The Most Famous Celebrities From Each State
Alabama: Born in Cullman, country boy Channing Tatum called his uncle's 300-acre ranch in Wetumpka his "favorite place on the planet, by far."
Alaska: Grammy-nominated singer Jewel grew up living a subsistence lifestyle in Homer, where her family remains and stars in Discovery Channel's reality show, "Alaska: The Last Frontier."
Arizona: Emma Stone lived by a golf course her parents owned in Scottsdale before convincing them, via PowerPoint presentation, to move to L.A.
Arkansas: Billy Bob Thornton referred to his grandmother's house in Alpine as "command central," where he and his extended family all lived on-and-off.
California: Kim Kardashian grew up in a Beverly Hills home with housekeepers who weren't allowed to clean her and her sisters' bedrooms, she wrote in "Kardashian Konfidential."
Colorado: Tim Allen returned to his roots in his sitcom, "Last Man Standing," about an outdoor sporting goods employee in Denver.
Connecticut: Born in Kent, Seth MacFarlane published his own comic strip in the local newspaper at the age of 9, and drew cartoons on customers' grocery bags in his father's butcher shop.
Delaware: Ryan Phillippe showed his home state some love when he hosted "Saturday Night Live" a few years ago, wearing a Wilmington-themed T-shirt.
Florida: Pitbull grew up hustling in the streets of Miami, and today Mr. Worldwide name-drops the "305," the city's area code, in many of his songs.
Georgia: Julia Roberts hailed from Smyrna, where she played clarinet and oboe in the high school band. Her parents ran acting workshops in nearby Atlanta.
Hawaii: Bette Midler was born in Honolulu, where her father was stationed during World War II. She later worked at a pineapple canning factory.
Idaho: Aaron Paul grew up in Boise, performing in church plays and cheering on the Boise State Broncos.
Illinois: Harrison Ford was born in Chicago and raised in the suburbs, where he hosted a show on his high school's first radio station.
Indiana: David Letterman is a true Hoosier, staying in Indianapolis until he was 27 years old and returning often to attend the Indy 500.
Iowa: University of Iowa alum Ashton Kutcher was a football player and school play lead in the town of Homestead, population: 100.
Kansas: There's no place like Wichita for actress Kirstie Alley, who studied drama at Kansas State University before dropping out.
Kentucky (Tie!): Born in Lexington, George Clooney moved a lot because of his father's job in broadcasting. The family settled in Augusta, but it was in his city of birth that he saw a movie being filmed and caught the acting bug.
Kentucky (Tie!): Jennifer Lawrence was raised on a horse farm outside Louisville, and remains a big University of Louisville basketball fan.
Louisiana: The town of Kentwood welcomes visitors with a hot pink sign that says "The home of Britney Spears." The pop superstar once berated a tabloid by tweeting, "Ya'll can kiss my lily white southern Louisiana a--!"
Maine: Patrick Dempsey returns to his birthplace of Lewiston, where he opened the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing, for charity bike races.
Maryland: Ruxton-born Julie Bowen hopes to one day film a movie in Baltimore. "I would have a whole different relationship with the city if I could work there," Bowen told The Baltimore Sun.
Massachusetts: Mark Wahlberg grew up the youngest of nine children in an Irish Catholic family in Dorchester. "Marky Mark" flaunts his accent in Boston-set films such as "The Departed" and "Ted."
Michigan: A University of Michigan dance scholar, Madonna is reportedly estranged from her hometown of Bay City. In 1985, a disapproving mayor refused to give her the key to the city.
Minnesota: Prince commissioned a $10 million recording studio in suburban Minneapolis called Paisley Park, which became his primary recording location.
Mississippi: Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Kosciusko, and gave back to the community in 2008 when she opened a Boys and Girls Club center there.
Missouri: St. Louis Cardinals fanatic Jon Hamm once lent his acting talent to his alma mater in a cheesy University of Missouri recruitment commercial.
Montana: Kalispell-born Michelle Williams "is like Montana," Ryan Gosling said of his "Blue Valentine" co-star. "It's very beautiful, but it's vast."
Nebraska: Hilary Swank came from humble beginnings in Lincoln. "I never forget where I came from," Swank told CNN.
Nevada: Jimmy Kimmel moved to Las Vegas when he was 9 years old. The straight-A student later donated the Jimmy Kimmel Technology Center to his high school and received an honorary degree from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
New Hampshire: Adam Sandler, who relocated to Manchester when he was 5 years old, wore a University of New Hampshire T-shirt in "Grown Ups" and had his favorite hometown diner recreated for the set of "Grown Ups 2."
New Jersey (Tie!): Freehold's very own Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen paid tribute to his Jersey Shore upbringing with rock 'n roll hits "Born to Run" and "Rosalita," among others.
New Jersey (Tie!): Growing up in a blue-collar home in Sayreville, Jon Bon Jovi "learned about the finer things in life. Like rock 'n' roll. And women." He recently gave back by donating $1 million to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
New Mexico: Albuquerque native Neil Patrick Harris said there's something "very magical about the land" and its lack of pretension. "Not a lot of big belt buckles and 20-gallon cowboy hats," Harris told The History Channel.
New York: Raised in a Bedford-Stuyvesant housing project, Jay Z flaunted his Brooklyn pride with the Grammy-winning song "Empire State of Mind" and as a part-owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets.
North Carolina: Zach Galifianakis studied at North Carolina State University, a family school. "My father played football, so we inherited being Wolfpack fans from that," Galifiankis told a school magazine. "Hangover" reference?
North Dakota: Minot native Josh Duhamel was starting quarterback for the Minot State University football team, and this summer, served as the Grand Marshal of the State Parade.
Ohio: Halle Berry was named for Halle's Department Store, a local landmark in her birthplace of Cleveland, and was crowned Miss Ohio USA in 1986.
Oklahoma: Checotah country girl Carrie Underwood grew up "playing on dirt roads [and] climbing trees," she said on her website. Underwood donated $1 million to relief efforts after the Oklahoma tornado hit in May.
![Oklahoma: Checotah country girl Carrie Underwood grew up "playing on dirt roads [and] climbing trees," she said on her website. Underwood donated $1 million to relief efforts after the Oklahoma tornado hit in May.](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-21853735,width-700,height-525,imgsize-59320/oklahoma-checotah-country-girl-carrie-underwood-grew-up-playing-on-dirt-roads-and-climbing-trees-she-said-on-her-website-underwood-donated-1-million-to-relief-efforts-after-the-oklahoma-tornado-hit-in-may-.jpg)
Pennsylvania (Tie!): "West Philadelphia, born and raised," Will Smith now owns a partial stake in the Philadelphia 76ers.
Pennsylvania (Tie!): Her dreams of being a Phillies ball girl fell through, but Tina Fey returned to her childhood home in Upper Darby to finish rewrites of her "Mean Girls" screenplay.
Rhode Island: Hailing from Cranston, Elisabeth Hasselbeck heads to the beach when visiting home. "We'll watch the ships come in and then head to [Narragansett] for clam cakes and soda," Hasselbeck told Boston Magazine.
South Carolina: Raised in Bennettsville, Aziz Ansari loves fried chicken and biscuits, but avoids the title "redneck." "You never hear someone say, 'Yeah, he's a caring, thoughtful, intelligent guy. Total redneck!'" Ansari told Vanity Fair.
South Dakota: January Jones takes pride in her state's claim to Mount Rushmore, but not much else. "We're better than at least North Dakota," Jones said on "The Daily Show."
Tennessee: Miley Cyrus jets home to her family's 500-acre Nashville farm every chance she gets. "Nashville life is just so laid back and people enjoy every second of life that they have," Cyrus told Prestige Magazine.
Tennessee: Justin Timberlake still reps Memphis as his primary location on Twitter, and he and wife Jessica Biel golf together at the nearby eco-friendly Mirimichi Golf Course which he co-owns with his parents.
Texas: Beyoncé lived in an upscale neighborhood in suburban Houston, where she formed the original Destiny's Child in 1990.
Utah: "Dancing With the Stars" pro Julianne Hough grew up in Sandy, coincidentally close to where the original "Footloose" was filmed. "My greatest memories of Utah are of always being outdoors," Hough told Interview Magazine.
Vermont: "Girls" actress Zosia Mamet formed a band with her sister called The Cabin Sisters, named for the wood cabin her father built on their Randolph property. "It's a truly magical place," Mamet told Glamour.
Virginia: As a child, Sandra Bullock divided her time between Arlington and Austria, where her opera singer mother often performed. She is the third alum of her high school to win an Academy Award.
Washington: Born in Seattle, Rainn Wilson said his first name was influenced by his Northwest roots. "God only knows why [my dad] added the extra 'n,'" Wilson told The Seattle Times. "'Rain' was probably too hippie-ish."
![Washington: Born in Seattle, Rainn Wilson said his first name was influenced by his Northwest roots. "God only knows why [my dad] added the extra](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-21853747,width-700,height-525,imgsize-144766/washington-born-in-seattle-rainn-wilson-said-his-first-name-was-influenced-by-his-northwest-roots-god-only-knows-why-my-dad-added-the-extra-n-wilson-told-the-seattle-times-rain-was-probably-too-hippie-ish-.jpg)
West Virginia: Jennifer Garner moved to Charleston as a young girl. "I was raised by the community," Garner told WCHS-TV in Charleston. "I feel like I could come home and sit in a hundred different laps and be taken care of."
Wisconsin: Before moving out of state in his teens, Mark Ruffalo built a "sentimental connection" to Kenosha. "I find myself drawing a lot of comfort from this place," Ruffalo told Kenosha News during a trip home.
Wyoming: Matthew Fox and family were caretakers of Bitterroot Ranch outside Dubois. "It's important for people who grow up in places like Wyoming to think big," Fox told The Star-Tribune. "Get out of the state for a little bit and explore — and then get back."
Those were the most famous celebrities from every state ...
Popular Right Now
Advertisement