# Rank the 50 United States in your order of preference **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774 "2008-10-07T00:58:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/61 "2008-10-07T20:22:27Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Hands down, Hawaii is No 1. If I ever had to live in the US again, it would be Hawaii again. Hawaii ain’t Five-O? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Gwyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@Gwyen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gwyen)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/62 "2008-10-07T20:28:59Z")
At the risk of having everyone laugh at me… what the heck is wrong with Arkansas? I was born here, and I have lived here my entire life. I have traveled to other states, I am educated (and could be more educated if I wanted, we do have schools here), I make a decent living, and I love to travel Arkansas. It is beautiful here, and there is plenty to offer, why the stigma around Arkansas?! OK, so the Hogs aren’t doing so hot… I still love 'em! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/63 "2008-10-07T20:32:53Z")
I’ve lived in only five states for at least three months, so I can’t really rank all 50. I lived in Michigan for three years, working, in the Lansing/East Lansing area. For almost eleven months I was stationed in California, in Monterey, while in the military. For three months each I was in Texas and Washington state. The rest of my life has been spent in my home, Kansas. 1. Kansas 2. Michigan\* 3. Washington state 4. California 5. Texas What can I say, I love my home. As for Michigan and Washington, I liked them both a lot, but I ranked Michigan higher because I was there longer, and could really get to know the area. I might have stayed but I came home to Kansas because I got a job there again. California was fun, but expensive and I couldn’t afford it on my own. Texas, the San Angelo area where I was stationed, was the pits, exceeded only by a one month stay in… Massachusetts, at Ft. Devens. Hell on earth, the coldest I’ve ever been, January of 1976. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/64 "2008-10-07T20:44:21Z")
If I were independently wealthy and didn’t have to work for a living: 1. Florida (the Atlantic coast, Orlando, or the Gulf Coast, in that order) 2. Hawaii 3. California (southern) 4. Texas (coastal) 5. Louisiana (New Orleans) 6. South Carolina (coastal) 7. Alabama (coastal) 8. Mississippi (coastal) 9. New York (NYC) 10. Tennessee 11. Missouri 12. Illinois (it IS home, after all) 13-40. A bunch of states I could take or leave 41: Arkansas 13. Wisconsin 14. Minnesota 15. Michigan 16. Iowa 17. Nebraska 18. Kansas 19. Utah 20. South Dakota 21. North Dakota If I had to work for a living: 1. Illinois (since I’m already here) 2. Florida (cost of living is high, but maybe, just maybe, I could make it work) 3. Tennessee (Mrs. Homie and I have thought about Chattanooga) 4. Missouri (we’ve also thought about St. Louis) 5-50. Anywhere else ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/65 "2008-10-07T20:56:13Z")
> [@Gwyen](#): > > At the risk of having everyone laugh at me… what the heck is wrong with Arkansas? I was born here, and I have lived here my entire life. I think that this thread and the responses within it are, in the main, based on perception (how many of us have lived in or even traveled to all 50 states?). We base our perceptions on what we are exposed to through the media, what others tell us, and what we see with our eyes. The media tends to portray rural, southern-ish states like Arkansas as backward redneck places, even if it isn’t true. Plus, Arkansas is a VERY red state, and the SDMB leans blue. Personally, I’ve spent time in Arkansas, and while I didn’t exactly _hate_ it, it’s definitely low on my list of places I’d want to live. The NW part is beautiful, but it’s kind-of backwater for my tastes. Everywhere else I’ve seen in Arkansas: meh.\* \*I say this without any intention to offend. I live here in Illinois and, but for the fact that my job, my family, my house, my childhood, and my baseball team are here, it sucks ass. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/66 "2008-10-07T21:13:08Z")
1. Florida 2-49. Screw you guys ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/67 "2008-10-07T21:14:13Z")
> [@Gwyen](#): > > what the heck is wrong with Arkansas? Well, we are 48th in most things. 🙂 Family by marriage from New England visited. Cousin from NY Sally and I left the others to smoke in the bar. Surprised that I wore shoes and worked on computers, Sally asked me quite seriously, “This _is_ the South, isn’t it ?” I replied just as seriously, “Well, we lost the War.” She nodded her head with Great Understanding. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/68 "2008-10-07T22:26:55Z")
1. Tie between Massachusetts, Oregon, Connecticut, New York, Hawaii, and Vermont 2. Tie between California, Rhode Island, Georgia, Lousianna, and Texas (only if Austin), and Puerto Rico if that counts 3. Everything else except the more conservative states and more northern cold states would probably be lower ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/69 "2008-10-07T22:34:38Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I do wonder how many of the low ratings on New Jersey are based on Rep and TV and how much on real experience. I have been nearly more than half of the US and I live in Jersey as I love it. I moved back here from San Diego. For every bad thing about this crowded state it has many things to recommend it. I understand \*\*NinjaChick \*\*lived here and hates it, but do the rest of you that have it near the bottom actually know Jersey? We have almost everything in one of the smallest states. I haven’t spent too much time in NJ but I would actually love to live there. I think of it as one of the “all American” states, where Main Street USA still exists in a lot of towns, you have nice old established neighborhoods (not these cookie-cutter housing developments that qualify as neighborhoods now), four distinct seasons, proximity to the greatest city on Earth, close to the ocean, close to the mountains, etc. Maybe my view is a little rose-colored from watching too many Kevin Smith movies, but I almost feel nostalgic for New Jersey even though I’ve never lived there. The only thing that has turned me off recently was seeing a documentary about gangs that said NJ had the highest concentration of white supremacists of any state. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/70 "2008-10-07T22:52:20Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > The media tends to portray rural, southern-ish states like Arkansas as backward redneck places, even if it isn’t true. Plus, Arkansas is a VERY red state, and the SDMB leans blue. How is Arkansas a “VERY red state”? Democrats control the governor’s mansion, Democrats hold 77% of the state Senate seats and 75% of the General Assembly seats, and both US senators are Democrats, as are three of the four US Representatives. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/71 "2008-10-07T22:56:37Z")
Well, to counteract all the Michigan hate, my list goes like: 1: da UP of Michigan 2-50: everywhere else Seriously. Mr. Athena and I both work out of the house, and could live anywhere in the country. We’ve occasionally played “what if” about where we’d go if for some reason we were forced to move, and we always conclude that it would take something incredibly serious (like we both lose our jobs and spend 2+ years looking for a new one and still can’t find anything) to get us out of here. And it’s not like we’ve never lived anywhere else - we met in Boulder, Colorado, where I lived for 11 years and he lived for over 20 years, and we’ve lived in various places considered very nice, including Minneapolis, Santa Fe, and San Antonio. Michigan, at least the northern part, is an amazingly beautiful place to live. Keep up with the bad press; part of the reason it’s so nice is that it’s not crowded nor is it terribly expensive to live here assuming you stay away from the Traverse City area (and even that’s not too bad, depending on what you’re comparing it with.) ---
**Author:** ![Gwyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@Gwyen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gwyen)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/72 "2008-10-07T23:34:19Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > How is Arkansas a “VERY red state”? Democrats control the governor’s mansion, Democrats hold 77% of the state Senate seats and 75% of the General Assembly seats, and both US senators are Democrats, as are three of the four US Representatives. To be fair Mike Huckabee was a republican, still is I assume, but yea mostly blue in these parts. Yes, the NW part of AR is a little back wards in areas, but we aren’t all barefoot and pregnant I promise. I meant to add my own ranking as well Top five: 1: Arkansas 2. Colorado 3: Northern California 4: Wyoming 5: Maine Bottom Five 1: Louisiana 2: Texas 3: Oklahoma 4: Iowa 5: Florida The rest fall somewhere in the middle due mostly to my not having seen much of any of them, or I don’t care enough about them to love or hate them. ---
**Author:** ![kenner116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@kenner116](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenner116)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/73 "2008-10-08T00:00:48Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > How is Arkansas a “VERY red state”? Democrats control the governor’s mansion, Democrats hold 77% of the state Senate seats and 75% of the General Assembly seats, and both US senators are Democrats, as are three of the four US Representatives. Those Democratic Senators are quite conservative, though. They’d be conservative Republicans if they were in the Northeast. Plus, I don’t think Obama is going to come close to winning there. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/74 "2008-10-08T00:15:24Z")
1. California - I was born here, live here, and if I don’t die here, then at least this is where my bones will rest. We have something of everything here, and I love it. 2. Colorado - lived there 8 years, the family is there, it’s sort of my second home. I miss the snow sometimes. 3. Everywhere else, in descending order from most liberal to least, with temperate-warm climates preferred. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/75 "2008-10-08T00:17:52Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I haven’t spent too much time in NJ but I would actually love to live there. I think of it as one of the “all American” states, where Main Street USA still exists in a lot of towns, you have nice old established neighborhoods (not these cookie-cutter housing developments that qualify as neighborhoods now), four distinct seasons, proximity to the greatest city on Earth, close to the ocean, close to the mountains, etc. Maybe my view is a little rose-colored from watching too many Kevin Smith movies, but I almost feel nostalgic for New Jersey even though I’ve never lived there. The only thing that has turned me off recently was seeing a documentary about gangs that said NJ had the highest concentration of white supremacists of any state. I didn’t know about that last part. Damn, I know Wall use to have small active KKK group, but that was pretty much a failure in the 80s. I wonder what parts of NJ still have white supremacists. We never hear about them, just the overblown accounts of Mafia. I can pretty much guarantee there is minimal white supremacists in my area. Not that I am doubting what you said, but so I can read about it, do you have any link to the documentary you saw? It really has me puzzled. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/76 "2008-10-08T01:05:49Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Well, to counteract all the Michigan hate, my list goes like: Hey, I like Michigan! If I had to move back to the other places than home I’ve lived, it would be to East Lansing. And the Yoopers! I still have one of their tapes, the one with “Second Week of Deercamp” on it. ---
**Author:** ![Saratoga\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Saratoga\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saratoga_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/77 "2008-10-08T02:18:33Z")
1. **New York** - West of the Hudson and north of the Catskills is the place for me 2. **Vermont** - Come to think of it, east of the Hudson is mighty fine too! 3. **Maine** - Twenty thousand Ethiopians can’t be wrong 4. **Montana** - No rules kinda state, where even the mountains are Crazy 5. **Washington** - The state ferry system makes this place a tourist’s delight 6. **Iowa** - Great place for growing corn and pint-sized gymnasts 7. **Pennsylvania** - Outside of the two major cities, a really beautiful state 8. **Ohio** - No matter where you’re from, Cleveland will make it seem nicer when you return 9. **Oregon** - The crazier you are, the better you fit in here 10. **Missouri** - Anyplace that produced both Mark Twain and Ukelele Ike gets my vote 11. **Minnesota** - Where royalty brings \*The Watchtower \*to your door 12. \*\*West Virginia \*\*- When your best resource is your people they tend to be something special 13. **Kentucky** - Fine horses and even finer fillies 14. **Illinois** - Points for Lincoln, Steve Goodman, and Ernie Banks 15. **Connecticut** - For a place that produces only nutmeg sure has done well for itself 16. **Utah** - Points for keeping the Osmonds penned up within state lines 17. **Maryland** - Big points for Edgar Allen Poe 18. **Alabama** - Some of the friendliest folks I ever met, living in some of the poorest counties in the country. 19. **Tennesse** - Hell, Vandy’s undefeated, what more do you want? 20. \*\*North Dakota \*\*- There’s a certain cachet to visiting here in winter; I mean, it can’t get any worse than this 21. **Mississippi** - Much nicer place to visit than you might expect 22. **Nebraska** - Anyplace where I can legally dump my 3 teens is swell in my book 23. \*\*New Mexico \*\*- The highlands are nice, and should your wallet get too heavy, visit Santa Fe 24. **Wisconsin** - Don’t wear your Bullwinkle hat during the fall 25. \*\*North Carolina \*\*- Outer Banks and Piedmont make up for local politics 26. \*\*New Hampshire \*\*- Best state motto in the country 27. **Arizona** - Beautiful mountains and deserts, but too many yuppies 28. **Wyoming** - The Grand Tetons are 29. **Texas** - Shoulda raised the age of consent a lot earlier 30. **Delaware** - See #31 31. \*\*South Dakota \*\*- Aids and abets the impoverishment of credit card holders 32. **Colorado** - Home to some of the worst small town speed traps in the country 33. \*\*Virginia \*\*- Points for GW and TJ, but can’t they do something about DC? 34. **Michigan** - Most popular pastime for folks here is to thank God they don’t live in Indiana 35. \*\*South Carolina \*\*- There must be all of three bookstores in this whole state 36. **Georgia** - Should you fancy red clay decor, drop on by 37. **Arkansas** - Asked for a toothpick here and was a mite surprised at what was handed to me 38. \*\*Oklahoma \*\*- Gets points for Will Rogers but not much else 39. \*\*Indiana \*\*- Doesn’t anyone in this state know what time it is? 40. **Nevada** - You won’t want to be here the day the taps run dry 41. \*\*New Jersey \*\*- Such smart people and such a dysfunctional state government 42. **Massachusetts** - Do they deliberately design roads to get people lost here? 43. \*\*Idaho \*\*- Seems to collect all the folks run out of neighboring states 44. \*\*Rhode Island \*\*- Aside of Newport, thoroughly depressing 45. **Lousiana** - Should you sport gills and fins, this might be for you 46. **Florida** - God’s Waiting Room 47. **Kansas** - Unless you’re catching the daily twister to Oz, give it a miss 48. \*\*Alaska \*\*- Anyplace with skeeters the size of small dogs is off my travel list 49. **Hawaii** - I never was too keen on “Kill a Haole Day” 50. **California** - If I could somehow drive to 1958 this might be a top pick ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/78 "2008-10-08T04:39:28Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > 1.-49. No real preference > 50. Texas As much as I hate Texas, I would definitely pick it over Oklahoma. > [@Philster](#): > > Hawaii ain’t Five-O? 🆒 A side note: Alaska and Hawaii were both admitted as states in 1959, the former in January and the latter in August. Back then, Hawaiians expected to become the 49th state. There was even a major local record company called something like 49th State Records. Alaska JUST squeezed in. So we almost got to watch Steve McGarrett in either _Hawaii 4-9_ or _Alaska 5-0_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/79 "2008-10-08T05:11:05Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I didn’t know about that last part. Damn, I know Wall use to have small active KKK group, but that was pretty much a failure in the 80s. I wonder what parts of NJ still have white supremacists. We never hear about them, just the overblown accounts of Mafia. I can pretty much guarantee there is minimal white supremacists in my area. Not that I am doubting what you said, but so I can read about it, do you have any link to the documentary you saw? It really has me puzzled. It was an episode of _Gangland_ on the History Channel, actually. They play them constantly so just look for the one about white gangs. What part do you live in, out of curiosity? > [@Saratoga Sam](#): > > 1. Arizona - Beautiful mountains and deserts, but too many yuppies What? Where did you get that impression? You realize that yuppie stands for Young Urban Professional, and there’s hardly an urban area in this state, right? I guess there are a lot of what would probably be called yuppies in Scottsdale, but we’re talking a few square miles in a big western state. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774/80 "2008-10-08T12:35:51Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > It was an episode of _Gangland_ on the History Channel, actually. They play them constantly so just look for the one about white gangs. > > What part do you live in, out of curiosity? I’ll look for the episode; I rarely watch the History channel any more. I found once they left WWII behind their history was often iffy. They should do better with current events though. Thank you. I am down in Monmouth County which is a shore county south of the Raritan River and thus south of the urban area of the state. We are a mix of old Main St. towns and villages, suburban sprawl & mall and older farms with one smaller area of urban blight, Asbury Park (You know of Bruce fame.) This is actually the heart of Kevin Smith territory and Clerks took place in the Atlantic Highlands in Monmouth County. I live very close to Red Bank which is one of the best throw back Main St. towns and where Smith has his comic book shop. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-50-united-states-in-your-order-of-preference/466774.md?page=5)