Most states, I have some cattle ranches around me in Ohio and I see folks in cowboy hats around here occasionally. Certainly not the norm but still normal. People can really wear what they want for the most part
It’s pretty common in more or less any area with farming. It isn’t a fashion statement, it’s a useful bit of clothing while you’re working in the ag industry.
Also, in most places that have a rural area nearby, there will be some people who are all hat, no cattle.
Almost 30 years later, I still remember how surprised I was as a 19-year-old from the Northeast when I went on a cross-country road trip and saw people in cowboy hats when I stopped for gas in southwestern Missouri.
Normal in every context, ranch states. CO, MT, WY, KS, NM, AZ, NE, ID. Denver CO you’d probably get looked at, but they’re probably from Delware so it don’t really matter. We wear them a lot down here in FL as well, though trucker hats are more normal for men. Women will wear cowboy hats here.
You see them a lot in New Mexico, Texas, parts of Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, etc…but at the same time, context matters and you have to be able to pull it off naturally. I live in New Mexico and I’d look like a poser tool walking around with a cowboy hat because nothing about me says cowboy.
States well known for ranching, like Texas. You could also theoretically wear them in every state, but you’ll likely only see one in areas with ranching and farms.
It’s not really about the state, and more about the specific place.
People in the US don’t wear hats very much, at least not compared to the middle of the 20th century. Consequently, most hats other than a baseball cap or a knit beanie really stand out.
I recommend not wearing the cowboy hat and the cowboy boots at the same time, unless you’re actively attending a rodeo, livestock auction, or country music event.
A lot of people are using the Mississippi as the dividing line for where they become more common but it starts further west than that. I would draw the line coming down about 3/4 of the way west through ND, SD, NE, and KS, and then snake east to include all of OK and TX.
The entire southwest, from Southern California to Texas, and maybe Louisiana and Florida. Add Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. The Dakotas. Maybe there’s others I haven’t thought of.
Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Nebraska, Idaho, and maybe both Dakotas. Also Nevada outside of Vegas.
Standard fare in the southwest, plains and lots of other places.
I mean, I’m pretty sure there are parts of all states where that would be acceptable. There’s a lot of farming all over the Midwest, so all of those states.
Every state out west as well. I guess the only part of the country I would question someone wearing one regularly would be New England but that’s the only part of the country I’ve never been well traveled to. So I couldn’t tell you what Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island all look like. But I can tell you that New York State has plenty of farming where that’s acceptable, as well as Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey….
It depends on what you’re doing in most states that aren’t Midwest, Texas, Alaska. Wearing my cowboy hat out in the national forest in Florida, totally normal. Wearing it to Publix, gonna get looks
Pretty much any rural area of any state, but the following states it would be completely normal to wear everywhere (work, in the city, out to dinner, etc): Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, N/S. Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida.
Generally, draw a line from Texas and Oklahoma, to the N-NW towards Montana, then down to Utah, then back to Texas. If you are inside that triangle, literally anyone anywhere at anytime in any context can wear a cowboy hat and fully get away with it largely without anyone looking twice or having a second thought. Middle of a downtown on a Friday night, or middle of nowhere on a Tuesday afternoon, won’t really matter.
Outside of that triangle, it will largely depend on context. Anyone involved in farming or ranching can get away with it, especially if they have dirty/dusty/soiled clothes and the hat is dirty with sweat stains and a bend here or there to its shape. Any “cowboy” (especially of the rodeo variety) will get away with it. Country music stars or concert attendees, or those visiting a “honky tonk” style bar, will get away with it.
But if you dont have one of those contexts, then outside that triangle, you will get second looks and people thinking twice about “is that guy/girl seriously wearing a cowboy hat here?”
Really anywhere west of the Mississippi, but context is important. Somebody wearing a cowboy hat in San Francisco? A little weird.
I wear one most days but I can’t imagine wearing my hat with no boots. And I live in California. It’s fantastic for what it’s intended for, keeping the sun off my face and neck. A ball cap won’t do that.
I’m more likely to notice someone who’s obviously new to Western clothing, the “just spent $500 at Boot Barn” or “headed to Stagecoach” type. Brand new hat, jeans that are too short and show off the boot shaft when they sit down, and shiny new boots, and obviously uncomfortable in it.
No gate keeping from me but if you’re gonna wear it, own it.
Side anecdote: apparently there’s a lot of people out there who want to cosplay a little more accurately. A guy in a thrift store in the LA area asked to buy my old 💩-kickers when I was done with them, and I sold a beat up old Carhartt chore coat for twice what I paid for it new. Hey, if y’all wanna do that that’s on you!
I’m a native Arizonan and most of the people I see wearing cowboy hats are people I’d judge as dorks unless they’re actually doing agricultural work outside.
Especially Republican politicians from Scottsdale lmao
The people saying “New England” must not be from here, because fucking lol.
Nah dude. Not even backwoods swamp-yankees would be caught dead wearing that nonsense. They may be “practical”…..but there are other hats that are more functional at what they do, and dont make you look like a clown
Baseball caps in the summer, knit-caps in the winter. Maybe a round-brimmed felt hat if you are feeling “traditional”, or a flat-cap/newsboy if you want to dress up, but a cowboy hat?
Its funny because in 7th grade we had a bunch of french exchange kids come to our school and they all arrived in cowboy hats, not realizing no one wears them up here.
I live in New England and wear a straw cowboy hat when I’m on my tractor. It keeps the sun off. I say , wear what you want. I don’t assume everyone who wears a baseball cap plays baseball or backwards baseball for those the wear it backwards.
North Carolina checking in. We’re technically in the suburbs, but on a couple acres. Husband and I each have one we wear for outside chores. Great sun protection! We wouldn’t wear them to the grocery store though.
Comments
Texas, Alaska.
It’s not about location but context. You could wear one anywhere in the right context
Texas.
States known for ranching so anything from Montana to West Texas except the couple major cities.
Wyoming
It’s not gonna be abnormal anywhere really, but definitely more normal West of the Mississippi River.
Most states, I have some cattle ranches around me in Ohio and I see folks in cowboy hats around here occasionally. Certainly not the norm but still normal. People can really wear what they want for the most part
In rural areas? Just about every state. I don’t see it much up north, but it wouldn’t shock me.
In urban areas? The Great Plains and mountain west states.
Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, New Mexico, Colorado
Any of them if you work in agriculture.
I see it basically every day in Texas. If I go downtown, I will sometimes even see cops on horseback patrolling.
Many of them. There are ranches and farms in lots of places where a cowboy hat would be worn. Including California and Hawaii.
Wyoming, where Broke Back Mountain is set.
Obviously Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona and maybe Nevada. On a smaller scale, Idaho, Utah and the Dakotas.
It is common in all Western states.
The southwest/west (but not including the actual west coast states)
It’s pretty common in more or less any area with farming. It isn’t a fashion statement, it’s a useful bit of clothing while you’re working in the ag industry.
Also, in most places that have a rural area nearby, there will be some people who are all hat, no cattle.
Almost 30 years later, I still remember how surprised I was as a 19-year-old from the Northeast when I went on a cross-country road trip and saw people in cowboy hats when I stopped for gas in southwestern Missouri.
No easy answer. It’s more of an urban/ rural split. In general, they are more common in western and southern states.
Florida – at least some parts We raise a lot of cattle.
You can probably find cowboy hats and cowboys in every state west of Mississippi.
Normal in every context, ranch states. CO, MT, WY, KS, NM, AZ, NE, ID. Denver CO you’d probably get looked at, but they’re probably from Delware so it don’t really matter. We wear them a lot down here in FL as well, though trucker hats are more normal for men. Women will wear cowboy hats here.
You see them a lot in New Mexico, Texas, parts of Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, etc…but at the same time, context matters and you have to be able to pull it off naturally. I live in New Mexico and I’d look like a poser tool walking around with a cowboy hat because nothing about me says cowboy.
States well known for ranching, like Texas. You could also theoretically wear them in every state, but you’ll likely only see one in areas with ranching and farms.
It’s not really about the state, and more about the specific place.
People in the US don’t wear hats very much, at least not compared to the middle of the 20th century. Consequently, most hats other than a baseball cap or a knit beanie really stand out.
I recommend not wearing the cowboy hat and the cowboy boots at the same time, unless you’re actively attending a rodeo, livestock auction, or country music event.
A lot of people are using the Mississippi as the dividing line for where they become more common but it starts further west than that. I would draw the line coming down about 3/4 of the way west through ND, SD, NE, and KS, and then snake east to include all of OK and TX.
The entire southwest, from Southern California to Texas, and maybe Louisiana and Florida. Add Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. The Dakotas. Maybe there’s others I haven’t thought of.
I think it’s funny how no one has said Louisiana! I see a lot of them here, pretty normal.
Tennessee
Texas, Montana, Wyoming, new Mexico, Arizona, Nevada…
In Maricopa County Arizona, it’s part of the class A (law enforcement) uniform.
All of them. It’s just a hat and if you wear it with confidence, it’s a good look. You don’t have to go with full cowboy attire, either.
Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Nebraska, Idaho, and maybe both Dakotas. Also Nevada outside of Vegas.
Standard fare in the southwest, plains and lots of other places.
I mean, I’m pretty sure there are parts of all states where that would be acceptable. There’s a lot of farming all over the Midwest, so all of those states.
Every state out west as well. I guess the only part of the country I would question someone wearing one regularly would be New England but that’s the only part of the country I’ve never been well traveled to. So I couldn’t tell you what Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island all look like. But I can tell you that New York State has plenty of farming where that’s acceptable, as well as Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey….
In New York it used to be common for gay prostitutes to dress up like tv cowboys. So if that’s what you’re doing in the city, perfectly normal.
Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, eastern Washington, Montana, Wyoming, both Dakotas, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, western Louisiana.
It depends on what you’re doing in most states that aren’t Midwest, Texas, Alaska. Wearing my cowboy hat out in the national forest in Florida, totally normal. Wearing it to Publix, gonna get looks
Pretty much any rural area of any state, but the following states it would be completely normal to wear everywhere (work, in the city, out to dinner, etc): Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, N/S. Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida.
Generally, draw a line from Texas and Oklahoma, to the N-NW towards Montana, then down to Utah, then back to Texas. If you are inside that triangle, literally anyone anywhere at anytime in any context can wear a cowboy hat and fully get away with it largely without anyone looking twice or having a second thought. Middle of a downtown on a Friday night, or middle of nowhere on a Tuesday afternoon, won’t really matter.
Outside of that triangle, it will largely depend on context. Anyone involved in farming or ranching can get away with it, especially if they have dirty/dusty/soiled clothes and the hat is dirty with sweat stains and a bend here or there to its shape. Any “cowboy” (especially of the rodeo variety) will get away with it. Country music stars or concert attendees, or those visiting a “honky tonk” style bar, will get away with it.
But if you dont have one of those contexts, then outside that triangle, you will get second looks and people thinking twice about “is that guy/girl seriously wearing a cowboy hat here?”
Any state in the right context. They’re very common at country and western music concerts, whether you’re in Manhattan or Abilene.
Just like generally to wear around? Truly common? Honestly not in most states. At least not in cities.
Wyoming, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, rural inland California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Idaho would be the ones that come to mind.
I’m a ranch hand.
Really anywhere west of the Mississippi, but context is important. Somebody wearing a cowboy hat in San Francisco? A little weird.
I wear one most days but I can’t imagine wearing my hat with no boots. And I live in California. It’s fantastic for what it’s intended for, keeping the sun off my face and neck. A ball cap won’t do that.
I’m more likely to notice someone who’s obviously new to Western clothing, the “just spent $500 at Boot Barn” or “headed to Stagecoach” type. Brand new hat, jeans that are too short and show off the boot shaft when they sit down, and shiny new boots, and obviously uncomfortable in it.
No gate keeping from me but if you’re gonna wear it, own it.
Side anecdote: apparently there’s a lot of people out there who want to cosplay a little more accurately. A guy in a thrift store in the LA area asked to buy my old 💩-kickers when I was done with them, and I sold a beat up old Carhartt chore coat for twice what I paid for it new. Hey, if y’all wanna do that that’s on you!
I’m a native Arizonan and most of the people I see wearing cowboy hats are people I’d judge as dorks unless they’re actually doing agricultural work outside.
Especially Republican politicians from Scottsdale lmao
Less about the state and more about where in the state. I grew up in the Central Valley of California and my grandpa wore one often.
The southern states would probably have them a bit more ubiquitous but it’s more common in the rural areas of most if not all states.
Any states that have people who have heads.
The people saying “New England” must not be from here, because fucking lol.
Nah dude. Not even backwoods swamp-yankees would be caught dead wearing that nonsense. They may be “practical”…..but there are other hats that are more functional at what they do, and dont make you look like a clown
Baseball caps in the summer, knit-caps in the winter. Maybe a round-brimmed felt hat if you are feeling “traditional”, or a flat-cap/newsboy if you want to dress up, but a cowboy hat?
Nah bud.
I never see anyone in a cowboy hat in michigan.
Its funny because in 7th grade we had a bunch of french exchange kids come to our school and they all arrived in cowboy hats, not realizing no one wears them up here.
I live in New England and wear a straw cowboy hat when I’m on my tractor. It keeps the sun off. I say , wear what you want. I don’t assume everyone who wears a baseball cap plays baseball or backwards baseball for those the wear it backwards.
Parts of most states, barring New England
North Carolina checking in. We’re technically in the suburbs, but on a couple acres. Husband and I each have one we wear for outside chores. Great sun protection! We wouldn’t wear them to the grocery store though.
Any place I take my dad – he’s an actual old-school cowboy. But I will say he sticks out in some metro areas.
Wyoming. We’re the cowboy state. 🤠
Wyoming? The Dakotas?