If you’ve ever seen one of those size comparison maps where, say, Texas is overlayed on Central Europe, you start to get a sense for how unnervingly vast The United States is.

Even with a population of around 330 million, life for many Americans can feel like living in a strange ghost town. A lot of great literature and poetry has been written about the American experience, and if any of that captures your imagination, then you definitely need to check out this surreal Tumblr thread, in which writers spin dreadfully fascinating descriptions of the soul of their home states.

It’s pretty chillingly good. Enjoy!

12. America

11. Maine

10. New Mexico

9. Minnesota

8. Maryland

7. Colorado

6. California

5. New Jersey

4. West Virginia

3. Ohio

2. Texas

1. Florida

How would you describe life in your hometown/state?

Wax poetic for us in the comments! And, of course, make it spooky AF!