States matter only inasmuch as the city you live in.
Living in Altoona, Pennsylvania is going to be a vastly different experience than Philadelphia.
Washington state is the best, most beautiful place in the country.
have lived all over the US. Ended up in puget sound; it is absolutely gorgeous here, and our summer this year was cool and mild. One day in the low 90s, the rest in the 70s or 80s - slept with the windows open most of the summer! I love it here so much.
If you’re the kind of person using lemmy, then any southern state is probably in the running for “worst” to live in. They’re not without their positives or fantastic people and culture (and I mean actual culture, not the confederacy bs) but if you were picking and choosing a place to live, it probably wouldn’t be those.
By that same token, any west coast or northeast/new England state is probably “best”. They all have their negatives and shitty people, but you’d probably prefer one of them if you were choosing. Though you actually may have a better time in a city in a “worst” state than in some rural areas in a “best” state. That’ll depend on other factors.
Everyone in the US thinks the state they are from is both the best and the worst at the same time. And also gets mad if you agree that their state is the worst of you’re not from there.
That being said, Ohio is aight, more interesting than people give it credit for, and everything bad people think about Ohio is way more true in Indiana.
Also no one talks about how freaking beautiful West Virginia is I swear.
Seriously? I left Ohio more than a decade ago, never want to even pass rhrough it again.
Best - Hawaii
Worst - Anywhere but HawaiiBest - California. Even the worst parts of the state are better than most other places in America, and the best parts are literally world wonders (Yosemite, Redwoods, Sequoias, Death Valley, Joshua Tree). Pricey AF, but you get what you pay for, and it’s all here - mountains, deserts, ocean, lakes, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, big cities, little towns, pretty much any kind of life you could want, you can live it here if you’ve got the means to afford it.
Worst - Texas. It’s where the worst of America decided to throw an endless rodeo and most of their trash. Yeah, other states may be stupider, or more racist, or more desolate… but nobody nowhere is louder and prouder of being a drunken pain in the ass than a Texan. Florida man comes in a close second if he’s methed up enough, but Florida actually has cool shit like the Everglades and Miami and manatees and alligators.
Texas has Buc-ees and lot lizards.
I know this isn’t what you were asking for, but the single best quality of life decision I made was leaving America. This was after living in multiple states.
Where did you move to?
If it’s not what was asked and is off topic, why comment it?
Subjective, but this is what it looks like for me.
I’ve lived in Maryland, liked it for education, work, proximity to DC, NY, fairly friendly people, lots to do between DC and Baltimore. Didn’t like it for weather (not a fan of snow), Baltimore has some parts that are sketchy, though not personally affected, I hated the idea that someone could, and I had my car broken into once.
Texas. Enjoyed the weather tremendously, really enjoyed the food, in urban settings people were pretty friendly, enjoyed driving down to Galveston, Jamaica Beach, Surfside beach, Kemah, Seabrook, you get the idea, I like beaches. Didn’t like it for education, dang, raw deal for kids in Texas, politics and religion in some settings, and perpetual road construction. Also, among the people I was hanging out with, there was a drinking culture I did not appreciate. Not that I’m judging, but people really drink in Texas and DUIs did not seem such a big deal. So in my mind, my generalization is drunks.
Future (currently aligning) looks like California, likely around LA or San Diego if I get this put together. Why? The beach of course, weather, education, farming and opportunities in certain fields I work in. My concern, cost (there is a certain X ratio against my current I am willing to tolerate), materialistic culture, and crime. That being said, it could also mean a split between California and New York if things go as I hope. NY would be a mostly professional, and occasional cultural thing. I weirdly enjoy big cities in the summer.
Future future, assuming I hit certain financial goals, Hawaii, more specifically Maui or Big Island. Again, beach, weather, by then education will not be a concerning factor, and farming.
Texas. It’s the best and the worst.
Everything very much so depends on your personal preferences, but quite a number of people really like purple states. These states have moderate politics and thus moderate policies. Obviously every state in the group is different, and even within the state there is large variation; moving even 20 miles closer/further from political hotspots can give massive variations in relevant laws, taxes, culture, etc.
Ex: New Hampshire, Arizona, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Maine, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Minnesota
(Note, I have not specifically investigated every one of these states. Researching thousands of laws in a dozen states is quite a lot of work for a comment)
