Best Places to Live 2018 - Where does your city rank?

[billanole]

The City of Charm (Jacksonville, FL) checking in the top 50 at #44. The other Florida cities ranked ahead are #29 Melbourne, #34 Sarasota, and #41 Ft. Myers but they are just politicking to the retirees. Got tired scrolling down looking for Miami, Orlando, and Tampa....I'm sure their somewhere outside of the top 70. After reviewing the list and some of the cities ahead of The City of Charm (like Anchorage, AK & Lancaster, PA....give me a break!) I've moved Jacksonville, FL into the Top 20.

https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live

Where I work is 24, somehow below Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte in state... I understand the appeal of the other two regarding work and bigger entertainment options, but climate, recreation, traditional culture, and other criteria have me vote Asheville over them both.
I really have no desire to live in any “city”, but proximity is appealing at a certain level. As to the Florida cities if I had to, the Tampa Bay Area or Winter Park near Orlando might be my preference.

 

[DFSNOLE]

There are rednecks littered along the east coast.

I was in a city outside of Pittsburgh over the holidays and it was scary....right up there Wewa!

A talking head once said about Pennsylvania; "It's Pittsburgh on one side, Philadelphia on the other and Alabama in between." There's a lot of truth in that statement.

 

[TennNole17]

Coming in at #117, good ole' Memphis.

 

[DanC78]

I like Austin well enough but I always think it gets a huge amount of extra credit by being surrounded by the rest of Texas. Pick Austin up and drop it in California or Arizona (or even next to Tampa or Orlando) and suddenly no one would care. But compare it to the overgrown redneck NRA wunderlands of Houston and Dallas and Austin is a shining city of diversity, modernity, art, cuisine and forward thought.

There’s a handful of places worth visiting in Texas (Austin during the Moontower Comedy Festival this week which I skipped only because their acts were stale and duplicative of last year for the mid level acts, San Antonio for a two day trip, the Big Bend NP the one or two months a year it’s not meltingly hot, Fredericksburg and the wineries surrounding the “Hill Country” and Lockhart for the “BBQ” Texans claim as their god given heritage but are really based on old Jewish recipes for brisket), but for 95% of it I view Texas a just a bigger, richer Arkansas or Mississippi with far more white rednecks shooting Yosemite Samlike at all times.

Now Phoenix and Tucson (which I like better) are a really underrated metro area. All four major sports, big diversity of food, and big name music and comedy acts coming in all the time. We don’t think of it much in Florida, but I definitely love the area and would have it in my top 10.

Austin’s cost of living compared to Califorina is what makes it attractive to me. Great tech city for the big players and start ups, California feel with the hills, river, and culture; but a quarter the cost to live there. Take that component out of the equation and it’s less or equal to most of the better cities in Califorina.

Traffic is a push for the most part. While heavy congested around 35the distance to point A from point B is short.

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

Blah, blah, blah, I hate Texas. Blah, blah, blah, blah, I hate Texas. Blah, blah, blah.

More tripe from tribe.

I listed the six decent things about Texas as well. Here I’ll even add a half point to the six, Puffy Tacos in San Antonio make up for the mediocrity of most Tex-Mex found throughout Texas and the rest of America.

 

[NoleLizards]

I listed the six decent things about Texas as well. Here I’ll even add a half point to the six, Puffy Tacos in San Antonio make up for the mediocrity of most Tex-Mex found throughout Texas and the rest of America.

R.I.P. R. Lee Ermey. WARNING: NSFW

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

Austin’s cost of living compared to Califorina is what makes it attractive to me. Great tech city for the big players and start ups, California feel with the hills, river, and culture; but a quarter the cost to live there. Take that component out of the equation and it’s less or equal to most of the better cities in Califorina.

Traffic is a push for the most part. While heavy congested around 35the distance to point A from point B is short.

True (about the costs in Texas versus California), but the pay is usually better and the benefits. California has great Primary and secondary schools plus arguably the best state university system (I’m partial to Virginia which is the only state I’d put on par or better than California as the schools are just as respected, smaller classes and overall enrolment and there are major differences between schools like UVA, Bill & Mary, VMI, James Madison, George Mason, etc... versus California’s insert city name U being pretty cookie cutter). And of course much better food and entertainment especially in terms of diversity of cuisines, musical styles and having better theatrical selections. And honestly, other than LA to San Diego which is pretty bland brown like most of Texas, California is far more naturally beautiful than Texas with a much wider variety of ecosystems.

 

[Fijimn]

A talking head once said about Pennsylvania; "It's Pittsburgh on one side, Philadelphia on the other and Alabama in between." There's a lot of truth in that statement.

I have always heard said "with west virginia in the middle"

 

[NoleLizards]

I have always heard said "with west virginia in the middle"

Some would say that's a microcosm of the entire continental U.S.

 

[Fijimn]

True (about the costs in Texas versus California), but the pay is usually better and the benefits. California has great Primary and secondary schools plus arguably the best state university system (I’m partial to Virginia which is the only state I’d put on par or better than California as the schools are just as respected, smaller classes and overall enrolment and there are major differences between schools like UVA, Bill & Mary, VMI, James Madison, George Mason, etc... versus California’s insert city name U being pretty cookie cutter). And of course much better food and entertainment especially in terms of diversity of cuisines, musical styles and having better theatrical selections. And honestly, other than LA to San Diego which is pretty bland brown like most of Texas, California is far more naturally beautiful than Texas with a much wider variety of ecosystems.

If you think the 405 from LA to SD is bland, you drive the 5 from LA to SF. 5 hours of almond trees and nothingness.

 

[TexSkills]

There are rednecks littered along the east coast.

I was in a city outside of Pittsburgh over the holidays and it was scary....right up there Wewa!

A talking head once said about Pennsylvania; "It's Pittsburgh on one side, Philadelphia on the other and Alabama in between." There's a lot of truth in that statement.

Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin are full of rednecks

 

[billanole]

Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin are full of rednecks

Rhode Island is surprisingly thick with hick, as is Maine.

 

[DFSNOLE]

I have always heard said "with west virginia in the middle"

Look up James Carville quotes.

 

[Fijimn]

Rhode Island is surprisingly thick with hick, as is Maine.

Same for Massachusetts. Nothing but massholes from Falls River to Gloucester

 

[ReliableOstrich]

NYC checking in at #96. I'd beg to differ. No city in America parallels the professional and social opportunities of NYC. We are also the safest big city in the country.

Cons: winter, the most segregated school system in the country, the knicks, the giants, the yankees.

 

[F4Gary]

If you think the 405 from LA to SD is bland, you drive the 5 from LA to SF. 5 hours of almond trees and nothingness.

And they now have some of the worst highways in the US. I-5 and 99 are both terrible.

 

[goldmom]

True (about the costs in Texas versus California), but the pay is usually better and the benefits. California has great Primary and secondary schools plus arguably the best state university system (I’m partial to Virginia which is the only state I’d put on par or better than California as the schools are just as respected, smaller classes and overall enrolment and there are major differences between schools like UVA, Bill & Mary, VMI, James Madison, George Mason, etc... versus California’s insert city name U being pretty cookie cutter). And of course much better food and entertainment especially in terms of diversity of cuisines, musical styles and having better theatrical selections. And honestly, other than LA to San Diego which is pretty bland brown like most of Texas, California is far more naturally beautiful than Texas with a much wider variety of ecosystems.

I'd visit Cali for the scenery, sure. I lived there for a year, in the OC. Would I live there again, ever? Noooo.

I lived in Texas for the better part of twenty years. I'd live there again. My children were educated in an outstanding school district. Executive pay in Texas compares with anywhere. The University of Texas is basically a public ivy, aTm is actually a very good school, and the smaller (ha) state schools are all over the state with 25-30,000 kids on each campus.
Rice, SMU and TCU are excellent private Universities. Texas has ecosystems ranging from 14,000 foot mountains out in the Big Bend area, gulf beaches, high plains, deserts, hill country, the piney woods and cypress swamp in southeast Texas.

I'm a Floridian through and through, but Texas will always have a place in my heart.

 

[goldmom]

NYC checking in at #96. I'd beg to differ. No city in America parallels the professional and social opportunities of NYC. We are also the safest big city in the country.

Cons: winter, the most segregated school system in the country, the knicks, the giants, the yankees.

You forgot taxes and cost of living.

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

I'd visit Cali for the scenery, sure. I lived there for a year, in the OC. Would I live there again, ever? Noooo.

I lived in Texas for the better part of twenty years. I'd live there again. My children were educated in an outstanding school district. Executive pay in Texas compares with anywhere. The University of Texas is basically a public ivy, aTm is actually a very good school, and the smaller (ha) state schools are all over the state with 25-30,000 kids on each campus.
Rice, SMU and TCU are excellent private Universities. Texas has ecosystems ranging from 14,000 foot mountains out in the Big Bend area, gulf beaches, high plains, deserts, hill country, the piney woods and cypress swamp in southeast Texas.

I'm a Floridian through and through, but Texas will always have a place in my heart.

Just sticking to the state universities because I always find the ACC versus Big Ten and other conferences interesting as a topic, Texas is nowhere even close to the ballpark of California and Virginia (or Michigan which is a distant third for best state Universities imo) you’ve got the USNWR rankings of

California
21st National University Cal-Berkeley tied with
21st National University UCLA
37th National University UC-Santa Barbara
42nd National University UC-Irvine tied with
42nd National University UC-San Diego
46th National University UC-Davis
81st National University UC-Santa Cruz
124th National University UC-Riverside
140th National University San Diego State tied with George Mason
165th National University UC-Merced
202nd National University Cal State-Fullerton
223rd National University Cal State-Fresno
*********
3rd Regional University Cal State-Maritime
11th Regional University Cal Poly State-San Luis Obispo
31st Regional University Cal State-Pomona
35th Regional University San Jose State
37th Regional University Cal State-Chico
39th Regional University Cal State-Long Beach
47th Regional University Cal State-Monterey
48th Regional University Humboldt State
55th Regional University Cal State-Stanislaus
57th Regional University Sonoma State
59th Regional University Cal State-LA
63rd Regional University Cal State-San Bernardino
66th Regional University Cal State-Channel Islands
70th Regional University Cal State-Northridge
73rd Regional University Cal State-Sacramento
76th Regional University Cal State-San Marcos
94th Regional University Cal State-Bakersfield
96-120 Tier 2 Regional University San Francisco State


Virginia
25th National University UVA
32nd National University College of William & Mary
65th National Liberal Arts College VMI
69th National University Virginia Tech tied with aTm
140th National University George Mason tied with SDSU
171st National University Virginia Commonwealth
173rd National Liberal Arts College UVA-Wise
231-300 Tier 4 National University Old Dominion
231-300 Tier 4 National University
********
7th Regional University James Madison
11th Regional University Christopher Newport
17th Regional University Mary Washington
27th Regional University Longwood
43rd Regional University Radford
102nd Regional University Virginia State
114-142 Tier 4 Regional University Norfolk State


Texas
56th National University UT
69th National University aTm tied with VT
145th National University UT-Dallas
176th National University Texas Tech
192nd National University University of Houston
231-300 Tier 4 National University Sam Houston State
231-300 Tier 4 National University Texas State
231-300 Tier 4 National University aTm Kingsville
231-300 Tier 4 National University aTm Corpus Christi
231-300 Tier 4 National University aTm Commerce
231-300 Tier 4 National University North Texas
231-300 Tier 4 National University UT-Arlington
231-300 Tier 4 National University UTEP
231-300 Tier 4 National University UT-Rio Grande
231-300 Tier 4 National University Texas Southern
******
63rd Regional University Houston-Clear Lake
70th Regional University aTm-International
73rd Regional University Stephen Austin State
81st Regional University West Texas A&M
90th Regional University UT-Tyler
91st Regional University UT-Permian Basin tied with
91st Regional University Midwestern State
95th Regional University North Texas-Dallas
96-120 Tier 4 Regional University Angelo State
96-120 Tier 4 Regional University aTm Texarkana
96-120 Tier 4 Regional University Houston-Downtown
96-120 Tier 4 Regional University Houston-Victoria

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

I'd visit Cali for the scenery, sure. I lived there for a year, in the OC. Would I live there again, ever? Noooo.

I lived in Texas for the better part of twenty years. I'd live there again. My children were educated in an outstanding school district. Executive pay in Texas compares with anywhere. The University of Texas is basically a public ivy, aTm is actually a very good school, and the smaller (ha) state schools are all over the state with 25-30,000 kids on each campus.
Rice, SMU and TCU are excellent private Universities. Texas has ecosystems ranging from 14,000 foot mountains out in the Big Bend area, gulf beaches, high plains, deserts, hill country, the piney woods and cypress swamp in southeast Texas.

I'm a Floridian through and through, but Texas will always have a place in my heart.

So for ease if you mix California, Virginia and Texas Schools in to one list of National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges by ranking with California in plain text, Virginia in Italics and Texas in bold it looks like this

1 Cal Berkeley
1 UCLA
3 Virginia
4 College of William & Mary
5 UC Santa Barbara
6 UC Davis
6 UC Santa Cruz
8 Texas
9 VMI
10 Virginia Tech
10 aTm
12 UC Santa Cruz
13 UC Riverside
14 George Mason
14 San Diego State
16 UT-Dallas
17 UC Merced
18 Virginia Commonwealth
19 UVA-Wise
20 Texas Tech
21 Houston
22 Cal State Fullerton
23 Cal State-Fresno/Fresno State
24 Old Dominion
24 Texas State
24 Sam Houston State
24 aTm-Corpus Christi
24 aTm-Kingsville
24 aTm-Commerce
24 North Texas
24 UT-Arlington
24 UTEP
24 UT-Rio Grande
24 Texas Southern

So Texas does have a lot of giant public universities but for the most part they’re complete #^#*. And Even UT would only be the 8th best in a combined list of California and Virginia State Schools. Even if you dropped California’s great universities and just plugged Texas schools into the Virginia system, UT would be a distant third and aTm would be 6th.

Now I do say that imo the Virginia System is better than the California System despite the USNWR rankings because you’re going to get much better training at the small campuses of UVA, Bill & Mary and VMI than the large, research first teaching last Cal universities. And if in Virginia you want a large “typical state U” football experience you can go to Virginia Tech which is perfectly fine and tied with aTm. But you can’t throw Texas in the mix, they’re all large teaching last university box schools like Cal but without their quality of students, funding and prestigious professors.

 

[DanC78]

True (about the costs in Texas versus California), but the pay is usually better and the benefits. California has great Primary and secondary schools plus arguably the best state university system (I’m partial to Virginia which is the only state I’d put on par or better than California as the schools are just as respected, smaller classes and overall enrolment and there are major differences between schools like UVA, Bill & Mary, VMI, James Madison, George Mason, etc... versus California’s insert city name U being pretty cookie cutter). And of course much better food and entertainment especially in terms of diversity of cuisines, musical styles and having better theatrical selections. And honestly, other than LA to San Diego which is pretty bland brown like most of Texas, California is far more naturally beautiful than Texas with a much wider variety of ecosystems.

The companies I’ve worked for do not pay any more or any less for the cost of living difference between California and Texas (I worked for google while in Austin and currently work for one of the largest SaaS companies in world, again, they pay the same no matter where you live based on your job role).

I’m not going to argue about your state school comparisons or drives along the interstate.

The restaurant and entertainment comparisons are debatable. But don’t know enough about Califorina to argue with confidence, only going by my trips there over the years, which has been a fair amount and to multiple cities.

And I have forgotten how this all started and why we are taking about it. :-/

 

[goldmom]

Because 76 wants to...

 

[NDallasRuss]

...California is far more naturally beautiful than Texas with a much wider variety of ecosystems.

This is how I know you're just being silly and trying to rile up people who like Texas.

 

[NDallasRuss]

91st Regional University Midwestern State

Woo - way to represent!!

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

This is how I know you're just being silly and trying to rile up people who like Texas.

I’ve been to the “Grand Canyon of Texas”. You have to do a lot of photographic “cheating”/enhancements to make that look nice meanwhile the real Grand Canyon is mind blowingly nice any point along the rim.

The difference between Texas and California when it comes to beauty is pretty simple in my mind. There are spots of breathtaking beauty and awe inspiring vistas in California from Highway 1 from San Fran to Santa Barabara, the Channel Islands, Yosemite, Muir Woods, etc... In contrast there’s no real amazing high points for Texas. Some nice spots sure, I liked Big Bend NP when I was there in December and it wasn’t hot as balls. But that’s not competing with the amazing spots in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada that have some of the nicest spots on the planet. The best spots in Texas are nice. The best spots in California are some of the best on the planet.

The companies I’ve worked for do not pay any more or any less for the cost of living difference between California and Texas (I worked for google while in Austin and currently work for one of the largest SaaS companies in world, again, they pay the same no matter where you live based on your job role).

I’m not going to argue about your state school comparisons or drives along the interstate.

The restaurant and entertainment comparisons are debatable. But don’t know enough about Califorina to argue with confidence, only going by my trips there over the years, which has been a fair amount and to multiple cities.

And I have forgotten how this all started and why we are taking about it. :-/

I don’t know why you’re getting screwed but California salaries are some of the best in the US while Texas is mediocre. Across the board, the average Californian is $10k richer than Texans, but the difference for pay like teachers is night and day ($71k on average versus 44k). Using Rasmussen which is approved by the highest authority, I looked up a couple of random professions and architects ($86k to $71k), biochemists ($93k to $61k), busdrivers ($37k to $23k), carpenters ($53k to $31k), computer programmers ($87k to $75k), firefighters ($69k to $46k), lawyers ($142k to $116k), nurse practitioners ($110k to $99k), plumbers ($58k to $46k), and police patrol officers ($40k to $32k) all made substantially more in California.

The only professions I looked up that was better paying in Texas was athletic trainers ($51k to 49k in favor of Texas) and physicians/“doctors” which was $189k to $182k (but since I work in the area I would assume the physicians pay is higher in Texas due to looser rules on what is in essence insurance manipulation rather than really a true salary difference but I could be wrong, that’s my initial personal hot take on it).

 

[Nole Daddy]

People are generally proud of where they live and can find the best about where they live. I was about ready to get the heck out of Palm Beach County, but I ended up moving to a part I love(Wellington). Now it would take one heck of a job offer to get me out of here.

 

[NDallasRuss]

I’ve been to the “Grand Canyon of Texas”. You have to do a lot of photographic “cheating”/enhancements to make that look nice meanwhile the real Grand Canyon is mind blowingly nice any point along the rim.

The difference between Texas and California when it comes to beauty is pretty simple in my mind. There are spots of breathtaking beauty and awe inspiring vistas in California from Highway 1 from San Fran to Santa Barabara, the Channel Islands, Yosemite, Muir Woods, etc... In contrast there’s no real amazing high points for Texas. Some nice spots sure, I liked Big Bend NP when I was there in December and it wasn’t hot as balls. But that’s not competing with the amazing spots in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada that have some of the nicest spots on the planet. The best spots in Texas are nice. The best spots in California are some of the best on the planet.

Your comment was that California has a "much wider variety of ecosystems" than Texas, but then you referenced something that's not in California.

My position is that Texas has pretty much every different ecosystem you can find in the US, all in one state, and that California doesn't have that.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

You forgot taxes and cost of living.

Both fair points.

I guess the way I look at it is this...

- I want to live in a major US city
- In most I'd need a car
- The premium I pay for NYC rent is largely made up for by no car payments, insurance, gas, parking, tickets

Doesn't make up for all of it and the city income tax is annoying but I've never minded paying it.

With all the expenses above, professional and social opportunities here can make up for them, and then some.

And if nothing else, YOLO. But damn, I'm so over winters. Can't wait to move to LA.

 

[GwinnettNole]

The City of Charm (Jacksonville, FL) checking in the top 50 at #44. The other Florida cities ranked ahead are #29 Melbourne, #34 Sarasota, and #41 Ft. Myers but they are just politicking to the retirees. Got tired scrolling down looking for Miami, Orlando, and Tampa....I'm sure their somewhere outside of the top 70. After reviewing the list and some of the cities ahead of The City of Charm (like Anchorage, AK & Lancaster, PA....give me a break!) I've moved Jacksonville, FL into the Top 20.

https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live

Huntsville is probably the only other place in Alabama (besides Birmingham) that I could live. The town/city is really a STEM mecca.....

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

Your comment was that California has a "much wider variety of ecosystems" than Texas, but then you referenced something that's not in California.

My position is that Texas has pretty much every different ecosystem you can find in the US, all in one state, and that California doesn't have that.

What did I say that’s not in California?

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

California is near the top of pretty much any ranking of natural beauty. Without looking I bet Texas is middle of the pack. It has a lot of things to offer and while it's no California or Colorado it's certainly not Delaware or North Dakota.

 

[Fijimn]

Wait a f-in minute, you mean to tell me that people on the internet have differing opinions regarding their personal tastes....mutha - next you'll tell not everyone likes BBQ.

mind = blown

 

[NDallasRuss]

What did I say that’s not in California?

The whole first part was comparing the Palo Duro Canyon to the Grand Canyon, which is not in California.

And yeah, while the Grand Canyon is 2x as long, and 6x as wide, the Palo Duro Canyon is still the 2nd biggest and allows for some pretty nice photos and paintings.

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

California is near the top of pretty much any ranking of natural beauty. Without looking I bet Texas is middle of the pack. It has a lot of things to offer and while it's no California or Colorado it's certainly not Delaware or North Dakota.

This Thrillist list has Cali #1 and Texas #21, both of which I consider too high. Cali is definitely behind Hawaii and anyone who says otherwise has never. been to Hawaii or at least outside of Honolulu. Heck just Maui and the Big Island have so many amazing spots they probably should have the Hawaiian islands split off for fairness to the other states. Cali might be #2 though. I can see arguments for Alaska, Oregon and Utah at #2 and certainly Colorado and Arizona wouldn’t be that far behind.

Meanwhile Texas I would definitely have behind the 20 they place ahead plus definitely Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York (which is not just the City, but Niagara Falls, Adirondacks, Great Lakes, Montauk, and Finger Lakes) and Georgia. I don’t think anyone whose seen a decent chunk of those states plus Texas could argue in favor of Texas. I personally would also have Minnesota and Maryland ahead. Texas is basically on par with Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama and a few other states in the upper bottom half.

To see the list I’m talking about click here.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.th...ravel/nation/most-beautiful-states-in-america

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

The whole first part was comparing the Palo Duro Canyon to the Grand Canyon, which is not in California.

And yeah, while the Grand Canyon is 2x as long, and 6x as wide, the Palo Duro Canyon is still the 2nd biggest and allows for some pretty nice photos and paintings.

Well I wasn’t trying to insinuate it was, but simply comparing states “Grand Canyons” that aren’t the Grand Canyon, I prefer Hawaii (Waimea) and California’s (Toulomne) to Texas (Palo Duro).

 

[seminoledq]

Wait a f-in minute, you mean to tell me that people on the internet have differing opinions regarding their personal tastes....mutha - next you'll tell not everyone likes BBQ.

mind = blown

The only thing people can agree on is the origin of, and where to get the best, Cuban Sandwich. Everything else is a free for all.

 

[DFSNOLE]

Okay 12Nole, I'll be nice to you and your little town.

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

So since I’m bored waiting on a meeting I sat down and seriously thought about where I would rank the states based on my experience. There’s a handful of mostly square states (and Vermont for some reason, but next time I’m in Montreal I want to take a dip down to Vermont) I haven’t been to so I’m leaving them unranked.

I’m basically it in two criteria, 1) the “wow!” moments or amazing highlights of natural beauty and 2) the general look of the state as you drive through it aka California’s redwood and sequoia forests trump the scrub oaks and blackjacks of Missouri and beautiful deserts like white sands NM or the Valley of Fire Nevada trump the brown mesquite brushland deserts of Texas.

1) Hawaii (I’d put Maui, the Big Island and Kauai individually at number one if they only had one island, but combined....Wow!)
2) California (Utah, Alaska, and Arizona have more “wow” moments but California has more variety and other than Southern Cali, it’s prettier outside of the main wow moments than those three)
3) Utah (there are more wow moments in this state than any state other than Hawaii)
4) Alaska
5) Arizona
6) Colorado
7) North Carolina (criminally overlooked on the Thrillist list, when you combine the giant white sand dunes of Jockey’s Ridge with the beaches of the OBX which are my favourite outside of Florida, Hawaii and a smattering or beaches like Matador in California and then factor in the best hiking trails in the country, the tons of high waterfalls scattered around Dupont, Pisgah and more, and the best Smoky Mountain drive (between Cherokee and the start of the NP)
8) New Mexico (White Sands, Valley of Fires, Taos and the Rio Grande Gorge, Tent Rocks, etc...lots of Wow moments, just uglier in the spots in between than Arizona and Utah. But if you factored in food...NM would jump up the rankings.)
9) Oregon
10) Washington
11) New York (not sure why they have NY so low, when you get away from the city it’s nicer than PA and has one of the best wow moments in the US the cave of winds next to Niagara Falls. “Upstate” NY is nicer than PA and Virginia.
12) Virginia (similar to North Carolina but not quite as nice)
13) Florida (best large stretches of beaches in the country, maybe the world with Pensacola to St George and Clearwater to Naples constituting hundreds of miles of gorgeous beaches. Ther are individual little strips of beaches in Hawaii (Red Sand beach near Hana and Green Sand beach on the Big Island) and California (such as Pfeiffer near Big Sur and Matador near Malibu) that MAY be more impressive, but there’s no doubt in my mind Florida is king of the beaches. Plus the freshwater springs are bigger and better than anywhere in the world per geologists as we have 700 of which 33 are first magnitude beauties more than the rest of the continent combined. And other than Hawaii this is the only place to see coral reefs in the US)
14) Wyoming
15) Montana
16) Maine (lots of Wow moments but overall pretty bland outside of the coast and a few mountain vistas)
17) Tennessee
18) Georgia
19) Kentucky
20) West Virginia
21) New Hampshire
22) Nevada (lots of Wow moments but most of the state is pretty blah)
23) Pennsylvania
24) Michigan
25) Texas
26) Alabama (prettier than Texas in the places in between wows, but Texas does have a few more wows even with the mountains in North Alabama and the Gulfshores National Seashore)
27) South Carolina
28) Arkansas
29) Maryland
30) Missouri
31) Wisconsin
32) Minnesota
33) Mississippi
34) New Jersey
35) Ohio
36) Oklahoma
37) Delaware
38) Connecticut
39) Massachusetts
40) Rhode Island
41) Louisiana
42) Illinois
43) Indiana
44) Iowa
45) Kansas

I am still shy of cleaning the map by five states which I didn’t list as I don’t have first hand knowledge of them, but I would assume I’d have Vermont and Idaho ahead of Texas somewhere and MAYBE South Dakota as well. I’m sure I would have Nebraska and North Dakota behind it.

 

[DanC78]

I’ve been to the “Grand Canyon of Texas”. You have to do a lot of photographic “cheating”/enhancements to make that look nice meanwhile the real Grand Canyon is mind blowingly nice any point along the rim.

The difference between Texas and California when it comes to beauty is pretty simple in my mind. There are spots of breathtaking beauty and awe inspiring vistas in California from Highway 1 from San Fran to Santa Barabara, the Channel Islands, Yosemite, Muir Woods, etc... In contrast there’s no real amazing high points for Texas. Some nice spots sure, I liked Big Bend NP when I was there in December and it wasn’t hot as balls. But that’s not competing with the amazing spots in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada that have some of the nicest spots on the planet. The best spots in Texas are nice. The best spots in California are some of the best on the planet.




I don’t know why you’re getting screwed but California salaries are some of the best in the US while Texas is mediocre. Across the board, the average Californian is $10k richer than Texans, but the difference for pay like teachers is night and day ($71k on average versus 44k). Using Rasmussen which is approved by the highest authority, I looked up a couple of random professions and architects ($86k to $71k), biochemists ($93k to $61k), busdrivers ($37k to $23k), carpenters ($53k to $31k), computer programmers ($87k to $75k), firefighters ($69k to $46k), lawyers ($142k to $116k), nurse practitioners ($110k to $99k), plumbers ($58k to $46k), and police patrol officers ($40k to $32k) all made substantially more in California.

The only professions I looked up that was better paying in Texas was athletic trainers ($51k to 49k in favor of Texas) and physicians/“doctors” which was $189k to $182k (but since I work in the area I would assume the physicians pay is higher in Texas due to looser rules on what is in essence insurance manipulation rather than really a true salary difference but I could be wrong, that’s my initial personal hot take on it).

“You don’t known why I’m getting screwed??”

How is recieving the same pay as those in California considered as me getting screwed?

I’m telling you, in the software industry, you aren’t compensated more because you live in a place where there is a higher cost of living.

Yes, perhaps government workers (school teachers, nurses, firemen, etc.) get paid more, but that is not the case in the private sector. Not from my experience.

From what I have seen, you have to downsize the way you live. My house is 4x the size of my counterparts in California. Outside of that, we live the same.

 

[billanole]

S

So since I’m bored waiting on a meeting I sat down and seriously thought about where I would rank the states based on my experience. There’s a handful of mostly square states (and Vermont for some reason, but next time I’m in Montreal I want to take a dip down to Vermont) I haven’t been to so I’m leaving them unranked.

I’m basically it in two criteria, 1) the “wow!” moments or amazing highlights of natural beauty and 2) the general look of the state as you drive through it aka California’s redwood and sequoia forests trump the scrub oaks and blackjacks of Missouri and beautiful deserts like white sands NM or the Valley of Fire Nevada trump the brown mesquite brushland deserts of Texas.

1) Hawaii (I’d put Maui, the Big Island and Kauai individually at number one if they only had one island, but combined....Wow!)
2) California (Utah, Alaska, and Arizona have more “wow” moments but California has more variety and other than Southern Cali, it’s prettier outside of the main wow moments than those three)
3) Utah (there are more wow moments in this state than any state other than Hawaii)
4) Alaska
5) Arizona
6) Colorado
7) North Carolina (criminally overlooked on the Thrillist list, when you combine the giant white sand dunes of Jockey’s Ridge with the beaches of the OBX which are my favourite outside of Florida, Hawaii and a smattering or beaches like Matador in California and then factor in the best hiking trails in the country, the tons of high waterfalls scattered around Dupont, Pisgah and more, and the best Smoky Mountain drive (between Cherokee and the start of the NP)
8) New Mexico (White Sands, Valley of Fires, Taos and the Rio Grande Gorge, Tent Rocks, etc...lots of Wow moments, just uglier in the spots in between than Arizona and Utah. But if you factored in food...NM would jump up the rankings.)
9) Oregon
10) Washington
11) New York (not sure why they have NY so low, when you get away from the city it’s nicer than PA and has one of the best wow moments in the US the cave of winds next to Niagara Falls. “Upstate” NY is nicer than PA and Virginia.
12) Virginia (similar to North Carolina but not quite as nice)
13) Florida (best large stretches of beaches in the country, maybe the world with Pensacola to St George and Clearwater to Naples constituting hundreds of miles of gorgeous beaches. Ther are individual little strips of beaches in Hawaii (Red Sand beach near Hana and Green Sand beach on the Big Island) and California (such as Pfeiffer near Big Sur and Matador near Malibu) that MAY be more impressive, but there’s no doubt in my mind Florida is king of the beaches. Plus the freshwater springs are bigger and better than anywhere in the world per geologists as we have 700 of which 33 are first magnitude beauties more than the rest of the continent combined. And other than Hawaii this is the only place to see coral reefs in the US)
14) Wyoming
15) Montana
16) Maine (lots of Wow moments but overall pretty bland outside of the coast and a few mountain vistas)
17) Tennessee
18) Georgia
19) Kentucky
20) West Virginia
21) New Hampshire
22) Nevada (lots of Wow moments but most of the state is pretty blah)
23) Pennsylvania
24) Michigan
25) Texas
26) Alabama (prettier than Texas in the places in between wows, but Texas does have a few more wows even with the mountains in North Alabama and the Gulfshores National Seashore)
27) South Carolina
28) Arkansas
29) Maryland
30) Missouri
31) Wisconsin
32) Minnesota
33) Mississippi
34) New Jersey
35) Ohio
36) Oklahoma
37) Delaware
38) Connecticut
39) Massachusetts
40) Rhode Island
41) Louisiana
42) Illinois
43) Indiana
44) Iowa
45) Kansas

I am still shy of cleaning the map by five states which I didn’t list as I don’t have first hand knowledge of them, but I would assume I’d have Vermont and Idaho ahead of Texas somewhere and MAYBE South Dakota as well. I’m sure I would have Nebraska and North Dakota behind it.

Sorry, but the western ends of both Massachusetts and Connecticut (as well as their coastal areas) merit a bump way up the list. The mountains, rocks, rivers, and mature human settlements are pretty remarkable in that region.
Rhode Island has its coastal plain that is similar to the same plain that extends all the way from Texas, (piney woods, sandy ground, little elevation change), but when you get over to the Jamestown, Newport area it blows you away.
Kansas on the bottom is just kinda cliche. I left Dallas one afternoon and headed north across The Nations of Oklahoma (also a state with more beauty than many realize) and wound up wondering around the newly planted grove of trees at the Okie City Memorial (wow!) at dusky dark, only to stop for the night just barely over the Kansas border along I-35. (First time I ever bought beer from a vending machine.)
Cold as a witch that night... I tore out very early the next a.m. and experienced an amazing sunrise between Wichita and Emporia in the grasslands. There were no other vehicles around me and I dropped down to about 45 mph just soaking in the rolling hills, grasses blowing in the breeze, and a sky full of color that accentuated the lack of humanity around. One of my all time favorite hours... Strange as it seems, I thought western Kansas along I-70 was a hauntingly beautiful drive as well.
There is beauty in every piece of ground, but not everywhere gets a postcard.Those who downplay the Midwest were often in such a hurry to get elsewhere that they missed a good show.