Which U.S. States Have The Most American Pride?

Here in America, the flame of liberty is lit in each and every one of our 50 states. However, that light does not glow equally bright in all of them. With this in mind the real estate search site Estately set out to determine which corners of our great land are the most enthusiastically American, and which ones just sort of hum along when “The Star-Spangled Banner” is played. This exhaustive study relied on eight somewhat questionable measurements. We leave it up to the reader to decide if their state is proudly American or whether it is not. Most Americans are happy living in this fine country, but some states have populations dreaming of breaking up with America so they can start seeing other countries, particularly that frosty vixen to the north (Canada). Washington state residents perform the most Google searches for “moving to Canada.” Apparently residents of the Evergreen State don’t know that the Statue of Liberty is the jealous type, constantly keeping tabs on everyone’s interent search history.

Failing to “like” pages associated with the United States is a sure way to alert your countrymen to one’s utter lack of patriotism. Of all the states, West Virginia is tops for expressed interest, while New Jersey is at the bottom. There can only be one Betsy Ross, but that doesn’t mean modern American artisans can’t plaster American flags all over the handmade ceramics and silkscreened T-shirts they sell on the online marketplace Etsy. Out of all the states, the Etsy stores based in Rhode Island produce the most handmade items emblazoned with the stars and stripes (1.22% of all products). Vermont, on the other hand, shuns Old Glory, with just 0.04% of products containing an American flag. Perhaps Ben & Jerry’s will come out with a patriotic line of ice cream flavors to compensate for this? John Wayne is a beloved and iconic American, and if you don’t believe that you had best keep your mouth shut in Wyoming. That state is tops for Google searches of the famous actor, as well as expressed Facebook interest. Hawaii comes in last for having any interest The Duke from Hollywood, but it is tops when it comes to interest in Duke Kahanamoku, the five-time Olympic medalist who popularized surfing, and who’s one hell of an American in his own right. Strange that so many of the states who fought the British to win America’s freedom are the one’s who’ve banned all consumer fireworks. The dogs and cats of those states probably sleep better around the 4th of July, but the skies are missing the requisite rockets red glare that the rest of America enjoys. No doubt the ghost of George Washington is mercilessly haunting the people Massachusetts, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey. The expression, “As American as apple pie” is embraced in pro-American West Virginia, but if the Facebook data can be trusted it’s the people of Minnesota who have turned their back on this American classic. Perhaps it’s because they embrace the tater tot casserole (hot dish) in a way no other state does? America’s pasttime is alive and well in Missouri, which is the most enthusiastic about the sport. That’s not the case in Hawaii, which apparently can’t tell a hanging curveball from a fastball. Hawaii may be distracted by the sunshine, and Alaska’s avoidance of the sport could also be weather related. Either way, it’s a slap in the face of America’s pasttime. There was a time when America’s roads were nothing but a stream of American cars. Not so anymore, particularly on the West Coast, where car buyers search for Toyotas over Fords in large numbers. North Dakota is still buying American, with far more online searches for Fords for sale than Toyotas.

So which state is the most proudly American? Let us know in the comments.

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Estately is a national online real estate search site whose articles have been featured in the The Wall Street Journal, CNET, NPR, Houston Chronicle, NBC News, GeekWire, and more.