Things People Ask When They Find Out You Live In Iowa
Iowa is home to a little over 3 million people. It's a state that takes a lot of pride in working hard and helping its neighbors. One way Iowa does that is by helping to feed the entire country. Iowa is the number 1 pork-producing state in the U.S. According to Iowa State University, nearly one-third of the nation's hogs are raised in Iowa. Did you know Hogs outnumber humans at 7:1 in Iowa?
While Iowa is a massive farming state...no, not everyone in the Hawkeye State is a farmer. What are some things people from a different state have said or asked you when they find out you live here?
"Does everyone just play in corn fields?" - This might've been said with a bit of sarcasm but...yes, every Iowan works, plays, and swims in corn all day long...
"How far south is that?" You have go to be kidding me. I moved from Minnesota to Iowa early last year and the amount of people who can't find Iowa on a map is pretty shocking. There's only 1 state that separates Iowa from Canada...so not very south.
"Is that the one with potatoes?" No. That would be Idaho, the nation's leader in potato production, according to Agriculture Idaho. Idado is also about 1,000 miles away from Iowa.
"Which Sports team do they cheer for?" This question wasn't a bad one to be fair. Iowans are blessed and cursed when it comes to professional sports. It's a blessing that Iowans can choose any team they want to root for, as there isn't a professional team that calls Iowa home. When it comes to college sports, it's called the Hawkeye State for a reason...
"Isn't Iowa really flat?" Again, this is a pretty fair thing to ask. I think in general, Iowa would be considered flat to a lot of people from other states but it's not as flat as many think it is. According to the Des Moines Register, Iowa is the 18th flattest state and 64% of the state's land is not flat. The flattest state in America is Florida.
"Is Boise the Capital?" It must be that both states start with the letter I but I will never understand the confusion between Iowa and Idaho.
"Is everyone from Iowa nice?" There is this thing called "Iowa nice" which many people from other states have heard about. For the most part, yes, Iowans are very nice. That doesn't mean every Iowan you ever meet won't have a bad day once in a while.
"Is there really a baseball field in the middle of a cornfield?" Yes, there is. It's called the Field of Dreams and it's located at 28995 Lansing Rd, Dyersville, Iowa 52040.
"Is anyone famous from Iowa?" Yeah, Iowa has produced a lot of famous celebrities. Ashton Kutcher, John Wayne, Johnny Carson, Shawn Johnson East, Corey Taylor, Danai Gurira, Brandon Routh, Elijah Wood, Ron Burgundy...okay that last one might be just for fun but there are tons of famous people from Iowa. That list could go on for a while.
"What's a Loose Meat Sandwich?" To be fair...when I first moved here, I had no idea what this was either. Now I just tell people it's pretty much a sloppy Joe without sauce.
"Do you listen to Slipknot?" Hailing from Des Moines, Iowa, where the heavy metal band was formed, many Iowans are fans of the band. Not every single Iowan is a heavy metal fan...I neither like nor dislike Slipknot. I've just never listened to much of their stuff.
"Does everyone love gas station pizza?" Every once in a while you can find me grabbing a quick slice of Casey's pizza. It's nice to have if you're in a pinch for time. There are plenty of Iowans who aren't the biggest fans of their pizza and don't really like it.
"I know someone from Iowa, do you know him/her?" Honestly, probably not. Iowa isn't really that small of a state. It's not like it's Rhode Island or Delaware. Everyone definitely knows every single person in those two states and there's no convincing me otherwise.
Have you had any funny questions people from different states have asked you when they find out you're from Iowa? Let us know!