Worst U.S. State

http://peacecorpsonline.org/messages/imagefolder/oklahoma.jpg

That is compelling, but Nebraska and Oklahoma suck because there's nothing there. There's a shit-ton of stuff in Florida, yet the state as a whole still manages to be awful.

i think Dan is right, in a way. Florida sucks, my parents moved there and I HATE IT

there's nothing there

that's why Nebraska is awesome

I think there are enough good things about Florida to pull it off the bottom

like what?

*NASA

this is a hard one.

What microscopic little bit of MS state pride I have says "Alabama."

Had a hard time choosing between Mississippi and North Dakota, each of them rising to the top for entirely different reasons.

the florida formula could also apply to texas.

That's the point, though! There are a bunch of awesome things in Florida, yet the state STILL sucks! Ergo, it must suck A LOT compared to the places that just suck because there's nothing to do there.

yeah, like you don't expect anything cool to be in Nebraska so, it's a pleasant surprise to find awesome things there.

like the Everglades/Big Cypress, the least-developed Keys, old motels, Apalachicola, Canaveral Seashore, spring training, Daytona, Skynyrd, John Anderson

dude, shut up with the Skynrd. And do you mean 1980 Independent Candidate John Anderson? I fear that you do.

I feel very qualified to vote in this one since the only states i haven't been to are Oregon, South Carolina, Alaska and Wyoming. I dont think any of those could possibly get a vote here.

oh we should also do a thread listing what states you haven't been to.

anyone who votes for new jersey is going to get a stack of springsteen records shoved so far up their ass theyll be singing born to run for a month and a half

I MEAN IT

Missouri has, in addition to all the history, the Mississippi River, Washington University, and barbecue

oh we should also do a thread listing what states you haven't been to

lol

the Mississippi is awesome from a historical perspective, but, uh, it's really nasty and dirty in real life.

MISSOURI IS INCREDIBLY VILE.

i voted missouri - fuck a show me state

i mean indiana is prob worse but i just hate that slogan so much

that's why Nebraska is awesome

I guess if Nebraska were awesome that would have to be the reason. Except it sucks. Why did they put the most boring state right in between me and cool places? But that wasn't enough, noooo. They had to stretch it out width-wise so it takes a lifetime to cross it even going 75. Even its name is long and ugly.

i voted for oregon becuase FUCK YOU OREGON

why do you people hate america?

why?

florida = evil

America kind of sucks, dude

utah is clearly way worse than oregon, or anywhere else in the pacific northwest.

or, really, the country. yeah fuck utah!

;_;

utah is sooooo beautiful

yeah, utah is lacking in many ways but it's better looking than all but a handful of states at best

SC-beautiful but deadly. The South of the Border theme park takes it over the edge like Matt Dillon

i'm thinking about voting for missippi or alabama

Fuck North Dakota.

lol mississippi

i cant understand how utah can be praised for beauty but ppl will still vote for oregon???

read the other thread

get off oregons dick dude

If anyone who has set foot in Missouri wants to step up and tell me why I shouldn't vote for it, now would be the time.

(yes I have been there and yes it is a cesspool of horrors.)

Columbia Mo is okay!

Miss. has reasons to vote for it, but Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Leontyne Price and about eight zillion bluesmen say no.

uhhh how about st. louis and kansas city??

my best friend lives in a little town called st. charles, MO and it is pretty great there.

KC = beautiful city in parts.

Connecticut

I have awesome cousins who live in St. Louis ;_;

MO is prettier than many other midwestern states. Also: BBQ.

yeah i could get behind ct. and then push it to the ground on its face!!!

ct is bad but i cant vote for anywhere that has ocean or mountains or good bbq

this thread could use some Oklahoma hate. Except for the res is there anything redeeming there?

(ahem MORE oklahoma hate)

i was almost gonna go with CT but delaware packs the most amount of shitty into the smallest amount of space.

ok has some southern weirdness to redeem it

SOUTHERN Utah is gorgeous but I can certify Utah is one of the worst places to live.

OK is like the Greatest Misses state - let's throw together the worst of KS, MO, AR, TX and CO, and leave in tiny pockets of redeemingness that are done at least as well in neighboring states

max you are either high or stupid, oregon cannot be criticized by non-oregonians, fuck a whatever-the-cock state/borough/county/province/dickhole you're from

I vote stupid, but maybe we should have a poll.

HEY DIMENSION I SURE LOVE EVERCLEAR WHAT ABOUT YOU

Stinky Lake!

seriously guys it's indiana

My friend lived next door to Everclear before they got famous...he said all could ever hear in the neighborhood was 10 seconds of noise punctuated by "YEAH-UH!"

worst poll idea/thread.

hstencil is a Nazi thread sympathizer

Apart from Jefferson City and some small towns, Missouri's not bad. Plus, Skidmore! (Ok, that might not help us, but it would make a wonderful documentary...)

i have had shots of everclear, in oregon, is that what you are talking about? it must be because otherwise you sound kind of um something

oh forget it, hate the beaver state if you want, what the fuck do i care

i love the beaver state but i am kind of glad i dont live there anymore

HEY EASTERN OREGON WATS UP? O JUST SOME RACISM AND A LOT OF NOTHING, THATS FUN.

I TALK IN CAPITUL LETTURS BECCUAUSE I AM VERY HAVE AN OPINON

I'm sorry I'm an eighth grader but having a town called Beaverton in a state called the Beaver State just kills me.

I'm okay with oregon.

They brew Dead Guy ale, which is okay with me.

someday i will start a thread wherein i list all the shitty things about my state but now i am in fullon defense mode because i have had two beers

la de da de da

HOW ARE THE BLAZERS? IT MUST BE HARD TO PLAY BASKETBALL IN JAIL.

nazis have nothing to do with why this thread sucks, curt1s forgot godwin's law, you people have never been anywhere, why are you fighting?

NEBRASKA

http://m1.freeshare.us/149fs600210.jpg

SO HIDEOUS BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING THERE.

oh come on there are at least 6 states that look exactly like that

PEE YEW

http://m1.freeshare.us/149fs600437.jpg

I THINK I'M GOING TO THROW UP NOW.

WAIT YOU ARE FROM NEW JERSEY WHAT THE HOLY FUK ARE YOU DOING CRITICIZING ANYTHING AT ALL, LET"S GO BE MOB BOSSES AND HAVE GREASY HAIR AND DRIVE OUR SUICIDE MACHINES TO JUNGLELAND, LATER WE WILL WATCH THE MOVIE GARDEN STATE AND WATCH THE GOVERNOR CRASH ON THE HIGHWAY. THE PARAMUS MALL IS MASSIVELY OVERRATED TOO.

xpost i think. also i have had good times in new jersey so i didnt really mean any of that shit. no current blazers are bad people except maybe two of them, fewer than on the nets, who are leaving new jersey because they realized holy shit we play in new jersey. okay now i'm done.

long as we're stereotyping, i mean

SO HIDEOUS BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING THERE.

-- Pleasant Plains, Tuesday, June 5, 2007 1:40 AM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

"pleasant plains"

http://www.whoopingcrane.org/html/bird_watching1.shtml

SO AWFUL

http://m1.freeshare.us/149fs600688.jpg

IT'S LIKE SOMEONE'S CRAPPING IN MY BRANE.

GO RIDE A PONY, KENtuCky.

this is hard!

(If Nebraska gets just one vote on this poll, I'm gonna sic the ghosts of Johnny Carson and Malcolm X on your asses.)

http://www.jameswork.com/Carhenge%20Shadows.jpg

okay even though I spent a lot of time there in my teenage years and had some fun times, I ended up voting for wyoming (on the basis of dick cheney)

They're nming EVERYTHING after Dick Cheney there. There's a coalition there to stop naming everything after Dick Cheney.

I loved living in Wyoming as a kid: gorgeous, great & very well-funded education and libraries. Yellowstone National Park is not one bit overrated. Eastern Wyoming is kind of a hellhole tho (see that 2-second scene in "Cannibal: The Musical").

I would move to western Wyoming if the climate wasn't so hellish and inhospitable 80% of the time.

the worst one is virginia, you fucking idiots.

On internet message boards as around the table in freshman year college cafeteria I am kind of shocked that Indiana is not the immediate consensus choice

I spent many summers and winters in Alta and I love the Grand Tetons, the Jackson Hole Symphony Orchestra is surprisingly great. Oh man I might have voted for the wrong state.

Kansas should be in top 5.

once again, if more that three people here had ever even been to north dakota, this would not be a contest

it still isn't a contest, because it's fucking virginia.

i have had fun in virginia. or near it anyway. like once.

ok maybe not but i had much less fun in north dakota.

A Japanese foreign exchange student who stayed at my house showed me pictures of a Japanese theme park that is based on South Dakota. You get to take rollercoaster rides all around a replica of Mount Rushmore.

oh wtfever, i've seen you in virginia, and you were annoyed, just as i was.

http://www.math.montana.edu/~nmp/materials/ess/hydrosphere/expert/rrf/flood/bridges.jpg

VISIT BEAUTIGFUL GRAND FORKS NOTRTH DAKAOTA

http://nd.water.usgs.gov/images/97flood/gateway_drive.jpg

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR GATEWAY DRIVE??

northern virginia=very different from the rest of virginia, dudes

While there are probably states that are objectively worse than Indiana, it gets my vote for multiple reasons, including hosting the worst year of my life.

I think Bloomington, IN might be the one redeeming feature of the state that gave us Dan Quayle.

i hear the lake part of indiana is nice

http://www.ooaj.com/travel-pics/en/thumb/d/d2/450px-Minotwide.jpg

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR GRANDCHILDREN?? WE THINK THEY MOVED TO DULUTH ;_;

SC-beautiful but deadly. The South of the Border theme park takes it over the edge like Matt Dillon

-- Morley Timmons, Monday, June 4, 2007 8:44 PM (Monday, June 4, 2007 8:44 PM) Bookmark Link

wait, what!??!!?

and, pennsylvania makes me angry.

i've been to the rest of virginia and it's actually just as bad in its own special way, mr. condescention! i believe we've had this conversation before.

http://www.seacon.com/energy/ep_ng-minot.jpg

WE KEEP OUR MISSILES HERE BECAUSE NOT EVEN THE RUSSIANS WOULD WANT TO GO TO MINOT

i also hate utah, it kind of sucks too. but it is no virginia

i'm looking at you, too, iowa. stop sucking.

http://nd.water.usgs.gov/lewisandclark/images/fort_lincoln.jpg

HUNDREDS DIED THAT WE MIGHT SOMEDAY ICE FISH

Columbia alone redeems Missouri. The rest of Missouri sucks, especially St. Louis, but hey, the Arch is a cool landmark, ADMIT IT!

http://www.barraclou.com/photo/skyline/nd/north_dakota.jpg

LOL?

srsly i wanna know about this sc south of border theme park because i never heard of it in all my years there, only HOLLYWILD animal park, the park for movie start animals like prancer.

you lived in SC and didn't know about south of the border???

south of the border ain't a theme park.

SC sux

i mean, they have a theme park, but it's more known as just the wall drug of the south:

http://www.pedroland.com/

interesting that south of the border doesn't have a direct link for fireworks -- esp. since that's the ONLY reason me or my friends ever would've had for stopping there.

Yes, Columbia, Missouri forever!

wasn't california supposed to sink into the ocean? still waiting on that.

once again, if more that three people here had ever even been to north dakota, this would not be a contest

AND NORTH DAKOTA GOT TWO VOTES IN THE BEST STATE POLL. U MAD.

i dont see how people can get mad at nebraska or the dakotas. they deserve pity if anything not scorn.

you lived in SC and didn't know about south of the border???

-- Mr. Que, Monday, June 4, 2007 10:23 PM (Monday, June 4, 2007 10:23 PM) Bookmark Link

born and raised, never heard of it! though not surprised at all.

eisbaer, sc does not SUCK, there are many great things about it. i would definitely not say it is the worst us state, although i would be hard pressed to find a good reason to ever move back.

http://m1.freeshare.us/149fs606677.jpg

THEY EVEN HAVE A SIGN OUT FRONT OF THEIR CAPITOL IN CASE YOU GET LOST.

http://www.cjsocpols.armstrong.edu/kearnes/buffalo.jpg

SEE? THEY EVEN FILMED THE MOON LANDING THERE.

http://images.wikia.com/fargofilmmaking/images/e/e7/Fargosign.jpg

http://www.realnd.com/images/bottineauturtlephoto1.jpg

http://www.visitusa.com/northdakota/images/fargondpic.jpg
(xpost)

http://www.livingwilderness.com/lakes/little-missouri-river.jpg

Test post

oh shit i forgot
http://www.thelavinagency.com/images/bios/klosterman.jpg

Weird - my last couple of posts just didn't show up

you guys it's kansas

seriously for real kansas

pro-life/10 commandments/etc billboards all up & down the empty straight scary interstate, psycho politicians, Lawrence is a cool town but otherwise you guys seriously the answer is Kansas

agreed. What's there to like about Kansas? Lawrence is like Columbia but, uh, not as cool.

i assume there are pro life billboards on interstates all over the middle of the country

Yeah, but there's not much else other than pro life billboard in Kansas. At least we have nuclear waste mountains in Missouri.

but they are leading the country in the fight to get evolution out of our schools

I'm leaning towards Kansas.

Also, Rocky Hardy OTM re: Mississippi.

yeah it's probably kansas, after all

er Rock Hardy.

sorry, dude.

nobodys really explained it.

whats the matter with kansas?

Virginia has the Shenandoah Valley so not worst

i voted for delaware

whats the matter with kansas?

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b361/tapestore/Fred_Phelps_on_his_pulpit.jpg

oh wait i just noticed you can vote for DC. how about some hate for a city invented by politicians? i want to change my vote.

john brown's body lies a molderin' in the grave

Maybe Oklahoma was spoiled for me because they arrested me 30 seconds after crossing the Arkansas state line.

Maybe I would have enjoyed my visit if I didn't have to sit around in a dingy police station with a teenaged wife-beater (he had been beating her up inside a Wendy's) with whom the local cops were all on an incredibly chummy, first-name basis. They made plans to have a party with the beer they confiscated from him.

Perhaps I would have felt inclined to stop by the visitors bureau if ... OH HELL I GIVE UP! FUCK A BUNCH OF OKLAHOMA! FUCK IT!

That's just how I feel, man.

I was about to defend Kansas on the merits of Kansas City and then I remembered...

Florida is the only state worth actively hating.

Oklahoma has tribal casinos. Crappy tribal casinos, but casinos nonetheless.

I'm willing to admit that North Dakota is pretty bad. We have to go there in a few weeks for my cousin's wedding. My son asked me tonight, "what does North Dakota look like?" All I could come up with was, "well, it's flat."

i like flatness. all the corn and soybeans are ugly though.

http://www.american-products.com/Kansas2007/april.jpg

http://www.audubonofkansas.org/images/fhposter.jpg

LET'S BE HONEST: IT'S FUCKING CONNECTICUT. the most irredeemably awful cities, the richest and most disgusting suburbs, the longest part of any drive north of NY (this one is BIG), terrible liquor laws, etc.

Any of you naming Florida obviously haven't been to the nice parts.

my top three: connecticut, texas, virginia. if DC was a state, it'd be tops. Massachusetts only avoids it because of anything outside Boston, which is shitsville.

Kansas City is more Missouri than Kansas.

all the good parts of kansas city are in missouri though. overland park = dud. i kind of want to visit norman, ok because i suspect it's an ok place.

x-post

http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/Photos/Ellsworth/EW-Kanapolis-Park-Dakota.jpg

sorry, CT, VA and TX are all unacceptable answers

i assume there are pro life billboards on interstates all over the middle of the country

I'm sure there are, I've seen 'em even in Massachusetts, but you gotta take my word for this - I spend 6-9 months out of every year in cars driving around America and Kansas is the most aggressive & oppressive about it. White text on black billboard (in the middle of NOTHING, so it's not one billboard among many but the sole visual stimulus against a flat plain): "The righteous man blesses the name of the LORD, but the wicked man eats only his own damnation." Drive ten miles, nothing else, then picture of an aborted fetus. Also yes Fred Phelps. And Sam Brownback. And the evolution thing. The answer is Kansas.

the precious moments chapel you guys, for real

I had to choose Oklahoma because it is the one state I've been to that has absolutely no redeeming value. I live in Texas and the OK hatred is abundant here. Some friends of mine from OK moved out of the US for good because their view of the country was forever tainted from having to live in that hellhole. They're idiots, but maybe I would feel the same way if I'd been so unlucky.

Runners up:

Connecticut and New Jersey - two shitty clearinghouses for all the bad stuff that can't be held in NYC. But in a way, that's what makes them great. The first rave I ever went to was in a horrible neighborhood in Hartford - possibly one of the most hellish places I've ever been, but a great place to have a totally sketchy and awesome party.

I'd like to defend:

Indiana - because it is the home of my lovely wife.

South Carolina - because South of the Border is great!

Utah - one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

Massachusetts - My home state and a great place to live, I'd still be there if it weren't so cold.

Texas - I've lived in Austin for the last 7 years and I still love it.

rural mn has tons of pro life billboards going on. there are even homemade ones!

haha ghost rider!

South Dakota has the crazy pro-life billboards, too, but it also has the Badlands, so I guess it's okay.

The Badlands are awesome!

that's what I'm saying!

south dakota is getting really agressive in their anti-abortion legislation. i think they only have like one abortion doctor in the whole state.

they also let credit card companies have huge interest rates.

There was a story in last month's Readymade about an artist who sold her house in Austin and used the proceeds to buy four defunct schools in bumfuck Kansas.

It would just about be worth it to live in the middle of fundie nowhere to own an entire school for pennies on the dollar.

I'll defend VA. While much of it evokes the shithole flatness of somewhere like OK or KS, Shenandoah is remarkably beautiful. The shore is pretty nice, too.

I've only seen most of FL from a car, so I'm not really qualified to judge, but I liked Big Cypress.

Virginia has some really fucked up district and circuit court judges.

i was about to relent on indiana because of letterman but i dunno

I never understand all the Connecticut hate on these threads. It has some amazingly beautiful scenery (esp. in litchfield county), New Haven is a pretty great small city, and it is, generally, politically sensible. I mean, do you really think Connecticut is worse than kansas? or arkansas? Really? Just because it takes a few hours to drive through it on your way to nyc or boston?
(Admittedly some of connecticut's other cities are indefensible, especially in a state with so much wealth).

"There's more than corn in Indiana...there's In-di-a0na Beeeeach!"

South of the Border, SC.

O-M-G

askance - you are probably right, CT has some redeeming qualities, it just has some awful ones as well. As I said, Hartford is one of the worst cities I've been too.

I forgot to mention how much I hate Philadelphia as well, about one somewhat nice block surrounded by a huge expanse of depression!

I can't choose Kansas because I've never been there.

I drive through Arkansas every year on my Christmas ride to Indiana, and that is pretty much the worst part of the trip. Texarkana sucks ass! What a wretched stretch of hell.

worst state i've never been to - FLORIDA
worst state i've been to - OHIO

What's Alabama like?

Humid.

I don't know, I can barely stay awake driving through it. (xp)

I never understand all the Connecticut hate on these threads.

my view (native NJer): CT is NJ, w/t NJ's charm.

CT native's view: NJ is CT, w/t CT's charm.

now you understand!

"There's more than corn in Indiana...there's In-di-a0na Beeeeach!"

lolol

i almost said letterman and indiana beach but then i decided the latter was a negative

i assume there are pro life billboards on interstates all over the middle of the country

I've said this before on another thread, but Kansas gets points on this one for their ABORTION STOPS A http://m1.freeshare.us/149fs617250.jpg BEATING signs, especially when the http://m1.freeshare.us/149fs617250.jpg fades away and the message is just simply ABORTION STOPS A BEATING

whats the matter with kansas?

Funny you should ask, har har.

http://m1.freeshare.us/149fs617554.jpg

http://artistdirect.com/Images/artd/amg/music/bio/450080_freedy_200x200.jpg

southwestern kansas is awesome, cant speak for the rest of the state

i suspect my answer would probably be one of the ones i havent been to. otherwise i'd have to probably go with delaware, but other than having been through it a few times, and stood in wilmington train station for 20 minutes once, i haven't really seen it. i think maybe the state i 'got' least, was north carolina

No, no, everybody's just naming a bunch of rural states because they can't think of anything else. The real worst state is.... California!! -The new Florida! (Well, San Francisco and everything northwards is ok, but below that it's stripmall city) Irvine? Fresno? Hell on Earth.

There Ain't No Joy In Irvine

Alabama = endless scub land and a series of small towns each of which is centered around an RV dealership.

SCRUB

Oh right, the International Space Station is basically just an RV. Fuck You.

Technically the real answer is probably Oklahoma but I spent more time in Texas so Texas can eat me

also Fuck the Cowboys

Topeka is all right for a small city with nothing going on beside building airplanes. I've never had a worse experience than getting told that if I moved into an "affluent" neughborhood in Tupelo, MS, I would get lynched by the guy showing me around.

Despite all of this, I still say Florida.

Oh yeah, and my brother was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Alexandria, LS, and I STILL have worse associations with Florida.

Mississppi was my second choice, Florida has Epcot Center.

I've found that the worst people are from Texas or Mississippi

I voted for the same state as I did for the Best State poll.

There Ain't No Joy In Irvine

WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS SONG

virgina is for haters? how could this be. it's beautiful.

delaware has nice shoreline.

oklahoma & nebraska are sorta grand in their flat emptiness.

tempted to vote for backward-ass indiana since I grew up next door but I will honor my love/hate relationship w/the state of my birth and vote for round on both ends high in the middle OHIO.

Dude, what happened to my post?

Tom were you stationed down here? (I agree with you on fuck the Cowboys but don't touch the Mavs.)

I've found that the worst people are from Texas

Well fuck you too! Where are you from? New Jersey?

I voted for Indiana because they all drive like one-handed dead squirrel monkeys up there. Also probably moreso because whenever anything goes wrong anywhere in the world my dad is all "FUCKING HOOSIERS".

Also I expect Kentucky to get no votes in this one either, even though we have the second highest unemployment rate in the country and also there's all the nerve gas stockpiled in Richmond. But hey PONIES.

plus Louisville is cool -- my grandparents lived there so I'm not pandering to hstencil -- not to mention all the Cincinnati vice across the river in Newport KY

I've found that the worst people are from Texas or Mississippi

I grew up there and love a lot of aspects about MS, but there are some utterly shitty people there.

cf I've never had a worse experience than getting told that if I moved into an "affluent" neughborhood in Tupelo, MS, I would get lynched by the guy showing me around.

so the guy showing you around just informed you that you would get lynched, or intimated that he himself would do the lynching? Either way, Tupelo is the worst of the worst. That's Don Wildmon territory. Ugh.

Topeka is all right for a small city with nothing going on beside building airplanes. I've never had a worse experience than getting told that if I moved into an "affluent" neughborhood in Tupelo, MS, I would get lynched by the guy showing me around.

Dan, do you mean that the guy showing you around said that he would be doing the lynching?! (Dangling participle or super honest racist? YOU MAKE THE CALL.)

I can't vote in this poll. I'm sure even the most boring states I've been in (NJ) have redeeming qualities even if I haven't seen them. And obv. I'm not going to pick one I haven't visited. so, no comment.

Misery I did 6 weeks in Lackland for BMT (nothing to hate but the weather about that really, oh and we got our day pass to go off-base just in time for them to drain the riverwalk, gross buckets) and 5 months in northwest TX (Tom Green County) for the end of my technical training. That was the absolute worst time of my life bar none. I'm sure had I spent more time in a place like Austin or even Corpus Christi I would have less of a bad attitude but overall the state drives me totally nuts, houston, dfw, el paso, bomb all that shit.

There Ain't No Joy In Irvine

WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS SONG

-- J0hn D., Tuesday, 5 June 2007 13:29 (13 minutes ago) Link

HI DERE I OLD SCHOOL INDIE ROCKER. (Wasn't that song on some old school indie comp with like Unwound, Portastatic, etc.???)

Super honest racist. "We got a nice town here and we like to do WHATEVER we can to make sure that only THE RIGHT PEOPLE move here. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Yes douchebag, I do. Fuck your shitty city. (That experience combined with my experiences growing up have basically made me never want to live somewhere that isn't super-urban ever again.)

And still, Florida is worse. I kind of forgot about Indiana, though...

it was on that "day in the park" comp, eh?

xp

yep, that's it mookie!

worst state i've been to is oklahoma. i had to go there for work for a whole week once (oklahoma city). it was so depressing.

The most depressing city I've ever seen is Newark, with Pittsburgh a close second.

[(Wasn't that song on some old school indie comp with like Unwound, Portastatic, etc.???)]

Probably, I thought it was on a 7" but those are some blurry times now - I'm from SoCal and just assumed nobody outside of there had heard, or what's more would remember, that song

obThread I'm kinda surprised that Alabama isn't getting hit harder - it used to be the all-purpose "oh yeah those awful hicks" state for everybody and then recently Judge Moore was lobbying for its reinstitution as general-cultural-punching-bag

I like it because it's very pretty in parts & Birmingham's kinda awesome but all I know of it is driving thru it + Birmingham

South Carolina is the new Alabama.

I think there are enough good things about Florida to pull it off the bottom

Not many, but I'll try:

(1) Miami isn't really "Florida."
(2) Walt Disney World. Say what you like, but Disney's the only engineering (and bureaucratic) marvel in the state.
(3) the Gulf coast

ummmm that's it.

the most depressing city i've ever seen is charleston, wv

wow I have a friend who lives there & he always makes it sound OK

what about fucking UTAH

I voted Florida, though I'm not sure why. I don't think I've ever been to any of the really bad states. Maybe it's road trip time!

The "A Day in the Park" comp was, like, the awesomest thing ever when I was seventeen.

Tupelo is the worst of the worst. That's Don Wildmon territory. Ugh.

I agree completely, Tupelo sucks really hard, but it is worth noting that a magic/occult shop just opened there. Like, straight outta Buffy!

Florida also has Busch Gardens in Tampa. (On the other hand... Tampa.) I love to visit Disney World, but as a whole, I think I'd be happy if Florida decided to secede. And yet I still prefer Florida to Indiana.

REALLY disturbed by the super honest racist story. Wow.

The most depressing city I've ever seen is Newark, with Pittsburgh a close second.

gary, indiana has newark beat. imagine all the crime and hopelessness of newark but with the added bonus of large tracts of the city being abandoned and boarded up. population went from 175,000 in 1970 to 144,000 in 1980 to around 99,000 today. over 25% of the population is living below the poverty line and close to 40% of the residents under 18 and over 65 are living in poverty. plus it's the per capita murder capital of the u.s. granted many of the bodies are dumped there from chicago. what with no one being around to witness it.

of the states ive been to - florida hands down

In truth Hawaii is the worst for not being underneath me right now.

haha i am traveling to ft. lauderdale next week and i was going to buy a white sport coat and a coral-colored shirt and ROCK THE AIRPORT BAR SCENE

Gary is fascinating to me in the same way Detroit is. My paternal family lived/grew up in Gary after being recruited from the Rio Grande valley in the 40s to work in the steel mills.

My brother and I visited to see where they grew up and the plight was unbelievable. The way much of the city seemed like it had just been abandoned in the 50s/60s, with nothing else ever happening, was mesmerizing. I don't mean that in a patronizing way but in a "I really want to learn more about this" kind of way.

I've long wanted to make a documentary/write a book about that northern migration of the Mexican/Black workforce. I guess that's one of those things I should really get off my ass and try to do. . .

I can only go on what I know, so it has to be California. The depressing bits - the outskirts of LA, the interminable dullness of the highway to Fresno, Fresno - were all the more depressing compared to the lovely places, Sequoia, Santa Ynes Valley etc. I'm sure it has more to offer than almost any other state but I felt let down and no other state I've visited has done that.

The way much of the city seemed like it had just been abandoned in the 50s/60s, with nothing else ever happening, was mesmerizing. I don't mean that in a patronizing way but in a "I really want to learn more about this" kind of way.

there are some AMAZING buildings there that are just crumbling from 30+ years of neglect. because for the first half of the last decade it was a prosperous place as it was a company town tied to the fate of U.S Steel. there are some fantastic examples of early 20th century architecture boarded up with sagging/collapsed roofs and weeds growing not just on the lot but in the streets in front of them.

it definitely induces a "wtf, how could this happen?" effect. even if you already know what happened.

I had to spend six long weeks in Tampa for work and it made an excellent case for FLA being the worst. It just had a really disgusting, every-other-person-works-in-internet-p0rn-kinda vibe. And the downtown area could have been the lamest downtown of any large city I've ever been to. And Ybor City = gross.

St. Pete had a couple of nice state park beaches though.

it is worth noting that a magic/occult shop just opened there

wow, the local So. Baptists haven't lost their ever-loving minds?

My father, on one of our cross-country trips, wouldn't even drive through Texas. Therefore, Texas.

not been to newark, but i thought pittsburgh seemed quite nice! i like a city with hills and rivers though

I live 10 miles from Newark. It's overall a dump, but a section of town filled with Spanish, Brazilian and Portuguese restaraunts and bars called the "Ironbound" is worth visiting.

I voted for Utah. Any place that makes you jump through hoops to get loaded is a total shithole.

pittsburgh is actually quite nice these days. it is very often cloudy, though.

I don't know if it's the worst state, but Indiana struck me as being maybe the dumbest state. I remember seeing signs at intersection saying WHEN LIGHT IS RED, DO NOT PROCEED THROUGH INTERSECTION. Up until awhile ago, Indiana had no idea what time it was. And though I try not to judge a state too harshly just by driving through it (I do sympathize with the guy up there who hates driving to Tennessee via I-40 in Arkansas), Indiana did not flatter itself to me. Maybe, I picked the wrong night to eat at a Shoney's in Evansville (Garth Brooks was in town and everyone was wearing striped polo shirts), but a decade later, I'm certainly in no rush to get back.

I voted for Jersey with the blessing of my boyfriend who grew up there. No amount of Springsteen could make up for the neverending strip malls and all those ridiculous traffic circles.

hahahahaha

WHEN LIGHT IS RED, DO NOT PROCEED THROUGH INTERSECTION

These are real. I have seen them.

For me, Indiana is the worst. I left after 29 years there and only return under duress. Fewest good things of any state I've visited/lived in (45 out of 50), and the most bad.

IIRC, Indiana's yellow lights are also insanely short; basically, they also mean "stop." I don't know what the point of that is, but I suppose it earns some money for the state from out of state drivers who are unaware.

Also, my first night in Indiana, my parents took me to what was (apparently) a bar. I was 18, and they carded me when I ordered a Coke. At least in 1990, it was illegal for someone under 21 to even be IN a bar.

a) strip malls are everywhere not just in NJ and usually have liquor stores that dont card
b) traffic circles are only ridiculous to the uninitiated.

xpost

I don't know about elsewhere but here someone underaged can go into a
bar/club when accompanied by a parent, guardian or spouse who is of age.

That's also true here in MN.

I don't think this place in Indiana was even obviously a bar; we were going there to get some food.

Wow, I still hate that state with a bitter passion.

At least in 1990, it was illegal for someone under 21 to even be IN a bar.

those types of laws are usually made at a municipal level. in chicago you can't be under 21 in a bar without an entertainment license or food license. rarely enforced but.... yeah.

xpostage.

no pun intended (IVpost)?

IN gave us the Jacksons and heartland rock, and contains several very good universities and colleges, lots of classic small towns, nice farmland, a river, dunes, a large national forest, and the Brickyard.

I think there's really only about 5 that can contend here and they're all in the plains or deep south

feeling better about my wyoming pick today btw

WY is way too good-looking to be considered

indiana also gave us the gizmos but i don't know if that's enough to exonerate them. cow hampshire gave us gg allin but also gave us john sunnunu so i think at the very least, indiana is the 49th state.

those types of laws are usually made at a municipal level

I suppose it could have been a Southbend law, and not Indiana state law. That was never clear!

contains several very good universities and colleges

My dislike of Notre Dame and St. Mary's will probably never die, but they did look pleasant from the outside. And if you are a huge football fan, I won't deny that you can have a good time there. (Better yet, a huge conservative Catholic football fan who also loves constant Billy Joel music.)

wyoming is ok

I'm surprised nobody's got the sour grapes about nevada

I mean if you want to hate florida or california you have to hate nevada too

Ohio has my vote, for consisting entirely of the dull suburbs of a city that does not actually exist.

i hate pennsylvania.

i would hate florida but i really just hate the people that live there.

virginia is actually really pretty, if you are not in northern virginia or some other weird parts. but then again the only place i would live in virginia would be charlottesville.

Nevada can't be the worst state, hookers are legal there.

Sara, I believe it's still illegal in IN for anyone under 21 to be in an establishment that serves hard liquor. I was shocked when I went to MI for school and saw they sold wine and beer and liquor in the supermarkets.

Ohio has my vote, for consisting entirely of the dull suburbs of a city that does not actually exist.

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cleveland/landmarklebron07.jpg http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/display/c327cec7-5566-4d7c-b0a4-94ff56547d34.jpg http://www.bophoto.com/nexio/nexio-desktops/Cincinnati-800x480.jpg

The different liquor laws in the states are kind of interesting, but that one was just stupid.

(Of course in MN, you can't sell off-sale liquor on Sundays, which is ridiculous, too. My liquor-store owning parents hate that law, but do like the ones separating booze from grocery stores. But a lot of stores are finding ways around that; Byerly's has a liquor store right next to it, for example.)

Yep, when I was working in MN, I never got what off-license even meant.

The liquor stores in WA are all owned and operated by the state, but beer and wine is for sale 24/7 in groceries/Targets/7-11s. There's also some sort of esoteric law about not being able to serve liquor unless food sales are a certain proportion of the total sales.

NH has state owned liquor stores too. My current home state, NJ, makes it nearly impossible for a restaraunt to get a liquor license. Let the people booze it up.

Oh and in NH, you can't order a drink at a bar unless you're done with the one in front of you. No "backing it up". Silly.

clearly the WORST BOOZE LAWS poll would have to go to utah and their 3.2% beer.

I think in MN an off-sale license just means that you are selling alcoholic beverages that will be consumed someplace other than at the store.

For a brief period, my family had both a liquor store and a restaurant, and that required different licenses. The restaurant sold wine and beer only - there was no bar - so it might be that there is more than one kind of on-sale liquor license. I used to hate to have to figure the beer/wine cost separately because they are taxed higher. When you are waiting on a large number of tables, you don't want to be wasting time with calculators and checks!

Wasn't it South Carolina that could only serve liquor in those little airplane bottles? I remember reading about them changing that in the last year or so.

Sara, so if a bar advertised on and off license, they could do take-away? I never knew.

Obv. Louisiana (or at least New Orleans) wins the liquor stuff by the sensible "go cup" idea.

Driving to Cincinnatti on I75 is great, you're just driving through suburban northern KY when you come around this corner and all of a sudden it's OH HAI THERE'S A CITY HERE.

Sara, so if a bar advertised on and off license, they could do take-away? I never knew.

Hmmmm, maybe. But I admit I've never heard of a bar selling to-go drinks! Often there are local laws that prevent people from drinking alcoholic beverages on public sidewalks, etc. - and then of course open bottle laws would prevent other modes of transport. So unless they were selling sealed bottles of gin, rum, tequila, etc., I don't know WHAT that would mean. (If I think of it, I'll ask my Dad next time I see him, though!)

If anyone who has set foot in Missouri wants to step up and tell me why I shouldn't vote for it, now would be the time.

crystal meth john ashcroft ice cream cones?

harold ramis first in murders william s burroughs?

But I admit I've never heard of a bar selling to-go drinks!

Well like Jaq said NOLA does this.

The bar I worked at in Dallas sold beer to go, unopened. You could buy some to take home with you and we put them in a paper sack and everything.

I remember being totally taken aback by liquor laws in other states upon my first visits as an adult to NY and Utah - it still seems completely bizarre to me that you can't just buy aynthing from anywhere at any time like you can in California.

NOLA (or probably more like Metarie) used to have a drive-thru bar! I don't know if it's still there though.

I forget where I was the first time I went to Texas (probably McKinney), but you had to "buy" a membership card in order to drink. Liquor control laws are just so crazy.

That was a dry county/city. There are some here and there but usually a wet one is not too far either.

how come no one has suggested WEST VIRGINIA?? nb: i've never been there.

i haven't voted yet, but honestly anyone that thinks WY or UT or NV should be voted the worst obviously doesn't have eyeballs or a heart.

Florida is too weird and interesting to be the worst. And, also, it's the new California, not the other way around -- did you miss the 80s or something?

Also, a week in the Everglades backcountry = FL will not be getting my vote

WV has terrific white-water rafting and is generally beautiful and rural.

also, i'm regretting not voting for AK in the other poll: they have all the best scenery AND it's legal to hold an oz of weed there!!!!

xp yeah, i figured. i was just thinking about their horrific mining industry

West Virginia' really nice. especially on a bike.

and the fact that one of their representatives is pushing a bill to severely limit or outlaw wind power because it might harm little birdies. Ugh.

i think i'm gonna go for delaware.

Also, WV was created by getting pissed off at the rest of Virginia over slavery, drawing the line and seceding to the Union.

alright guys, jesus

delaware is a good choice RW!

so many stupid votes for awesome states

i vote NEW YORK

i already voted utah but in spirit, i rescind that and vote for overrated ass new york

That's another reason I'm not a Texas fan. I'll never forgive them for making me go stand in line to buy an "I Card" before they'd let me stand in line to actually buy a drink.

I used to work in a liquor store in Minneapolis. The hours were pretty sweet. We closed at eight during the week and only had to work until ten on weekends. Every Sunday was a guaranteed day off. I also got liquor and beer for cost there. Twelve pack of Rolling Rock for four bucks, woot!

I remember being totally taken aback by liquor laws in other states upon my first visits as an adult to NY and Utah - it still seems completely bizarre to me that you can't just buy aynthing from anywhere at any time like you can in California.

HAHAHA I was just the opposite when I finally got out of southern ID/nothern UT region. "WHAT? You don't have to go to a state liquor store open at completely random hours to buy liquor? You can hold more than one drink at the bar?" Srsly, in Utah you couldn't carry a drink for you and a friend: they were hardcore about enforcing that you can hold only one drink.

I'll never forgive them for making me go stand in line to buy an "I Card" before they'd let me stand in line to actually buy a drink.

But you do understand that's not a state law but a local law voted in by some backwards podunk city?

Come to Austin and you can drink freely and often.

I've happily left a lot of money in Austin-Ft. Worth too.

driving through PA sux and philly is a urinal

PA is easily a top 20 state

Srsly, in Utah you couldn't carry a drink for you and a friend: they were hardcore about enforcing that you can hold only one drink.

Gah, I hope barstaff are exempt from this. That is seriously crazy.

Come to Austin and you can drink freely and often.

I will completely concede that Austin is the West Berlin/Hong Kong of Tejas.

Louisiana has drive-thru liquor places all over. I lived in Natchez, MS, for a couple years, and on weekend nights the bridge over the Mississippi would just about crack under the volume of people heading over to Ferriday, LA, to get their drive-thru groove on.

My favorite name (and I think they were at least a small chain) was The MacDaquirie Factory.

And Utah is just plain odd, no matter how you slice it. The concrete Christmas tree that was more of a cactus sealed it for me. That, and me and the Kiddo were treated poorly at a should-have-been nice motel in Salt Lake City.

Dacquirie is spelled wrong, right? I hate that word.

i love how everyone only remembers South of the Border about SC!

i guess i'm not the biggest fan of this state but there are worse places to live.

hey, THREE of my posts have been erased from this thread. what gives?

ST8 H8

I think I'm gonna be a dick and vote for Texas.

just to keep that California vs. Texas feud alive

All states that contain BREW-THRU's get a pass.

I lived in Natchez, MS, for a couple years, and on weekend nights the bridge over the Mississippi would just about crack under the volume of people heading over to Ferriday, LA, to get their drive-thru groove on

and just north of you in Vicksburg we were doing the same thing, driving to Delta, LA. This was when most (if not all) Louisiana parishes were still "18 to drink" - which of course meant we all managed to get pretty decent fake id's by the time we were 16. "Daiquiri World" was a pretty popular destination our senior year when we allowed to leave campus for lunch.

I guess you're right, Latebloomer...there are other things aside from South o' the Border, like the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove in Myrtle Beach, and the giant peach in Gaffney! But then there's the time Strom Thurmond called my brother 'a credit to his race' on a field trip. That makes it suck.

In threads like this, I ask myself, "if I left the country for 10 years, and wanted to go, what places would I skip?" Mississippi, Louisiana, and Connecticut top the list. Connecticut is mindnumbingly boring and devoid of culture. Mississippi makes me feel like I dropped 20 IQ points crossing the border, and all the barbeque in the world won't save it. I could find the occasional good overweighing the total awful in them though, should I have to. Louisiana, under no fault of its own, is a literal disaster. I can't imagine seeing miles of rubble in its biggest city and thinking, "WHEE THIS IS GREAT". So I picked it.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Texas: Second in size; Second in population; Second in suckatude.

No wonder Texas smells of Number Two.

who voted california? i'm just laughing at you, haters...
i voted mississippi, because fuck that shit. My mom is from there (belzoni, tom waits has got a bit of mileage from the town) and she would nuke the place if she could.

who voted california? i'm just laughing at you, haters...

probably the same "eight people" who voted for the racism flag.

the interminable dullness of the highway to Fresno ...

-- Mark C, Tuesday, June 5, 2007 2:25 PM (3 days ago)

how can you talk shit about the central valley?

what happened to love for wide-open spaces?

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/california/images/s/california-central-valley.jpg

BORING

BORING

BOOOOORING

who voted for Georgia

No wonder Texas smells of Number Two.

All I remember of Iowa is the neverending smell of pig shit.

i cannot cannot believe that Arizona didn't a single vote. Yes, beautiful in parts, but really has one of the most horrifically alienating city-planning models and jesus, everyone I've ever met from Arizona is a goddamn nutjob. Or a meth freak.

Y'all should know something - people from Indiana almost all go to Florida for their vacations because IT'S BETTER THAN INDIANA.

glad florida "won" but sad to see the texas hate (tho hardly unexpected)

i am surprised by the two votes for wyoming! but pleased that delaware placed so high

i voted for connecticut! i thought i'd have more support! fuck that state.

So! These are the best U.S. states?

Arizona 0
Maine 0
Vermont 0
Michigan 0
Washington 0
Massachusetts 0
Maryland 0
Tennessee 0
New Mexico 0
Colorado 0
Rhode Island 0
Kentucky 0
Montana 0
Illinois 0
Nevada 0
Hawaii 0
Idaho 0
Alaska 0

But then there's the time Strom Thurmond called my brother 'a credit to his race' on a field trip. That makes it suck.

holy shit! yeah, that definitely pushes SC over the edge into "major suckage" category.

at least it's not mississippi, i'll give it that

Which jealous Wisconsonian voted for Minnesota?

Boo! Most of you don't even live in Florida!

So! These are the best U.S. states?

no, just the most forgettable.

Which jealous Wisconsonian voted for Minnesota?

Now I don't need to ask who voted for Wisconsin!

hating on oregon or wisconsin is insanity

All ya'll are some punk-ass bitches voting for my state. Remind me never to FAP with those 15 people.

But I have to FAP when I'm in Texas, just to forget where I am!

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/5929/be27320c85e24rp.jpg

I voted Mississippi. Being from Alabama, I didn't really have a choice.

I didn't vote in this one, but my candidate won anyway!

Well I might FAP with you and the missus, PP.

Go to Kenosha or Racine if you think Wisconsin is exempt from a vote.

lol, MS & AL people voting for each other because, I mean, well, it's obvious.

Belzoni, MS is the catfish capital of the world. And is just south of Indianola, which is where BB King is from.

And CA the worst? Seriously? Cool. The bad traffic and earthquakes really outweigh everything else. Stay home. We'll manage without your tourist dollars out here.

CA got 8 votes?!? 8 people are insane

Sam, I voted for Florida so Im still TXFAP eligible.

Go to Kenosha or Racine if you think Wisconsin is exempt from a vote.

-- Bill Magill, Friday, June 8, 2007 12:51 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

WISCONSIN RULES HATER

So! These are the best U.S. states?

Arizona 0
Maine 0
Vermont 0
Michigan 0
Washington 0
Massachusetts 0
Maryland 0
Tennessee 0
New Mexico 0
Colorado 0
Rhode Island 0
Kentucky 0
Montana 0
Illinois 0
Nevada 0
Hawaii 0
Idaho 0
Alaska 0

-- StanM, Friday, June 8, 2007 2:21 AM (12 hours ago) Bookmark Link

NOT the best, merely the unworstest.

Hey, I got no truck with Wisconsin-let's not make it into some sort of Xanadu though, cheesehead.

Florida would've got my vote, but at least it stays far away from me. OTOH, I have to deal with Rangers games on my CSS and trucks with Texas plates that apparently have broken blinkers.

Does Ark. have any pro teams?

No, but we own a few.

Florida seems right. But Pennsylvania didn't get way enough hate.

Keystone Boys State

Hazelton bans illegals

i won!

ladies & gentleman.... texas!

"Don't attack my dog or you might get shot ... if you're a coyote," Perry said.

Don't attack my dog or you might get shot
http://blogs.smh.com.au/lifestyle/allmenareliars/David-Caruso.jpg
if you're a coyote
http://www.insidesocal.com/tv/david-caruso-horatio-cain.jpg

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"alabama is horrible" -- alabamans

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/1Bog-infographic-americas-report-card-C5.jpg

(click for hueg graphic)

Great. I've lived in both, ILX's #1, and #LAST.

"CA got 8 votes?!? 8 people are insane"
http://www.gifbin.com/bin/052009/1242032359_haters-gonna-hate.gif

boo!

http://cdn.nextround.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/haters_gonna_hate_8bit.gif

hmmm...the highest grade for any state is a B, but Vermont should get a B+/A- (it scored 3 A's and 3 B's), and Hawaii should get an A- (4 A's and 2 B's)

Why is Florida so trashy?
Why is Alabama so obese?
Why is New Jersey so corrupt?

The Google Autocomplete guide to US states

http://blog.noupsi.de/post/28896819324/why-are-americans-so