Have people always looked at the individual states in a strictly political way?

We hear/read it all the time:
California sucks- lose em
Texas sucks-lose em
Red states, blue states.
When I think of California I think of the Redwood Forest, the Pacific coast.
When I think of Texas I think of Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande.
If I had unlimited time and money I'd spend a lot of it exploring the jewels all 50 has to offer.
F**k politics.