The 50 States through the Eyes of a Gen-Xer (Alabama

Like a snowflake, no two states are alike. We've seen states grouped by the music they listen to, the food they buy, the celebrities best known from that state and now a list of the best-known invention from each state. But what about what truly matters... what comes to my mind when I think of a particular state.

I came across a list today that named the biggest invention that particular state saw invented inside its borders. At least 45 of the inventions on the list were a surprise to me as to where it was invented. It's hard to associate a state with an invention when you never knew it was invented there.

As a result, I've created my own list of the 50 states and what each state means to me. I've lived in 7 states, one district (of Columbia) and one foreign country, so I've seen a few of these places. Here's the first thing I think of when I think of each of the 50 states, with the first five states coming today.