In terms of activities/scenery/vibe etc - It's a probably toss up between Oklahoma, Alabama/Mississippi, whatever Dakota you hate the most and Nebraska/Kansas (if you count KC as being in MO there's basically nothing KS). All flat, no interesting cities, and boring as all ****. Alabama's restrictions on craft beer make it a special brand of hell. West Virginia is a depressing dump but at least it has some mountains.
He probably did see Memphis and that's why he thinks, or rather knows, that parts of Tennessee are dirty. I grew up there. It is the ghetto capital of the South. While Memphis does have some very upscale neighborhoods, most of it shows the worst humanity has to offer, and unlike most cities there is not a whole lot of in-between. (feeling for the tourist in another post who probably made the mistake of trying to stay in the neighborhood of Graceland. Locals avoid the area and usually don't have any regular business within miles of it.) The worst state I've seen... hmmm... poor dysfunctional Mississippi would be up there. They even have billboards proclaiming that "our children can't read" - true, though most states wouldn't embarrass themselves by pointing it out, even in an attempt to fix it. Racism has lingered there longer and most of the public education is notoriously awful. I feel guilty saying this as I have too many relatives there, but it's a mess. Arkansas isn't too great either. The towns are all right - Little Rock, Hot Springs, etc. - but the more rural areas are scary, especially up in the mountains. (could say the same about Kentucky or West Virginia. they have similar histories of inbreeding)
I have the exact opposite opinion of Arkansas. Little Rock is a dump, mostly. My mom is from there, so I spent a lot of time there growing up. Once you get away into the mountains, it gets really nice. Sure, there are some backwoods people that live up the side of a mountain with no electricity, but it's one of the most beautiful places in the country. Fort Smith and the surrounding areas are booming because of it. Hot Springs is very nice, but it's a stretch to call it a city.
No hate to really report though I've gotten this really erie feeling of corruption and just feeling dirty when I've been in Illinois for an extended period. Nice people there though, more the cops and political environment So yah, i'll pick Illinois
if personal experience view, I'd say Maryland is a real piece of crap state. not one stinking rest stop on their interstate highway on my way back from Florida. Pennsylvania is also a real hellhole if you're not white.
I've lived in Texas, Illinois, Arkansas AND Tennessee. Illinois was the WORST. High cost of living, no feeder or beltway system, everything is a toll road or always under contruction, bad weather, and high crime. (but a great place to visit) (I also lived there during Blago's term) Arkansas is great if you like the outdoors. Plenty of stocked lakes and great fishing and camping. You can even go out to Lake Ouachita and find your own island and camp on it. Arkansas grew on me and I actually defend it when people talk smack about it. The only thing I knew about it before my job moved me out to Arkansas was "Gangs of Little Rock" on HBO. The only negative compared to other places I've lived is the woman are slim pickens.. if they are hot. chances are they have 4-5 kids already. I'm originally from Clear Lake/Webster area of TX.
Chicago alone puts Illinois up into the top half of good states. Sure, life in carbondale sucks but it's otherwise irrelevant.
Looks like many people think Los Angeles = California, although I do agree its a poorly run state, but that has a lot to due to underlying structural problems in the state gov.
it has to do with entrenched politicians. For some reason Californians keep voting for the same people over and over.
For whatever reasons, Texans always hate California and most of them aren't really sure why. It's just what you're supposed to do as a Texan.
This is absolutely true and it's something that I've noticed time and time again. But to be fair, the same is true of the opposite. I have heard Texas being used as a stock example of backwardness and redneckness here in L.A. all the time. A professor this year even went on a lengthy tirade saying "Why would anyone even want to go to Texas?!?!" and so on. He's a hardcore lefty-type, so I just let it slide knowing that no one's opinion was going to be changed that day anyway. Funny aside in regards to the "People have ruined California" comment... but people want to move to California en masse because of how awesome it is. If the place sucked, then people wouldn't want to move here and then it wouldn't be "ruined". But then what would there have been to ruin in the first place? Ultimately, it's ignorance. If you honestly think that California "sucks", or that Texas "sucks", I can probably very accurately surmise that you have not spent much time in either state, and if you have spent much time and that's still your opinion of the place, then you most likely have some personal hangups about it that are getting in the way of your objectivity (like political affiliations, perhaps?). Anyway, these are the states that I've been to: Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada (my father, an immigrant, adored Virginia City), Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Hawai'i. To be honest, I like all of them. Maybe it's just the rush of traveling or the joy of seeing America in general, but I liked all of them. Maybe Montana gave me the worst vibes, but that's about it.
BS- New Mexico completely rocks- I live in Lubbock and I've been to Roswell, Carlsbad, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Ruidoso numerous times. New Mexico is in the top 5, easily.
California has some of the strictest term limits in the country, maybe the strictest, which makes entrenched politicians a rarity.
I just don't get it, people. When you live here in West Texas, New Mexico is like a huge breath of fresh air. First, you can gamble there. Awesome to be able to go to a casino if you want. Second, once you get to Ruidoso, it's stunningly beautiful. Same with Albuquerque and Santa Fe, two of the prettiest big cities in the U.S. (awesome architecture, etc.). Then, you have Roswell, which is this strange little town that translated a supposed UFO landing into a culture reference point, that every year has a UFO Festival which has to be experienced to be believed. And Carlsbad's Caverns are one of the best places you could ever visit on God's green earth. Someone else mentioned Taos- that, too. The people? Some of the nicest, most laid-back people you could ever meet. It really is the Enchanted State.
Yes, but I was born in New York City and we used to travel every year from NY to Texas (dad was born in El Campo south of Houston), so the states I've personally visited are NY, NJ, WV, VA, PA, MD, DE, NC, SC, FL, GA, MS, AL, LA, TX, NM, AZ, CA, NV, CO, UT, OK, KY, TN, MO, and OH. Favorites are CA, NM, NY, and TX (well, Houston). Worst? Probably MS or AL, although I think there's good in every state.
This is so true and I've never understood it either. I can think of a handful of people I know who feel this way. When having discussion similar to the one we're having here, they are always quick to blurt out "California and New York." Taking it a step further, a couple in particular root against California teams (not just the Lakers, either) because they just hate California.
