I find many of these “studies” to be of little value. Fact is that there is a HUGE difference in how you feel about your state if you live in ANN ARBOR or DETROIT. Ann Arbor always has relatively low unemployment, highly educated community, great medical, many wonderful parks, and always mentioned as a great retirement city. Detroit, once a great city, is now an ailing is remnant of a war zone. I am not a state resident but was for 40 years and still spend a lot of time in Michigan.
Missouri was hanging at the bottom of the previously cited poll that was posted here. Again – a HUGE difference when you compare Columbia, another university town, to St. Louis. The same descriptors used for Ann Arbor and Detroit could be used for these locations also.
We lived on the Northshore across Lake Ponchatrain from New Orleans for many years. We loved the Gulf Coast and lived in an area with very good schools. We enjoyed frequent visits to New Orleans but………as a place to raise a family……..not so good.
Personally, we like university towns the best.
You could go down the list of nearly every state and find stark differences in the various communities. In the end, it is the community that really matters. Nobody lives all over one state. They pick a community that suits their individual needs.
Any geographical location that matches your personal priority list is the best place to live.