Every state in our great, ginormous country has its own distinct flavor, and according to real estate site Estately, a lot of that flavor can be discerned through our Google searches. Estately compiled data on what each state Googled more than any other state this year — and the results not only reflect the notable events and hot button issues that contributed to the climate of the United States in 2015, but also give us some insight into what people are thinking about in Montana versus what people are thinking about in Oklahoma. (Hint: they're two completely different things.)
Compiling the data was fairly simple. Estately ran hundreds of search terms through Google Trends to find out what people in each state were searching for and what search terms got more attention in each state than any other state. Some of them make a certain amount of sense: For example, of course Bernie Sanders' home state of Vermont Googled climate change more than any other state did; meanwhile Michigan, a historically blue state, wanted to brush up on the logistics and facts of marriage equality. Other search terms, however, seem totally out of the blue: South Dakota apparently searched for "Fitbit" more than any other state did, while West Virginia really seemed to care a lot about Magic Mike XXL.
Personally, I'm of the opinion that the 10 search terms below are the most reflective of the state of America in 2015. Some of them might be more confusing than others, but they're all notable for one reason or another. To see the results for all 50 states, head on over to Estately.
1. Syria (Oregon)
With the recent discussion on Syrian refugees and earlier discussion of Russian military involvement in Syria, it makes sense that the small Middle Eastern country would receive a lot of Google searches this year. Oregon happened to search for Syria the most out of any other state, but Arkansas also searched heavily for "Syrian refugees"; additionally, Colorado was curious about the "Syrian civil wars."
2. Caitlyn Jenner (Oklahoma)
In June of this year, the world met Caitlyn Jenner and trans issues (or, at least, certain aspects of trans issues) started to receive more coverage in the media and more visibility overall. Jenner totally broke the Internet with her Vanity Fair cover and interview, detailing her relationship with gender and her life as a trans woman. Not only was she the most Googled person in Oklahoma, but she also ranked near the top of the list for Hawaii and Nevada.
3. What Does Bae? Mean (Wisconsin)
As happens every year, 2015 saw an influx of new vocabulary, so it's only natural that people would want to stay up to date with the times and know what all the youths are saying. In addition to being curious about what bae means in Wisconsin, people were also curious about words and phrases like trap queen, no flex zone, and hypebeast.
4. Second Amendment (Arizona)
The Second Amendment, which grants the right to keep and bear arms, was the most searched term in Arizona, but this Southwest state wasn't the only one curious about gun rights: Idaho searched for gun laws, and Kentucky wanted to know about the N.R.A. Hopefully searches about guns have more to do with people trying to understand that the framers of the Constitution didn't actually mean for there to be more mass shootings in a year than there were days, and less to do with trying to procure or justify guns for harm.
For what's its worth (and it's worth a lot), the Second Amendment is actually in reference to keeping "a well-regulated militia" — that is, that the amendment protects the rights of militias to bear arms, not individuals.
5. Trump For President (South Carolina)
Like it or not (I'm going to go with "or not," but that's just me), this presidential candidate is a part of the landscape in the country this year, and will likely continue to be throughout 2016. Trump was a big search term not only in South Carolina, but also in California; however, people in Cali were more interested in searching "Donald Trump hair" and "Donald Trump racist." In Florida, people wanted to know his net worth.
6. Wolves (Montana)
Though it may not seem relevant to presidential politics or slang words, Montana's most Googled search term most likely has less to do with Twilight and more to do with wolf hunting and unjustified animal killings in the state. Interestingly, no other animal or animal issue made it to the top most Googled topic in any state unless you count "pitbull " — but that's definitely about the rapper.
7. Amy Schumer (Maine)
2015 was a big year for this comedian, and for good reason: She is changing the way women represent themselves in comedy and in the media and shifting the larger discussion surrounding feminism. Massachusetts and Missouri also wanted to know more about her show, Inside Amy Schumer.
8. Black Lives Matter (Minnesota)
The most searched term in Minnesota, "black lives matter," reflects the crucial movement taking place in this country raising awareness about police brutality, institutionalized racism, and the prison industrial complex and how these things disproportionately affect black and African American people in this country. Thankfully, no state's top search term was "all lives matter" which gives me just a glimmer of hope for this country.
9. Legalize Weed (Ohio)
Sadly, Ohio's marijuana policies do not legalize the drug for medical or recreational use, so all the poor Ohioans can do is Google the plant and look sadly upon Washington and Colorado for some hope.
10. Water on Mars (Colorado)
In late September, NASA made an exciting find that there was water on mars. Everyone got really excited, but Colorado was apparently the most excited of all. I imagine all people there want to do is smoke weed, chill with the aliens, and just get along with one another.
Check out the full results at Estately.
