Geography goofs can be funny -- and sad

Not too long ago, while doing research for one of my book projects, I came across a web site that I thought could be helpful in finding sources to contact for the book. I saw that the site owner included Washington, D.C. on the listing and, because I do include Washington, D.C. in my book, I clicked on the link. It wasn't long before I learned that certain links included under "Washington, D.C." actually belonged to groups located in...wait for it...Washington, THE STATE. Yep, you read that right. Locations in Washington STATE included under a heading of Washington, D.C.

Argh!

This isn't the first time I've seen people get Washington state mixed up with Washington, D.C. And it's not just a state thing where people get their geography wrong. When I told one of my sisters that we were thinking of moving to Salem (here in Oregon), she said, "No, Mom said don't go to Salem. There's witches there." I rolled my eyes and thought, 'I meant Salem in Oregon. Not Salem in Massachusetts.'

Today I read about even more geography goofs in a Dear Abby column. I was tickled pink at the prospect of reading hilarious anecdotes of when people committed geography goofs, but at the same time I was disappointed over just how clueless some people were about United States geography.

Here is the very first letter included in that sampling:

Dear Abby: I am from Oregon and when I would go to visit family on the East Coast, some people did not know where my state is located. When I told them it was right above California, more than a few would then exclaim, "Oh, you're from Canada!" - Diane in Portland, Ore.

After reading this, I realized something. I should NEVER read stuff like that while standing up. I was laughing so hard, I had to grab the table in order to keep myself from falling to the floor.

As I read the other letters, I was shocked that someone actually didn't know we had a state named New York. Yes, we have a state named New York, people! Not just a city! (I have to wonder if there are people living in Oregon, Mississippi unaware that we also have a STATE named Oregon! Heck, here in Oregon, we even have Oregon City! Yes, we all love to torture and confuse the lesser intelligent folks with these city and state names. Haha)

Another geography goof? Spelling states wrong. Never mind George W. Bush's famous misspelling of Connecticut ("C-O-N-E-T-I-C-U-T." The poor man. I think that's going to haunt him to his grave). Other people have been known to spell both cities and states wrong. Sometimes, it's a typo, of course. (I once got a good chuckle when a newspaper printed San Bernardino as "Than Bernardino.") And sometimes, sadly, it's not. (As the former president has shown.) I myself used to have this problem. I could never spell "Mississippi" without looking it up first. Then Annie spelled it out in, well, Annie, and I was all set. Another state I struggled to spell correctly? Massachusetts! I always had to look it up first! Until I finally spelled it right on my own. I was actually shocked when I discovered I finally, miraculously spelled that state correctly without having to look it up first. I guess my brain tired of the double-checking and made sure I remembered it from now on. Now I can confidently spell "Massachusetts" without looking it up first! Or even looking it up at all. which is a good thing, given that my MG series is set in the state of Massachusetts.

At the same time, as funny as this whole state of geography ignorance is (and, no, that's not to imply that there IS an actual state named Geography or Geography Ignorance! Stay with me here!), it also makes me feel a little sad. I mean, if you LIVE in this country, you should know a little about it, don't you think? I mean, at least what our states are. Hawaii is a part of the United States. Alaska is a part of the United States. And so is New Mexico!

So, just to set the record straight, here are ALL 50 states of the United States of America:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Extra credit for visiting this site: 50states.com

Class dismissed.