Best - 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.
I live in Florida and I have a rebuttal. I live in a small county and it's ALL old people. It's fucking HELL to live around people who are so old they can hardly operate a shopping cart, and they can vote too.
The only plus is that old people have no idea what being trans is actually like, so since im 5'5 and have a feminine voice I pass to literally everyone. It always amuses me whenever someone with Trump/TPUSA merch genders me correctly which happens nearly every day since I work as a cashier
Texas is worse. If anyone finds out you're trans there, your life is in danger - the cops will turn a blind eye to whatever JimBillyBob and his kin decide to do to you. The only place in Texas you might be able to live somewhat safely is Austin.
Plus, in Texas even the young people are fucking Boomers. Same entitlement, same attitudes, same fucking racism and hatred of anything different, same fucking Megachurch bullshit... it's like the entire fucking state collectively decided that the 50s were the height of cultural development and has actively invested in generational stupidity ever since.
Don't get me wrong, Florida is shit too, but it only recently turned to shit - pre-DeSantis it actually was worth visiting, and living in if you were near the beach (nothing like swimming in the east Atlantic down there).
But Texas has been working on being a shit state since before they joined the union - IMHO Florida has at least a couple of decades to go before it gets as absolutely idiotic as Texas.
that's true. My family has lived here for 6 generations and from what I've been told it's gotten a LOT worse.
We have a megachurch here too. Lost my mom to that cult, though shes always been a shitty person tbh šŖ
For some reason there's a tiny dominos right next to it which I got pizza from and it was pretty awkward lol
it also have alot of rare mycoheterotrophic plants that live in those areas you mentioned. if you ever see one its quite a treat, because they are so unusual. they are usually associated with conifer forests.
It really depends who you are and what you like and what your values are and what your income is.
That said, as a progressive software engineer who grew up in CA and now lives in Boston: Massachusetts for sure has its issues, and the cost of living in the city proper is ludicrous, but itās probably the most European-ish city in the US. Many jokingly call it the Peopleās Republic of Massachusetts, but itās one of the better states in terms of social safety nets and all that sort of stuff, and is generally pretty fun. Decent amount of shows, and the restaurant scene is honestly quite delicious and varied, once you get hooked into the scene a bit and learn a bit about which neighborhoods are good for what. And -gasp - a (usually) functioning mass transit system that has heavy and light rail as a major component, along with pretty good commuter rail that you can take all the way to the state border north or south (idk about west - western mass is considered to be a fictional location by many Bostonians). Basically, better mass transit than pretty much anywhere in the states Iāve ever been besides NYC, and maybe Chicago.
Colorado is also pretty sweet, though itās becoming more expensive these days. Probably the only truly inland state Iād ever seriously consider moving to. Unbelievably good skiing and hiking and other mountain-y stuff to do.
You could not pay me enough money to live in Oklahoma.
And as close second for ānopeā, the gulf coast is pretty goddamn awful imo, even putting aside the politics (which are predominantly pretty heinous) and racism (because we never really fully put down the confederacy) - largely economically depressed, horridly humid, no real winter (I like the cold), tons of petrochemical industry.
pretty good commuter rail that you can take all the way to the state border north or south (idk about west - western mass is considered to be a fictional location by many Bostonians)
We really ought to have regular commuter rail to Springfield, but in the meantime ā¦.
Fitchburg line goes pretty far west
Amtrak long distance takes one east-west train a day, and like one or two north-south train past springfield
Pioneer Valley Transportation (PVTA) has a pretty good bus system, fare free to all!
I know this isnāt 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.
If you say anything even slightly anti-America on Lemmy, it will get upvotes. Ironically, upvotes are practically worthless, but some people seem to enjoy the validation from strangers on social media.
Itās the only thing I like about Reddit better than Lemmy. The people on here are so dramatic. At least the bots on Reddit have the ethos turned down.
if your rich and able/willing to compartmentalize your conscience (and in good health, you have to be super-rich to afford getting sick in US) it's fine enough, but then being rich is fine everywhere
it seems like a decent place than many other places in the world
It 100% is. Which is why the US constantly has problems with people immigrating illegally as even that idea is preferable to staying in the country they currently live.
I think it is. I have a few people on YouTube I follow who left America and it's like they realized that there is an entire world out there where you won't feel awful every day.
People who move to Netherlands or Sweden, western and northern Europe.
I think Americans assume everyone is as miserable as them or worse. Until they go to western Europe and talk to people there.
Its a massive culture difference for one. People don't live to work in Europe. Its a job, not a life.
there is an entire world out there where you wonāt feel awful every day
Americans assume everyone is as miserable as them or worse
Americans are happier than half of Europeans, and vastly happier than most of the world. Why do you feel the need to make things up? It undermines any point you were making.
Well it's a bit of a dumb discussion. You cant measure something like happiness like this. Whatever they did to create these numbers is not going to be accurate for how people actually feel today.
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.
I broke down in West Virginia once, when passing through for work. It was a very unusual experience. Some people were very helpful and nice, a few were creepy, and the scariest person was both.
Also, we had to wait 12 hours for a tow truck to arrive, which then towed us for several hours to the nearest repair shop.
This was like 20 years ago, so I guess I'll never forget it.
I can confirm it was very beautiful though. The fresh snowfall on the mountains looked amazing.
The remote parts of Pennsylvania are also very beautiful.
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.
Makes sense, but given the prompt, we'll have to assume the most logical answer involves whole of state reality, like economy, policies, taxes, social stability, population approvals, population ingress (vs egress). Should be fairly easy to pick one on these grounds. I'm certain there's objective studies out there
But I'm just gonna guess and say Massachusetts best, Mississippi worst
I agree with Tikiporch. The city matters more than the state.
There are rankings on different measures floating around the internet, best and worst depend a lot on what you are measuring. So I took a look and Minneapolis comes up as ideal for most of what I want in a city but I'm a delicate tropical flower and would die there the first winter.
Florida was much more progressive when I was young, unfortunately we have attracted a lot of conservative northerners who completely changed the political landscape, but the city I'm in still feels nice.
So what are you measuring? Good transit? Stay in the northeast. Good music scene? Texas, believe it or not. Want to raise kids? Maybe NYC if you are loaded, so much to do there. Best is impossible to answer because it's different for different people. My ex evolved into a slavering racist so he thinks Iowa is best because it's not very diverse, but that is the opposite of what I like.
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.
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)
As someone from New England, New Hamshire is our florida. Its the only new england state where weed isnt legal, and it fucking sucks. New Hampshire sucks. Nice to visit, but I wouldnt live there.
I just want to confirm, as someone from MA, that this person is absolutely right. New Hampshire is the armpit of New England. You could not pick a worse state up here to live in.
That's wild to read after the stupid Free State Project or whatever it was called from like twenty years ago, trying to get thousands of libertarians to move to New Hampshire so they could take over the state. And yet they're the only state in their region to not have legal weed.
Oh wow, just checked, that is the name and it was started 25 years ago, tho it took a couple years to decide on New Hampshire and it is still an ongoing thing. Apparently they have been able to make an impact on state policies wrt guns, taxes, and education unfortunately.
The āfree state projectā also brought in a gang of sex offenders, bear attacks, destruction of useful government and almost entirely male demographic of libertarians. Have fun!
I'd rather live in Illinois over many other states, especially ones with worse climate like Mississippi or Texas. Chicago alone puts it in the top 5 at least for me
How? I'm not in the city, but unless you can get a city job and love in the suburb, I don't see how it affordable! We pay nearly $7600/year in property taxes, and further towards the city, it's over 10-12k+. That's $1k/month in tax alone.
It's still cheaper than other major cities. You can compare the rent data on various sites, NYC is 50% higher or more, other major cities like Seattle, Los Angles, Boston, they're all like 25% higher or more.
OK cool, not a pissing match. I'm just saying Illinois isn't great, I said not much to do outside Chicago. By living outside Chicago, you're still stuck with some of the highest property taxes in the nation while not earning big city money.
Also, like NY and CA, very anti 2A, which kind of sucks.
california, best with certain cities, with some natural areas preserved. although one may think for being a biotech/tech central, its not really. expanded healthcare for the less socioeconomic advantaged people who can still live in the state.
worst, HCOL is probably the most important reason, insane legislation of what can be built, and renting issues. the sheer amount of homeless in some cities is staggering, although this is likely due to transplants intentionally by red states, so many stores/businesses closed in areas where significant homeless are. high taxes for property which goes into HCOL, creates dead areas for businesses, and replaced by "bougie apartments".
jobs, have an established career prior to moving here, its wonderful. not so much starting out(biotech, tech, high paying health related job(not MD or nursing)
I don't think you can give an actual guesstimate. I think anyone trying is pretty much just bias or guessing. Most states are as big or bigger than European countries, which even inside of those you've got your shit ghettos and your super nice area.
If you were to say cities in the US? That's more possible. I'd say New York City, it's by far the dirtiest city I've seen, even compared to to other major US cities like Chicago, LA, and Miami, ect. But like I said, state is kinda impossible. Upstate New York is like a different country.
61 Comments
arotrios@lemmy.world · 45 pts · 3d
Best - 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.
QuinnyCoded@sh.itjust.works · 19 pts · 2d
I live in Florida and I have a rebuttal. I live in a small county and it's ALL old people. It's fucking HELL to live around people who are so old they can hardly operate a shopping cart, and they can vote too.
The only plus is that old people have no idea what being trans is actually like, so since im 5'5 and have a feminine voice I pass to literally everyone. It always amuses me whenever someone with Trump/TPUSA merch genders me correctly which happens nearly every day since I work as a cashier
arotrios@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2d
Texas is worse. If anyone finds out you're trans there, your life is in danger - the cops will turn a blind eye to whatever JimBillyBob and his kin decide to do to you. The only place in Texas you might be able to live somewhat safely is Austin.
Plus, in Texas even the young people are fucking Boomers. Same entitlement, same attitudes, same fucking racism and hatred of anything different, same fucking Megachurch bullshit... it's like the entire fucking state collectively decided that the 50s were the height of cultural development and has actively invested in generational stupidity ever since.
Don't get me wrong, Florida is shit too, but it only recently turned to shit - pre-DeSantis it actually was worth visiting, and living in if you were near the beach (nothing like swimming in the east Atlantic down there).
But Texas has been working on being a shit state since before they joined the union - IMHO Florida has at least a couple of decades to go before it gets as absolutely idiotic as Texas.
QuinnyCoded@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2d
that's true. My family has lived here for 6 generations and from what I've been told it's gotten a LOT worse.
We have a megachurch here too. Lost my mom to that cult, though shes always been a shitty person tbh šŖ
For some reason there's a tiny dominos right next to it which I got pizza from and it was pretty awkward lol
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 4 pts · 3d
it also have alot of rare mycoheterotrophic plants that live in those areas you mentioned. if you ever see one its quite a treat, because they are so unusual. they are usually associated with conifer forests.
Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 2d
Genuine California propaganda. Their public transit isn't good enough to be considered the best place to live.
gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works · 41 pts · 3d
It really depends who you are and what you like and what your values are and what your income is.
That said, as a progressive software engineer who grew up in CA and now lives in Boston: Massachusetts for sure has its issues, and the cost of living in the city proper is ludicrous, but itās probably the most European-ish city in the US. Many jokingly call it the Peopleās Republic of Massachusetts, but itās one of the better states in terms of social safety nets and all that sort of stuff, and is generally pretty fun. Decent amount of shows, and the restaurant scene is honestly quite delicious and varied, once you get hooked into the scene a bit and learn a bit about which neighborhoods are good for what. And -gasp - a (usually) functioning mass transit system that has heavy and light rail as a major component, along with pretty good commuter rail that you can take all the way to the state border north or south (idk about west - western mass is considered to be a fictional location by many Bostonians). Basically, better mass transit than pretty much anywhere in the states Iāve ever been besides NYC, and maybe Chicago.
Colorado is also pretty sweet, though itās becoming more expensive these days. Probably the only truly inland state Iād ever seriously consider moving to. Unbelievably good skiing and hiking and other mountain-y stuff to do.
You could not pay me enough money to live in Oklahoma.
And as close second for ānopeā, the gulf coast is pretty goddamn awful imo, even putting aside the politics (which are predominantly pretty heinous) and racism (because we never really fully put down the confederacy) - largely economically depressed, horridly humid, no real winter (I like the cold), tons of petrochemical industry.
AA5B@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
We really ought to have regular commuter rail to Springfield, but in the meantime ā¦.
spacegoat@lemmy.world · 25 pts · 2d
I know this isnāt 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.
LarryBetraitor@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 2d
Where did you move to?
agent_nycto@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
If it's not what was asked and is off topic, why comment it?
percent@infosec.pub · 4 pts · 2d
If you say anything even slightly anti-America on Lemmy, it will get upvotes. Ironically, upvotes are practically worthless, but some people seem to enjoy the validation from strangers on social media.
RamRabbit@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
Completely unrelated anti-America shit will be brought up all the time and upvoted. The unrelenting America-hate on this website is exhausting.
mursejoy@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 1d
Itās the only thing I like about Reddit better than Lemmy. The people on here are so dramatic. At least the bots on Reddit have the ethos turned down.
hexagonwin@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 2d
is it really that bad..?
IronBird@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 2d
can't apreciate just how hot the fire is while your still in the pan
hexagonwin@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 2d
i mean i'm not in the US but still it seems like a decent place than many other places in the world. maybe i'm affected by propaganda lol
IronBird@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 2d
if your rich and able/willing to compartmentalize your conscience (and in good health, you have to be super-rich to afford getting sick in US) it's fine enough, but then being rich is fine everywhere
RamRabbit@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
It 100% is. Which is why the US constantly has problems with people immigrating illegally as even that idea is preferable to staying in the country they currently live.
1984@lemmy.today · 8 pts · 1d
I think it is. I have a few people on YouTube I follow who left America and it's like they realized that there is an entire world out there where you won't feel awful every day.
People who move to Netherlands or Sweden, western and northern Europe.
I think Americans assume everyone is as miserable as them or worse. Until they go to western Europe and talk to people there.
Its a massive culture difference for one. People don't live to work in Europe. Its a job, not a life.
RamRabbit@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 1d
Americans are happier than half of Europeans, and vastly happier than most of the world. Why do you feel the need to make things up? It undermines any point you were making.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-world
1984@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 1d
That's great that you are happier than Kuwait and Saudi Arabia but I was talking about a little more civilized countries. :)
Happier than the worst part of the world is not the win you think it is... :)
RamRabbit@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
Also half of Europe, you seemed to have deliberately missed that part.
Americans are happier than French, Spaniards, Italians, Portuguese, etc.
1984@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 1d
Well it's a bit of a dumb discussion. You cant measure something like happiness like this. Whatever they did to create these numbers is not going to be accurate for how people actually feel today.
LettyWhiterock@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 2d
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.
Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 2d
Is cost being excluded from consideration
WoodScientist@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
Don't forget the cost of losing civil rights.
etchinghillside@reddthat.com · 16 pts · 3d
Does the moon become a state when it gets renamed āMoon of Americaā?
HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 15 pts · 2d
Best California
Worst Mississippi
architect@thelemmy.club · 7 pts · 2d
This and done.
Mississippi is literally hell.
agent_nycto@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 2d
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.
Bwaz@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 2d
Seriously? I left Ohio more than a decade ago, never want to even pass rhrough it again.
percent@infosec.pub · 6 pts · 2d
I broke down in West Virginia once, when passing through for work. It was a very unusual experience. Some people were very helpful and nice, a few were creepy, and the scariest person was both.
Also, we had to wait 12 hours for a tow truck to arrive, which then towed us for several hours to the nearest repair shop.
This was like 20 years ago, so I guess I'll never forget it.
I can confirm it was very beautiful though. The fresh snowfall on the mountains looked amazing.
The remote parts of Pennsylvania are also very beautiful.
Arachnidbrilliant@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 2d
CultLeader4Hire@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 2d
Washington state is the best, most beautiful place in the country.
mojofrododojo@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
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.
Tikiporch@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 1d
States matter only inasmuch as the city you live in.
Living in Altoona, Pennsylvania is going to be a vastly different experience than Philadelphia.
blackbeards_bounty@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 1d
Makes sense, but given the prompt, we'll have to assume the most logical answer involves whole of state reality, like economy, policies, taxes, social stability, population approvals, population ingress (vs egress). Should be fairly easy to pick one on these grounds. I'm certain there's objective studies out there
But I'm just gonna guess and say Massachusetts best, Mississippi worst
RBWells@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 1d
I agree with Tikiporch. The city matters more than the state.
There are rankings on different measures floating around the internet, best and worst depend a lot on what you are measuring. So I took a look and Minneapolis comes up as ideal for most of what I want in a city but I'm a delicate tropical flower and would die there the first winter.
Florida was much more progressive when I was young, unfortunately we have attracted a lot of conservative northerners who completely changed the political landscape, but the city I'm in still feels nice.
So what are you measuring? Good transit? Stay in the northeast. Good music scene? Texas, believe it or not. Want to raise kids? Maybe NYC if you are loaded, so much to do there. Best is impossible to answer because it's different for different people. My ex evolved into a slavering racist so he thinks Iowa is best because it's not very diverse, but that is the opposite of what I like.
nicgentile@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 3d
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.
RamRabbit@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3d
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)
Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 2d
As someone from New England, New Hamshire is our florida. Its the only new england state where weed isnt legal, and it fucking sucks. New Hampshire sucks. Nice to visit, but I wouldnt live there.
RedSeries@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 2d
I just want to confirm, as someone from MA, that this person is absolutely right. New Hampshire is the armpit of New England. You could not pick a worse state up here to live in.
mmcintyre@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2d
That's wild to read after the stupid Free State Project or whatever it was called from like twenty years ago, trying to get thousands of libertarians to move to New Hampshire so they could take over the state. And yet they're the only state in their region to not have legal weed.
Oh wow, just checked, that is the name and it was started 25 years ago, tho it took a couple years to decide on New Hampshire and it is still an ongoing thing. Apparently they have been able to make an impact on state policies wrt guns, taxes, and education unfortunately.
TenTonTruck@piefed.ca · 1 pts · 2d
The āfree state projectā also brought in a gang of sex offenders, bear attacks, destruction of useful government and almost entirely male demographic of libertarians. Have fun!
unitedwithme@lemmy.today · 5 pts · 3d
Illinois is pretty bad. Super high property taxes, expensive gas, high ish sales tax most everywhere, and not much to do outside of Chicago.
Outside the city everything needs a car. Sure suburbs have trains and buses, but car is so much easier.
karpintero@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 3d
I'd rather live in Illinois over many other states, especially ones with worse climate like Mississippi or Texas. Chicago alone puts it in the top 5 at least for me
Objection@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 1d
Chicago is far more affordable than any of the major coastal cities.
unitedwithme@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 1d
How? I'm not in the city, but unless you can get a city job and love in the suburb, I don't see how it affordable! We pay nearly $7600/year in property taxes, and further towards the city, it's over 10-12k+. That's $1k/month in tax alone.
Objection@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 1d
It's still cheaper than other major cities. You can compare the rent data on various sites, NYC is 50% higher or more, other major cities like Seattle, Los Angles, Boston, they're all like 25% higher or more.
unitedwithme@lemmy.today · 0 pts · 1d
OK cool, not a pissing match. I'm just saying Illinois isn't great, I said not much to do outside Chicago. By living outside Chicago, you're still stuck with some of the highest property taxes in the nation while not earning big city money.
Also, like NY and CA, very anti 2A, which kind of sucks.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 2d
california, best with certain cities, with some natural areas preserved. although one may think for being a biotech/tech central, its not really. expanded healthcare for the less socioeconomic advantaged people who can still live in the state.
worst, HCOL is probably the most important reason, insane legislation of what can be built, and renting issues. the sheer amount of homeless in some cities is staggering, although this is likely due to transplants intentionally by red states, so many stores/businesses closed in areas where significant homeless are. high taxes for property which goes into HCOL, creates dead areas for businesses, and replaced by "bougie apartments".
jobs, have an established career prior to moving here, its wonderful. not so much starting out(biotech, tech, high paying health related job(not MD or nursing)
Aeao@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
Texas. Itās the best and the worst.
SuiXi3D@fedia.io · 2 pts · 2d
The best of the worst, maybe.
radiofreebc@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
Best - Hawaii
Worst - Anywhere but Hawaii
Arachnidbrilliant@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 2d
I tried moving to Hawaii back in 08 about the time shit hit the fan.. Hawaii is nice, but I still missed my home state. Itās just not home.
heartSagan5@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 2d
Everything is imported so, no, unless youāre rich.
newtraditionalists@kbin.melroy.org · 1 pts · 3d
Tiral@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
I don't think you can give an actual guesstimate. I think anyone trying is pretty much just bias or guessing. Most states are as big or bigger than European countries, which even inside of those you've got your shit ghettos and your super nice area.
If you were to say cities in the US? That's more possible. I'd say New York City, it's by far the dirtiest city I've seen, even compared to to other major US cities like Chicago, LA, and Miami, ect. But like I said, state is kinda impossible. Upstate New York is like a different country.
yessikg@fedia.io · 1 pts · 2d
Here's a list of the worst 10: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/11/worst-states-to-live-in-america-2026.html
QuinnyCoded@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2d
my guess is either Florida or Texas
SuiXi3D@fedia.io · 2 pts · 2d
Youād think so, but Iād think Alabama would be significantly worse.
newton@feddit.online · -3 pts · 2d
Explain to the world ! ,what is USA ?