My state smells like ...

[ChrisLong]

I'm not a CA native, but I've been here 17 years now.
The geographic center of the state is at North Fork, which is northeast of Fresno.
Attempting to divide the state in half and refer to northern and southern california from that perspective has little meaning to anyone.
I wouldn't consider Gilroy Northern California. Northern California starts with the Bay Area. Gilroy is below the Bay Area.
Southern California starts from the Grapevine south.
The seven counties of the Central Valley, the Central Coast and some other stragglers are just central. They are not really northern or southern.
Calling Merced Northern California is a real stretch.

Keep it simple. North and South is all you get, no gerrymandering, no tinkering with Central. If they make two states out of it, it will be North and South, the border at about Santa Barbara. You say Fresno is about the middle. Merced is about 60 miles north of Fresno. It is also slightly north of North Fork. And, roughly, it is latitudinally equal to San Jose. According to the map I looked at. Sounds North to me. Bottom line, doesn't matter.

 

[albert777]

There is no mistaking the sulfuric smell of a paper mill from miles away. That to me will always be Arkansas.

If you have ever had the misfortune of driving on US 80 from Demopolis to Montgomery, through Selma, you would know that Alabama ranks right up there in the putrid paper mill sweepstakes.

 

[playthrough]

There is no mistaking the sulfuric smell of a paper mill from miles away. That to me will always be Arkansas.

That's the smell of my 14-hour drive from Indiana to my folks' place outside Charleston. About 20 minutes before we get there, we pass the paper mill and the smell carries us the rest of the way.

 

[cjericho]

I'm not a CA native, but I've been here 17 years now.
The geographic center of the state is at North Fork, which is northeast of Fresno.
Attempting to divide the state in half and refer to northern and southern california from that perspective has little meaning to anyone.
I wouldn't consider Gilroy Northern California. Northern California starts with the Bay Area. Gilroy is below the Bay Area.
Southern California starts from the Grapevine south.
The seven counties of the Central Valley, the Central Coast and some other stragglers are just central. They are not really northern or southern.
Calling Merced Northern California is a real stretch.

Similar to NJ? Pretty much everyone in North NJ calls south of the Driscoll Bridge South NJ, even though it's geographically north or central.

 

[Starman]

My state smells like ... my appendix?

 

[justgladtobehere]

Don't people north of San Francisco claim northern California starts at least in Marin County?

 

[Spartan Squad]

Northern California starts with the Bay Area. Gilroy is below the Bay Area.

Gilroy is in the Bay Area. It is the southern border of Santa Clara County which is still considered the Bay Area.

 

[Buck]

Keep it simple. North and South is all you get, no gerrymandering, no tinkering with Central. If they make two states out of it, it will be North and South, the border at about Santa Barbara. You say Fresno is about the middle. Merced is about 60 miles north of Fresno. It is also slightly north of North Fork. And, roughly, it is latitudinally equal to San Jose. According to the map I looked at. Sounds North to me. Bottom line, doesn't matter.

I'm not gerrymandering at all. No one in California who knows where Merced, a caveat that eliminates 60-70 percent of the population, would consider Merced Northern California.

And there is no legitimate movement for creating two states, so that is not relevant.

My point is splitting California into Northern and Southern has no meaning. Kern, Inyo, etc. - they have nothing common with Los Angeles or Orange. There is no relevance for discussion.
Likewise Merced and Stanislaus with San Francisco or Marin.

 

[ChrisLong]

OK, you have your opinions. I've lived in California for 65 years and Merced is in NoCal. And we're not talking what places have in common. Eureka has nothing in common with San Francisco. We're talking geography.

 

[Spartan Squad]

OK, you have your opinions. I've lived in California for 65 years and Merced is in NoCal. And we're not talking what places have in common. Eureka has nothing in common with San Francisco. We're talking geography.

They have the ocean and weed, but otherwise you are correct

 

[expendable]

It depends which way the wind is blowing on how the small city where I work smells. One day, paper mill. The next, it could be an ethanol plant that makes you wish for the paper mill.

 

[Football_Bat]

Half of Arkansas smells like paper mills. The other half smells like chicken ****.

 

[Buck]

OK, you have your opinions. I've lived in California for 65 years and Merced is in NoCal. And we're not talking what places have in common. Eureka has nothing in common with San Francisco. We're talking geography.

You arbitrarily saying the state must be divided directly in half to determine regionality.

I'm saying it doesn't.

That is a difference of opinion but it isn't geography.

 

[amraeder]

My town of a couple thousand is in farm country, so when the wind blows right (or wrong) it smells like farm animal ****.
Understandably, the townsfolk don't really like it, and apparently there's some sort of organization out there trying to do something about it.
They sent around fliers.
The fliers asked us to note when we smelled the **** smell. They also asked us to note the type of **** (cow, chicken, pig, maybe some other choices).
....................maybe they have much more ...refined...senses of smell than I do. But man, to me, it just smells like ****. I have NO idea what type.

 

[Neutral Corner]

Half of Arkansas smells like paper mills. The other half smells like chicken ****.

If you get caught downwind of chicken houses in August, you'll long for the homey smell of a paper mill.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Similar to NJ? Pretty much everyone in North NJ calls south of the Driscoll Bridge South NJ, even though it's geographically north or central.

My in-laws will fight you if you try to call their area anything other than Central Jersey or The Shore. They absolutely do not want to be lumped in with either North Jersey or South Jersey, though particularly South Jersey.

 

[cjericho]

My in-laws will fight you if you try to call their area anything other than Central Jersey or The Shore. They absolutely do not want to be lumped in with either North Jersey or South Jersey, though particularly South Jersey.

No one lumps the Shore in with North Jersey. Ever.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

What does Massachusetts smell like? Varies with the seasons. In the fall it smells like dead leaves. In the spring it smells like mud. In the summer, it smells like the asphalt and tar of a billion highway repair projects. In winter, our longest season, it smells like wet wool, especially wet socks.

 

[Chef2]

Gilroy in NoCal. Garlic capital of the world. Unmistakeable.

Do they still manufacture Indian Motorcycles out there?

 

[Chef2]

Kansas reaks of cow **** from all the feedyards in the morning.
You couldn't swing a dead animal without hitting a feedyard out here.
I've been here all my life, so I don't even notice it. But if you get a newbie out here, the morning after a good rain.......Ye Gods. The reactions are priceless.