# The most boring U.S. state **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 22, 2019, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262 "2019-12-22T22:57:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/101 "2019-12-24T05:50:37Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > You ain’t seen flat ‘til you’ve seen Florida. Mt friends down there took me to see the highest point in Florida. Way up there we could see for yards. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/102 "2019-12-24T06:48:32Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > My opinion, North Dakota. > > Flat. No activities or any tourist destinations there. Yep. It’s like being on the moon. Not a lot to see or do. There are signs on the highway pointing at exit ramps that say “Nothing” or “No Services”. Meaning if that ain’t your dirt farm there isn’t any reason to get off this road. [Been to all 50 states!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=495577). North Dullkota is definitely the most boring. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/103 "2019-12-24T07:01:17Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Yep. It’s like being on the moon. Not a lot to see or do. There are signs on the highway pointing at exit ramps that say “Nothing” or “No Services”. Meaning if that ain’t your dirt farm there isn’t any reason to get off this road. > > [Been to all 50 states!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=495577). North Dullkota is definitely the most boring. Ahh, the good old joke: Q: What’s the best thing to come out of North Dakota? A: Highway 2. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/104 "2019-12-24T07:23:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Mt friends down there took me to see the highest point in Florida. Way up there we could see for yards. IIRC the highest point in Florida is up in the panhandle, on the state line with (Alabama?). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/105 "2019-12-24T07:28:31Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > It’s like being on the moon. Not a lot to see or do. There are signs on the highway pointing at exit ramps that say “Nothing” or “No Services”. Meaning if that ain’t your dirt farm there isn’t any reason to get off this road. > > [Been to all 50 states!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=495577). North Dullkota is definitely the most boring. Well, if your definition of “not boring” requires tourist destinations and activities designed to entertain you, I guess. If you find the natural world interesting in its own right, ND looks pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/106 "2019-12-24T08:48:52Z")
Most vistas along most Interstates suck. Very few possess “scenic” stretches. I-5 in California’s San Joaquin Valley only slightly edges I-70 in Kansas. Get out on the blue highways… and Kansas still wins. (US Army kept me there for a couple years.) You’ll barely notice the Flint Hills but they might edge-out Iowa, which mostly features yet another county courthouse every 25 miles. Don’t lump Nebraska in there; the Sand Hills are nifty. The Murkan states I’ve not yet visited are S.Dakota, S.Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. No rush. I love the Western states; IMHO nowhere east of the Rockies is inhabitable. (Yes, I’ve resided in the East, too.) Beside boring, there’s terrifying. I have reasons to nominate Tennessee and Texas. I’ll take boring, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/107 "2019-12-24T08:52:00Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Have you ever been to Kansas? There’s much more wheat than corn. And don’t forget the feedlots. My parents wanted to see all 50 states. So we drove from one side of the country to the other. Multiple times. Trans-Canada highway, I-94, I-90, I-80, I-76, I-70, plus up and down, I-5, I-95 and some others. Still haven’t made it to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and I’ve only visited the airports of Georgia and Tennesse. Realized sometime after I moved to NJ that I was living only about 10 miles away from a campground that I stayed at when I was 12. > [@Kovitlac](#): > > I don’t get why flat = boring. I suppose lots of people find mountains exciting, and that’s cool and all, but why is the first listed reason for a state being boring, “because it’s flat”? > > And if you’re not talking literal mountains, well… > > I live in Iowa, a state not exactly known for it’s peaks, and my city is exceedingly hilly. Trust me, with our winter ice and sludge, hills are LAST thing I want to deal with on my morning commute. Although I suppose one could argue that sliding backwards down a hill into the car behind you isn’t exactly a dull event, either. Been there, done that (sliding backward on an icy hill). I had a colleague from Saskatchewan. She had to leave Luzern because she felt that the mountains were closing in on her. I have the opposite problem with flat spaces. The horizon is too far away. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/108 "2019-12-24T11:19:46Z")
It’s not the far horizon for me Die, its…well I dunno what “it” is exactly, but people that live in the central plains are, different. 4 years was all I could take and when I went back to visit for a few weeks a couple years ago…gaah! How people live there without going batshit crazy is beyond me. Ocean beach with the salt smell and susherations of the waves is actually kinda nice and you still have that flatness and big distant horizon. Of course there’s tons of stuff going on at the beach with various sea and land creatures there. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/109 "2019-12-24T11:54:27Z")
I’ve been in every state except the deepest southern ones and my take is that natural beauty is everywhere, if you get out of your car. Of course so is human ugliness. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/110 "2019-12-24T12:01:02Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > Most vistas along most Interstates suck. Yeah, Arizona has some gorgeous scenery. The interstates (I -10 to I- 8) from Tucson to Phoenix? Dullsville. Though you could stop off at Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Farm or Picacho Peak for a break. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/111 "2019-12-24T12:30:50Z")
South Dakota is NOT boring to drive across I-90 with all the Wall Drug billboards and other places to see like the Pioneer auto museum. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/112 "2019-12-24T12:32:54Z")
If your in to bicycling Nebraska has the [Cowboy Trail.](https://bikecowboytrail.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/113 "2019-12-24T12:42:35Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > If your in to bicycling Nebraska has the [Cowboy Trail.](https://bikecowboytrail.com/) Right now, [not so much](https://norfolkdailynews.com/news/flood-damage-puts-damper-on-growing-cowboy-trail-recreation/article_7154955e-7009-11e9-8bbc-7f7be21d304b.html). Give us a year or three to repair the flood damage. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/114 "2019-12-24T13:10:43Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > South Dakota is NOT boring to drive across I-90 with all the Wall Drug billboards and other places to see like the Pioneer auto museum. South Dakota has Dignity. She is right next to I-90. > **[Dignity of Earth and Sky](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity_(statue))** > > Dignity of Earth and Sky (shortened to Dignity for brevity) is a sculpture on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near Chamberlain, South Dakota. The 50-foot (15.24 meter) high stainless steel statue by South Dakota artist laureate Dale Claude Lamphere depicts an Indigenous woman in Plains-style dress receiving a star quilt. According to Lamphere, the sculpture honors the culture of the Lakota and Dakota peoples who are indigenous to South Dakota. Assisting Lamphere were sculptors Tom Tr Norm ... ETA — and Custer State Park, and the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Wind Cave. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/115 "2019-12-24T13:20:46Z")
You could go to South Dakota and drive around Custer State Park and accidentally end up in the middle of a buffalo herd. Then take 45 minutes to drive with them so they don’t bump the car as much for about 1/2 mile until they move past you.\* Just try to do **that** in Delaware. Or Rhode Island. \*This actually happened to us in about 1974. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/116 "2019-12-24T14:48:54Z")
Kansas doesn’t get flat and boring until about halfway through. And part of the problem is that the eastern third of Colorado looks just like Kansas – maybe even uglier. So it just _seems_ like the boring goes on forever. My vote would have to be either Oklahoma or Nebraska. As mentioned above, at least Nebraska has Omaha. I’m not sure Oklahoma has anything going for it. (Tired old joke: why is Kansas so windy? Because Nebraska blows and Oklahoma sucks!) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/117 "2019-12-24T14:58:23Z")
“Every time I go in Barnes & Noble and I see all those nice travel books, I think I should write one as a public service for free called ‘Skip it!’ Just so everybody knows; 'cos you always hear people say ‘we want to go see all of America!’ No, no you don’t; you want to see _some_ of America. In my book like the first 12 pages would just be blank, and you wouldn’t know what I was talking about, and you’d get to the end of the chapter and I’d go 'See? That was North Dakota!” - Kathleen Madigan ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/118 "2019-12-24T15:40:26Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Ohio? More astronauts than any other state. That’s how desperate they are to leave. Also the Wright brothers are from Ohio. And more U.S. Presidents than any other state. Being a lifelong Ohioan, I am obviously biased in my opinion that Ohio has a lot to offer. Like lakes? Got a real big one up north. Big towns? Yep. Small towns? Lots of them. Mountains? No, but SE Ohio is very hilly. Hiking/fishing/hunting? Lots. Low cost of living? Check. Best state flag? Yep. 😉 I think Ohio’s biggest drawback is the weather. Winter & spring really suck here. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/119 "2019-12-24T15:56:30Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > And more U.S. Presidents than any other state. > > Being a lifelong Ohioan, I am obviously biased in my opinion that Ohio has a lot to offer. Like lakes? Got a real big one up north. Big towns? Yep. Small towns? Lots of them. Mountains? No, but SE Ohio is very hilly. Hiking/fishing/hunting? Lots. Low cost of living? Check. Best state flag? Yep. 😉 > > I think Ohio’s biggest drawback is the weather. Winter & spring really suck here. I drive south through Ohio more than once a year. the only time it got interesting is when we were heading to Madison (Indiana) and once we got a bit past Dayton everything stopped being so flat and boring. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262/120 "2019-12-24T19:58:47Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > And more U.S. Presidents than any other state. > > Being a lifelong Ohioan, I am obviously biased in my opinion that Ohio has a lot to offer. Like lakes? Got a real big one up north. Big towns? Yep. Small towns? Lots of them. Mountains? No, but SE Ohio is very hilly. Hiking/fishing/hunting? Lots. Low cost of living? Check. Best state flag? Yep. 😉 > > I think Ohio’s biggest drawback is the weather. Winter & spring really suck here. Both my parents left Ohio for the Pacific Northwest before I was born and don’t plan on moving back. But they will be buried there as their parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, 2nd cousins, etc. are all bured there. The Ohio of my grandparents’ generation is gone. Every one of my grandfather’s brothers worked for GM/Delco and the shopping mall they went to is an empty shell. Ohio may have a lot to offer, but not where my parents grew up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-boring-u-s-state/845262.md?page=7)