Is State Pride Corny?

The majority of my family on my mother’s side hales from Texas, and as I have long known, they take great pride in their state. My uncle, Ray Lasater, who recently died, had lived in Texas all his life, and my wife, Patricia, and I drove there to attend his funeral. 
I am attuned to state flags, and while traveling through the various states, I seldom saw state flags except on government buildings. This all changed when we arrived in Texas. Texas flags were everywhere.
Before attending the funeral, we stayed with my cousin Tommy and his wife, Jana. As I walked through their home, I could not help but notice the number of Texas flags throughout the house — there was a large flag in the foyer; flags on coasters; flags in frames; a flag of stained glass in a window; and even coffee mugs with a  single star and the inscription:  TEXAS – The Lone Star State.
What is it about Texans which causes them to fly their flag so proudly? I can answer that from personal knowledge – they love their state. They have a rich history and they study it in school. It’s like sports fans who buy all manner of stuff bearing their team’s logos. Is it a bad thing, a good thing, or just a thing?
I think it is a good thing. When people take pride in things, they act differently. I don’t think it is an accident that Texas is such a successful state; they are proud of who they are, and it comes out in the way they live their lives.
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What about us New Jerseyans? We are right at the top rung of the most affluent states in the nation. If we took more pride in our accomplishments, might it lead us to even greater things? I think so because the human spirit is everything. When we’re dispirited, we can’t do anything; the opposite is also true. New Jersey, like Texas, has a very rich history. How much do we know about it? Please take a moment to read a synopsis below. 
What we have currently is a situation where many of our children graduate from school and leave the state; further, when locals retire, frequently they move out of state. Can it be that the cost of living and retiring here is too great, and the “Texas” pride factor is missing?
Is what is driving us out just a matter of bringing down property tax, income tax and inheritance and estate tax rates? Doing so will certainly help a great deal. But is it more than that? People usually find money for what they really love, and there is plenty to love about our state.
So why don’t we love it like Texans love Texas? Can it be that we don’t make the effort? Just for starters, might we begin by investing in a New Jersey flag and start flying it outside of our homes? Are we too sophisticated for that? Would it be corny?  I don’t think so.
What could it hurt?
Art Hall
Excerpts of New Jersey History from Wikipedia: 
Prior to 15,000 A.D., an ice sheet hundreds of feet thick had made the area of northern New Jersey uninhabitable. 
European contact began with the exploration of the Jersey Shore by Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. At the time of European contact, many tribes of the Lenape lived in the area.
In the 17th century, the New Jersey region came under the control of the Swedes, the Dutch, and the English. 
In the 18th century, New Jersey became one of the Thirteen Colonies which broke away from Britain in the American Revolution.
In the 19th century, New Jersey cities led the United States into the Industrial Revolution.
In the 20th century, New Jersey’s shipyards and military bases played an important role in the defense of the United States.
Initially, small outposts were built for the fur trade. In May 1624, from a ship under the command of Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, after whom Cape May is named.
New Netherland, between the Delaware River and the Hudson River, was renamed New Jersey after the English Channel Island of Jersey. 
Since New Jersey was ideally located next to the Atlantic Ocean, colonists farmed, fished, and traded by sea.
New Jersey played a major role in creating the structure of the new United States government. When Virginia delegates proposed a plan calling for representation based on the population of each state, the smaller states refused, fearing that with such a plan they would no longer have a say in government affairs. William Paterson, a New Jersey statesman, introduced the New Jersey Plan, by which one vote would be given to each state, providing equal representation within the legislative body. The Great Compromise accepted both plans, creating two separate bodies in the Congress.
The Quaker population was especially intolerant of slavery, and the state was a major part of the Underground Railroad. The New Jersey Legislature passed an act for the gradual abolition of slavery in 1804.
New Jersey sent over 88,000 soldiers as part of some 31 infantry and cavalry regiments, and over 6,000 died in the American Civil War.
Transportation became much easier through the 1920s. Cars became easily affordable, and roads were paved. As a result, people who had never been farther than the outskirts of their hometown now could travel around the state. The Jersey Shore became extremely popular as an attraction.
In 1973, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered the legislature to pass a statute funding schools more equitably for impoverished areas. The legislature passed an income tax bill to pay the cost. Prior to this bill, the state had no income tax.