50 States and DC Ranked in Order by Livability of their Better Areas; according to crystalk

8-19-02 | crystalk

[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 N’vl-Chatt line]

7. Texas [Best areas SCen or beaches; avoid Mx border zone.]

8. Kentucky [Avoid E 30% of state, or W’most 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 you’d 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.]

[TeleStraightShooter]

1. Florida.....climate an extra.

Ya, I'd say extra-humid!

[glory]

BTW, we moved from Phoenix and I hear you on not missing it. AZ was great for some things like homeschooling, but the culture and political climate was changing for the worst between illegals and Californians moving in.

[crystalk]

Walk! I wouldn't even get outta my tank.

Besides that, those Mass drivers all flip the bird at us Southerners, an yell and things.

Besides that, there is a sign right there when y'all cross over inta Great Barrington, I thank ya calls it, that plainly as day sez, No Rednecks Beyonn This Hyar Pooint!

[glory]

That's another place we would have liked to move to. At one time my dh's old employer was considering a base in Austin and they decided against it. I've heard mostly good things about Texas.

[glory]

That's good to hear if things are truly changing since I do think California is beautiful. Be nice if all you conservatives could take that state back--not holding my breath though especially with the recent attack on homeschooling there.

[crystalk]

Yall got Atlanta within an hour, well I gotcha'll beat.

Fer me, it is SIX hours away!

[MadIvan]

No, Texas is awful!

All those waitresses who say, "Can I get you some more coffee, swaaaaytie" more than make up for it. In this Briton's opinion anyway. ;)

Whistling, "I wish they all could be Alabama girls..."

Regards, Ivan

[Vigilantcitizen]

Gracias para su respuesta. Los problemas de California parecen fácilmente rectificados a mí.

[crystalk]

They say that in North Florida too, just did this lunch hour.

[crystalk]

Al empezar, es posible que usted corra para la oficina de gobernador?

[Lady Jag]

We do flip the bird at Floridians who drive 10 in a 50 mph zone.

Other than that, we have tons of rednecks in Mass.; they may be confused Democrats but they're here.

And as for getting out of your tank, thousands of parents send their kids here for college, doubling the Boston metro area's population every fall. The vast majority of those kids make it home alive.

[crystalk]

Waa-l, their HEARTS might still be a beatin, but they has made a one durn LEFT TURN TOO MANY, somewhurrs along the way, er they'd never get a grade fum them dam Lisbon perfessers up thar.

[SamAdams76]

I take it you've personally been to all 50 states? Or are you just basing this on pre-conceived notions (i.e. South=Good North=Bad)? And what do you mean by "gated communities" in South Carolina? Are the locals that dangerous?

Personally I think Virginia should be rated higher. I think it is a great state. Very clean and near-perfect climate. Not to mention a lot of history there. What is so bad about the I-81 stretch? I drive that stretch almost every year on my way to Alabama to visit my family. Huntsville (AL) is a great area but it's just too damn hot to live year round. And I can't get my clams there and it's difficult to find good beer.

[Vigilantcitizen]

Mi punto era, es alot más fácil de manipular las situaciones sintéticas que natural. Yo lo amo cuando usted habla el español.. ; ^ )>

[crystalk]

No, it is just that some of the very finest gated communities in the nation are in SC, and unlike those in many states are not necessarily either prohibitively expensive, NOR located in or around major cities. They are vital to provide amenities in what otherwise would be boonies.

I myself lived in Virginia what time I didn't live in Fla, for the most part, but have visited 47 states and most of them for more than just a few minutes, ie at least a few days.

You have misread my comment about I-81, it is a lovely highway and traverses some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Live along it, or east of it, but don't go more than 5 or 10 miles W or NW of it or it could turn into a pumpkin.

The three worst things about Virginia are January, February, and Washington DC.

[crystalk]

Y le gusta tambien, cuando hablo ingles como un "cuello rojo"?

[discostu]

If you track across lattitudinal lines the weather is nearly the same, I've lived in both. Most of NM cities are in a higher altitude so you get a ver slight reduction in temperature. What makes NM seem cooler is that most of the cities are further north than their AZ equivalent. I've done parts of July in both Yuma and Roswell, good God it's hot (I say this as a person who's spent most of his life in the desert, Yuma and Roswell go beyond mere desert hot). The whole northern half of AZ get's plenty cold, problem is there's nothing inbetween Phoenix and Flag (it's a visciously mountainous region, not a lot of room for cities and such). Phoenix also has the additional burden of all that concrete, it should be cooler than Tucson, but it's hotter.

[crystalk]

Pero, como se puede manejar un problema tan basico que, de que origen, nacionalidad, y tipo de cultura, es la poblacion de un lugar?

El estado, es la gente-- y la gente, es el estado. Si la poblacion es mexicana, la cultura tambien mexicana, como se puede evitar que se descompone todo la cultura gringa, con el siguiendo regreso hasta la nivel atrasa de la Republica Mexicana?

O es usted mexicano?

[ErnBatavia]

Alabama [Better in Mobile/coast area; or in/near sizable cities, or N/NE area.] Heh heh, I live in North Alabama.

And when you're ready to travel, it's just a hop skip and jump over to Meridian, Mississippi's huge, huge international airport...(riiiiight). All kidding aside, my relatives in Alabanga just sit and laugh at the rest of the country....and not missing a few potshots at the Kalifornia relations. I'm envious of them, sitting down there quietly getting richer and richer off of their oil and timber royalties.

[SamAdams76]

Yes, I misread that comment, I took it to mean that anything within 5-10 miles of I-81 was no good. That I-81 stretch in Virginia is the main reason that I drive instead of fly to Alabama each year. My wife and I have talked of moving there someday when the kids are grown so we can be within a day's drive of either my wife's family in Massachusetts and my family in Alabama (and far enough away from both of them!)