The new New Jersey?

First it was Brooklyn, then New Jersey... now Texas?

What the heck am I talking about? Back in the day, it seemed like the hotbed of procreation that gave birth to really talented performers was Brooklyn. Witness:

Danny Aiello
Woody Allen
David Blaine
Eubie Blake
Mel Brooks
Ken Burns
Steve Buscemi
Larry David
Jimmy Fallon
Jackie Gleason
Barbra Streisand
(there are, literally, thousands more, but you get the picture)

Then New Jersey got lots of attention for the same reason. Just pick your exit off of the turnpike, right?

Bud Abbott
Bruce Springsteen
Whitney Houston
Count Basie
Jack Nicholson
Brooke Shields
Jason Alexander
Jon Bon Jovi
Zack Braff
Danny DeVito
Meryl Streep
Frank Sinatra
...et cetera

Now, it looks like Texas is the place to grow up (and leave):

Rene Zellweger
Jessica Simpson
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Kelly Clarkson
(but not to give Texas short shrift, let's not forget: Alvin Ailey, Gene Autry, Pat Boone, Gary Busey, JM J. Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Dabney Coleman and others)

Interesting how these entertainers group together... I wonder what the cultures of each place -- and the sterotypes of those cultures -- had to do with their developing their talents?

And, I have to give credit to Bowling for Soup. I was listening to "Ohio (Come Back to Texas)" when this popped into my head...

And why does it seem like many of the very talented comedians are from Canada?