A lot has been said in the media recently about the new acceptance of cougar/cub relationships, and how cougar dating is sweeping the nation.

But have you ever wondered whether it’s a craze that is going on in your home state?

Well, wonder no more. We have put together the State of the Nation – according to Cougared.com, a list of all our 50 great states (plus DC) in order of how well represented they are by female members of cougared.com.

Discover which state could have cougars on every corner (cougar heaven!) and know which pockets of the country are pretty much cougar free zones.

You can check out the table at the bottom of this post to see exactly where your home state lies and we even tell you how it ranks compared to a league table of the general female population.

Hello boys…welcome to Cougar Country

With California being the largest state in the union in terms of population, it’s hardly surprising that there are more Cougared.com members there than anywhere else in the country.

The Golden State is of course the home of LA and in particular Hollywood, where glamor, celebrity and a liberal attitude rule, so it shouldn’t come as a shock that the more mature ladies there do not consider themselves too old for some fun with a younger man; this state is cougar-central and number one in the list.

Laid back Florida is the number two cougar state, proving that there’s more to the Sunshine State than retirement homes, orange groves and alligators. A little Miami Vice anyone?

Good ol’ Texas is number three, as you might expect from such a huge area, where the oil (and cash) flows and the mature ladies like their cowboys fresh from the saddle with minimum baggage.

Perhaps New York women have been taking their lead from hot cougar icon Samantha in the hit show Sex and the City:The Big Apple and its surrounding region sits proudly in fourth spot.

So that’s the mega states but remember that cougar/cub relationships are everywhere. It isn’t just the big boys that deserve a mention in our list of the top cougar states.

Some have way more cougars than you would expect considering the size of the population. It’s here that the trend of acceptance for cougars and cubs is really taking hold and cougar culture is making headway.

Arizona has only the 20th largest female population in the country, but comes out 8th from the top in terms of the number of ladies using Cougared.com. Hey, maybe it gets lonely out there in the desert!

Similarly, Alabama, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, Washington, Colorado and Alaska have much higher proportions of cougar women than their relatively small populations would suggest. So, if you’re planning a holiday or a weekend away with your buddies in search of some cougar/cub action, these areas are hotspots.

Where the Cougars are in perfect proportion

There are some states that have their cougars in perfect proportion; and no, were not talking about those ladies’ vital statistics, shapely as we know they are. In Kansas, Delaware, and Rhode Island, the proportion of women using Cougared.com is just what we expected compared to the size of the female population. But remember, ladies, there is always room for more gorgeous older women.

These cougars aren’t heading south

Sadly not every state benefits from a bounty of beautiful mature women out to date younger men. Down in some of the southern states we’ve found that there are fewer cougars on Cougared.com than there should be when the population is taken into account.

Perhaps those southern belles prefer their good old farm boys a little more their own age, but in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana there is plenty of space for more Cougared.com ladies.

In New Hampshire and Maine there are far fewer cougars than you would hope for, but it’s hardly surprising in these straight-laced states. In Nebraska and Montana perhaps the weather isn’t right for cougars to go out in search of young menfolk, because numbers are down there too.

The same goes for South Dakota, Vermont, Montana, New Mexico, Indiana, and Wisconsin; for those cougars in these states on Cougared.com, there are far more men to choose from, the lucky things.

Cougared.com has more than 50,000 members but if you’re wondering just how many women there are in each state…well you’re just going to have to sign up to find out! It’s 100% free (no strings, no hidden costs, just pure fun!)

Don’t forget to go to the main site at http://www.cougared.com to start your cougar dating experience today!

Tags: cougar dating, US states

Any cougars and cubs who were looking to party on the high seas this summer will have been dismayed to see that Carnival Cruise Lines refused to run Singles Travel Company’s 2nd Cougar Cruise.

Carnival pulled out of hosting a second event this year, claiming that it was purely a “business” decision - despite media speculation that Carnival had decided to shy away from thee cougar/cub scene.

Fortunately for sea-loving cougars and cubs, the mantle has been passed to another leading cruise operator, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. The fun will go ahead, departing from Los Angeles on May 16 for seven nights of fun along the Mexican Riviera. Last year’s cruise attracted around 300 cougars and cubs, and organisers say it’s likely to be bigger and better this year.

Whilst the cruise is going ahead, the incident has raised questions about prejudices towards cougars and cubs. Travel experts have claimed that Carnival pulled out of the cruise to protect its family-friendly image. Does that mean that cougars and cubs are something that companies want to hide away from? We hope not!

Good news…someone has had the idea to create a brand new TV dating gameshow all about sexy cubs and hot cougars. Here at Cougared.com we’re excited at the prospect of Cougar Den hitting our screens in Spring 2010.

Hosted by cougar champion Dr Fayr Barkley, the show features a single cougar and three cubs who compete for her affections. Each cougar must select their cub based on his voice and his answers to her questions, before meeting him for dates to decide if he cuts it as her cub.

The show combines elements of familair series as the ‘Let’s Make a Deal’, Dating Game’, ‘Blind Date’ and ‘Dr.Phil”.

Filmed in Hollywood Center Studios as well as in various locations in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the show will go out to 40 million households on 135 US TV markets. We feel a new TV obsession coming on.

Being a cougar is about way more than just having a thing for younger men, it’s also an attitude; a way of thinking that shows you are a liberated, confident and proactive woman who knows what she wants.

Take Debora Jo Myers for example - the creator of LadyFire.com, a cool (or should that be hot) little site packed full of sexy, inspiring and entertaining articles and opinions.

Debora says, “A Life without Fire, is like a heart without passion”. So if you want to turn the temperature up in your love life, check out LadyFire today.

Every cougar and every cub has a few good dating stories in them. If you’re looking for juicy tales from the date hunting ground, we here at Cougared.com recommend you take a look at Julie Spira’s new book, The Perils of Cyber Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online.

‘So what?’ you say, ‘another book about online dating? Big deal.’ Ah, but this isn’t just any dating book. Spira is a seasoned online dating expert and the creator of www.CyberDatingExpert.com, Ms Spira also provides her expert dating advice as the  LA Dating Advice Examiner, on DateDaily, and is the host of “Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show on BlogTalkRadio. With a career like that, you’d hope she had a bit of dating experience to speak from; and she has.

The book, The Perils of Cyber Dating, lounges languidly over 15 years and tells the tales of 250 dates, each packed with hilarious insights that anyone can relate to, from the freshest frat boy cub to the most mature and sultry cougar. Needless to say, the Cougared.com team have to give this slick and sexy collection of encounters the paw print of approval. Meow!

Ladies, have you ever been caught fantasising out loud about a hot young man…by his mother?  That’s what  happens to Jules Cobb, a 40-something divorcee in the brand new comedy series ‘Cougar Town’ being screened on ABC later this September.

Back on the dating scene for the first time in years Jules, played by super sexy Courtney Cox discovers that men her age are either ‘broken, gay or chasing younger girls’.  So, she thinks, what’s left? Attractive younger men of course! (more…)

Tags: cougar town, courtney cox, jules cobb

Since the term ‘cougar’ came about there has been some confusion on the dating scene as to whether the woman in question has to have plenty of money and be willing to splash the cash on her younger lover to qualify.

The idea that cougars are by default ’sugar mammas’ seems to be a popular concept among some of the guys (although certainly not all) who hit the bars and clubs on a ‘cougar chase’, but it has been challenged by lots of  women who have modest financial means but still consider themselves to be the real deal in the cougar stakes. (more…)

Cougared.com’s relationship advice blogger Lucia recently hosted a speed dating event exclusively for older women and younger men. After the event Lucia sent us this message which we are delighted to publish here on the blog:

“I would like to thank everyone who helped make the launch of Cougar Speed Date on February 11 a huge success.  I don’t think there has ever been a speed dating quite like this before.

I was pleasantly surprised at how attractive the participants were. There was plenty of sushi, vodka shots mixed with Cougar Energy Drink and belly dancers.  To top it off, KTLA was nice enough to stop by and interview me (video to be posted in the near future).

People are already asking about the next one. I don’t have an exact date yet, but I can tell you that it will be a mixer instead of a speed date and it will be even bigger and better than the launch.

Be sure to get on the mailing list (www.cougarspeeddate.com) and be the first to know about our next event!”

Our very own age gap relationship advisor Lucia is hosting a unique speed dating event open to men aged 21-35 and women of 38-50.

Even if you’ve never tried speed dating, you probably know someone who has, or you’ve seen it given the Hollywood treatment on The 40 Year Old Virgin, Hitch and Sex and the City.

If you’re a guy who loves the charm and sophistication of sexy older women, or you’re a fabulous woman who prefers the vitality of younger men, then this is your chance to take it to the next level.

Places are limited, so you’d better hurry to apply if you fancy taking part. Details as follows:

WHEN: Wednesday, February 11, 2009
WHERE: Club Sushi, 6374 W Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, Ca
PRICE: $39
RSVP: www.cougarspeeddate.com

We asked you what the ideal age gap was between an older woman and younger man, and now we know the answer: it’s 10 years.

The poll that has been running since July on Cougared.com and received more than 500 votes. (more…)

Tags: cougar dating poll, ideal age gap, survey