Posted on 08/19/2002 11:52:05 AM PDT by crystalk
STATES RATED [Assumes you will grow up, raise a family, or retire--in an AVG spot in the BEST 25% of the State]
[If no regional preference is shown, it means entire State about equally good overall, pick your own best.]
1. Florida [Best areas are in NE, NW, or SW. So friendly and so many jobs, climate an extra.]
2. Georgia [Avoid areas within 35 mi of Atlanta center; better not too close to AL line.]
3. Virginia [Avoid areas >5 mi NW of I-81; if TIED to DC area, live in Va.]
4. South Carolina [better NW and around lgr cities. or in gated comm]
5. North Carolina [Better in West; less good >15 mi E of CLT-GSO line]
6. Tennessee [Much better to E of Nvl-Chatt line]
7. Texas [Best areas SCen or beaches; avoid Mx border zone.]
8. Kentucky [Avoid E 30% of state, or Wmost 10%.]
9. Mississippi [Better in S 40% of state, or near universities.]
10. Arkansas [Best in NW; avoid SE 44% of state.]
11. Oklahoma [Better in E/SE 60% of state]
12. Louisiana [Better near NO or lg cities, but if you love Cajuns go Anywhere in S half.]
13. Alabama [Better in Mobile/coast area; or in/near sizable cities, or N/NE area.]
14. Arizona [Best in Cen or SE areas. Pretty desert, pretty hot.]
15. Nevada [Bracing weather in N 90% of state; Vegas and Ariz-type climate in S; low taxes.]
16. New Mexico [Interesting, not as hot as AZ; N half is cold in winter.]
17. Idaho [Climate less cold than you think; beautiful. Boise booms.]
18. Utah [Climate and Mormons not as cold as feared. Scenery forever.]
19. Indiana [Better in Cen, SCen, SE. E areas; avoid the Gary/Chicago area in NW.]
20. South Dakota [Unique place, Indians, Colleges. Scenery better and climate less bad in W qtr]
21. Colorado [better out of City limit of Denver; plains E/SE and deserts W & NW less good.]
22. Oregon [deserts E sunny chilly and lonely; W 40% mild, drizzly, England-style, take your pick]
23. Kansas [better in E 30% or S 30%, of state; avoid in-city Wichita, KC, Topeka.]
24. Wyoming. [Just what youd think, in all four corners and the center.]
25. West Virginia [best in E half of state, or Chas/Hntgtn area, or near Ohio R; avoid SW and SCen]
26. Pennsylvania [even in Phil & Pitts, some livable areas]
27. Delaware [Only state in NE with net inflow of population, but room runs out soon.]
28. Ohio [Avoid the city limits of largest 6 or 8 cities]
29. New Hampshire [Unique, snowy but low taxes, builds character.]
30. Washington [S half and E quarter really better than popular Seattle area in NW]
31. Maryland [Avoid area within 25 miles of downtown DC or Baltimore.]
32. Montana [Remote chic, or just remote? Neighboring states offer better for less.]
33. Missouri [Better in S half; avoid StL or KC city limits absolutely; their areas if possible.]
34. Rhode Island [New England, but not so stuffy. Good sailing. Italian, family oriented.]
35. Maine [Remote like Montana, but lives on lobster & welfare instead of cattle.]
36. Connecticut [A used-ta-be FTMP. Avoid Hartford; E third of state not as bad.]
37. New Jersey [No-go areas getting smaller, but stay out of Camden, Elizabeth, and Newark.]
38. California [Get real Mexico at $15/day; avoid this $750/day 3d world. Polluted, Baja is Better.]
39. Nebraska [American Gothic; prairie still wholesome. Nice folks, Go Big Red!]
40. Hawaii [Corrupt, expensive, a social catastrophe in the making? Trouble in paradise.]
41. Iowa [Hogs, corn, freezing cold, some of looniest leftist universities anywhere.]
42. Michigan [Avoid SE and rust belts. Snowy. Rural areas lovely in summer.]
43. Illinois [Big city, decent areas far to S, but still 24 pts below IN and 6 below NJ!]
44. Minnesota [Beginning to wake up from Marxist dreams, but still cold as ever]
45. Wisconsin [9 months frozen; 3 of mosquitoes, leftist state U attracts kooks. Cheesy.]
46. Alaska [Not all of state is as cold as feared; envo-wackos, moose, affirm-action natives, grizzlies.]
47. North Dakota [Nice people, but who deserves THIS climate?]
48. Massachusetts [Loony-left Tax Hell , with once-great universities. Avoid Boston, Brockton.]
49. New York State [ Tax Hell. NYC OK for richest; see lower Hudson valley & Long Is; forget rest.]
50. Vermont [Taxes and enviro- wackos. Hell freezes over, with maple syrup and socialism.]
51. Dis. of Col. [Dangerous, dirty city has tourist sites, universities. Power in the air, though.]
Give me credit for having put your state up at no. 11 out of 51. Few others but me would have noticed that, except of course for you who live there and love it.
Blacks may be from 3rd world ultimately but have been here a long time and are Americans now...
Why in the world do you assume that I was referencing anything to do with blacks?
Granted there are certain parts of Tennessee & Kentucky that have some likable qualities but not enough - in my opinion - to make the top 10.
How Mississippi makes #9 on your list I'll never know -- and I've been all through Mississppi and part of the "Third World".
But as I said, Florida now is so culturally and economically superior, that climate can be thrown to the winds.
In fact, except for the Las-Cruces-El Paso region in the S Central area, not much of New Mexico is really hot in summer at all.
And only one or two towns in AZ, like Flagstaff, are cold in winter like the whole N half of N Mex is.
And, surprisingly, average rainfall in New Mex if anything is LOWER than that in AZ.
No, Texas is awful! It's especially terrible compared to a wonderful state like Pennsylvania. All you people from Pennsylvania would hate Texas. Imagine having to cheer for the Cowboys, instead of a nice green team like the Eagles. And it's so hot! Not nice and pleasant like Philadelphia!
Note to austingirl: Geez, Louise! You want all the pond scum from up North drifting down here?
Money magazine rated it #3 in it's list of "Best 100 places to live (U.S.)
Who compiled this listing? You?
Just stay away from Los Angeles and San Francisco! Those two cities accounted for 80% of Al Gore's margin of victory over Bush! The rest of the state is nowhere near as skewed.
Cajun food readily available, not far from New Orleans.
Get a great 2000 foot home, already fixed up, not a fixer upper, often pre-WWII and unique, for say $125M.
There are so few areas in Philly .. my mothers neighbor sold her house in 6 hours
That is only the tip of the iceberg...Please don't come to Florida, we are also overcrowded.
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