Kyle's March Mapness tournament a couple years ago came down to Minnesota vs Colorado final (I actually forgot who won). Looks like this Definitive Ranking will be about the same
I knew Texas wouldn't crack the Top 10. For all the areas we shine, we're dragged down by our BRUTAL summers, allergy hotspots, high housing costs, high property taxes, and high crime in the large cities. All reasons why I'll be moving away soon.
Born and raised in Rapid City. At 1:50 you can see about half a dozen churches where my brick layer grandfather laid the cornerstones. Also can see where my father worked, the hospital where I was born, and the high school I attended.
I went there on a vacation two to three years ago. Nice city, and I think we may have driven by a few of those places. (The places in downtown almost certainly).
@GeographyKing I have to say, even for the bottom half of states, you have chosen the most spectacular photos to use! ♥ Every place looks gorgeous despite its ranking!
I really appreciate that you started this series with a video about your methodology! That makes this so much more than just fluff content, and it means that even if I disagree with the values of any rankings or categories I can still be informed by this video. Very well done series, and looking forward to the top ten!
FYI the church steeple that seems to be leaning slightly to the right in the image of New London at about 8:05 did in fact collapse a couple of weeks back.
Good pickup. It certainly looks that way. Wonder when that image was recorded relative to the actual collapse date. Also seems the red brick building in the foreground has a sloped roof which accentuates the appearance of the church steeple’s lean.
Kind of surprised to see Michigan, Ohio and Wyoming ranked so high, but maybe that’s proof that these states are misjudged based on one or two categories. Really appreciate your well rounded approach.
Michigan is not high tax. It's firmly average tax. A 4.25% flat state income tax is below average and 6% sales tax is well below average. The property tax rate is above average, but housing costs are low, which keeps overall property tax bills only a little above average.
@@GeographyKing my dude I live in Michigan your facts are wrong. Michigan is overly taxed. Just because there's a lower income tax and sales tax doesn't mean much when your money is being sucked away by other means. Yeah you can find a house for cheap good luck finding a decent job in those areas. Cost of living is skyrocketing. Rent is average 1200 plus. Look up metro Detroit Wayne Oakland and Macomb county where a majority of the people live in the state. More people are moving out of the state than moving too. It's your typical blue state
My guess at top 10: #10 Pennsylvania #9 Wisconsin #8 New Hampshire #7 Utah #6 California #5 Virginia #4 Colorado #3 Washington #2 Massachusetts #1 Minnesota
As someone from Wisconsin I would switch Wisconsin and Minnesota 😉. Though that is a pretty good assessment I don’t really think Wisconsin will get number one but here’s hoping. From my point of view it is number one and I can’t think of many downsides besides the winter but even then it’s way better than Michigan. Though I was born and raised here so I am just ever so slightly biased
Utah is a complete hick hootenanny for the large area south of SLC metro, plus they have very meager water resources in that region also. A very large area (Canyonlands and Escalante Staircase regions) are de facto uninhabitable.
Yup we have the best rail of any state most of the state is no more than 30 min away from a train station unless you're in Sussex or cape may County. No way Nebraska is above us.
Fair analysis of New York State. The extremes in the state rival few other states in the U.S, I expect it would be ranked further down in other analysis pieces on TH-cam, so I appreciate Kyle's methodology giving it a more fair showing.
When the video reached the top 20 I thought maybe I had somehow missed Ohio in the first video. WAY better than I expected it to rank. But also not complaining!
Great vids Kyle. I am a South Afican who loves Geography, both my daughters as well, they have Universty degrees in Geography/Geoinformatics. I love your vids. Would love you to visit South Afica and give your valued analysis/opinions about our country. Super cheap to tour in with with US$. Highest sophistication and down to earth welcoming culture. Physical Geography almost a miniature USA although not your beautiful lakes and autumn mountain vistages. I love your colourfull scenes of US countryside. Thank you and best wishes, Louis
Winters are getting milder thanks to climate change 🙃🙃 You can be proud of what you can control though, like education, healthcare, household income, poverty rate or livable cities 🤗
Kyle, you're one of the few non-Michiganders that gives a fair assessment of our state. I'm sure it's because you've visited so many times. Appreciate your thoughts on each state, and I agree with where you put Michigan. It is a great place to live, and winters are cold, but it's not that bad every day of the winter. Also, it's a lot prettier than most people who aren't from the state realize because travel North of around Grand Rapids requires a road trip or a chartered flight.
As a Vermonter, Burlington is going downhill FAST. Extreme homeless rates and crime. A lot of stores and restaurants are leaving downtown for suburbs like Williston.
Great video. I like how you determined your rankings. I'm glad, but not surprised, that my adopted state (NC) is in the top 20. For the most part, NC is a nice place to live, or at least it appears to be anyway.
Maryland being #11 just made my day. Genuinely expected to be in the 20s...... Also surprised the Baltimore wasn't ranked in the bottom 10 for biggest city outside the capital..
I love Maryland!! Having lived all over the US my heart is tied to Frederick and western MD. Frederick is easily one of the most beautiful cities in the country!
@@treyshaffer I live in VA currently and disagree :3 to me, there is no city better than Frederick. Richmond has some very beautiful historic neighborhoods, and I really like the Virginia Vernacular architecture that’s unique to central and southwestern VA, but MD has my love
Born in Oklahoma, raised in Texas until age 13, Central California for high school and Southern California since college. I really enjoy this channel. Thank you GK!!!
Texas has very high temperatures in the summer, plus high humidity. With drier climates, temperatures tend to drop 20-30 degrees or more at night. Even in Phoenix summer mornings before 10am can be almost pleasant. It stays hot and steamy all night in the South. But with that being said, AZ's summers are brutal outside of Flagstaff.
I'm happy to see Michigan getting some love, we are almost never making any top 10 lists because we oftentimes aren't exceptionally good or bad at anything. I'm probably biased but I swear Michigan is such an overlooked and underrated state.
Michigan is one of the states I've wanted to go to most for a while now. Beautiful scenery and a great place to be if you're into music or architecture. Also, despite its reputation, I think I'd really like Detroit too
As a Wisconsinite I am glad to have beat out all of our neighbors except you guys. We will see who comes out on top. Either way I’m just glad we got ranked better than Michigan and Illinois though lol
Not a huge fan of ND, but once upon a time, we were taking a travel break, looking at the view at the Teddy Roosevelt National Park exit just off the freeway. (It's unbelievable after coming across ND from the east. The rest stop with bison just hanging around with no fence separating them from the people.) When suddenly a 7-foot bull snake came out of the bushes, slithered directly across the middle of the viewing walkway area, and into the bushes on the other side. Freaking AWESOME. Can ya dig it?
As a lifelong Illinoisan, I'd say that 25 is probably about right for the state ranking as whole, but as a lifelong Rockfordian, I'm gonna stick up for my hometown and say that you're missing out on a lot of what is best about Rockford, Kyle! We have a world-class Japanese garden in town, and there are many very pretty State parks and local forest preserves and bike paths in town or within very easy driving distance, and we have a great and very diverse restaurant scene. The airport also brings in a lot of business that would otherwise pass us by. I wont go so far as to say Rockford is any kind of hidden gem, but it's better than bottom 10! That said, I'm loving this series, Kyle, and can't wait for the next episode!
@@mpetersen6 Rock Cut is a lot of fun! We're also only about an hour from Starved Rock and Matthiesen State Parks, which are gorgeous and utterly unlike most of the scenery in the state. I got engaged at Matthiesen, so it holds a special place in my heart as well!
Well, now that anyone who is keeping track knows our top 10, all that's left is the order... I'm rooting for California, but I think it's more likely that somewhere like Washington or Colorado will come out on top.
I love these list!; ranking states is something that should be detailed as you have shown Mr.King. I find that some people will say a state sucks because off one stat that ranks low, or perhaps the person lives in a region of the state that isn’t prosperous. My home state hasn’t made the list yet, anyone else?. I’m 24 so far I’ve lived in 3 states, 2 out of the three have already been listed FL and GA, both of these state have things that I like and dislike about them.
All on board with the rankings so far, but two notes....First, its all about the weather (in the end) and that's California. Secondly, and more importantly, its even more about where you are from. The best town, the best city, the best state, is most often, where you came from. Easy for me to say....born in Santa Cruz.
Kyle, interesting different list than many of the other lists of ranking of US State. I would not agree on quite a number of your listings. That being said, I still enjoyed seeing your research. You keep these worthwhile "best or "worst" lists updated. They are fun to review.
I don’t understand why lower state income taxes or property taxes automatically make it “better” I for one would never live in Texas, despite the low taxes.
I would love to see “sensitivities” on the final analysis! Broadly speaking it seems like your ranking categories fall into QOL, economics, natural beauty, cities, etc. it would be very cool to see what the list looks like for someone who weights nature more highly than economics for example, cities over nature, etc. great work as always from a denizen of a middle ranked state!
I grew up in Grand Island Nebraska. It's a great place to live, but needs way more housing developments, the population is skyrocketing since 2020. Also need more stores, but they're getting a Target soon. And yes "Slightly above average" is a great motto for Nebraska.
I think you should've had categories for arts and entertainment. People want to live places where they can have fun, and it's also a source of pride/ accomplishment for cities and states. And maybe a sports category for the same reason.
You go GK! I did not expect my great state of PENNsylvania to be in the top 10! Although with my luck, it'll probably be #10. That's OK, don't want all those NY/NJ/DE/WV folks pouring across the borders and driving up house prices.
I live in Maryland: I’m honestly surprised we got ranked 11th. That’s really high. Then again, Baltimore probably brought the rating down because that city is a hellhole.
This is very thorough and interesting as always! However... I think lifestyle and amenities should've been a major category. Does the state have an interesting history?... historic sites, state parks, trails, beaches, mountains, interesting architecture, city parks, good urban planning, interesting culture, art, theater, good restaurants, live music venues, sports teams, bike infrastructure, etc. etc. In other words, is there anything to do there, and any reason for moving there other than cheap housing and wheat fields?
Love your rankings videos -- great appraisals. If I can suggest: when you run through rankings of states or other geographical units from worst to best, could you "gray out" the states that have already been covered as you go along? That way we can see what units are left to consider.
I didn't think Michigan would rank that high at first but when comparing my state to others in a lot of categories I can see why we would rank higher. From living here from a "vibes" perspective I don't see Michigan progressing in a certain direction so it just seems a bit stagnant so that's where I might put it as "mid" but I do agree that I don't see many bad things with Michigan comparatively to other states so I shouldn't take that for granted.
@@Steve-318the winter climate is pretty mild compared to Nebraska and the more western northern states and we don’t have the lake effect Michigan has. The summers are very nice. Plus climate really isn’t everything and some people enjoy having all 4 seasons in full swing
Always enjoy the lists. Id be interested to see one thats "Each state's best city" or "best places to live of you X" and that could be all kinds of stuff, "if you work from home" "if you prefer apartment living" "if you make $30k" etc
I very fondly remember having a ton of beers with my friends in college on a Tuesday night and ranking the states. Of course, that exercise was far more subjective than this one. And much louder. Quite a few similarities, but I'd certainly say we had the Dakotas a bit lower, hah. Thanks for the vids!
What's wrong with Casper?!?! 🤣 I actually thought the same thing until I had to move here 7 1/2 years ago for my job. I hate the winter weather, but the city (town?) really surprised me. It's not big and is missing a few things, but over all it's a great place to live. The people are super great and it's nice to be able to get almost anywhere in the city in 20 minutes. They have a lot of activities and free entertainment in the summer. Really, it's one of those places that don't look like much from the outside but is a really great place to live. I'm having to move back to the Denver area and I'm really going to miss living here... 😪 Still a top 10 state in my book.
Hope I am not too late, when you do the top 10 states, can you include a link to an Excel file or similar that contains all the data you used for these rankings? Writing this from the #17 state, after having moved here from the #34 state, har har, something to tell my friends & family still in my birth state for sure!
Utah making the top 10 is so sweet. SLC here and I love it, has everything but the ocean. National parks, empty wilderness, recreation, a burgeoning entertainment scene, professional sports, and a lot of areas are seeing improvements such as public transportation, bike lanes, etc. Very happy to live and work here. That all said, there are downsides, and to be clear I’m progressive so note the framing and make up your own mind about these issues. -The LDS church and its members have a stranglehold on the wealth, property, economy at large, and politics of the state. Many people moving in from other more progressive states as well as the rise in progressive voting from young people generally (of which there are lot in SLC and Utah as a whole) have shifted the state more purple but the tide has not fully shifted. We’re not deep south Republican but a very odd brand of social and LDS oriented theological conservatism. Abortions are banned after 18 weeks, weed is not legal, pay in some industries is less than it should be considering the rising cost of living, an anti-trans law just passed and outside of Salt Lake County you have a harder time existing has anything but cis and white. Another one off the top of my head is the lack of action being implemented surrounding the drying up of the Great Salt Lake. From what I understand it’s potentially very hazardous for the exposed ground to be dry and have its toxic particulates waft over in the wind to the city, I don’t think it’s settled but it’s certainly a major concern. That and the inversion in the winter and sometimes summer if there’s forest fires. The air quality has actually improved every year for quite some time now but there’s still lots of work to be done, as we’re still pretty car centric lenient on industry. There’s other things I could list but that’s good for now. Make of all that what you will. That’s my perspective as a twenty something who has also lived in southern California and Florida. I think things will continue to improve as the church’s numbers plummet, in fact, as of recently they are the minority in the state, at 42% of people identifying as LDS. Like I prefaced with, I love it here and think it’s overall a great place to live.
I'm a native queer Utahn. I think you got it pretty spot on. Salt Lake City is a great city. It's also situated nicely in the middle of the west, which makes it a pretty convenient staging ground for people who like to go out and explore the many wonderful natural sights and national parks and other cool places throughout the west. I'm hopeful but worried for the future at the same time as conservative theologists become more and more reactionary, and they still of course have so much power in the state, and we have lots of important environmental issues, particularly to do with water and the lake, but it feels like around Salt Lake City at least it's becoming more and more progressive and I hope that us dedicated and passionate folks can keep fighting for our rights and our environment and that we can turn things around at least a little bit. I'm glad to grow up and live in this state.
I would be interested in seeing your city rankings. Both in their separate categories and then a comprehensive list where state capitals get mixed in along with the 1st and 2nd largest other metros.
States I’ve lived in: Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois. Here’s my reaction to their rankings: Tennessee at #38: My current home. Not surprised. It’s a beautiful state. I love the hills. Nashville is good. Vibrant and happening place. But the rest of the state is not that good. Not a lot of good jobs outside of Nashville. Memphis and the rest of West TN is terrible. East TN is mediocre. The state is run too much like a corporation imo. The state has a ton of money in its coffers, but it isn’t invested properly into the people imo. Health care, good jobs and education are lacking outside of Nashville imo. Illinois at #25: My state of birth. Perfect ranking in the dead center imo. Chicago is a world class city. My favorite in the USA. Amazing downtown with incredible entertainment and dining options. Economy is diverse and well paying. Two thumbs up. The rest of the state outside of the Chicago Metro area is mostly terrible imo. Good for agriculture, but that’s about it. Really boring and devoid of opportunity. But Chicago is really all I care about at the end of the day and I’m highly considering moving there if my job situation ever changes. Michigan at #12: Frankly, I’m stunned. I think Michigan is an underrated state because a lot of lists put it about where Tennessee ranks, somewhere in the 30s. Unlike Illinois, it is a stunningly beautiful state. I love the lakes and the sand dunes. The UP and Traverse City are amazing. But my problem is these are just places you visit lol. The big cities where people actually live mostly suck imo. I lived in the Detroit Metro. It definitely has a few really nice towns to live in like Troy, Rochester, Auburn Hills, Bloomfield, Ann Arbor. But a lot of absolutely terrible ones and none of the cities are world class. Detroit itself is still a joke compared to even a mid major city like Nashville. The economy of the state is mediocre and still somewhat dependent on automotive. A lot of the jobs are connected to that industry in some way. The housing is cheap imo because the houses are either old, in a place nobody wants to live or both. Overall, I enjoyed living in Michigan, but it isn’t a place I’d want to live long-term, like the #12 ranking implies I should consider doing.
Grew up in Phx my dad used to say: "This ain't a valley it's a frkn hole" Rank it were you want he was right😂 Half the year the weather is nice but from April to Oct everyone hides indoors and are angry and unfriendly because their car seats burned the back of their legs, the door handle burned their fingers and the sun feels like it's sitting on their shoulder and their utility bill is $300 a month.
Wasn't expecting the Rust Belt to do so well, but most are solidly above average. Even though they've seen population decline in the last 50 years looks like they still manage to hold onto a good amount of jobs.
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The amount of hype I have for these lists is unmatched...
California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin to go.
The Blue Wave!
I'm putting my money on Minnesota
Kyle's March Mapness tournament a couple years ago came down to Minnesota vs Colorado final (I actually forgot who won). Looks like this Definitive Ranking will be about the same
@@kenbob1071… Some are more purple, while Utah is bright red.
@@jcarp1776There's still a few that are Blue in Utah and I'm definitely one of them. This state being so Red just makes me sad.
The feeling you get when Geography King ranks your state in the top 10! Sheer bliss.
I knew Texas wouldn't crack the Top 10. For all the areas we shine, we're dragged down by our BRUTAL summers, allergy hotspots, high housing costs, high property taxes, and high crime in the large cities. All reasons why I'll be moving away soon.
@@JakeKoenig Texas is truly a case of being victims of their own success.
RIP Vermont, Arizona, Wyoming, and Idaho, you're still top ten in my heart ❤
same here, but I would add Colorado and Washington (mainly for their mountains)
@@pimacanyon6208 Actually Colorado and Washington ARE in the top ten! (Since they haven't been in the countdown yet)
Colorado, ranked #1 in mass shootings 😅
@@Snappy650 seriously? for what years? more important would be violent crime rate per 100,000 population compared to other states.
@@likesorange good point!
Born and raised in Rapid City. At 1:50 you can see about half a dozen churches where my brick layer grandfather laid the cornerstones. Also can see where my father worked, the hospital where I was born, and the high school I attended.
I went there on a vacation two to three years ago. Nice city, and I think we may have driven by a few of those places. (The places in downtown almost certainly).
@GeographyKing I have to say, even for the bottom half of states, you have chosen the most spectacular photos to use! ♥ Every place looks gorgeous despite its ranking!
I really appreciate that you started this series with a video about your methodology! That makes this so much more than just fluff content, and it means that even if I disagree with the values of any rankings or categories I can still be informed by this video. Very well done series, and looking forward to the top ten!
FYI the church steeple that seems to be leaning slightly to the right in the image of New London at about 8:05 did in fact collapse a couple of weeks back.
The one right in the middle? That’s sad to hear it really adds to the skyline
Good pickup. It certainly looks that way. Wonder when that image was recorded relative to the actual collapse date. Also seems the red brick building in the foreground has a sloped roof which accentuates the appearance of the church steeple’s lean.
Wow. I'll have to check out newer photos.
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@@GeographyKing Oregon is a better state overall than Washington, and natural beauty!
Kind of surprised to see Michigan, Ohio and Wyoming ranked so high, but maybe that’s proof that these states are misjudged based on one or two categories. Really appreciate your well rounded approach.
Ohio and Michigan both have a lot of big economic factors, low housing cost and both have lakes. Michigan is so beautiful
When people think of Ohio, they think of winter weather. Ohio is much more than winter weather.
Michigan politically is dog shit. Insurance over priced and taxed to death
Michigan is not high tax. It's firmly average tax. A 4.25% flat state income tax is below average and 6% sales tax is well below average. The property tax rate is above average, but housing costs are low, which keeps overall property tax bills only a little above average.
@@GeographyKing my dude I live in Michigan your facts are wrong. Michigan is overly taxed. Just because there's a lower income tax and sales tax doesn't mean much when your money is being sucked away by other means. Yeah you can find a house for cheap good luck finding a decent job in those areas. Cost of living is skyrocketing. Rent is average 1200 plus. Look up metro Detroit Wayne Oakland and Macomb county where a majority of the people live in the state. More people are moving out of the state than moving too. It's your typical blue state
Love the series Kyle! Any way you could post the spreadsheet when the series is over so we can see all the data? Thanks!
I'd absolutely love to see this as well!
I'd also like to see this
Me too
Or even just the final list when the last episode drops.
I'll probably post it as a community post image after part 3 goes up.
My guess at top 10:
#10 Pennsylvania
#9 Wisconsin
#8 New Hampshire
#7 Utah
#6 California
#5 Virginia
#4 Colorado
#3 Washington
#2 Massachusetts
#1 Minnesota
As someone from Wisconsin I would switch Wisconsin and Minnesota 😉. Though that is a pretty good assessment I don’t really think Wisconsin will get number one but here’s hoping. From my point of view it is number one and I can’t think of many downsides besides the winter but even then it’s way better than Michigan. Though I was born and raised here so I am just ever so slightly biased
@@nickbob2003 moving back there after years in Mexico. it's a very good place. spent my first 40 years there.
Pennsylvania is usually ranked 23, 24, 25 on everything so I am surprised (happily) to see it ranked top 10. I agree it is probably number 10.
@@jjcnpa Ranked #2!!
Utah is a complete hick hootenanny for the large area south of SLC metro, plus they have very meager water resources in that region also. A very large area (Canyonlands and Escalante Staircase regions) are de facto uninhabitable.
Proud of NJ for escaping the bottom 20 but then instant shame as it starts this list at #30 😂
Yup we have the best rail of any state most of the state is no more than 30 min away from a train station unless you're in Sussex or cape may County. No way Nebraska is above us.
Fair analysis of New York State. The extremes in the state rival few other states in the U.S, I expect it would be ranked further down in other analysis pieces on TH-cam, so I appreciate Kyle's methodology giving it a more fair showing.
My state still hasn’t been listed 😃
Neither has my state, Wisconsin. Was fully expecting it to be in this vid but am happily surprised
Which is your state? I'm Washington St
Same... Massachusetts
New Jersey represented.
Colorado is my state :))
Fitting that ohio was 17th considering it was the 17th state
He didn’t know how to rank it. That’s more fitting.
As an Ohioan it surprised me it wasn't in the top 10 :) but I'll definitely take 17th out of 50 states! It is a poor state though relatively.
Ohio is not a state (it was never properly admitted to the union -- look it up!)
There was another list I watched that put it at 36 which is fitting since it’s the 36th largest state by land mass
@@alquinn8576I guess it’s the best Country then
All of us Ohioans thrilled not to be in the bottom 10
When the video reached the top 20 I thought maybe I had somehow missed Ohio in the first video. WAY better than I expected it to rank. But also not complaining!
Its not a bad place to live. It's pretty cheap and safe. It's just so boring lol
Love this series and love this channel!
Thank you!
Love your underrated vinyls on the corner on each video. The Shaft soundtrack is a classic!
I give this Ranking video #1 in over-all content, # 3 in research, and #4 in GDP ( good descriptive presentation).
#2 for host
Not to mention tied for #1 with no income tax.
Great vids Kyle. I am a South Afican who loves Geography, both my daughters as well, they have Universty degrees in Geography/Geoinformatics. I love your vids. Would love you to visit South Afica and give your valued analysis/opinions about our country. Super cheap to tour in with with US$. Highest sophistication and down to earth welcoming culture. Physical Geography almost a miniature USA although not your beautiful lakes and autumn mountain vistages. I love your colourfull scenes of US countryside. Thank you and best wishes, Louis
I'm currently in west Africa right now. Southern Africa, including RSA, is high on my "soon" list
Damn right, Minnesota is a top 10 state! I have a feeling winter climate might screw us out of the top spot though.
As long as we beat Wisconsin, I'll be happy.
Winters are getting milder thanks to climate change 🙃🙃 You can be proud of what you can control though, like education, healthcare, household income, poverty rate or livable cities 🤗
As a Virginian, I am glad to know my state is doing well.
Kyle, you're one of the few non-Michiganders that gives a fair assessment of our state. I'm sure it's because you've visited so many times. Appreciate your thoughts on each state, and I agree with where you put Michigan. It is a great place to live, and winters are cold, but it's not that bad every day of the winter. Also, it's a lot prettier than most people who aren't from the state realize because travel North of around Grand Rapids requires a road trip or a chartered flight.
Very happy Michigan ended up so high. But it hurts that Wisconsin beat us. Minnesota is better in my opinion though.
As a Vermonter, Burlington is going downhill FAST. Extreme homeless rates and crime. A lot of stores and restaurants are leaving downtown for suburbs like Williston.
Great video. I like how you determined your rankings. I'm glad, but not surprised, that my adopted state (NC) is in the top 20. For the most part, NC is a nice place to live, or at least it appears to be anyway.
Maryland being #11 just made my day. Genuinely expected to be in the 20s......
Also surprised the Baltimore wasn't ranked in the bottom 10 for biggest city outside the capital..
I love Maryland!! Having lived all over the US my heart is tied to Frederick and western MD. Frederick is easily one of the most beautiful cities in the country!
baltimore is dope
@@cqgator agreed. Charles Village, Bolton Hill, Fells point, are all so so sexy
But hey now we know that VA > MD ;)
@@treyshaffer I live in VA currently and disagree :3 to me, there is no city better than Frederick. Richmond has some very beautiful historic neighborhoods, and I really like the Virginia Vernacular architecture that’s unique to central and southwestern VA, but MD has my love
Cant wait till top 10...great job Kyle !! YOU ARE APPRECIATED !!
Seeing my home state Florida in the top 20 was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Born in Oklahoma, raised in Texas until age 13, Central California for high school and Southern California since college. I really enjoy this channel. Thank you GK!!!
The fit is looking fresh King🫡
That’s your focus??
@@Greenlandshark77 what Jacob can't pay king g a compliment?
This series is fantastic
As a lifelong Arizona resident, I’m amazed anyone’s summer climate is worse than ours. But I agree that we’re exactly average!
Apparently Texas!
Above about 5000’ Arizona’s summers are tolerable. I’ve never been to Flagstaff but their summers seem really nice.
Texas has very high temperatures in the summer, plus high humidity. With drier climates, temperatures tend to drop 20-30 degrees or more at night. Even in Phoenix summer mornings before 10am can be almost pleasant. It stays hot and steamy all night in the South. But with that being said, AZ's summers are brutal outside of Flagstaff.
@@outbackigloo6489 I went to college in Flagstaff and can confirm the summers were great. But, the drawback is that it's often windy there.
keep up the great work Kyle! you rock!
:-)
Pennsylvania, California, and Minnesota all in the top ten? We love to see it!
My friend and I were rooting on our state like it was a sporting event. It kills us to be left on a cliffhanger...can't wait to see the final video.
I'm happy to see Michigan getting some love, we are almost never making any top 10 lists because we oftentimes aren't exceptionally good or bad at anything. I'm probably biased but I swear Michigan is such an overlooked and underrated state.
Agreed!
Detroit is what gives it a bad reputation.
Michigan is one of the states I've wanted to go to most for a while now. Beautiful scenery and a great place to be if you're into music or architecture. Also, despite its reputation, I think I'd really like Detroit too
@@oakblaze433 if you go to Detroit visit the Detroit Institute Of Arts
I’ve been waiting for this!! Let’s gooooo!
Another well done series. It’s interesting how all the states stack up based on statistics like this
How can New Jersey be number 30 when we rank number 1 in the “Not being allowed to pump your own gas” category
Well, tied with Oregon in that category at least!
Washington elite here, patiently waiting to be crowned number one
Hopefully Minnesota is on top
It’s clearly in the top 10. I’m rooting for Massachusetts myself
I'm guessing it's gonna rank low for weather, but great for most other things
As a Wisconsinite I am glad to have beat out all of our neighbors except you guys. We will see who comes out on top. Either way I’m just glad we got ranked better than Michigan and Illinois though lol
Not a huge fan of ND, but once upon a time, we were taking a travel break, looking at the view at the Teddy Roosevelt National Park exit just off the freeway. (It's unbelievable after coming across ND from the east. The rest stop with bison just hanging around with no fence separating them from the people.) When suddenly a 7-foot bull snake came out of the bushes, slithered directly across the middle of the viewing walkway area, and into the bushes on the other side. Freaking AWESOME.
Can ya dig it?
I can dig it
OH, give me a home where the buffalo roam....
@@michaelmiddleton3311 Africa!?
Bwahahaha!
As a lifelong Illinoisan, I'd say that 25 is probably about right for the state ranking as whole, but as a lifelong Rockfordian, I'm gonna stick up for my hometown and say that you're missing out on a lot of what is best about Rockford, Kyle! We have a world-class Japanese garden in town, and there are many very pretty State parks and local forest preserves and bike paths in town or within very easy driving distance, and we have a great and very diverse restaurant scene. The airport also brings in a lot of business that would otherwise pass us by. I wont go so far as to say Rockford is any kind of hidden gem, but it's better than bottom 10! That said, I'm loving this series, Kyle, and can't wait for the next episode!
Just remember. Illinois largest state park starts about 12 miles north at the state line 😅
@@mpetersen6 Rock Cut is a lot of fun! We're also only about an hour from Starved Rock and Matthiesen State Parks, which are gorgeous and utterly unlike most of the scenery in the state. I got engaged at Matthiesen, so it holds a special place in my heart as well!
Loving these rankings so far. Good objective metrics being used.
Well, now that anyone who is keeping track knows our top 10, all that's left is the order... I'm rooting for California, but I think it's more likely that somewhere like Washington or Colorado will come out on top.
Olympia will tank the WA ranking
I would say MA will be ranked #1.
Rooting for Minnie!! We aren’t the best at anything but we are great at most everything.
@@trifecta0074 Yeah but that winter climate though..
I've watch every season of Fargo, and it looks brutal to me.
Cali will be in the 7-10 range IMHO
Every state I ever lived in was covered in Part One but I’ll watch anyway 😉
I love these list!; ranking states is something that should be detailed as you have shown Mr.King. I find that some people will say a state sucks because off one stat that ranks low, or perhaps the person lives in a region of the state that isn’t prosperous. My home state hasn’t made the list yet, anyone else?. I’m 24 so far I’ve lived in 3 states, 2 out of the three have already been listed FL and GA, both of these state have things that I like and dislike about them.
Cmon MN for #1 🏆
Lived here all my life! But I'm guessing the high taxes & winter weather will get docked points though. 😀
I give it 50% chance of MN being #1, 40% of being either WA, MA, or CO
All on board with the rankings so far, but two notes....First, its all about the weather (in the end) and that's California. Secondly, and more importantly, its even more about where you are from. The best town, the best city, the best state, is most often, where you came from. Easy for me to say....born in Santa Cruz.
Kyle, interesting different list than many of the other lists of ranking of US State. I would not agree on quite a number of your listings. That being said, I still enjoyed seeing your research. You keep these worthwhile "best or "worst" lists updated. They are fun to review.
I don’t understand why lower state income taxes or property taxes automatically make it “better”
I for one would never live in Texas, despite the low taxes.
I think it would be very cool to see each category in map form with each state showing it's rank. I'd love to compare these directly!
Great series, Kyle!
I feel like this needs a “previously on Geography King” refresher…
I would love to see “sensitivities” on the final analysis! Broadly speaking it seems like your ranking categories fall into QOL, economics, natural beauty, cities, etc. it would be very cool to see what the list looks like for someone who weights nature more highly than economics for example, cities over nature, etc. great work as always from a denizen of a middle ranked state!
Interested in your criteria for judging the capitals
Great summary! I can't for the last video
Illinois the first town you showed was Galena right? If so its one of the most beautiful small towns in the country
Looking forward to Colorado ♥️
Nice knowing "your" state has not been mentioned yet 😊
Thanks for doing chapter marks! Drives me nuts when big channels don't bother (*coughbriggscough*).
After you release the final video you should make your spreadsheet available. I love diving into numbers.
I grew up in Grand Island Nebraska. It's a great place to live, but needs way more housing developments, the population is skyrocketing since 2020. Also need more stores, but they're getting a Target soon. And yes "Slightly above average" is a great motto for Nebraska.
I think you should've had categories for arts and entertainment. People want to live places where they can have fun, and it's also a source of pride/ accomplishment for cities and states. And maybe a sports category for the same reason.
OK-good work Kyle-aka Casey Kasem- looing forward to the top ten-or as Casey used to say- 'as the numbers get smaller, the hits get bigger'
You go GK! I did not expect my great state of PENNsylvania to be in the top 10!
Although with my luck, it'll probably be #10. That's OK, don't want all those NY/NJ/DE/WV folks pouring across the borders and driving up house prices.
PA is my home state, too. I’m surprised it’s even in the top ten. I figured it would be somewhere in the middle!
Would like to see your city rankings, hopefully you show it in the last video. Also would be interesting to show blue/red states on this list.
Enough blue/red crap.
If you watched the first video of the series covering the bottom states, almost all of them were Red states... no surprise.
@@kenbob1071 We know the poorest states are mostly red states and the most to receive more fed money than they contribute.
Do the rankings change much if you remove population growth as a factor?
I live in Maryland:
I’m honestly surprised we got ranked 11th. That’s really high.
Then again, Baltimore probably brought the rating down because that city is a hellhole.
Wasn’t expecting Wisconsin in top 10 😁
This is very thorough and interesting as always! However... I think lifestyle and amenities should've been a major category. Does the state have an interesting history?... historic sites, state parks, trails, beaches, mountains, interesting architecture, city parks, good urban planning, interesting culture, art, theater, good restaurants, live music venues, sports teams, bike infrastructure, etc. etc. In other words, is there anything to do there, and any reason for moving there other than cheap housing and wheat fields?
Love your rankings videos -- great appraisals. If I can suggest: when you run through rankings of states or other geographical units from worst to best, could you "gray out" the states that have already been covered as you go along? That way we can see what units are left to consider.
I didn't think Michigan would rank that high at first but when comparing my state to others in a lot of categories I can see why we would rank higher. From living here from a "vibes" perspective I don't see Michigan progressing in a certain direction so it just seems a bit stagnant so that's where I might put it as "mid" but I do agree that I don't see many bad things with Michigan comparatively to other states so I shouldn't take that for granted.
I’m surprised you were so down on Coeur d’Alene. That part of the state is gorgeous - is it because it’s fairly small?
I just wanted to make sure Michigan beat Ohio (otherwise would consider the whole list suspect), but glad to see it at #12. It’s an underrated state.
as someone who lives in wisconsin, very surprised i havent seen it yet. wasnt expecting a top 10 lol
What would put it into top ten, education and manufacturing is decent. Climate sucks.
@@Steve-318as a Texan who got mugged yesterday by a mosquito with a handgun, I think summer climate for you guys will balance that out.
@@Steve-318the winter climate is pretty mild compared to Nebraska and the more western northern states and we don’t have the lake effect Michigan has. The summers are very nice. Plus climate really isn’t everything and some people enjoy having all 4 seasons in full swing
Same here I thought it’s be around 25th-15th. Happily surprised
None of us were, not even those of us who haven't been there. 😁
thanks kye..surprised maryland was this high..
The rotation of Earth really makes my day.
Always enjoy the lists. Id be interested to see one thats "Each state's best city" or "best places to live of you X" and that could be all kinds of stuff, "if you work from home" "if you prefer apartment living" "if you make $30k" etc
Oh man, poor New York. Really expected my beloved state to do better.
Welp a certain demographic of people in the state government have destroyed it for decades
I very fondly remember having a ton of beers with my friends in college on a Tuesday night and ranking the states. Of course, that exercise was far more subjective than this one. And much louder. Quite a few similarities, but I'd certainly say we had the Dakotas a bit lower, hah. Thanks for the vids!
When you're done, can you list how each state ranked on its respective list?
What's wrong with Casper?!?! 🤣 I actually thought the same thing until I had to move here 7 1/2 years ago for my job. I hate the winter weather, but the city (town?) really surprised me. It's not big and is missing a few things, but over all it's a great place to live. The people are super great and it's nice to be able to get almost anywhere in the city in 20 minutes. They have a lot of activities and free entertainment in the summer. Really, it's one of those places that don't look like much from the outside but is a really great place to live. I'm having to move back to the Denver area and I'm really going to miss living here... 😪 Still a top 10 state in my book.
The Idahoan city of Coeur d'Alene is pronounced kor duh lane. It also might as well be a suburb of the Washingtonian city of Spokane.
Maryland, my Maryland!🎵🎼🎶
Hope I am not too late, when you do the top 10 states, can you include a link to an Excel file or similar that contains all the data you used for these rankings?
Writing this from the #17 state, after having moved here from the #34 state, har har, something to tell my friends & family still in my birth state for sure!
Utah making the top 10 is so sweet. SLC here and I love it, has everything but the ocean. National parks, empty wilderness, recreation, a burgeoning entertainment scene, professional sports, and a lot of areas are seeing improvements such as public transportation, bike lanes, etc. Very happy to live and work here.
That all said, there are downsides, and to be clear I’m progressive so note the framing and make up your own mind about these issues.
-The LDS church and its members have a stranglehold on the wealth, property, economy at large, and politics of the state. Many people moving in from other more progressive states as well as the rise in progressive voting from young people generally (of which there are lot in SLC and Utah as a whole) have shifted the state more purple but the tide has not fully shifted. We’re not deep south Republican but a very odd brand of social and LDS oriented theological conservatism. Abortions are banned after 18 weeks, weed is not legal, pay in some industries is less than it should be considering the rising cost of living, an anti-trans law just passed and outside of Salt Lake County you have a harder time existing has anything but cis and white. Another one off the top of my head is the lack of action being implemented surrounding the drying up of the Great Salt Lake. From what I understand it’s potentially very hazardous for the exposed ground to be dry and have its toxic particulates waft over in the wind to the city, I don’t think it’s settled but it’s certainly a major concern. That and the inversion in the winter and sometimes summer if there’s forest fires. The air quality has actually improved every year for quite some time now but there’s still lots of work to be done, as we’re still pretty car centric lenient on industry. There’s other things I could list but that’s good for now.
Make of all that what you will. That’s my perspective as a twenty something who has also lived in southern California and Florida. I think things will continue to improve as the church’s numbers plummet, in fact, as of recently they are the minority in the state, at 42% of people identifying as LDS.
Like I prefaced with, I love it here and think it’s overall a great place to live.
I'm a native queer Utahn. I think you got it pretty spot on. Salt Lake City is a great city. It's also situated nicely in the middle of the west, which makes it a pretty convenient staging ground for people who like to go out and explore the many wonderful natural sights and national parks and other cool places throughout the west.
I'm hopeful but worried for the future at the same time as conservative theologists become more and more reactionary, and they still of course have so much power in the state, and we have lots of important environmental issues, particularly to do with water and the lake, but it feels like around Salt Lake City at least it's becoming more and more progressive and I hope that us dedicated and passionate folks can keep fighting for our rights and our environment and that we can turn things around at least a little bit. I'm glad to grow up and live in this state.
FYI that Trenton's footage has the background for the New Jersey city of Newark.
Will you be releasing the full data spreadsheet you're using?
Yes. I'll discuss the findings in part 3 and show the raw data.
@@GeographyKing Much appreciated! Can't believe there's other people in the world making spreadsheets of location rankings haha
I'm not American, but I was cheering for my boy, North Dakota.
My state WA still hasn't been listed, looking forward to seeing us in the top 10!
Predictions for #1 ?
I was excited when nj wasn't on the first list. My hopes were quickly dashed lol
Population growth is kind of important indicator for overall economy condition, but why it would bother individuals?
I would be interested in seeing your city rankings. Both in their separate categories and then a comprehensive list where state capitals get mixed in along with the 1st and 2nd largest other metros.
I am a life long New Yorker and 23 is pretty much where I would put it.
States I’ve lived in: Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois. Here’s my reaction to their rankings:
Tennessee at #38: My current home. Not surprised. It’s a beautiful state. I love the hills. Nashville is good. Vibrant and happening place. But the rest of the state is not that good. Not a lot of good jobs outside of Nashville. Memphis and the rest of West TN is terrible. East TN is mediocre. The state is run too much like a corporation imo. The state has a ton of money in its coffers, but it isn’t invested properly into the people imo. Health care, good jobs and education are lacking outside of Nashville imo.
Illinois at #25: My state of birth. Perfect ranking in the dead center imo. Chicago is a world class city. My favorite in the USA. Amazing downtown with incredible entertainment and dining options. Economy is diverse and well paying. Two thumbs up. The rest of the state outside of the Chicago Metro area is mostly terrible imo. Good for agriculture, but that’s about it. Really boring and devoid of opportunity. But Chicago is really all I care about at the end of the day and I’m highly considering moving there if my job situation ever changes.
Michigan at #12: Frankly, I’m stunned. I think Michigan is an underrated state because a lot of lists put it about where Tennessee ranks, somewhere in the 30s. Unlike Illinois, it is a stunningly beautiful state. I love the lakes and the sand dunes. The UP and Traverse City are amazing. But my problem is these are just places you visit lol. The big cities where people actually live mostly suck imo. I lived in the Detroit Metro. It definitely has a few really nice towns to live in like Troy, Rochester, Auburn Hills, Bloomfield, Ann Arbor. But a lot of absolutely terrible ones and none of the cities are world class. Detroit itself is still a joke compared to even a mid major city like Nashville. The economy of the state is mediocre and still somewhat dependent on automotive. A lot of the jobs are connected to that industry in some way. The housing is cheap imo because the houses are either old, in a place nobody wants to live or both. Overall, I enjoyed living in Michigan, but it isn’t a place I’d want to live long-term, like the #12 ranking implies I should consider doing.
Grew up in Phx my dad used to say: "This ain't a valley it's a frkn hole" Rank it were you want he was right😂 Half the year the weather is nice but from April to Oct everyone hides indoors and are angry and unfriendly because their car seats burned the back of their legs, the door handle burned their fingers and the sun feels like it's sitting on their shoulder and their utility bill is $300 a month.
I would be interested to know how Mississippi compares to different countries.
Are you gonna do march madness! I’ve been waiting for it for a while!
Wasn't expecting the Rust Belt to do so well, but most are solidly above average. Even though they've seen population decline in the last 50 years looks like they still manage to hold onto a good amount of jobs.
Will you be doing March Madness again this year?