Data from the U.S. Census Bureau was analyzed by the Associated Press to find what an "Average American" might be.
The people of Illinois are most like the rest of the nation in terms of race, age, income, eduction, immigration and living conditions.
Who was on the bottom of the list, least like everyone else? West Virginia. We are poorer, less ethnically diverse and more rural than the rest of you.
While this may sound like bad news, I choose to be happy about it, as does Scott Finn who wrote about it in this morning's Sunday Gazette Mail.
I found another article titled, "Maybe America Isn't West Virginian Enough" by Ry Rivard in The Daily Athenaeum.
This all leaves me feeling very special. Isn't part of the point of life to stand out, to be different, to do things your very own way? YES!!
Oh, thank goodness! West Virginia is different, unusual, one-of-a-kind!
For all of you out there needing a get-away, a vacation, a break from it all -- where else could you go that would be more unlike where you are? Come visit us here in West Virginia!
We are FRIENDLY. We care about our families, our friends and our neighbors. We work together. We are (slightly more) polite in traffic. We are some of the only people who know that West Virginia is not a part of Virginia. (Since June 20, 1863, people! C'mon!)
- We are south of the Mason Dixon line so the North won't claim us.
- We fought for the North in the Civil War so the South won't claim us.
- We don't touch the Atlantic Ocean so the East Coast won't have us.
- We are East of the Ohio River so we aren't in the Midwest, either.
That's why we are called West By God Virginia, because God DOES claim us. (Dad called and helped me with that last bit, thanks Dad and Happy Father's Day!) He also says you can look all over the state and see God's perfection. Amen!
I found this video on YouTube and thought it was a great example of some of the ways we're a little "off". It's beautiful, crazy, wild and fun! Turn the volume up and see what you're missing if you haven't been here yet!
Now, I am not saying where this picture might have been taken. You can come up with your own conclusions.
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