I've never lived more than about 50 miles from where I was born. Does that indicate some problematic lack of wanderlust? Or do I just really love Superdawg?
According to an official-looking color-coded map posted at NewGeography.com recently, I'm not the only one who hasn't gone mobile. They say that more than two-thirds of Americans still live in their home states. For example, 82 percent of New York Staters were born in New York. But just 41.7 percent of Alaskans were born in Alaska. NewGeography's take: "I suppose if you are living in Alaska, you've come there for good reason."
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A good reason? Like a change of career from stockbroker to moose impersonator? An undying love for Sarah Palin?
ReplyDeleteMy dad once decided against pursuing an out-of-town job opportunity. When my mom asked him why, he told her it was because he'd miss Bushman. (If I had any blog-commenting savvy, here I would have gracefully included a link to an article to explain who Bushman is, for those who don't know. Instead, I'll just tell you: He was a famous gorilla at Lincoln Park Zoo, now stuffed and on permanent display at the Field Museum.) But my dad's family had been in Chicago since the 1870s or thereabouts, so there may have been other forces at work.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I also feel the pull of Superdawg.
Tony and Harriet, I think we can agree that social scientists have yet to adequately explain the role of hot dog stands and celebrity primates in our geo-economic decision-making.
ReplyDeleteIt's always okay to stick around for the hot dogs. Or a monkey. I lived in or near Chicago for most of my 48 years until I was spirited away to the United Texan Emirates.
ReplyDeleteI confess to having had a 606 zip code every single day of my life. At any point in my almost 40 years if you were planning to mail me a letter (not that anyone mails letters anymore) it would have gone to a Chicago address, even when I was in college. The longest I've been away is two two-week stretches; once for a trip to Norway, and once for my honeymoon drive to Canada and back. So you can count me firmly (pathetically?) among the more than two-thirds.
ReplyDeleteAnd, just for the record, I get the Bushman reference Mr. Craine mentioned. I also believe there might be some kind of supermagnet conspiracy surrounding the Superdawg.