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United States of America

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|country = United States of America
|language = English (de facto), Spanish widely spoken in southwest and Florida
|capital = [[Washington D.C.|Washington DC]]|pop = 303317,893791,000
|currency = American Dollar ($)
|BW = US|map= <map lat='39.44525647027036' lng='-98.6623687744132' zoom='3' view='0' />|hitch = {{Average}} to {{Good}}<rating country='us' />
}}
'''''For specific information on each state please have a look at the bottom of this page.'''''[[File:Kasper-hitch-nh.jpg|thumb|250px|[[User:guaka|guaka]]<small><sup>[http://guaka.org/ site], [[User talk:guaka|wikitalk]]</sup></small> hitching in New England, taken by [[User:Amylin|amylin]], September 2007]]
'''The United States of America''' as , commonly called '''The U.S.A.''', or simply '''America''' is a country is divided up into consisting of 50 states; for . For the convenience of the common hitchhiker , these states are discussed in detail along with their capitals at the following in their individual pages (see below). The US is bordered by [[Canada]] to the North north and [[Mexico]] to the Southsouth.
Hitching, like everything else in America, varies greatly depending on what type of area and what part of the country you are passing through. In general you can get rides fairly easily if you hitchhike the right way; in fact, often you can find more than just rides, such as offers for free meals, invitations to homes and parties, etc.
In most states you can't hitch from the interstates ([[motorway]]s) themselves, but you can always stand at [[on-ramp]]s (highway entries) like in [[Europe]]. In some areas (such as certain towns or municipal areas) hitching is illegal everywhere, however, it is still allowed de facto. The police in a region may interpret laws related to hitchhiking differently, at times forcing a hitchhiker to choose an alternate route by walking or using other means of transportation. In most cases, though, hitchhiking is legal or tolerated as long as you are not on the interstate itself, where it is rightly considered a safety issue. There are also many limited-access highways (i.e. with on-ramps and [[off-ramp]]s) that are not part of the interstate system; these typically prohibit hitchhiking as well (other than at the on-ramp).__TOC__
It's generally easier to hitchhike on the West Coast. In [[Oregon]], it's not even prohibited by law to hitchhike right on interstates. == Culture ==
Relatively quite Many Americans have a few people limited worldview. (I can say this because I am one.) We think there are two places in the United States are profoundly religiousworld: America and other places. People who pick you up might inquire about Don't waste your religiontime explaining that "American" is an incorrect demonym. If you're not religious, try And get used to deal with it in a positive way and accept the differenceour senseless system of measurement. More often you will be picked up by really cool people, and often dropped off exactly at the point of your destination, as hitchhiker [[User:Guaka|Guaka]]It's experience shows, for examplea part of our culture.
== Long vs. short distance ==If you're going for speed over Despite a long distance (3+ hours)large number of immigrants all across the country, then most Americans are still curious about people from different parts of the best bet is to stay on the interstates (designated world, fascinated by "I-##) instead of local highways. Try foreign accents, and eager to stick introduce visitors to on-ramps that have truck stopsAmerican culture. Despite an undercurrent of xenophobia and racism in rural parts of the country, [[rest area|rest stops]] or any other reason for drivers Americans tend to stop there (restaurants, [[gas stations]], etc.) You can also look for rides at the truck stops themselveshave a pragmatic view towards foreigners: Americans might profoundly dislike your country of origin, but be discreet about it as some a staff or customers are rather unfriendly to hitchers and they will rudely ask you to leave their territory or call the police on rarely hold that against youas an individual.
If you are only going a few hundred kilometersRelative to other Western countries, you can often make better time on state or local roads. There people in the rural United States are many more places to wait at, and there is much more potential trafficprofoundly religious. Most of the traffic on the Interstate system won't be able to notice People who pick you while on the on-rampup might inquire about your religion. Even if If you are going long distances're not religious, if you aren't concerned about making good time then getting off try to deal with it in a positive way and accept the interstates can be a very rewarding experiencedifference. Local highways and smaller roads will grant you Despite a better picture level of what local life is like religious intolerance much higher than in that areaEurope, and typically offer Americans tend to have a greater variety pragmatic approach to people of unfamiliar religious backgrounds: Americans tend not to judge you badly even if they might be suspicious of driversyour religion.
== Police ==OftenMore often you will be picked up by really cool people, particularly close to major citiesand often dropped off exactly at the point of your destination, the as hitchhiker [[policeUser:Guaka|Guaka]] will ask you for photo ID, but as long as you have one with you (such as a passport) there shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time they will be friendly when you come up cleans experience shows, sometimes even driving you to a better spotfor example.
In most states, such as [[New Jersey]], [[Virginia]] and [[New York State]], on === Cars ===''Driving in the East Coast and [[Nevada]] and [[Arizona]] United States is similar to driving in the WestCanada, there are [[law]]s against hitchhiking that are possible to be circumnavigatedbut very different from driving in Europe. Most often, the laws state that the hitchhiker may It is not "solicit a ride" in any uncommon for Americans to drive more than an hour each wayto work, iand 77 percent of Americans drive alone to their jobs.e. showing a sign or a thumb to traffic. The police could ticket you for ''loitering'' or ''vagrancy''. If the police passes and sees a hitchhiker walking or sitting by the side of the road without soliciting in any way, they may still stop Most states allow people to check IDs but technically drive unaccompanied once they have no reason to pull you over. As a result, reached the best result is to not use a sign or your thumb whenever an oncoming car looks like a police cruiserage of 16. The laws are enforced because of "traffic safety" reasons mostly but in reality police rarely gives tickets to hitchhikers '' - they just check IDs for warrants whenever possible[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_in_the_United_States Wikipedia: Driving in the United States]
== Car License Plate ==Every state issues its own specific There are more than 250 million registered vehicles in the USA, the most of any country. Everyone has a car plates, and gas is so cheap that people drive everywhere. For example, As a car from Alabama will have result there are a specific [http://enlot of roads and highways.wikipedia.org/wiki/License_plates_of_the_United_States Car license] tagged as such Sometimes you may need to change your technique to accommodate unfamiliar infrastructure. In some StatesSometimes it can be hard to find a place with slow traffic! Although traffic is heavy, the license plate will hitchhiking is also show the county of residencehard because nobody trusts somebody with no car. This can be added information if (Why don't you spot such have a car that might ? There must be going the same direction as something wrong with you are going. ) It might also be helpful would help to look like a foreigner, but don't go so far as to wave a foreign flag around. Hitchhiking is not as common as in Europe and Latin America, so expect to have to explain yourself, possibly to write down the license plate number in case of foul playpolice. (See the section on police below).
== Food Transportation system ==
=== Interstates ===[[File:2006-interstate-map.png|right|A map of the interstate system in 2006. ]]An 'interstate', also known as an ' Eat: ''expressway'''Look, if you are friendly'''freeway''', at least in my experience in the US or (I have never been elsewhereconfusingly) people will offer to buy you food at restaurants ALL THE TIME. Aditionally'''highway''', they will just throw you some bucks to eat. From change to $100. $100 dollars has happened to us twice. $60 dollars has happened to us several times and we have been given so many twenties... The key is the right type of answer when they aska large, concernedlymultilane road that covers vast distances, what do and passes through major cities. If you do to eat- "Naw, wearen're pretty much all right, we got *some* money." (Sad and scrappy slight but pointed emphasis t planning on going to the "some")- if they've asked this question and you answer this way countryside, youprobably won'll basically always get a friendly handout- *for which you should thank them profusely*, of courset need to stray far from the interstate system. :)
Once you open your mind to it, there Interstates are actually many opportunities for dumpster diving in urban areasdesignated on maps by "I-..." and have road signs [http://hitchwiki.org/en/File:InterstateSign.svg#file like this]. Port cities Even-numbered routes run from west to east and are especially goodnumbered from south to north. NoteFor example, [[I-10]] runs across the south from [[L.A.]] to [[Jacksonville, FL]], however that dumpster diving is in a similar sort of gray area as hitchhikingand I-90 across the North from [[Seattle]] to [[Boston]]. Likewise, odd-numbered expressways start with local legality depending on [[I-5]] along the particular state's laws, west coast (Seattle to L.A.) and I-95 along the prevalent attitudes of local law enforcement officerseast coast ([[Maine]] to [[Miami]]).
Grocery stores The main interstates have two or three numbers, as in I-8 or I-76. Offshoots or ring roads will have a preceeding digit, for example, I-295, which runs along I-95.  == Methods for catching rides ==If you're going for speed over a long distance (3+ hours), then the best bet is to stay on the interstates. Highways are prime targets better for shorter or more senic trips.  === Interstates ==='''Thumbing it on on-ramps''' is sometimes the best way to hitchhike the interstates. Standing along the shoulder with a thumb or sign can take a few hours so bring something to read. Try to stick to exits that large towns, truck stops, [[rest area|rest stops]] or any other reason for food drivers to stop there (restaurants, [[petrol station hitchhiking|gas stations]], hotels, etc.). Ask a driver to drop you off at on on-ramp with plenty of traffic.  For this same reason, be prepared to turn down a ride with someone who's "just going to the next exit". Getting dropped off on a low-traffic exit is the gravest danger when hitching on interstates. It can easily lead to long, long delays of a car every ten minutes and none of them stopping. Eventually you may give up and stand on the highway or walk a few miles to the next exit. Since pedestrians are not allowed along interstates in most states, you are likely to be picked up by a state trooper. In the best case, your ID will be check and you may will be given a lift to the next exit. See the section on police.  When making '''signs''' in the states, it best to use the two-letter state abbreviations, which are universally understood, notable exceptions being OK, HI, and LA. The first two could be confused for words, the last ([[Louisiana]]) could be confused with ([[Los Angeles]]). Additionally:  *"Philly" = [[Philadelphia]]*"D.C." = [[Washington, D.C.]]*"N.Y.C." = [[New York City]]*"S.F" = [[San Francisco]]*"L.A." = [[Los Angeles]]*"NOLA" = [[New Orleans]] (not universally understood, but in the South at least) '''Asking for rides at rest areas or gas stations''', is often one of the quickest ways to get a very long distance ride, but soliciting and loitering is might be prohibited there and sometimes you will be kicked out before finding a ride. A good way to avoid being kicked out is to greet everyone entering the building with a friendly smile and give them a friendly nod, then ask them for a ride as they leave the building. This gives them time to become comfortable with your presence and prevents them from having the opportunity to complain about your solicitation to the employees.  '''Asking for rides at truck stops''' is the same way. As a rule, Love's, Petro, and TA will be the quickest to kick you out. Pilot/Flying J truck stops and smaller locally owned truck stops are generally a lot more lenient. You may even find signs that prohibit you from soliciting a ride, so caution is necessary like asking instead of showing them a sign to your destination. === US/State Highways ===If you are only going a hundred miles or less, you can often make better time on US highways, state highways, or even local roads. Even if you are going long distances, if you aren't concerned about making good time, getting off the interstates can be a very rewarding experience. Local highways will grant you a better picture of what local life is like in that area, and typically offer a greater variety of drivers and scenery. To hitchhike on these highways, it is best to stand at the edge of town right before the speed limit picks up, even walking on the highways also helps as shoulders most of the way are pretty wide. Standing at stop lights outside of towns along these highways is also a great way to catch a ride, even if the speed limit is quite high. === Urban and Suburban Short Distance ===If you are hitchhiking within a large metropolitan area and trying to get to another part of the city, it is best to stay on the interstate on-ramps unless you want to do a lot of walking. Most larger cities have interstates passing through them and often have one or more spur or circumferential interstates surrounding them. These spur and circumferential interstates are designated by a three-digit highway number with signs that look just like normal blue interstate signs. When hitchhiking on these roads, it is best to accept every ride, even if they are only going a mile, as each exit you get to is closer to your destination and you are unlikely to get stranded on any of these ramps due to the amount of traffic. An alternate method to hitchhiking within urban areas is to walk up to cars stuck at red lights and ask them in person if you can have a ride in the direction they are going. This works best if they already have their window down, but usually people will roll their window down to talk to you if you stand in front of their car trying to get their attention. Another way is to pay a small amount for public transportation to drop you off outside the city(check your map/GPS). You may also wish to try asking for rides at smaller local gas stations, but you are unlikely to make as much progress doing this. === Getting out of big cities ===You may find yourself in very sprawled out cities like LA or Phoenix, then try your luck on Craigslist! I (http:trash//hitchwiki.org/en/User:Trader JoeNora) crossed the US and found a few rides on Craiglist, messaging people who offer rides and asking if they would take me for free. Probably works best as a foreigner and a girl, but is worth a try. And maybe you can 'pay'in stories or music! == Police/Laws ==[[File:Unitedstateslaws.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Overview of hitchhiking laws by state.<br> Green: Hitchhiking legal while on the shoulder of the road <br> Yellow: Hitchhiking legal while off the traveled portion of the road, stay in the grass to be safe. <br> Red: Hitchhiking is completely illegal.<br> Gray: Specific laws, check the respective state article(s).]] The legal status of hitchhiking in the United States is a bit of a difficult topic; laws and their enforcement differ greatly from state to state as does the information available online and in general knowledge. Many people (including police officers) mistakenly believe hitchhiking is illegal anywhere in the US; sometimes you'll get away with holding a cardboard sign but not with holding out your thumb, and sometimes nobody will hassle you even if you stand or walk right on the interstate. The specific articles on states will give you more information on this topic. === Police === Many police in this country have arrest quotas, not to mention many police (not all!) are assholes. That being said, you may encounter an officer of the law who is a rather enthusiastic about giving you a hard time. Keep in mind that even foreigners have rights, such as the right to refuse being searched. For good information about dealing with the police, check out https://www.flexyourrights.org/  Being in a state which permits hitchhiking does not guarantee that the police will not harass you. Most police don't know the laws and will tell you it is illegal to hitchhike in that state. [[User:Thewindandrain|Trader JoeThewindandrain]] argues with cops on a regular basis and refuses to stop hitchhiking where it is legal. He has been innocently arrested for this twice, but has remained confident and never been taken to jail even after being cuffed and in the car and continuing to stand up for his rights. They are usually bluffing right to the very end. If you know the law in that state, don't be afraid to tell the police they are wrong! Frequently when confronted with your response, law enforcement officers will react unprofessionally and occasionally aggressively and even in a discriminatory way if you are not their race (sad but true: white people will have an easier time than blacks or latinos). They may curse, call you names, and/or threaten to arrest you if they see you hitchhiking again and then leave the scene. This is usually a bluff. They may even cuff you then give you a ride out of their jurisdiction. Occasionally they may admit to their mistake and leave you alone. If you are uncomfortable and feel threatened by the officer, you may request to speak to his/her supervisor. Supervisors will show up to talk with you about the law openly and professionally. === National laws ===The only nationwide law (Code of Federal Regulations) that prohibits hitchhiking is 36 CFR 4.31 which states that hitchhiking is illegal on any property under jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior: National Park Service. This includes but is not limited to National Parks, National Scenic Byways, and National Recreation Areas. This law is often amended to allow hitchhiking at the discretion of each park. Check with the park's respective state article for information === State and local laws ===Look to the map pictured above which indicates each state's laws. Most often, the laws state that the hitchhiker may not "solicit a ride" "on a roadway". The word roadway is usually defined in state statute books as "exclusive of a shoulder" or "the traveled portion of the highway", making these statutes easy to circumvent. In most states it'sillegal to hitch from the interstates ([[highway|motorways]]) themselves (though enforcement of this rule varies), but you can typically stand at [[on-ramp]] s (highway entries). That being said, understand that the ramps are still technically considered interstate property and are illegal for pedestrians to be on, although it is almost without exception permitted if you stand in front of the "no pedestrians" sign.  In some areas (such as certain towns or Starbucks municipal areas) hitching is illegal everywhere, however, it is still allowed de facto. In most cases, hitchhiking is legal or tolerated. There are also many limited-access highways (i.e. with on-ramps and [[off-ramp]]s) that are not part of the interstate system which prohibit pedestrians as well. [[California]] is notorious for prohibiting pedestrians on many of its controlled access highways. Even in states where hitchhiking is illegal, the law is rarely enforced. Wyoming Highway Patrol reports that in 2010, they approached 524 hitchhikers but only cited eight of them (note that hitchhiking is no longer illegal in Wyoming as of 2013!) If the police pass you walking or sitting by the side of the road without soliciting in any way, they may still stop to check IDs, but you are especially not required to identify yourself unless there is suspicion that you could have committed a crime. You may wish to hide your thumb or sign when a police car is approaching to avoid being hassled. Often, particularly close to major cities, the [[police]] will ask you for photo ID, but as long as you have one with you (such as a passport) there shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time they will be polite when you come up clean, and not too rarely they'll give you a lift out of their area to get rid of you. Especially in smaller towns and in the countryside, the officer stopping you is likely to never have an unlocked dumpsterseen a passport before. If that's your form of ID, bear with the delay caused, help the poor guy out by point out which is your name and your birth date and enjoy the confusion and the hilarious misconceptions that arise. Tourists who intend to cross into the USA by hitchhiking should note that the US immigration department will log that you have been hitchhiking, should they discover that you are. This log will be visible to any guard who subsequently checks your immigration status. If you decide to leave and has lots enter the USA again, it may make your entry back into the USA more difficult if it is not a hitchhiker friendly state. == Personal Experiences == [[File:Unitedstateshitchhiking.jpg|thumb|400px|''Relative Ease of Hitchhiking Each State of America (based on a survey of organicshitchhikers with 114,000 miles cumulative experience.)''. Grocery stores cannot sell packaged foods past their expiration date<br> Green: Easy <br> Yellow: Average <br> Red: Difficult]] ''Haven't hitched extensively there, but where I have, the experiences have been unique. I've hitched Oregon to Mexico along the famous highway 101. I also hitched from Oregon to Chicago on i90 in the dead of winter. Lots of clothes for that one, and a warm place to retreat to at every stop. The most remarkable thing about hitching in the States is that you get picked up by REALLY interesting people. Not all the time. But our beloved weirdos are more common in the US than anywhere else I've hitched. Regardless of what you think about the States, it's easily one of the most interesting places to hitchhike, especially if you LIKE adventure.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]]  ''Have hitchhiked moderately in US, about 9, 000 miles(including ferries and train hopping). Its a diverse country so throw generalizing a state or even a county(as I have been picked up in the most conservative counties) would not be right. I have been picked up by really awesome people(some of them away are now my friends), Friendly cops(who offered me water and money) to discriminatory cops(who just wanted to get rid of me), people who turned out to be gay(asked sexual favors), bored people looking for a good conversation(what you have to do is just listen and and ask question to acknowledge that you are listening), people who saw me as a curious and tired foreigner etc. It was a great experience and helped me learn a lot about the culture here. One thing I learned is that if you are having fun then you get picked up easily as compared to when you are not. My personal favorite states are [[Alaska]] and [[Missouri]].'' - [[User:Keep_trying|Tarun]]  ''I hitchhiked over 200,000 miles in 50 states of the US, 19 states of Mexico, and 8 provinces of Canada I would say in general that it is easy to hitchhike in all those countries but some of the most difficult places are in America. Each state varies greatly in geography and ease of hitchhiking. In the south, for example it is easier to hop freight trains since the hitching is so difficult. My favorite states for travelers are [[Colorado]], [[California]], [[New Mexico]], [[Oregon]], and [[Arkansas]]. I have hitched alone, and with numbers of other people. Hitchhiking with two people or large equipment like a bicycle or kayak seems to give shortest waits. I would rank hitchhiking as a slightly more risky activity than cycle touring on windy highways with no shoulder. These days I prefer to ride freight trains and motorized bicycles, and I recommend you do the same.'' - [[User:Thewindandrain|Thewindandrain]]  ''I hitchhiked from Panama to the US, intending to go through the whole of the US by hitchhiking with my little brother. I cannot recommend to hitchhike in pairs. It takes _days_ to find rides. We looked like regular guys, did 20k+ miles in more than 10 countries. If you do it, do it alone.'' - Summer '14  ''I crossed the US from Boston to San Francisco the southern way. The north east is tough, prepare for some waits and looks as if you were not worth anyone's attention. Luckily it gets better soon! Texas was the best state for me, lots of rides even from women, and basically no waites. Also California is pretty good to hitchhike, though more tourists. To all girls - it's definitely safe enough in my opinion, though I was asked for sex a few times by people not understanding hitchhiking much. And in general - for me waites for longer than in Europe (when alone I have to hardly wait longer than 10 minutes ever), but still wrapped the longest wait during the whole trip were ~2 hours at a bad spot.'' - [[user:Nora|Nora]] == Links == Analyses of hitchhiking in the USA by [[User:Korn|Korn]] on warmroads.de [https://warmroads.de/en/hitchhiking-in-19-the-usa/ - Hitchhiking in dumpsters behind the storeUSA.]  == Nomadwiki & Trashwiki == {{nomadwiki}}
Another great place to dive is food distribution centers. As they supply restaurants, their food comes in bulk and they throw out their food sometimes days before the expiration date. Google Maps can help you turn up locations. ''Check Trashwiki for detailed information on [[:trash:United States of America|dumpster diving in the United States]].''
''' Drink: '''
It is often possible to retrieve used cups from the trash at fast food restaurants with "free refill" policies and refill them.
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