What's the best state in the US?

[Euryalus]

T0ad, I am disappoint. Why do you not represent home country of Michigan?

Home State? Eww disgusting, I'd be ashamed to be from Michigan. Michigan may be in the running for the worst state. Certainly the worst state I've ever lived in.

Not even half joking. It's the worst xD

 

[Ugicywapih]

I dunno, do you get the state of bliss over the pond? I guess that one's pretty neat.

 

[wulfy42]

I've lived in most of the states at one point in my life. This question is hard because there are advantages to many states, and even general locations. I'd say, usually, it's best to be near one of the largest most populous states, but not in it. On the east coast, being near New York is great, but not in it. The cost of living there is high etc. Vermont (I lived in Putney Vermont and a few other places there when young) is probably a good choice. You'r fairly close to NY and can easily get access to the great foods etc. Low crime rate, low cost of living (Very low in some places), but it can be a bit cold (not a factor for me, but could be to some).

On the west coast I'd say Washington is probably one of the better choices, especially near the boarder to Oregon. I lived in Vancouver WA for a year and it was great. You could jump over to Oregon to buy things without sales tax, and you have no state tax either (not a great place to live if your on minimum wage though!!). It's not THAT far to drive down to CA if you want and there is water all around (rivers, waterfalls etc).

Sorry, but i'm knocking Texas, Arizona and Florida all out of the running. I've lived in all 3 of those states (or served there in the military) and they all have serious problems. In Texas you can go from one extreme in weather to another in one day. We had days that would start out freezing and end as a black flag day (over 90 degrees). Arizona is just plain freaking hot. It's expanding quickly, and air conditioning can help, but it's freaking too hot (i'm more concerned about heat then cold as I can handle 20 degree temps in jeans/tshirt...but 90+ temps ruin my day). I was born in florida and lived there awhile, but lots of insects, muggy/hot conditions, extreme weather (Which I generally like but not many do) and high cost of living all make it hard to recomened. For some reason people like to retire there though.

If you have to pick one of the highest population states, I'd go with California. It's cost of living is sky high, gas especially, but there are still places in CA (away from the bay area/LA etc) where you can live fairly close to the cost of other states. This gives you the advantage of still being IN CA and close to places like SF and LA etc, so if you do want to travel there, and visit the coast etc, you can do so fairly easily/cheaply. My wife for instance lived in Apple Valley (I would not recommend it) when I met her. Way to hot (reminiscent of Arizona), but she was renting a 2 story home for $500 a month (would be more now, but not much more). Meanwhile, where we live now (the Bay area), it would cost $3000+ a month for the same thing.

The best states to live in depend a ton on your own circumstances. How much money do you have/what is your job, what kind of weather do you like, do sports or other activities matter to you, do you like to live in large cities or more rural areas, do you need/want to be on/near the water etc. To me, anywhere exceedingly hot is instantly crossed of the list (even with air conditioning). I personally LOVE rain (one reason I like Washington so much), and I prefer Rural areas to large cities. I like green, I like water, I like clean air, and I like room to breathe. I'm not overly concerned about the cost of things (many of the middle states are far cheaper for instance, so if cost is a large factor, they may be better for you), and most of my hobbies can be done anywhere or are online. Vermont for instance can be a bit isolated in some areas, but that is not a factor for me at all.

I would venture to say that most states have great places to live. Even a few places in Arizona where kinda nice (Except for the weather..which is pretty much horrid everywhere in Az). Florida I'm sure has some places that are not bad, and Texas probably has great cities as well (maybe the crazy weather was just while I was there and not common). I certainly know that in CA (where I have lived the most) there is a huge difference from one location to another within the same state. I still have never found that perfect place for me, and I'm getting up there in age. Pretty soon location won't matter much as I won't go outside except to shop/eat out or go to the movies. Maybe I'll eventually figure out why everyone retires to Florida and move there as well!!

 

[Drakmorg]

As someone who lives in Texas, OP is right, this place is definitely not the best.

I haven't been out of the state much, and even then it's only been to go to places that are somehow even worse, so I have no idea what the best state is. Also I hate this place and want to leave, so I don't care to even think about it.

 

[Politrukk]

Hawaii or whatever state it is that contains New York.


Pros :

It has New York

Cons :
It has other stuff too, deal with it.

 

[vallorn]

Well it's not California that's for sure, the mixture of authoritarian laws and poor resource management combined with much of the culture makes the place both expensive to live in and horrible to exist in as well.

Personally, I'm not well acquainted with the USA's states but from what I know aside from Cali, I'd actually have to say that it would be one of the midwest states like Arizona where they somewhat strike a balance rather than tipping too far from one side or to the other.

One of the midwest states like Arizona? *spits drink everywhere*

What is this abomination of geography?

OT: Definitely Not California, New York, Michigan, or Texas.

Maybe Wisconsin, Ohio if you're willing to forgive the entire Cleveland Toledo strip, or Kentuckey. Kentuckey's beautiful. As is a lot of the south. Very friendly too, despite what the rest of the country likes to paint it as.

Well it's not California that's for sure, the mixture of authoritarian laws and poor resource management combined with much of the culture makes the place both expensive to live in and horrible to exist in as well.

Personally, I'm not well acquainted with the USA's states but from what I know aside from Cali, I'd actually have to say that it would be one of the midwest states like Arizona where they somewhat strike a balance rather than tipping too far from one side or to the other.

This always irritates me, Arizona is not in the mid-west, it's in the south western states chunk, like Nevada and New Mexico. The mid-west is a the chunk of states just west of the eastern seaboard, and it includes: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Note to self, the easiest way to irritate Americans is to call Arizona a midwestern state.

I kid I kid. But thanks for that, I've always been confused by that weird "midwestern" name for states since there's nothing like that back in blighty, we just have London, South England, Midlands, North England, Wales, Cornwall, Scottish Lowlands, Scottish Highlands, Orkney Isles and Ulster.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

SNIP

It's funny because it's based so much on people's own experiences. I sat next to a Brazilian woman on the plane the other day, who had lived in multiple states in the US. The state she said she had experienced the LEAST amount of racism? Texas.

And fun factoid: despite the stereotype of all Texans owning guns, Texas actually ranks about 30th in gun ownership rates among the states.

 

[Azure23]

Well there's a clear answer here, and it's Colorado.

Sorry, I can't hear your counter argument over how incredibly high and healthy I am.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

New Hampshire, obviously.

Our trees turn all sorts of rad colors this time of year. We've got a bizarro upside-down evil twin to our left, a northern state that thinks it's a southern state above us, and a state that somehow managed to collectively fail to learn how to drive below us. Our state beverage is apple cider, and who doesn't like apple cider? Nobody, that's who. You like pumpkins and pumpkin flavored things? Yeah, so do we, that's why we made it our state fruit. We were one of the original thirteen states, and unlike those other slackers, we were the first to form our own government and state constitutions. Are you a hardcore republican that wants to live somewhere up north that's not too liberal? Welcome to New Hampshire! Are you a hardcore democrat that wants to live somewhere without too many conservatives? Welcome to New Hampshire! Are you an independent who loves to laugh at hardcore republicans and democrats? Welcome to New Hampshire, you're gonna love it here! Are you from Massachusetts and looking to live somewhere less Massachusetts-y? Tough shit, take your cranberry juice 'n beans and hit the road - but not our roads, you guys drive like maniacs (LOOKING AT YOU, BOSTON).

Oh, and feel free to envy the most badass motto in the union.

LIVE FREE OR DIE

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

Just beware the roads because we seem to get the country's worst drivers, not necessarily from here, but they end up here... thats how it feels.

I think Texas has the worst drivers. Their aggressive and they drive big things, which is a bad combination, and they don't get much bad weather. When they DO get bad weather, from heavy ran to a light snow flurry, the highways turn into bumper car rallies, where every fifth vehicle is a truck of some kind, some of which may outweigh your car by several tons.

Luckily, no one in the US has anything on Korean drivers...

See, people from out of Texas don't understand that the speed limit signs are written 5 mph slower than the actual speed limit. Unless you're in the fast lane, then there is no speed limit. Of course you'd get blown off the road, the cops would blow you off the road for going so slow!

Is the 5 mph thing not usual everywhere? I'm pretty used to people going 5 above the posted limit on streets and quite a bit higher on the freeway.

OT: Well I haven't been to many states but CA is pretty pleasant. For all the bizarre griping about it in this thread prior the people seem fine. Also while I wish it would be cloudy more often the weather's pretty good, have nice beaches, and despite the current drought it's not exactly pestering people I know in their day to day lives.

 

[Wolf Hagen]

As a foreigner, I'd either go with Oregon (i sounds incredebly boring, so not too many annoying people probably).
Second bet would be Colorado because well, it looks like at home (Sauerland), just with more western, even bigger mountains, cougars (the wildcats, not some soccermoms)and weed.

 

[Spiders In The Brain]

With all the political craziness going on, especially leading into the presidential elections, I'm inclined towards a state of denial.

But that's me. I hear New Hampshire is a nice place to live, too.

 

[Kyrian007]

As someone who has no clue about the US. I'm going to say Arkansas. Just because it sounds the coolest(Arkh-Kansas)
...wait, that's not the way it's pronounced? Screw that; in which case it's Pennsylvania.

Actually, in my state (Kansas) we do pronounce it "Arkh-Kansas." Well, not when we refer to the state. We let them have Arkh-kan-saw for their state name. But we have the "Arkh-Kansas" river and a town called "Arkh-Kansas" City. Although generally it's shortened to simply Ark City so it doesn't sound quite so much like Kansas City, which is in Missouri.

 

[Kolby Jack]

SNIP

It's funny because it's based so much on people's own experiences. I sat next to a Brazilian woman on the plane the other day, who had lived in multiple states in the US. The state she said she had experienced the LEAST amount of racism? Texas.

And fun factoid: despite the stereotype of all Texans owning guns, Texas actually ranks about 30th in gun ownership rates among the states.

Yeah, I do only have my own experiences to go on. But from what I've seen of it, living in Texas holds little appeal for me. At this point the only real benefit would be being able to watch my niece grow up. I don't dislike the rest of my family, but don't have anything in common with them. I've had more than enough heat, humidity, and country music for my lifetime, thank you.

 

[Eddie the head]

....which one?

are you a Coloradoan whos just upset we don't have to deal with your bolder issues?

a Nebraskan who should be tired of looking at all the corn?

a Montanan who deals with way too many movie stars?

a Dakotan whos tired of freezing?

a Ute who has too many wives/ is one of said too many wives?

or a Idahoan who, actually got nothing against those guys pretty nice folks.

also good to note he only shoots lawyers

OT: Wyoming is the best state because of two reasons;

1. taxes- we have no state income taxes and a standard 4% sales tax which may or may not be voted up by the citizens in a city.

2. crime- no real violent crime to speak of, even though were better armed then most countries.

weather may be a downside for some but I like the cold

I'm reluctant to say I'm an Idahoan because we all know how that sounds. Also you have less violent crime because theirs no one to shot, other than lawyers I suppose. A deer doesn't count as homicide. So I suppose no one with a soul to shot.

 

[ecoho]

....which one?

are you a Coloradoan whos just upset we don't have to deal with your bolder issues?

a Nebraskan who should be tired of looking at all the corn?

a Montanan who deals with way too many movie stars?

a Dakotan whos tired of freezing?

a Ute who has too many wives/ is one of said too many wives?

or a Idahoan who, actually got nothing against those guys pretty nice folks.

also good to note he only shoots lawyers

OT: Wyoming is the best state because of two reasons;

1. taxes- we have no state income taxes and a standard 4% sales tax which may or may not be voted up by the citizens in a city.

2. crime- no real violent crime to speak of, even though were better armed then most countries.

weather may be a downside for some but I like the cold

I'm reluctant to say I'm an Idahoan because we all know how that sounds. Also you have less violent crime because theirs no one to shot, other than lawyers I suppose. A deer doesn't count as homicide. So I suppose no one with a soul to shot.

lol no I believe its because if you shoot at anyone here well most likely shot back and with better aim.

 

[irishda]

After living in several in multiple locations (Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Arizona: so I got the South, Southwest, the East Coast, and the Midwest) I can honestly say Michigan is the best.

It has plenty of secluded, wooded wilderness for people who want to get away, not to mention scenery. Big cities for those who want to party or lots to do. Plenty of access to beachfronts both northern and southern. Easy access to Canada. A beer revolution that's storming other states (Bells, New Holland, New Belgium, Founder's, etc.). A healthy mix of red blooded Muricans and blue blooded liberals. A good balance of not being too hot in the summer, and no real threat of natural disasters with the exception of blizzards, the easiest disasters to survive in (especially in a state that's covered in forest). The sports teams are a good mix between losers and winners, so the people don't devolve into that weird cult-like mentality over in Wisconsin. Really the only major problem is whether or not you can drive in the snow/handle cold weather.

The worst state for me is hands down Wisconsin. That cult mentality is seriously a thing that not only affects fans of sports teams (which everyone in Wisconsin becomes a fan of all them once they hit college, unless the team loses, in which case no one acknowledges their existence), but EVERYTHING in that state. My high school science teacher legitimately told us that Wisconsin is the "perfect state for deer". Coca-Cola did a survey of people who loved their state the most back in 2004. Wisconsin and Texas tied for first, which means every stereotype you hate about those people bragging about Texas is true for Wisconsin too.

 

[Illesdan]

As a foreigner, I'd either go with Oregon (i sounds incredebly boring, so not too many annoying people probably).

It depends on what your view of 'boring' is, and where you want to park yourself. If you put yourself in the 503 area code (Portland/Salem) part of the state, its very urban and it is definitely not boring. Myself, I live in the Southern part of the state, as far away as possible from Portland/Salem (I think they've been infected by Washingtonians, just sayin') and, I'm fine with it. We have pretty good movie theaters. If you're into plays, just about every major city has a local theater troupe that performs year around. If you're really into outdoor and wildlife, we have it in spades. It just depends on what you want to do.

So, I'm voting for my own state, Oregon.

And its not out of some misguided loyalty, either. Personally, I really liked Texas the times I've been there. My husband and I even considered living in El Paso for awhile (we always had fun in Juarez) but other things came up. I'd like to make a case for Illinois, though. Especially Chicago. That town has the best food in the United States. I've never had a bad meal anywhere in that city.

There are places in the U.S. I wouldn't mind visiting again. I miss the quirky things I used to see on the road... like how people who live in Maryland drive with gloves on; even though its a nice day. I don't miss drivers from Georgia, though. By and large they are the worst drivers in the U.S.

 

[Atmos Duality]

I live near Chicago, Illinois but have been to just about every state in the union.
Of all the places I've passed through or stayed...hmm.

Been to Hawaii...I'm too poor and white to live there. No wasps though, which is a huge huge plus for me.

I've only really been to Atlanta in Georgia, but it was honestly an improvement over Chicago. (biscuits and gravy is STANDARD BREAKFAST THERE?! Sign me up!)

Apart from the hellish gridlock in Denver, I honestly liked Colorado a lot.

Texas is a crapshoot and I'm only familiar at all with the southern part of it.
Corpus Christi is pretty decent (fantastic seafood), but (half of) San Antonio can bite my ass.

Idaho was pretty cool too.
(great geography, and the general attitude was "Live and let live", rather than the "talk to me and I'll bite your fucking head off" vibe I got while in Utah; also around the same time I last went out west)

Minnesota isn't bad and I've been through the north and south of it. It's like Wisconsin, but far less crazy.
(I vacation up north every year in Chippewa National Forest; it's fucking fantastic there in the summer)

Egh...can't decide really.

 

[InsanityRequiem]

Obviously California. Without the big CA, the federal government would have no money. CA?s got the biggest population of all the states. CA?s economy is a large reason why the US is a member of the G8, heck, CA by itself should be in the G8. Are there problems with CA? Course, but without CA, the US would be a hell of a lot weaker.