Welcome to (State) in Google Maps app

[glowblue1]

I figure other Local Guides have got to be using the Google Maps app all the time, right? Maybe some of you know something about this.

In the US, when you cross a state boundary, you often (but not always) get a little pop-up notification welcoming you to that state, or Washington DC, showing a little character relevant to that state as well. I travel all over the country for work, and so far, I've collected 22 of those images.

I'd have a couple more, but sometimes, these don't trigger, even if it triggers for the adjacent state on the same road when going in the other direction. Sometimes it's because the app is actively giving directions at the time. But I'll get the notifications sometimes after the directions are complete and I'm already a mile or two into that state. Or, I'll have no directions for 50+ miles and get no notifications at all. That's why I have Arizona but not Nevada, it triggered going south but not north.

Sometimes the images reference a specific person and sometimes they don't, and there are a few I haven't been able to identify.

- Connecticut: Noah Webster

- North Carolina: Wilbur or Orville Wright

- New Jersey: Diner waitress

- South Carolina: Southern belle

- Georgia: Peach farmer

- Ohio: Neil Armstrong (There are several well-known astronauts from Ohio, but this one is shown on the moon, and Armstrong is the only Ohioan to have been there)

- Pennsylvania: Betsy Ross

- West Virginia: Apple farmer

- Kentucky: Woman in Kentucky Derby attire

- Indiana: IndyCar driver

- Tennessee: Elvis Presley

- Arizona: Cactus costume

- New Hampshire: Teacher

- Rhode Island: Tennis player (the International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, RI)

- Massachusetts: Plymouth Colony Pilgrim

- Iowa: Dr. Byron McKeeby (the male figure modeled in American Gothic by Grant Wood)

- Nebraska: University of Nebraska Cornhuskers fan

- Alabama: Joe Louis

- Mississippi: Man in fishing waders

- District of Columbia: Judge/Supreme Court Justice

- Maryland: Crab costume

- Virginia: George Washington

Does anyone else "collect" these images? I'd be interested to see some of the others. Or if you're in another country, do these show up, like for Canadian provinces or something like that?

John

[MiguelQ013]

I saw it too when returning home from Las Vegas trip; for California its surfer holding his board on the sand.

I didnt catch it on my way into Nevada ><

[Scrummy]

 I'm collecting these also, and have several public on Instagram under #googlestateicons

I agree that the icons are inconsistently triggered and I've missed Kansas and South Dakota this way.  Minnesota is my favorite so far; it's Prince.  

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@JohnH wrote:

I figure other Local Guides have got to be using the Google Maps app all the time, right? Maybe some of you know something about this.

In the US, when you cross a state boundary, you often (but not always) get a little pop-up notification welcoming you to that state, or Washington DC, showing a little character relevant to that state as well. I travel all over the country for work, and so far, I've collected 22 of those images.

I'd have a couple more, but sometimes, these don't trigger, even if it triggers for the adjacent state on the same road when going in the other direction. Sometimes it's because the app is actively giving directions at the time. But I'll get the notifications sometimes after the directions are complete and I'm already a mile or two into that state. Or, I'll have no directions for 50+ miles and get no notifications at all. That's why I have Arizona but not Nevada, it triggered going south but not north.

Sometimes the images reference a specific person and sometimes they don't, and there are a few I haven't been able to identify.

- Connecticut: Noah Webster

- North Carolina: Wilbur or Orville Wright

- New Jersey: Diner waitress

- South Carolina: Southern belle

- Georgia: Peach farmer

- Ohio: Neil Armstrong (There are several well-known astronauts from Ohio, but this one is shown on the moon, and Armstrong is the only Ohioan to have been there)

- Pennsylvania: Betsy Ross

- West Virginia: Apple farmer

- Kentucky: Woman in Kentucky Derby attire

- Indiana: IndyCar driver

- Tennessee: Elvis Presley

- Arizona: Cactus costume

- New Hampshire: Teacher

- Rhode Island: Tennis player (the International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, RI)

- Massachusetts: Plymouth Colony Pilgrim

- Iowa: Dr. Byron McKeeby (the male figure modeled in American Gothic by Grant Wood)

- Nebraska: University of Nebraska Cornhuskers fan

- Alabama: Joe Louis

- Mississippi: Man in fishing waders

- District of Columbia: Judge/Supreme Court Justice

- Maryland: Crab costume

- Virginia: George Washington

Does anyone else "collect" these images? I'd be interested to see some of the others. Or if you're in another country, do these show up, like for Canadian provinces or something like that?

John

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[glowblue1]

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@Scrummy wrote:

 I'm collecting these also, and have several public on Instagram under #googlestateicons

I agree that the icons are inconsistently triggered and I've missed Kansas and South Dakota this way.  Minnesota is my favorite so far; it's Prince. 

Hey Scrummy, thanks for your reply. I was really happy to see Vermont since that was one that I tried to get but couldn't!

I put up all of my photos on Instagram with your hashtag. I left out the duplicates, except Mississippi, since mine was different - the one up there is holding a fish, but mine wasn't. It looks like those pictures were taken in Android, and I use iOS (not by choice, work phone).

The Prince one is pretty cool, but my favorite is probably the crab person for Maryland. I laughed so hard when I saw it, I nearly veered off the road.

[Somsenater]

@glowblue1 that's an awesome collection!  I was hoping to see three of the states I have lived in: Wyoming, Utah, and/or Idaho, but nothing.  :0(

[NotApplicable]

Here's two more to add to your collection. Thanks for sharing yours!

[glowblue1]

Hey Somsenater, Wyoming is up on Instagram with the #googlestateicons tag - it's a miner.

[LBonato]

I spent the 07/04 long weekend road tripping from Houston (TX) to Memphis (TN), passing Arkansas and back through Mississippi and Louisiana. I noticed these icons in October last year when I drove from Houston to New Orleans... I just love 'em!!!

Luca

P.S. I'm not from the U.S., so you guys are probably better than me to get how icons refer to the various States

[NotApplicable]

So awesome, thanks for sharing! Not sure if you have Instagram, but if you do, you should post these under #googlestateicons. I don't believe anyone has posted / shared Arkansas yet! 

[DiAnaUS]

I tried doing the same thing on my recent trip from Florida to N.Y. but the images came in and went so fast that I missed the screenshot...i thought it was really cool. Usually when I travel up to CT. Or down to NJ, PA and DC it never did that before. It's a cute feature! @glowblue1