South Carolina - 'nuff said?
Where McD's rolled out the picture cash registers first because people couldn't read or calculate. Where a school district chose to rebuild the gym before replacing textbooks after Hugo hit - and hadn't replaced the textbooks five years later. Where I owned a house next door to the sheriff - when he was selling the old mansion I went in to see if I wanted to buy it. Incredible library - all ruined due to being left exposed to the elements with the windows always open in the heat and high humidity. 1000's of first editions. His comment? "Yep - da people whose built dis place was inta readin' and stuff like that". I went home to have a long cry.
Where when my first was born the first words out of my wife's mouth were "Can we move from here now so the kid can get an education?" (We lived in a 'burb of Charleston, SC). Where my wife went to a local historical society meeting one time and they were making a great big deal on how it was the only plantation with complete records - and when asked why only this one had the records survive the reply was that the books went north with one of the sons - where people treated books with respect so they survived.