The Best and Worst States to Live in

[REWahoo]

Another totally meaningless Gallup poll, posted here for entertainment purposes only...

Gallup Poll on Best Worst Places to Live

Residents who have the highest opinion of their states:

Montana: 77%
Alaska: 77%
Utah: 70%
Wyoming: 69%
Texas: 68%
Hawaii: 68%
New Hampshire: 67%
North Dakota: 66%
Colorado: 65%
Vermont: 61%
Oregon: 61%
Minnesota: 61%

Residents who have the lowest opinion of their states:

Rhode Island: 18%
Illinois: 19%
Mississippi: 26%
Louisiana: 27%
Michigan: 28%
New Mexico: 28%
New Jersey: 28%
Maryland: 29%
Missouri: 29%
Connecticut: 31%

More details here: http://www.gallup.com/poll/168653/montanans-alaskans-say-states-among-top-places-live.aspx

 

[Free To Canoe]

It is interesting that North Dakota is near the top and Missouri is near the bottom. I guess the weather weeds out the unhappy ones in the upper Midwest. What's up with Missouri? Some unhappy people there. Good place to retire?

 

[Mulligan]

It is interesting that North Dakota is near the top and Missouri is near the bottom. I guess the weather weeds out the unhappy ones in the upper Midwest. What's up with Missouri? Some unhappy people there. Good place to retire?

Missouri is a great place to retire, from personal experience. Maybe the poll was taken right at the end of winter and people were tired of being prisoners of their house due to unusually cold stretches of winter. Or maybe they just polled mostly people in north St. Louis who get tired of dodging bullets all day.


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[W2R]

Missouri is a great place to retire, from personal experience. Maybe the poll was taken right at the end of winter and people were tired of being prisoners of their house due to unusually cold stretches of winter. Or maybe they just polled mostly people in north St. Louis who get tired of dodging bullets all day.

Some things never change. When I got my drivers' license back in 1964, I was living in St. Louis and my mother told me to never drive north of Delmar because it was too dangerous.

From our point of view Missouri sounds like an absolutely ideal place to retire in all respects except for the cold. We find we are both getting more sensitive to cold weather as we age. On the other hand, the crime in New Orleans is ridiculous. Being indecisive, we will probably end up staying here but who knows. If we move, Missouri is at the top of our list.

 

[Greencheese]

Illinois wasn't #1 on the on the low opinions rating? I'm pretty much shocked

 

[Mulligan]

Some things never change. When I got my drivers' license back in 1964, I was living in St. Louis and my mother told me to never drive north of Delmar because it was too dangerous.

From our point of view Missouri sounds like an absolutely ideal place to retire in all respects except for the cold. We find we are both getting more sensitive to cold weather as we age. On the other hand, the crime in New Orleans is ridiculous. Being indecisive, we will probably end up staying here but who knows.

Delmar is really on the upswing again, W2R. But the timely advice back in 1964 still applies very much so today!!! And as you already know...there is no North St. Louis area around Springfield, MO.


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[W2R]

Delmar is really on the upswing again, W2R. But the timely advice back in 1964 still applies very much so today!!! And as you already know...there is no North St. Louis area around Springfield, MO.

Yes, that is one of its greatest attractions for us. Even though there is a little crime in Springfield, most of it seems to be non-violent crime or domestic disputes. I would feel so much safer, living there.

My elementary school was on Delmar between Union and Skinker, and I used to walk there every day. (It isn't there any more). But, we were on the south side. Back in the 1960's I heard horror stories about how north side residents would turn your car over and burn it if you drove up there. But, mostly those stories were from my brother who wanted to make sure I followed my mother's directives not to drive up there.

 

[haha]

So called gentrification is a spotty process. 2 nights ok some 'banger got himself shot dead at a corner where 100+ new market rate apartment/condo units are scheduled to break ground shortly. I have been getting my bus right there, maybe 8 blocks away from home, when I go to U District. The newspaper article even identified his gang.

I do not want to meet up with a stray bullet, or become a victim of a fun killing.

Ha

 

[Amethyst]

I think Maryland may have rated higher pre-9/11. Since that time, the unbelievably explosive defense industry growth has changed our area from something we love, to something we'd love to escape. Rabbit-hutch condos and break-neck traffic everywhere. That said - it's really just NoVa, redux. And I don't see Virginia on either list.

Amethyst

 

[braumeister]

Different strokes, I guess.
My state of Ohio just missed being in the bottom 10, but we're very happy here. Low cost of living, low crime, decent climate (well, it sometimes gets rough in the peaks of summer and winter), and within a day's drive of an incredible variety of places.

I think one of Ohio's problems is that most people instantly associate it with the phrase "rust belt" and that's certainly true if you consider the northeastern part of the state. But we live at the other end, and it's pretty good here.

 

[savory]

I know some of the states on the upper list have towns with very strong biking/walking programs. I would be interested to learn if there was a relationship between people who feel good about their towns and the investment/effort in those towns to enhance non-motorized traffic programs (bike lanes, sidewalks, etc) is above average. Where I live in CT and from what I can see in most of the state, non-motorized traffic (except for trains to NYC) is neglected.

 

[ABQ2015]

People in New Mexico have self-deprecating tendencies (unlike the big state to the east of us). Being near the bottom of every list and having some significant social and economic problems tends to make one take a more realistic view of your state. I might not explain this very well but voting your state as "one of the worst possible states to live in" does not mean that you can't wait to get out of Dodge. Most New Mexicans have no desire to leave as we appreciate the climate, scenery, food, architecture, local culture, and laid back, friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately, there are just other things that we would like to change for the better.

 

[travelover]

I can vouch for Michigan being a crappy place to live. The climate has always been miserable half the year, but the standard of living was pretty good with decent wages and and a low cost of living. Now, the climate is the same, but after the bankruptcy of GM, Chrysler and the city of Detroit, it is a pretty grim place, with ugly fighting over the scraps.

 

[Marita40]

I'm surprised MN came out at only 61%. Most people, at least here in the Twin Cities, like it here quite a bit. I've been amazed at the number of people born and raised here who have never left and have no desire to do so. No doubt the poll, however, was taken during or right after this very, very hard winter. It certainly was a winter to cast doubts on the desirability of staying here permanently.

And yes it is an area with fabulous biking/nature/walking/parks opportunities.

 

[Ronstar]

Illinois wasn't #1 on the on the low opinions rating? I'm pretty much shocked

Even though the table doesn't indicate it, the text in the article does:

"One in Four Illinois Residents Say Their State Is the Worst Place to Live


Illinois has the unfortunate distinction of being the state with the highest percentage of residents who say it is the worst possible place to live. One in four Illinois residents (25%) say the state is the worst place to live, followed by 17% each in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Throughout its history, Illinois has been rocked by high-profile scandals, investigations, and resignations from Chicago to Springfield and elsewhere throughout the state. Such scandals may explain why Illinois residents have the least trust in their state government across all 50 states. Additionally, they are among the most resentful about the amount they pay in state taxes. These factors may contribute to an overall low morale for the state's residents."

 

[FIGuy]

Grew up and went to school in Illinois - happy enough childhood, but I'm glad to be gone as an adult.

Recently moved from Maryland where I've spent over 7 years paying around 11% state + county taxes (in MD each county levies 3-4% on top of the 7% state tax). Every city mile has a speed camera. Southern MD and the Eastern shore are quaint, but almost everyone with a decent job has to deal with the crap around DC. I lived inside the beltway for far too many years of my life.

Now live in TX. Our tax savings easily pay the absurdly cheap rent. No speed cameras, mostly OK traffic, hardly ever see a cop and yet folks treat each other decently. There's a feeling of independence / freedom here that's hard to explain. There are downsides of course, but I travel enough for work (CA) to make that not such an issue for me.

I never cared much about what state I was in until TX. Now, it's one of the top criteria for where I'll live. 7 no income tax states in particular have my long term attention.

 

[urn2bfree]

The issue is likely one of St. Louis vs the rest of Missouri.

Most St Louisans are incredibly bullish on where they live-too much some would say. They have legitimate reasons to cite St Louis County as a nice place to raise a family.

At the same time St Louis has a long standing difficult relationship with the rest of the state of Missouri. This dates at least as far back as the Civil War when the population was concentrated with Union sympathizers in St Louis who kept the rest of slave-holding Missouri from joining the Confederacy.

There remains a divide between people in the state even about how to pronounce Missouri! (In St. Louis it is Miz-oor-EE, in much of the rest of the STATE, to the bewilderment and consternation of St. Louisans, they say Miz-oor-UH)

I would guess the bulk of negative comments about the state came from the St Louisans who feel like a citadel of civilization in an otherwise redneck backwater.

 

[nun]

I'd want to live somewhere in the middle of the table.......either end would be full of looney sycophants or depressed losers.

I live in MA which is pretty much mid table and I think that shows a health combination of appreciation and skepticism. It's expensive, but has good services; there's great cultural life and diversity, but still a lot of blue dog Dem. prejudice. I could go on........

 

[Mulligan]

The issue is likely one of St. Louis vs the rest of Missouri.

Most St Louisans are incredibly bullish on where they live-too much some would say. They have legitimate reasons to cite St Louis County as a nice place to raise a family.

At the same time St Louis has a long standing difficult relationship with the rest of the state of Missouri. This dates at least as far back as the Civil War when the population was concentrated with Union sympathizers in St Louis who kept the rest of slave-holding Missouri from joining the Confederacy.

There remains a divide between people in the state even about how to pronounce Missouri! (In St. Louis it is Miz-oor-EE, in much of the rest of the STATE, to the bewilderment and consternation of St. Louisans, they say Miz-oor-UH)

I would guess the bulk of negative comments about the state came from the St Louisans who feel like a citadel of civilization in an otherwise redneck backwater.

I am part of the redneck backwater, but I have always pronounced EE. I really don't know why though. But your generalization is correct though. Watching political "heat maps" is always interesting many times in elections with 110 counties voting one side and the same 4 going the other. A great non political example a year or two back was a proposed cigarette tax increase on the ballot. Even though MO by far has the lowest tax of 17 cents per pack on state tax, close to 80% of the minority rural voters voted the tax increase down to overcome the majority of the city metro voters that voted yes.


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[JPatrick]

I am part of the redneck backwater, but I have always pronounced EE. I really don't know why though. But your generalization is correct though. Watching political "heat maps" is always interesting many times in elections with 110 counties voting one side and the same 4 going the other. A great non political example a year or two back was a proposed cigarette tax increase on the ballot. Even though MO by far has the lowest tax of 17 cents per pack on state tax, close to 80% of the minority rural voters voted the tax increase down to overcome the majority of the city metro voters that voted yes.


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I too live in Hicksville, but I almost never hear an "uh." This is perhaps due to the large population of transplants who moved here prior to seeing the Gallup poll.

The one time I can count on getting a dose of "uh," is when the guvner speaks.

 

[Mulligan]

I too live in Hicksville, but I almost never hear an "uh." This is perhaps due to the large population of transplants who moved here prior to seeing the Gallup poll.



The one time I can count on getting a dose of "uh," is when the guvner speaks.

I have read an article or two where it has been discussed how his pronunciation of the state magically changes based on the geographic location from where he is then speaking from. For me anyways, I don't really notice the EE or UH. What gets me is when I have to hear people say IlliNOISE, or WARSHington.


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[MRG]

I'm in the backwater too, the other metro area. I took it as both large metro areas don't like the taxes they pay. The other factor for me is the violence you hear about on the metro nightly news. The violence occurs in a few well known areas, places to stay away from, but dominates the nightly news.

It was interesting to see the cigarette tax get turned down. I guess that says alot. Even with the negatives, I like MO. If I compare it with the state I grew up in, that rated higher, I'm glad we escaped.
MRG

 

[Kimo]

As I sit here on my lanai, I am thinking number 6 on the first list is good.......if you look away at the supermarket checkout cashier....

 

[Mulligan]

I'm in the backwater too, the other metro area. I took it as both large metro areas don't like the taxes they pay. The other factor for me is the violence you hear about on the metro nightly news. The violence occurs in a few well known areas, places to stay away from, but dominates the nightly news.

It was interesting to see the cigarette tax get turned down. I guess that says alot. Even with the negatives, I like MO. If I compare it with the state I grew up in, that rated higher, I'm glad we escaped.
MRG

That is why I believe too much is made of crime statistics. St. Louis always gets a bad rap for murders and makes it sound like an unsafe area. But in reality, it is only a few certain areas that most everyone in the state knows not to venture to. Plus many big cities have annexed their metro areas bringing the rate down. StL has not done that thus distorting the true numbers as most people consider the metro area as part of a city. Or at least many of the rural people like me do.


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[Koolau]

As I sit here on my lanai, I am thinking number 6 on the first list is good.......if you look away at the supermarket checkout cashier....

Gazing out on the beautiful, blue Pacific from my LR window, I have to agree on No. 6. If "positives" were all one looked at, I truly believe HI would win in a land slide. It's like all of those "places rated" books and articles. Once you average every category (the "good" and the "bad") some strange things can happen. Still, I understand the negatives of living here - primarily high cost, but also, perhaps (one party) government corruption and non-responsiveness, traffic and, I suppose, rock fever. But, as others have pointed out, there are many things one can do to enhance the positive and ameliorate the negatives. As always, YMMV.