#47
July 27 · 1 hr 3 min
TU
The US Explained
riffingandranting
The United States is a vast and beautiful country, spanning continents, time zones, and countless regions, biomes, and ecosystems. The US Explained dives into the geography, history, and culture of the country, one state at a time. This ongoing, 56-part series covers every state, territory, and federal district of the US, by order of admission. Join me on my journey across America!
Hosted by Carter
Property of That Is Interesting
- 20 episodes
- Avg 1 hr 12 min
- English
- TU#46May 21 · 1 hr 3 min
Nevada - The US Explained
No state in the country has seen, or even come close to, the shockingly high population explosion Nevada experienced over the past half century. Las Vegas, a small roadside stop, has become the engine of its rise, a city unmatched in America in its extravagance and opulence. A place that could barely have been described as a city in 1960 is today the twentieth largest urban area in the country. Outside of Las Vegas, outside of Reno, Nevada looks much the same as it would have in 1960. Dry, barren, remote. A vast, empty desert, whose lonely roads wind through one of the most sparsely populated places in the country. This is The US Explained, Episode 37 - Nevada.
- TU#45March 11 · 1 hr 7 min
West Virginia - The US Explained
West Virginia is an anomaly. Given its own statehood long after any of its neighbors, indeed even after most of the West Coast, the Mountain State born in the fires of the Civil War had long existed in isolation from the rest of Virginia, indeed from anywhere else around it. Here lies some of the most beautiful scenery in the eastern half of the country, home to America’s newest national park. Scenic small towns, rivers spanned by covered bridges, sit at the foot of tree-covered mountains. To truly know America, you must know the mountain backbone that built it. This is The US Explained, Episode 36 - West Virginia.
- TU#44January 27 · 59 min
Kansas - The US Explained
Kansas is peaceful, rural, an epitome of the American Heartland, sitting in fact, at the exact center of the country’s Lower 48 states. Its most famous export, The Wizard of Oz, made its very name synonymous with familiarity, comfort, home. It's hard to believe that this was a state born in bloodshed, forged in fire, its very creation deemed a dress rehearsal for the Civil War. This was frontier country, the Wild West. From the badlands of the west to the cities of the east, and the never-ending prairies that lie between, this is the US Explained, episode 35 - Kansas.
- TU#43January 9 · 1 hr 6 min
Oregon - The US Explained
Within the massive borders of this West Coast state, sit one major city and several smaller ones, towered over by the lonesome, snowcapped peaks of the Cascades. Here too are a remarkably rural coast, thundering waterfalls, lush forests of the Pacific Northwest home to rich logging country, and one of the most sparsely populated places in the nation, a vast high desert of salt pans, ranchland, and the deepest canyon in the country. This is The US Explained, Episode 34 - Oregon.
- TU#42Dec 1, 2025 · 1 hr 23 min
Minnesota - The US Explained
At the beginning of the journey of one of the world’s greatest rivers, sits Minnesota. In the country’s icy north, it’s charted an impressive journey of its own, today consistently ranking among the most livable states in the nation. A land of lakes great and small, of farms and forests, prairies and ports, here sit massive mines essential to the industrialization of America, the leafy neighborhoods of two major cities side-by-side, open rows of cornfields, and thousands of tranquil interlocking lakes you can explore by canoe. This is the US Explained, Episode 33 - Minnesota.
- TU#41Nov 12, 2025 · 1 hr 37 min
California - The US Explained (Part 2)
The most populous state by far in the nation. One of the largest economies on the planet. Home to an incredibly diversity of both cultures and regions, some of the largest cities in the country, and more national parks than any other state. California is iconic and influential, a place dreamed about, sought out for centuries. Its is an incredible American story. The California episode is out in two parts. The first is already live. I recommend you give it a listen first. I hope you enjoy the story of my home state. This is the US Explained - Episode 32, Part 1 - California.
- TU#40Oct 29, 2025 · 1 hr 54 min
California - The US Explained (Part 1)
The most populous state by far in the nation. One of the largest economies on the planet. Home to an incredibly diversity of both cultures and regions, some of the largest cities in the country, and more national parks than any other state. California is iconic and influential, a place dreamed about, sought out for centuries. Its is an incredible American story. The California episode will be released in two parts. The next is already written and will be live within the next few days. I hope you enjoy the story of my home state. This is the US Explained - Episode 32, Part 1 - California.
- TU#39Sep 18, 2025 · 1 hr 13 min
Wisconsin - The US Explained
Wisconsin feels different. America’s Dairyland is, of course, part of the agricultural Midwest, but in this tree-covered state, lake houses and woodland cabins abound. Here are mining and manufacturing towns, major cities and sparsely populated wilderness alike. In a state largely skipped over by the glaciers, sharp hills, gullies and ravines look more Appalachian than Midwestern. This is a state of scenic natural beauty, an industrial giant critical to creating the America we know, and a key player in the country today. Join me for Episode 31 of the US Explained - Wisconsin.
- TU#38Aug 27, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
Iowa - The US Explained
In the heart of America, between the country’s two greatest rivers, stretches a vast expanse of flat farmland and picturesque rolling hills. This is a land of small towns and small cities, yet one key to feeding and fueling the United States. A humble, rural state, often overlooked, yet it picks presidents. Iowa is, in a sense, quintessential Middle America - to experience it is to understand what America imagines itself to be. So come with me to the heart of the Heartland, and let’s explore a place outsiders often forget, overlook, yet one quite deserving of our attention. This is Episode 30 - Iowa.
- TU#37Aug 27, 2025 · 1 hr 58 min
Texas - The US Explained
Where the American South meets the American West, this is a land of cattle ranchers, cowboys, and oilmen, of Cajuns, of border towns where Spanish has been spoken long before this place was ever called Texas, of wide-open starlit skies and of skyscraper-studded cities where people have come from across the country and the world seeking the opportunity that it promises. An independent country that chose to join the United States, Texans retain their strong sense of identity and pride that has made their state, and its distinct regional culture, iconic across the globe. This is that story. Episode 29 - Texas.
- TU#36Aug 27, 2025 · 1 hr 39 min
Florida - The US Explained
Florida - It's a land of swamps and islands, beautiful yet for much of its history remote, a backwater jutting into the Gulf of Mexico. Today though, it's the third most populous state in the country, a global tourist destination, a diverse meeting point of cultures from across the hemisphere, and a state that year after year, decade after decade, has been one of the fastest growing places in America, a place whose name is known the world over. This is its story. Episode 28 - Florida.
- TU#35Aug 27, 2025 · 1 hr 14 min
Michigan - The US Explained
Michigan - mountains and mines, wild forests, islands, and lakes sit together with one of the largest cities in the country, a heavily urbanized hive of industry home to millions of people. This is a fascinating state - one that tells the story of America - both its failures and its promise. I hope you'll join me to hear it. Episode 27 - Michigan.
- TU#34Aug 27, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
Arkansas - The US Explained
Here in Arkansas the swamps and bayous of the fertile Mississippi Delta meet the country’s largest cluster of mountains between the Rockies and Appalachians. A mostly rural state, it’s home to a number of small cities, some of which have become economically vibrant boomtowns. The Natural State is an all too often overlooked corner of the country, packing a beautiful landscape, important history, kind people, and some really fascinating cities and towns into the Lower 48’s smallest state completely west of the Mississippi. This is Episode 26 - Arkansas
- TU#33Aug 27, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Missouri - The US Explained
Missouri sits in the middle. For the last forty years, it’s been the average center of the country’s population, and today, more than any other, it can claim to be the state where the north meets the south, and the east meets the west. Roughly halfway between the Rockies and the Appalachians, the Canadian border and the Gulf of Mexico, home to flat expanses of farmland, the forested mountains, hills, and cliffs of the Ozarks, and two major American cities, this is Episode 25 - Missouri.
- TU#32Aug 27, 2025 · 54 min
Maine - The US Explained
Maine - The state at the northeastern tip of the United States is an outlier. In the heavily urbanized East Coast, it’s predominantly rural. It takes up half of New England’s land area yet has one of the smallest populations in the country, much of it wilderness that’s far removed from any city or town. Thousands of moose roam wild in the forests that surround beautiful mountains and lakes, while the small fishing villages that line an island-filled coast look like they’ve barely changed since as the decades have gone by. It’s home to one of the only national parks in the eastern US, borders more Canadian provinces than US states, and has the country’s second highest proportion of French speakers after just Louisiana, most of whom live in remote towns along the border. With a strong maritime tradition, a beautiful landscape, and an interesting culture, this is Episode 24 - Maine.
- TU#31Aug 27, 2025 · 59 min
Alabama - The US Explained
The story of Alabama is in large part the story of America, one that has much to be proud of, with progress and innovation, kind people and a strong regional culture, yet at the same time one that has also been marked by violence, prejudice, poverty, and conflict. Above all it’s a story that is essential to understand. Home to forests and farmland, mountains and beaches, small towns and a number of different cities, this is Episode 23 - Alabama.
- TU#30Aug 27, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
Illinois - The US Explained
The river winds through a canyon, at times more than a thousand feet from top to bottom. But unlike the canyons of the west, its walls are made not of earth and rock, but of glass and steel, a man made wonder showcasing some of the most famous buildings in the world, the birthplace of the skyscraper itself. It’s a town that, sitting in one of the most strategically-placed locations in the country, rose from actual ashes to become among the largest and most iconic cities in the world, an essential conduit for global commerce, transportation, and culture, a classic American metropolis that today is the largest US city in the country’s interior. But Illinois is far from just Chicago. It’s home to vast stretches of productive farmland, wide and mighty rivers, and unglaciated pockets of hills and forests. Numerous other smaller cities help make it one of the populous states in the country. While mostly in the Midwest, Illinois is a large state, and its southern tip is culturally more a part of the South. Regionally and culturally diverse, and home to a huge population, Illinois has long played a leading role in the history, society, and culture of the United States. This is Episode 22 - Illinois.
- TU#29Aug 27, 2025 · 46 min
Mississippi - The US Explained
Famed author William Faulkner said of his home state, “to understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.” As I take you on this journey through every part of the United States, it would be a mistake to ignore the story of the Magnolia State. The challenges it deals with, such as high poverty, low development and quality of life, and an economy that’s struggled to diversify have brought severe economic difficulties to a state with among the worst histories of racism in the United States. In pretty much any statistic generally related to quality of life in a state, Mississippi typically ranks at or near either the bottom or the top, whichever would be worse in that particular instance. Because of this, it’s a state that’s often looked down upon by outsiders. I don’t want to fall into that trap. In this video, like all my videos in this series, I’ll try to present a fair and non judgemental view of the state, sharing the aspects of Mississippi that make it a unique and special place while still not shying away from a frank discussion of the challenges it deals with. After all, Mississippi has a lot to offer - from friendly people, great music, and delicious food, to beautiful beaches on the Gulf Coast, vast pine and oak forests, and the wide and muddy lower reaches of its namesake, one of the largest and most important rivers in the world. This is Episode 21 - Mississippi.
- TU#28Aug 27, 2025 · 45 min
Indiana - The US Explained
It’s spanned by vast fields of corn and soybeans, making it one of the most agriculturally productive states in the country. Stunning sand dunes, one of the only national parks in the Midwest, stand hundreds of feet tall over the shore of Lake Michigan, and beautiful forests, hills, and river valleys cover much of the state’s southern half. A former industrial powerhouse, whose limestone and steel built some of the country’s most famous buildings, it's home to a major city, a number of smaller ones, as well as the suburbs of one of the largest metropolises in the world. This is Episode 20 - Indiana.