state at least once. I dont think I’ve ever met anyone that has never left their home state
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
I don't think I have either, with the exception of course, of babies.
I think I first left my home state at the age of 1 or 2...
JadeBeach@reddit
So based on your personal experience, this is how you believe most Americans live? With so much disposible income that their parents take them travelling when they are 1 or 2?
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
We lived literally a 15 minute drive from a state border.
And 40 minutes from my aunt's house.
So as a young child, my parents drove less than an hour to visit a family member.
I am really curious---is this something you totally don't understand, that people can cross state lines without it being an expensive journey? Do you really not understand the concept that people can live close to a state line?
Significant_King1494@reddit
I have a coworker from Missouri who has only been to Kansas. The only reason he goes to Kansas is because our employer is on that side of the border in the Kansas City metro area. For this reason, this barely qualifies him for having been out of the state of Missouri.
XelaNiba@reddit
Yes, this qualifies as a technicality.
In college, one of my sisters lived in KCMO and the other in KCKS. It took about 10 minutes to walk between their houses.
No-Diet-4797@reddit
I've been to 40 of the states and a few countries but I do know someone that never left California. People like her are why everyone thinks Americans are stupid. Some really are and they're the ones that make the most noise.
OceanPoet87@reddit
California is also a huge state.
Professional_Mood823@reddit
The first time I left my home state as an adult I went to Pascagoula, Mississippi. Shudders
It was a culture shock having been born and raised in pretty much the same area my entire life. And that state being California did not help when I asked where I could get a postcard to send home.
Hey guys if this gets 10 likes I'll tell my culture shock story. Be sure to hit that like and subscribe and don't forget to ring the bell.
Seriously though when I went to Pascagoula, Mississippi. I ended up having to walk through a practically deserted town to get to a gas station. I asked them about a post card and they said they didn't have any.
I walked across the street to McDonald's and ordered my food. After ordering I asked the cashier, who I think was also the shift manager because she was wearing a different uniform than everyone else, where I could get a postcard to send back home to California. I really wish I could emphasize how thick this woman's southern accent was through words but in a thick southern accent she said "Oh go up the highway to the Walmart. Walmarts got everythang. It's got its own exit, says Walmart exit here. Walmarts got everythang.
I just looked at her in shock as I said thank you and grabbed my drink cup and walked to the drink station. This was back in 2003 or 2004. Ages ago now.
It's still a fun story to tell in person and I quote her to this day if they say they are looking for something specific.
BoratImpression94@reddit
Since the states are so small in new england, most people have been to all 5. But outside of that, lots of people have only gone to new york and florida. I generally think people in the northeast dont feel the need to take long roadtrips as much as in, lets say, the midwest. We have a lot here in a small geographic area
dopefiendeddie@reddit
I've left my home state, although it's been a decade. And frankly, I'm not sure I can count the last time since I went from metro Detroit to Windsor, so it's not like it was this big adventure lol.
spookyhellkitten@reddit
I've met people who never left their home state. It is always weird to me. There are so many fun things to discover and usually just a couple of hours away! But some people are content within their own bubble. And that's cool too I guess.
Forward-Taste8956@reddit
I’ve been to 49 states as a truck driver I’m only missing Alaska..
_Smedette_@reddit
Born and raised in Oregon. Went to undergrad in Massachusetts. Have lived in North Carolina, Germany, the Czech Republic, and now Australia.
I think everyone I know has at least left their home state.
JadeBeach@reddit
This is so typical of a certain class of Americans: Been to Prague, Sydney, Berlin. Never driven across America, because, why?
_Smedette_@reddit
I have driven across the country. Twice.
BoratImpression94@reddit
This is a lot more common with affluent americans of a certain class. Theres loads of people who move an hour away from their parents but still in the same state and just stay there
HoneyWhereIsMyYarn@reddit
I had never been to another state until I was 18. I grew up in Seattle WA, and had never been taken the 3 hour drive down to Portland OR, until I started dating a guy in college who was from there. My brother has never left the state of Washington at all.
Honestly, it's an income bracket thing. I grew up too poor to take vacations, so traveling to another state was a laughable prospect. I didn't have money to spend in the city I lived in, I certainly didn't have money to spend in another city a 3 hour drive away. Meanwhile, my much wealthier friends would do road trips in the summers, weekend trips to Portland, family vacations to Hawaii, etc.
I live in a small-ish rural town now. We are right on the edge of the state, so pretty much everyone here has been to both states. But outside of that, whether they have seen any more than just those two is almost entirely determined by how much money they have. Too poor, and you'll barely ever leave town. Too rich, and you'll more likely want to vacation overseas than in the US.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
I actually came from the Pacific NW, and had never left Washington/Oregon until I was 10 years old and my mother drove our family down to Yreka just on a whim. My childhood was pretty much Bellingham to Eugene, and the coast to...The Dalles? Or Bend? Like I am even trying to remember.
Anyway, I agree with you that income has something to do with it, but I've known a lot of people who traveled because they were poor. Unstable jobs and unstable housing can be a thing.
Far-Egg3571@reddit
I was born in one state and have lived in many. Quite a few of my friends come from other states and moved here either with their parents or a parent was in the military OR they moved here in their mid to late 20s.
NorwegianSteam@reddit
My cousins claim to know people that loudly proclaim they've never left Gloucester. How true that is I don't know, but finding someone that hasn't left a state is easy enough.
FrauAmarylis@reddit
When I lived on Hawai’i, I met a 42f who had been to Las Vegas ince, but otherwise never left the Hawaiian islands.
UntidyVenus@reddit
I moved to Utah because my husband inherited a house, and many MANY people are proud of the fact they have never left the state. Some for generations.
Sad-Stomach@reddit
Utah is its own animal
Delicious-Leg-5441@reddit
Yep. Moved to Central Texas and a lot of people here don't go very far from where they are raised.
baycommuter@reddit
Related: Who is the most famous American who never left their home state? I thought it might be Emily Dickinson (Massachusetts), but she apparently went to Washington once.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
I imagine it might be a hermit or religious figure of some kind?
I mean, also depending on what you count as a "state". Chief Seattle maybe never left the state of Washington, but it didn't exist when he died?
Recent_Permit2653@reddit
Heck, I’ve lived in three states. But I do encounter people who have never left the state fairly often.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
That might be more likely in certain parts of California and Texas. For someone in LA or Houston, its logistically complicated to go anywhere more interesting or necessary than LA or Houston.
Recent_Permit2653@reddit
True, kinda.
Depends what your view of “interesting” is. When I lived in a big city, getting away was more interesting, and that included out-of state places. Now that I live in a much smaller city, getting to the city is more exhilarating. That tends to be agnostic as to whether it’s in your state or not.
Also, NY wasn’t actually that different despite my part of it (Rochester/Finger lakes)being only a couple hours away from at least two states (only had to tack on a short transit past Erie to get to Ohio). Still encountered folks there who had never ventured out of state.
OceanPoet87@reddit
That's a good example. My family always did camping or outdoor vacations. My cousins who lived in far northern CA between Eureka and Oregon, always did city vacations.
I live rural now, so I have switched to cities.
hawffield@reddit
The answer for me is “yes”, but I never know what my home state would be.
Is it where you were born, where you grew up, or here you’re a legal resident, or the state you most recently lived in? Because that’s 4 different answers for me.
Sad-Stomach@reddit
Same. I was born in NY, lived in FL from age 2-22, moved back to NY and now WA.
treylathe@reddit
My son-in-law has never left the state of Hawai’i. In fact, he’s only led the big island of Hawai’i twice in his life (birth and for an eye appointment in Honolulu).
We are taking him, our daughter and their new baby to the mainland this summer California, Nevada and Utah. It’ll be quite the experience he is very excited for
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
I was thinking that if there is any place where that a sizable amount of people had never left their home state, it would be Hawaii.
And to be fair, flying out of Hawaii is expensive and time consuming.
Shoshawi@reddit
I……………. Don’t think I’m aware of knowing someone who hasn’t left my home state, regardless of socioeconomic class. I’m in Florida and a millennial. I’d have to put serious thought into how many times I’ve personally left because it’s been a lot.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I think it is pretty rare. I asked this question because someone in another sub said that "the vast majority of Americans had never left their home state", and I thought that was a pretty clueless thing to say, because that is so far out of my experience.
WhompTrucker@reddit
In college, at IOWA, I met lots of people who had never even been outside of the state for vacation. Lots of people stay there their whole lives.
KingDarius89@reddit
I've lived in 4 states. Born and raised in California. About half a year each in Reno and a suburb of Dallas. And currently in PA.
Sassifrassically@reddit
I’ve visited other states but I’ve never lived in an other one
p0rplesh33ts@reddit
I come from a family that doesn’t travel much at all. I’ve only been out of the state 1-2 times as a child, and that was just to a neighboring state. Texas is huge and just getting around the state costs enough, I’d love to go more places though.
richbiatches@reddit
Yep, nope.
Many_Pea_9117@reddit
A lot of Texans
Major_Spite7184@reddit
I know plenty of people who never have. Or at least beyond Myrtle beach in SC. Poverty is a thing, man.
OceanPoet87@reddit
Son is almost 9 and will make it to his 8th, Hawaii in July.
I'm originally from CA near SF, and it would be interesting but not unique to have met someone who never left CA since you would either fly or drive 4 hours to Tahoe or Reno. Many people had only been to NV.
Where I live currently is a little weird because we live in a very rural area, but the main city is in Idaho 35 minutes away so we go there 1-3x a week. Most people in our town have been to Idaho due to proximity with errands, appts, church, or shopping, or recreation.
Oregon is maybe 1.5 or 2 hours away but less connected. I would be shocked to find anyone here of even the poorest level who has never been to ID. We even has a bus that takes us to near the border where it can connect to another. Our local bus can also cross the line for medical or shopping on certain days by appointment.
RickMoneyRS@reddit
I live in Texas so it's an easy state to never leave. I can't think of anyone I know personally who has never been outside it, but I would certainly bet my grandparents do.
NFLDolphinsGuy@reddit
I met one once. I worked with her at a grocery store in Eagan, MN. Even though some of Minneapolis-St. Paul’s suburbs are in Wisconsin, she’d never been across the bridge up to that point, let alone anywhere else. She was still in high school at that point, though, and did make it to Illinois later.
Hollow-Official@reddit
I know plenty of people who have never left their home state, but I’ve been to several continents and more countries than I can count. Most Americans who have traveled beyond Canada/Mexico did so in the military.
DD-de-AA@reddit
Left it often. And know lots of people who never left it.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
What state do you live in that people have never left?
DD-de-AA@reddit
In New York State. But I left it permanently two years ago.
JustbyLlama@reddit
I have lived in seven different states and I have met at least one person in every single state who never left. But it’s a low number.
AshDenver@reddit
I was raised in Michigan and moved to Illinois solo when I was 19. Moved back to Michigan with my husband when I was 25. I moved to Colorado solo when I was 27. New husband and I moved to Oregon when I was 42. When I was 47, we moved back to Colorado.
About 80% of my high school graduating class never moved from Michigan. So yeah, I know lots of folks who never moved from their home state.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
I should have added some clarification in the text box. To say that I meant never leaving at all. As in, never crossed a state line and have resided 100% of their life within one state.
I made this post after someone in another community said the "vast majority of Americans had never traveled outside of their state", and he was probably saying that for just that reason---he had read that most Americans had never lived outside of their home state, and thought it meant they had never left at all.
tn00bz@reddit
I teach in a pretty poor area in California. We did some hardcore fundraising to take students to Europe. One of the students had never been more than a couple hours from her home.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
Depending on where you are in California, it is actually a pretty big feat to leave the state.
I actually grew up in Oregon/Washington, and then one day when I was about 10, my mother drove us down I-5 to Yreka, just so I could have visited a third state. I didn't leave those three states until I was 15.
o2msc@reddit
I had a friend who never left Florida until they were about 27.
glowing-fishSCL@reddit (OP)
Did they live in Miami, or somewhere where it would take a long time to drive out?
Pitiable-Crescendo@reddit
I left but ended up coming back
ana_bortion@reddit
I live about 10 minutes from the state line, it's actually hard to entirely avoid leaving your home state here. I do know people who haven't gone much further than that though.
BuildNuyTheUrbanGuy@reddit
I met a woman in her 50s that never left Illinois.
Delicious-Window8650@reddit
It is ridiculously easy to travel between States in the USA. Unless you're operating a large commercial vehicle or transporting agricultural goods, you just drive across the border and keep going. Because of this it is unusual to meet an adult resident of a state who has never left his home state.
hypnoticbacon28@reddit
I don’t know of anyone who’s never been outside of their home state. My home state is Indiana, and I left for Colorado Springs twice, was forced to move back in with my parents, and I moved to Texas about a month ago. San Antonio is my new home and favorite city.
But being trapped in my hometown for the past 9 years has taken a heavy psychological toll. I’m haunted by all my bad memories of that dump and have nightmares about it pretty much every night. I really need to get out more and try to make some new friends and better memories. Maybe pick up new hobbies while I’m at it, my hometown has nothing to do, and I grew far too used to a whole lot of nothing.
Penguin_Life_Now@reddit
No, but I know a guy in his mid 40's that just flew on a plane for the first time a few months ago. He has traveled extensively though around the US as he worked as a long haul truck driver when he was in his 20's.
justmyusername2820@reddit
I have a coworker who never left Southern California and we’re a few hours from Vegas. A couple years ago she took her first out of state trip to Texas and has since gone on a few more trips. I was blown away.
Educational-Ad-385@reddit
I'm not sure one of my grandma's ever left Missouri. I dont recall any mention of her doing so. She lived on a farm and she loved it...feeding the pigs, chickens, and ducks and tending her vegetable garden were her joys. She was born in 1880.
tolgren@reddit
I've driven across the country twice.
Washington to North Carolina, then New York to Washington.
Fancy_Locksmith7793@reddit
Of the people in my high school who went away for college tended to then live in those areas
Some of those who didn’t go to college out of state, tended to stay in our home township, except to go to Vietnam—or Disney World
Some who went to college didn’t stay there (especially if it was a state like Kansas) but came home to their parents’ house
New York City was only 50 miles away, but there were some who never went there, either
As for me, I couldn’t wait to get out of state, especially to NYC but also took trips abroad
And finally settled in Los Angeles
KaiSaya117@reddit
Oh tons of people leave their home state I'm one of them and I've also met lots!
jamminontha1@reddit
I had a coworker who was 35 years old and never left her city! I was so baffled. Still am.
jeffbell@reddit
I've never gone back to my home state for more than a week.
birthdayanon08@reddit
I know a couple of people who have never ventured outside of the city they were born in. Granted, they are both from major cities, but I still don't know how our why they've never gone anywhere and neither of them can take explain it beyond they have everything they need where they are.
Zetin24-55@reddit
I've left my home state, probably visited around 40 of the states.
I have maybe some guesses, but I can't concretely name anyone who's never left their home state. Most people from AZ have visited California at a minimum.
franky_riverz@reddit
Yes, I was born in Kansas City, Missouri. I could literally walk to Kansas as a kid but yes I've met a few people that have never left Texas and I don't leave it a lot either sadly
EffectiveNew4449@reddit
I moved to another state at the age of 4 and it was early enough that I consider it my home state.
However, yes, I have met people who have never left their home state, but I wouldn't say this is at all common. It is much more common to never leave your general region than to never leave your state. Southerners never leaving the South is a good example.
erbush1988@reddit
I've traveled a lot. Lived in 5 states.
But when I lived in rural TN, there was a guy in his 70's who had never been out of the county
PossibleJazzlike2804@reddit
About 90% of the kids I went to school with still live within 45 minutes from the school. I moved out of state for a bit and am planning another move soon.
EvanniOfChaos@reddit
Yes, I've been to most of the continuous 48 states. No, I haven't met anyone who hasn't left mine, though I grew up on the border with another state, so that might skew my experiences.
There is a lot of cultural pride in the idea of long road trips in America, with specific routes famed for their sights/entertainment across multiple states. It's not uncommon to find souvenirs to commemorate visiting another state, from pinboard maps where you mark each city you've been to, to small collectible items from each state or major attraction, like a national park.
docfarnsworth@reddit
Yes and no.
BorkBorkSweden@reddit
I'm currently attending college out of state. I know some people who are staying in Nevada (so far), although if you meant "never left at all" then no I don't.
us287@reddit
I have left my home state many times, but I’ve met a couple people who haven’t - I was baffled, because I live about an hour from the state line, but they had no desire to travel.
Gold_Telephone_7192@reddit
Yes I have and no I don’t