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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Winthrop chapter.

Have you ever wondered what celebs share their home state with you? Some of these names just might surprise you. 

  • Alabama​: Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum may be a Hollywood star now, but this athlete-turned-actor was actually born in a small town about 50 miles north of Birmingham.  

  • Alaska: Jewel

This four-time Grammy nominee grew up in Homer, Alaska, and got her early stage training singing and yodeling – that’s right, yodeling.

  • Arizona: Stevie Nicks

Phoenix natives can claim Stevie Nicks as their hometown hero – she was born there in 1948.  

  • Arkansas: Johnny Cash

The legendary Johnny Cash grew up during the Great Depression in rural Arkansas. He helped his family stay alive by starting work in the cotton fields at age five.

  • California: Meghan Markle

America’s favorite British Royal was an LA girl from the start – she spent her childhood and formative years in Hollywood even before her career as an actress. 

  • Colorado: Melissa Benoist

Famous for her breakthrough role in Glee, Benoist was born and raised in Colorado, where she grew up taking dance classes and acting in local plays. 

  • Connecticut: John Mayer

This seven time Grammy award winner was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and grew up in nearby Fairfield.

  • Delaware: Aubrey Plaza

That’s right, our favorite intern (April Ludgate, ‘Parks and Rec’) is a Delawarean! She was born in Wilmington, where she later attended at Catholic girls’ high school called Ursaline Academy. 

  • Florida: Ariana Grande

Born in Boca Raton, Ariana’s first appearance on national television was at the age of 8, when she sang the Star Spangled Banner for the Florida Panthers. Thank u, next!

  • Georgia: Julia Roberts

Born and raised in Smyrna, Julia Roberts grew up in a theatrical family. Her parents co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop.   

  • Hawaii: Bruno Mars

Turns out Bruno is Hawaiian – he only moved to LA after his high school graduation to pursue music.

  • Idaho: Aaron Paul

This Breaking Bad star is originally from Emmett, Idaho. 

  • Illinois: Harrison Ford

Ford spent his childhood in Illinois before studying at Ripon College in Wisconsin. 

  • Indiana: David Letterman

David Letterman grew up near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and was a collector of toy cars as a child.

  • Iowa: Shawn Johnson

This Olympic Gold Medal winner is originally from Des Moines, where she started gymnastics classes.  

  • Kansas: Colton Hayes

Before becoming an actor, model, and the star of American Horror Story, Colton Hayes was one of six kids growing up on a farm in Kansas. 

  • Kentucky: Jennifer Lawrence

She may be one of Hollywood’s biggest queens now, but all of that started in Indian Hills, Kentucky. 

  • Louisiana: DJ Khaled

Khaled was born in New Orleans, a city known for its eclectic range of musical styles, and worked in a local record store as a teen. 

  • Maine: Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick had to travel a long way from Portland, Maine, to get to Hollywood – but she’s killing it out there these days!

  • Maryland: Michael Phelps

This swimming legend was born in Baltimore, Maryland. 

  • Massachusetts: Steve Carell​

Everyone’s favorite boss grew up in Acton, Massachusetts before beginning his acting career. 

  • Michigan: Larry Page

The son of two computer science professors, Page grew up in Lansing, Michigan, before co-founding Google in 1998.

  • Minnesota: F. Scott Fitzgerald

If you read The Great Gatsby in high school English class, then you know F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most beloved American authors of all time. He was from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

  • Mississippi: Brett Favre

Before traveling around the country for 20 years as an NFL star, Favre came from Gulfport, Mississippi. 

  • Missouri: Evan Peters

Evan Peters was born in Saint Louis, but moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to pursue his acting dreams.

  • Montana: Bud Luckey

You may not know his name, but you do know his most famous creation – Bud Luckey was the guy who created Woody from Toy Story. He recently passed away, but originally came from Billings, Montana.

  • Nebraska: Emily Kinney

Emily Kinney was born in Wayne, Nebraska, and graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University.

  • Nevada: Dan Reynolds

In case you don’t know him by name, Dan Reynolds is the lead singer of Imagine Dragons. He was born and raised in Las Vegas. 

  • New Hampshire: Adam Sandler

Every proud New Hampshirite knows who our home-state hero is… and we LOVE seeing the 603 represented in Adam’s movies!  

  • New Jersey: Halsey

This singer, songwriter, and activist hails from Edison, New Jersey, where Thomas Edison also developed the first commercial electric light. 

  • New Mexico: Willow Shields

Willow was born in Albuquerque, NM. Her twin sister and older brother also became actors. 

  • New York: Cardi B

“I’m the Bronx b****, I’m feisty. “Cardi why you feisty?” Shut up b****, fight me.”  Enough said. 

  • North Carolina: Eric Church

Country star Eric Church grew up in Granite Falls, NC, and graduated from Appalachian State University.

  • North Dakota: Josh Duhamel

Famous for his good looks and his work in countless successful films, Josh Duhamel is originally from Minot, North Dakota. 

  • Ohio: Lebron James

Before becoming the all-time NBA playoffs scoring leader, Lebron was the star of his high school prep team in Akron, Ohio.

  • Oklahoma: Kristin Chenoweth

This multi-platform star was adopted at five days old by a couple from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Kristin spent her entire childhood in Broken Arrow and even maintained her Oklahoma loyalty when she attended Oklahoma City University and earned her bachelor’s degree in musical theater. 

  • Oregon: Beverly Cleary

Girls who remember the characters of Henry, Beezus, and Ramona probably grew up reading Beverly Cleary, one of the most famous children’s book authors in America. She was born and raised in Oregon.

  • Pennsylvania: Taylor Swift

I have to admit, I was surprised by this one – turns out Taylor didn’t grow up in a sleepy southern town after all. She’s actually from Reading, the 5th largest city in PA. 

  • Rhode Island: Isabella Barrett

She’s only 12 years old, but the Rhode Island tween gained fame from the TLC show Toddlers in Tiaras. 

  • South Carolina: Darius Rucker

Former “Hootie and the Blowfish” lead and current solo country star, Darius Rucker was born in Charleston and attended the University of South Carolina.

  • South Dakota: Tom Brokaw

Brokaw was born in Webster, South Dakota. Before beginning his broadcasting career, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from USD.

  • Tennessee: Justin Timberlake

This pop star was born in Memphis and grew up in a small town nearby, called Shelby Forest.

  • Texas: Bobby Berk

America’s favorite interior designer, known for his work on Queer Eye, is a Texan by birth. 

  • Utah: Lindsay Arnold

Born and raised in Utah, Lindsay got her start as a successful contestant on ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’ Now she’s a professional dancer on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ 

  • Vermont: Hannah Teter

Olympic snowboarder Hannah Teter scored a gold medal in the 2006 Games and a silver in 2010. She was born in Belmont, Vermont.

  • Virginia: Sandra Bullock 

Bullock was born in Arlington, Virginia, and spent her childhood in both the United States and Germany. 

  • Washington: Bill Gates

Bill Gates grew up in Seattle, where he started programming computers in middle school.

  • West Virginia: Steve Harvey

This famous comedian, host, and TV star was born in Welch, West Virginia. 

  • Wisconsin: Dan Harmon

Harmon, the creator of ‘Rick and Morty,’ grew up in Milwaukee. 

  • Wyoming: Jackson Pollock

Whatever you think about Pollock’s style, there’s no doubt that he had a huge influence on art and culture during his life. Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming, in 1912. 

Collegiettes, every state has something special to offer whether it’s celebrities, food, or attractions. Don’t forget to be proud of where you come from!

Katya Engalichev is a New Hampshire native currently studying at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Although she intends to pursue a career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, writing has always been one of her greatest passions and she hopes to expand her repertoire through Her Campus. In addition to writing and promoting mental health awareness, Katya enjoys creating art, watching The Office, playing soccer, listening to Lana Del Rey, and riding her horse, Billy.
Winthrop University is a small, liberal arts college in Rock Hill, SC.