Definitive Ranking of the States Part 2: 30-11

[@RobiTheophilus]

The amount of hype I have for these lists is unmatched...

[@dannoble2411]

Proud of NJ for escaping the bottom 20 but then instant shame as it starts this list at #30 😂

[@nickmurphy4209]

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.

[@nickmorgenstern627]

Love the series Kyle! Any way you could post the spreadsheet when the series is over so we can see all the data? Thanks!

[@OliveDasi]

I'd absolutely love to see this as well!

[@oakblaze433]

I'd also like to see this

[@landrychamberlain5037]

Me too

[@jcarp1776]

Or even just the final list when the last episode drops.

[@GeographyKing]

I'll probably post it as a community post image after part 3 goes up.

[@zoicon5]

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.

[@nickbob2003]

The one right in the middle? That’s sad to hear it really adds to the skyline

[@peterho3299]

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.

[@GeographyKing]

Wow. I'll have to check out newer photos.

[@markwise9939]

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[@tylergaming9956]

@@GeographyKing Oregon is a better state overall than Washington, and natural beauty!

[@chrisj.9882]

California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin to go.

[@kenbob1071]

The Blue Wave!

[@alechagen6291]

I'm putting my money on Minnesota

[@metrodonkey8093]

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

[@jcarp1776]

@@kenbob1071… Some are more purple, while Utah is bright red.

[@FriendlyStripedTiger]

​@@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.

[@ORDOTRIO]

All of us Ohioans thrilled not to be in the bottom 10

[@dancarl23]

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!

[@gmb4648]

Its not a bad place to live. It's pretty cheap and safe. It's just so boring lol

[@CamoJan]

@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!

[@dominictraganza2299]

Fitting that ohio was 17th considering it was the 17th state

[@Greenlandshark77]

He didn’t know how to rank it. That’s more fitting.

[@michael7054]

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.

[@alquinn8576]

Ohio is not a state (it was never properly admitted to the union -- look it up!)

[@harrisonlynch4701]

There was another list I watched that put it at 36 which is fitting since it’s the 36th largest state by land mass

[@Tguchi26]

@@alquinn8576I guess it’s the best Country then

[@jcorkable]

RIP Vermont, Arizona, Wyoming, and Idaho, you're still top ten in my heart ❤

[@pimacanyon6208]

same here, but I would add Colorado and Washington (mainly for their mountains)

[@likesorange]

@@pimacanyon6208 Actually Colorado and Washington ARE in the top ten! (Since they haven't been in the countdown yet)

[@Snappy650]

Colorado, ranked #1 in mass shootings 😅

[@pimacanyon6208]

@@Snappy650 seriously? for what years? more important would be violent crime rate per 100,000 population compared to other states.

[@pimacanyon6208]

@@likesorange good point!

[@treyshaffer]

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

[@nickbob2003]

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

[@teresatrigiani7838]

@@nickbob2003 moving back there after years in Mexico. it's a very good place. spent my first 40 years there.

[@jjcnpa]

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.

[@treyshaffer]

@@jjcnpa Ranked #2!!

[@paulsholar9356]

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.

[@ShaqElliot]

The feeling you get when Geography King ranks your state in the top 10! Sheer bliss.

[@JakeKoenig]

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.

[@ShaqElliot]

@@JakeKoenig Texas is truly a case of being victims of their own success.

[@louisboshoff9142]

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

[@GeographyKing]

I'm currently in west Africa right now. Southern Africa, including RSA, is high on my "soon" list

[@mixolydian45]

Damn right, Minnesota is a top 10 state! I have a feeling winter climate might screw us out of the top spot though.

[@brianmiller1077]

As long as we beat Wisconsin, I'll be happy.

[@danielszekeres8003]

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 🤗

[@36736fps]

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.

[@animal5085]

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).

[@TeeGee3]

How can New Jersey be number 30 when we rank number 1 in the “Not being allowed to pump your own gas” category

[@Imperfect21stCenturyPioneer]

Well, tied with Oregon in that category at least!

[@josephmenna3985]

My state still hasn’t been listed 😃

[@nickbob2003]

Neither has my state, Wisconsin. Was fully expecting it to be in this vid but am happily surprised

[@JusNoBS420]

Which is your state? I'm Washington St

[@harrisond8132]

Same... Massachusetts

[@Jimbodisfan]

New Jersey represented.

[@myaimistrashgaming5175]

Colorado is my state :))

[@abbynormal9050]

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.

[@NicksDynasty]

Ohio and Michigan both have a lot of big economic factors, low housing cost and both have lakes. Michigan is so beautiful

[@mwt38]

When people think of Ohio, they think of winter weather. Ohio is much more than winter weather.

[@zacharygray3442]

Michigan politically is dog shit. Insurance over priced and taxed to death

[@GeographyKing]

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.

[@zacharygray3442]

@@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

[@docjaramillo]

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.

[@squirlez6349]

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.

[@gypseysurprise]

Olympia will tank the WA ranking

[@mulleshcraf9989]

I would say MA will be ranked #1.

[@trifecta0074]

Rooting for Minnie!! We aren’t the best at anything but we are great at most everything.

[@JakeKoenig]

@@trifecta0074 Yeah but that winter climate though.. I've watch every season of Fargo, and it looks brutal to me.

[@treyshaffer]

Cali will be in the 7-10 range IMHO

[@HealthyKaden]

Illinois the first town you showed was Galena right? If so its one of the most beautiful small towns in the country

[@jag92949]

This means that California is going to be in the top 10. 😂 Ohio being #17 is pretty hilarious as well.

[@AndyGrazianoNYC]

Love you Kyle, but a world in which ohio and north dakota are better states than NY is one I can't accept :)

[@Peeked]

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.

[@randcarlson2296]

Hopefully Minnesota is on top

[@ecurewitz]

It’s clearly in the top 10. I’m rooting for Massachusetts myself

[@honeycomblord9384]

I'm guessing it's gonna rank low for weather, but great for most other things

[@nickbob2003]

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

[@Adoqualay]

As a Virginian, I am glad to know my state is doing well.

[@ericmadeoftin8206]

I give this Ranking video #1 in over-all content, # 3 in research, and #4 in GDP ( good descriptive presentation).

[@reallymysterious4520]

#2 for host

[@BlakeMcCringleberry]

Not to mention tied for #1 with no income tax.

[@jacobbashford2182]

The fit is looking fresh King🫡

[@Greenlandshark77]

That’s your focus??

[@blainekennedy]

​@@Greenlandshark77 what Jacob can't pay king g a compliment?

[@aerocarnie]

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!

[@carkpop]

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..

[@pjflynn5978]

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!

[@cqgator]

baltimore is dope

[@pjflynn5978]

@@cqgator agreed. Charles Village, Bolton Hill, Fells point, are all so so sexy

[@treyshaffer]

But hey now we know that VA > MD ;)

[@pjflynn5978]

@@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

[@bigmonmagoomba9634]

Every state I ever lived in was covered in Part One but I’ll watch anyway 😉

[@hugequiz]

Cmon MN for #1 🏆

[@CamoJan]

Lived here all my life! But I'm guessing the high taxes & winter weather will get docked points though. 😀

[@treyshaffer]

I give it 50% chance of MN being #1, 40% of being either WA, MA, or CO

[@shanekahan3300]

Im watching like a mother who’s son went to war and I’m just hoping not to hear his name

[@woozie___]

Washington elite here, patiently waiting to be crowned number one

[@jakobsmith4046]

Vermont worse than Georgia does not feel right

[@bikeyclown4669]

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.

[@Star_sweeper]

As a lifelong Arizona resident, I’m amazed anyone’s summer climate is worse than ours. But I agree that we’re exactly average!

[@billpenna]

Apparently Texas!

[@outbackigloo6489]

Above about 5000’ Arizona’s summers are tolerable. I’ve never been to Flagstaff but their summers seem really nice.

[@GeographyKing]

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.

[@johnchedsey1306]

@@outbackigloo6489 I went to college in Flagstaff and can confirm the summers were great. But, the drawback is that it's often windy there.

[@sammylewis8408]

Idk if Ohio will still have those cheap homes after they start manufacturing microchips there the billionaires are gonna want a side income.

[@larryroyovitz7829]

I'm not American, but I was cheering for my boy, North Dakota.

[@duaneperkins8329]

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.

[@jnmsks6052]

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.

[@G_R_C]

Very happy Michigan ended up so high. But it hurts that Wisconsin beat us. Minnesota is better in my opinion though.

[@vanaox3690]

I’m pretty surprised Ohio could come in front of Vermont, NY, Iowa, Nebraska heck even Michigan

[@vanaox3690]

It litteraly has a worse economy, worse cities, worse health, crime, education, pollution, infrastructure… i do like its 3 big cities but come on…

[@whywhere1768]

it’s better than michigan

[@vanaox3690]

@@whywhere1768 some parts of Michigan are def worse but many are also better like Grand Rapids/muskegon area, Ann Arbor and pretty much everything north and west of saginaw. Detroit is pretty dull but it can support a pretty good standard of living with its high paying jobs/low cost of living

[@mo_1010]

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.

[@julayanna]

classic maryland, super nice but not nice enough to be notable (coming from a marylander)

[@jamesbungert3155]

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?

[@JimmyNasium]

I can dig it

[@michaelmiddleton3311]

OH, give me a home where the buffalo roam....

[@jamesbungert3155]

@@michaelmiddleton3311 Africa!? Bwahahaha!

[@FaeDruid]

Oh man, poor New York. Really expected my beloved state to do better.

[@naptime0143]

Welp a certain demographic of people in the state government have destroyed it for decades

[@kj64gaming19]

Am i dreaming or does that California board have a dot with VISALIA on it? Thats my hometown!!!

[@GeographyKing]

It's my hometown too.

[@danielszekeres8003]

There's no way in hell I would rather live in South Dakota than New Jersey

[@kcouche]

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.

[@ThesaurusToblerone]

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.

[@emem2756]

Population growth is kind of important indicator for overall economy condition, but why it would bother individuals?

[@justamaninTN]

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.

[@route2070]

I thought Michigan would also be bottom 10 for population growth?

[@frazzleface753]

Good point. Not sure what happened there.

[@ThatIsInterestingTII]

Pennsylvania, California, and Minnesota all in the top ten? We love to see it!

[@MrRyanKaminski]

Massachusetts is the friggin bomb. I know he doesn’t like it but c’mon man, it ranks #1 on every list.

[@MrRyanKaminski]

And I don’t even live there!

[@warriorson7979]

I can understand why you don't like Hartford.😒 Lorelai Gilmore felt the same...😔

[@conorreynolds9739]

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.

[@ZionForman]

oh me, oh my oh, won't you look at Miss Ohio, running around with her ragtop down

[@simplgaming8495]

Who knew that my home state of Michigan would be better than Idaho or Vermont but worse than... Maryland??

[@whitewalls4409]

South Dakota and Wyoming the only two states I would move to. I can't stand cities and high density places, no thanks.

[@Dante...]

Seeing my home state Florida in the top 20 was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

[@russellst.martin4255]

I can't help but picture each state awaiting their fate as a Commodus dressed Kyle issues a thumbs up or thumbs down

[@mailmansteve87]

Illinois in the top half! High union wages, cheap housing & great state parks! Atleast where i live 😅

[@the.abhiram.r]

so basically nj is this low because it's expensive

[@ejb7969]

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.

[@elizabethorsillo7187]

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!

[@MostestBoringPerson]

If there were a category for "Convenience of actually living there," Wyoming would be in the bottom 10.

[@bonfire402]

I think the flow of these videos would've been improved by just immediately stating which categories were top/bottom 10 instead of first stating how many categories there were in each. Provides the same information without being as repetitive or redundant.

[@malikshabazz2065]

keep up the great work Kyle! you rock! :-)

[@JonyRotten]

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.

[@thefergyfilms]

Scenic beauty, weather, parks, notable destinations, general population health, government corruptness (if there is a way to objectively categorize this), & happiness should have factored more into this list with less emphasis placed on economics. Makes the list a bit dull and erratic. I also wish there was a way to de-emphasize states whose entire appeal/ issue is linked to one area. As someone who has been all over Illinois for work, and went to school in Chicago, the entire state is a notoriously corrupt shithole which is why its shrinking in population so fast. Chicago is incredible but once you leave the area I'd argue its an ugly, horrific state. It should easily be bottom 10. Meanwhile, a wonderful state like New Mexico gets bottomed in the list due to poverty, crime stricken native reservations while not given proper points for incredible scenic beauty & outdoors that puts it far above a place like Nebraska or North Dakota for 99% of people.

[@sedonars1]

Why do you think everyone in the US and the World wants to live in CA? It's actually a country unto itself, and is the envy of the globe. I was traveling in Europe this past fall, and wherever we went people asked where are you from? If we answered the States, people would frown or look askance; if we replied California, they would smile and wistfully state "I want to go there someday" or " I loved CA when I was there once"! CA is #1 in everyones book.

[@gregshulas4452]

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 KZbin, so I appreciate Kyle's methodology giving it a more fair showing.

[@chathamcrescent]

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?

[@michaelmiddleton3311]

Washington! Washington! Washington! High on longevity. No sales tax. Scenery, recreation and quality of life unsurpassed!!!

[@GriffinK10]

Yes! Vancouver WA is a cheat code, the geography is PERFECTly balanced, weather surprisingly great, cost of living is manageable, - deserts, canyons, volcanoes, glaciers, rain forests, puget sound, islands, lakes, rivers, snow, trees, aaahhhh. The only issues are really focused in Seattle (homelessness, theft, housing prices). The only issue I have to deal with is city layout and architecture, which is a problem throughout the entire United States so whatever.

[@andrewedson7010]

I feel like this needs a “previously on Geography King” refresher…

[@warderjack]

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?

[@treysonmcgrady4750]

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.

[@rheiagreenland4714]

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.

[@nothat0therguy992]

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.

[@jaketuschak1508]

Agreed!

[@zander_the_space_nerd]

Detroit is what gives it a bad reputation.

[@oakblaze433]

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

[@KyleLeHeup]

​@@oakblaze433 if you go to Detroit visit the Detroit Institute Of Arts

[@DrewBraaten]

Wasn’t expecting Wisconsin in top 10 😁

[@CharlesMears-t1u]

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.

[@Enginshim]

I am a life long New Yorker and 23 is pretty much where I would put it.

[@Virtusstrong]

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.

[@whatsup89100]

I was excited when nj wasn't on the first list. My hopes were quickly dashed lol

[@JRPetruk]

Here's the problem with this list. Maryland at #11. The list will heavily favor states with high federal government presence. Government jobs pay well, given the taxes we pay, they ought to. Redo this list without the boost big government presence gives.

[@zzzaphod8507]

Do the rankings change much if you remove population growth as a factor?

[@geoandrew8159]

Are you gonna do march madness! I’ve been waiting for it for a while!

[@brianchurch8379]

Shouldn't the fact that ny is losing people be an indicator that the state is in no way above average? If people are willing to leave behind their families, friends, and careers to move, logically it has to be bad. 6:31

[@carnakthemagnificent336]

I agree in general. We should want to stay where we built our lives. But an aging population with assets seeks out places with lower taxes and greater personal security. In large part, its a reflection of the fact that we failed to make our own States better places to live.

[@dahbean2874]

Looking forward to Colorado ♥️

[@JusNoBS420]

Nice knowing "your" state has not been mentioned yet 😊

[@catgirl6803]

How dare you not save Maryland for the Top 10! Maryland is #1! No videos needed!

[@d.m.3133]

I have lived in CA and CO which are in the top #10 and I much prefer Maryland.

[@krs561]

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'

[@mournblade1066]

6:34 Wait--New York has a lot of natural disasters? Really? Like what? I live in the bordering state of Pennsylvania, and aside from massive snowfalls around Buffalo, I can't say I've really heard of any other natural disasters (aside from the rare hurricane).

[@dock_yard1149]

Yes that citation was bizarrely WRONG.

[@therockphonian5323]

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]

Just remember. Illinois largest state park starts about 12 miles north at the state line 😅

[@therockphonian5323]

@@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!

[@kevinmaurer3562]

Interested in your criteria for judging the capitals

[@renroxhrd]

At least ny is slightly better than average and higher than jersey. Happy with that

[@Followers117]

Iowa top 20 😍

[@KDashGames15]

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.

[@sunnyskytravel4571]

Still disappointed to see you weighing the subjective categories of climate so much into the final rankings. A LOT of people, myself included, actually enjoy real winter weather, i.e. snow and below freezing temps. The idea of saying Hawaii or Florida or Arizona have the best "winter" climate is absurd. They don't have winter, period! Really wishing you'd just stick to the actual factual data and leave out the personal, subjective aspects as every person rates these things individually according to personal taste.

[@Pykz]

Loving these rankings so far. Good objective metrics being used.

[@kywhitehead_]

I cannot believe Ohio is ranked higher than two-thirds of the states. So upset

[@ItsEverythingElse]

Thanks for doing chapter marks! Drives me nuts when big channels don't bother (*coughbriggscough*).

[@timothyball3144]

I gotta wonder why Coeur d'Alene was ranked so low.