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[–]DHumefan 462 points463 points ago

Mississippi, because statistics.

[–]waldocalrissian 87 points88 points ago

I live in Georgia, and the joke is: What's the only good thing about Alabama? It keeps us from being right up against Mississippi.

[–]jesus_swept 32 points33 points ago

I live in Louisiana, and this makes me sad. Because we live right next door and we have to keep the windows shut or else the smell comes wafting in.

[–]adamdenterkin 18 points19 points ago

I live in New Orleans, and always thought that smell was puke, and beer. The more you know.

[–]acg706 97 points98 points ago

Mississippi: Making Alabama look good since 1817.

[–]dsampson92 14 points15 points ago

"Thank God for Mississippi" is our official state motto, it's even on the flag.

[–]Graveheart 106 points107 points ago

Seriously, this is the most objective candidate. Fattest, poorest, most uneducated, racist, 4th highest unemployment rate.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]neel2004 167 points168 points ago*

I would have to agree with Mississippi. Just a few of the experiences I've had when visiting a friend who is trapped there for work and due to the housing crash:

  1. Its perfectly normal for someone to ask you, upon being introduced, what church you attend. If you don't attend one of the southern baptist churches, you will not be accepted into the community at all. That means you will not be invited to neighborhood parties, town events, and your kids will not be invited over to play.

  2. It is near impossible to go out to eat and get food that is not deep-fried or cooked in pork fat. Similarly, if you eat basic healthier food items, you have to order them online or buy them in Jackson (the state capitol) because there just isn't enough demand for grocery stores to stock them. This includes things like unbreaded frozen fish, diet ginger ale, sundried tomato bits, fresh pasta, any sort of fruit beyond 4 or 5, and vegetables that aren't used in core southern cooking. It's nearly impossible to find any mildly ethnic ingredients other than crappy stuff like old el paso brand mexican mixes and sauces. I remember buying mushrooms from a cashier in her 50's who was astounded that there was a way to eat mushrooms that was not deep fried with ranch dressing.

  3. Early on in his career in MS, my friend managed to line up a bunch of grants to take his drama students to a cultural trip to New York City to see a series of plays and to meet a bunch of professionals in the theater industry, as well as college admissions staff. This trip ended up being free for the students involved since he was going to cover a hundred dollars a student or so out of personal savings. Over half of the students that were in his class weren't allowed to go because their parents didn't want to get their hopes up, didn't agree with "big city values," or just didn't see the benefit of travelling. It's heartbreaking to think that these high school juniors and seniors, who had chosen to attend an art school, might never get the chance to see other parts of their own country, much less other parts of the world.

[–]wtfbirds 248 points249 points ago

I grew up in Mississippi. When I was a senior in HS I tried desperately to get out, but ended up at Ole Miss for financial reasons and loved it. (I have since "gotten out," I'm in grad school in the UK and have a job lined up with AmeriCorps in the MS Delta this fall.)

It pains me to see the statistics that get tossed around in these threads, because my home state does need a lot of help. It pains me even more that most people's responses in these threads are a circle jerk of anecdotes about fried food and Baptists.

Here's some anecdotes (I went to a public school 2 hours from Jackson): The student body president of my HS when I graduated was Muslim. The soccer team moved its practices to after sundown so she could practice during Ramadan. There are more Thai restaurants near where I lived than there are fried chicken places. When I was in high school, my drama/debate team went to Chicago, Boston, Milwaukee, and St. Louis for competitions. None of the parents complained about "big city values." The oncologist who has saved my dad's life repeatedly in the past decade is black and went to Harvard, and came to Mississippi because he gives a damn.

I'm sorry your second hand experience with my home state doesn't live up to the standards set by Kansas or Ohio or some other utopia. I'm sorry you couldn't see past the fat people and their churches to appreciate the blues music, Faulkner novels, and other cultural traditions that have come out of Mississippi.

Mississippi has problems. Some of us want to fix them, some of us find them amusing enough for a couple dozen upvotes.

[–]BourbonV 5 points6 points ago

NCCC in Vicksburg?

[–]DHumefan 26 points27 points ago

I worked on Keesler AFB. A (white) marine was walking down the street off base, a black man sees him and pulls onto the side of the road, gets out and proceeds to go on a rant about white people. Words are exchanged and they fight. Who stops running errands to yell at a random pedestrian?

I (black) had a white girlfriend down there and got a few stares that were so patent people didn't even try to hide it. It was seriously their heads turning to follow us as we walked past. I was baffled.

[–]Cruithne 51 points52 points ago*

I'm shocked this is so low. Doesn't Mississippi have the worst standards of education in the US? And that's ignoring the widespread belief creationism which iirc is bad even by southern standards. Also, racism.

EDIT: This had no upvotes when I commented, so it used to be relevant.

[–]donnasaurus 74 points75 points ago

46% of Mississippi Republicans think interracial marriage should still be illegal, as of late 2011.

That's not everyone who thinks it's wrong--just the people who believe it should still be straight up illegal.

I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]BJob22 5 points6 points ago

It just depends on where you are in Mississippi. Around north Jackson/ Madison area is actually a really nice place to live. But yes, most everywhere else is bad. :/

[–]DHumefan 11 points12 points ago

I lived there for 6 months (and unfortunately have to go back for another year) and expected it to not be as bad as I thought. But there were some incidents that definitely shouldn't have happened. It's not the most horrible place, but I wouldn't choose to live there.

[–]RustisMaximus 6 points7 points ago

I would not live in MS again if I had the choice. I was in Biloxi and there was a lot of shit there, on the Gulf Coast which I heard was supposed to be "more liberal" that weirded me the fuck out.

[–]loloctopus 14 points15 points ago

damn guys. Y'all hate us that much? I mean I've lived just outside of Jackson, Ms my whole life and go to college at Ole Miss, and sometimes MS can suck, but I don't think it's all that bad....

I mean there are lots of reason why we suck, as you can see from previous comments, but I love it here.

[–]bipbopcosby 14 points15 points ago

Well defend its honor! What are the good things about living there?

[–]papatissier 2 points3 points ago

[–]jeff_jizzr 52 points53 points ago

By almost all human development indexes, Mississippi.

[–]exobio 33 points34 points ago

Ctrl+F: Illinois. 0 of 0 found. Fuck yes.

[–]Garanik 14 points15 points ago

Besides the whole corruption thing.

[–]AMostOriginalUserNam 203 points204 points ago

The state of depression.

I'm here all week.

[–]IJustTookPsych101 50 points51 points ago

Would you like to talk about it?

[–]AngriestCosmonaut 84 points85 points ago

I'm in bed all week.

FTFY

[–]godless_communism 32 points33 points ago

I'm here all weak.

FTFY - again.

[–]K2J 16 points17 points ago

Also known as "Ohio".

[–]ThisIsMahSrsFace 41 points42 points ago

I came in here thinking everyone was going to say Florida. Whew?

[–]radong01 35 points36 points ago

Florida isn't the best state, but it's far from the worst.

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points ago

Florida might be a dangerous state for natural disasters and New Orleans

[–]ha_hahayeah 14 points15 points ago

Florida might be a dangerous state for natural disasters

definitely.

and New Orleans

?????????

[–]mongoose308 6 points7 points ago

The 2004 hurricane season was just ridiculous.

[–]jeff_jizzr 20 points21 points ago

Florida at least has some legitimately cool things to offset the crazy.

[–]Iamcupcakes 27 points28 points ago

LIKE FUCKING DISNEYWORLD.

[–]skiman13579 11 points12 points ago

I live in Key West so to me Florida is the best damn state

[–]PixelTreason 3 points4 points ago

Key West doesn't even feel like Florida at all. KW is awesome, Florida, not so much.

[–]dustygator 8 points9 points ago

I get to wear shorts and flip flops 10-11 months a year. Even if everything else sucked that would be enough to not make it the worse.

[–]northerntommy 7 points8 points ago

I'm just afraid of it's humidity.

[–]DancingLobsters96 10 points11 points ago

I live in Ft. Myers and all i can say is fuck Florida.

[–]anunknind 10 points11 points ago

Florida sucks balls unless you're rich.

[–]theground2 1 point2 points ago

or 80+ years old

[–]adamdenterkin 3 points4 points ago

Lived in Pensacola, Florida my entire life, until just recently. Living in the panhandle, far away from all the great places in the southern half like Miami, and Orlando, is not as bad as some places.

Thats not to say living 15 minutes from Alabama, right in the middle of the bible belt was the best place, but at least you can find people who are not complete church nuts. It is true though, that Florida is like two different states, depending on which half you live in. It is also why it is a swing state, where most of the north votes republican, and the south votes democrat.

[–]red321red321 50 points51 points ago

Delaware - Wayne's World had it right.

[–]pacman20 18 points19 points ago

So, people live in Delaware right? And I mean people-people, not just corporate people

[–]skullturf 4 points5 points ago

I live in Delaware!

It's not a bad state exactly, but it is true that one of our main selling points is that we're close to other places.

[–]m_ell 13 points14 points ago

God YES. I'm from Maryland, and I always quote that little bit whenever I talk about my eastern neighbor. No one ever gets it D:

[–]red321red321 13 points14 points ago

crab cakes and football, that's what Maryland does!

[–]m_ell 12 points13 points ago

Can I say fuck yah that Maryland is only on this thread as a good state? Fuck yah!

[–]hardcorr 7 points8 points ago

Whoo Maryland!

[–]killer_tofu89 5 points6 points ago

The only things on my mind while I'm Delaware are

  1. How the fuck did I get here?

  2. How the fuck am I leaving here?

[–]cptcliche 4 points5 points ago

The answer to both questions is I-95.

[–]Meth_Useler 49 points50 points ago

This whole thing sounds like a bunch of kids who hate where they live. Trust me, when you move away from home, you will miss it.

[–]crestingwave 65 points66 points ago

Nobody said Oklahoma, probably because they don't even want to think about it.

[–]kane2742 21 points22 points ago

Oklahoma is OK.

[–]Commodore_Puddles 22 points23 points ago

Everyone forgets about oklahoma....

[–]BrosephineBaker 11 points12 points ago

Even as a Texan, I have to admit Oklahoma's not that bad. I don't envy your winters, but it's livable compared to other states mentioned here.

[–]insertfunnynamehere 10 points11 points ago

Everyone who wanted to bash Oklahoma did it before the thread actually opened.

[–][deleted] 39 points40 points ago

North Dakota... I mean, that state doesn't even exist!

[–]ChemEBrew[S] 15 points16 points ago

[–][deleted] 27 points28 points ago

So nice that they could get all 5 North Dakotans to pose for the photo.

[–]moosethumbs 8 points9 points ago

"Come to North Dakota. Our women are easy." WTF?

[–]wouldbetamer 44 points45 points ago

ctrl+f "Massachusetts" No results. /flex

[–]Birdman159 13 points14 points ago

Fuck yeah

[–]jesusismoney 23 points24 points ago

We're talking about Massachusetts east of Springfield, right? Because I'm pretty sure all that's out in Western Mass is UMass Amherst and Dragons.

[–]DastardlyBarnacle 12 points13 points ago

Maybe if the topic were "best state".

[–]GiefDownvotesPlox 25 points26 points ago

It should be telling to non-American redditors that WA and OR aren't mentioned once... BEST STATES!!!!!!!!!!

[–]Peckasaurous 3 points4 points ago

I know! If anyone tried to mention them I'd be so confused.

[–]FearTheGinger 4 points5 points ago

Grew up in the Pacific NW, and couldn't agree more!

[–]DumbleDear 3 points4 points ago

Heck yeah! Western WA what what! :))

[–]Stockguy38 83 points84 points ago

Wyoming because there is a city with a population of 1.

[–]VonCornhole 240 points241 points ago

The 4th largest city in the state.

[–]Huzakkah 27 points28 points ago

[–]Kashew 18 points19 points ago

ctrl f looking for Oregon. Super happy my state is only mentioned for this.

[–]iahaz 15 points16 points ago

Was looking for Oregon too for the same reason. Go OR!

[–]ndrew452 7 points8 points ago

I'm not the biggest fan of Wyoming, but I don't think it is the worst state (I've lived in 4). Sure, no one lives here and non-outdoor activities are limited, but the cost of living is low as well as the taxes. Needless to say, I plan on leaving the state in 2013 and don't intend to live in it again.

[–]Distance_Runner 9 points10 points ago

I do not live in Wyoming, but honestly it's my dream to live there. I'm an introvert and love spending time alone, outdoors. The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone are my two favorite places in the world... The mountains are beautiful and I actually love cold weather and snow.... I would actually prefer to live in a small town, and if I'm EVER able to, I'm moving to Jackson

[–]kolobian 6 points7 points ago

A lower population is a positive in my book.

[–]strawberryberet 5 points6 points ago

Wyoming is beautiful though, isn't it?

[–]OZY1 63 points64 points ago

It's not a state, but is part of the United States.

Washington DC.

Reasons too numerous to mention.

[–]ChemEBrew[S] 37 points38 points ago

I assume traffic is one of those many reasons.

[–]CaptainNonchalant 104 points105 points ago

Oh no, we love sitting in traffic for 3 hours on a short commute. It gives you time to reflect on what it means to have a full bladder.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

I visit with my husband from time to time (he has family there) and that place is complete sensory overload. The drivers act like they hate life. Every time we get to the 495 I wonder if we are going to make it out alive :(

[–]HouseOfBees 37 points38 points ago

I can think of 535 reasons.

[–]Akallare 14 points15 points ago

Oh Washington DC, Visited it once. DO A TURN HERE, GO IN CIRCLE HERE, U TURN HERE, NO U TURN HERE, RIGHT HERE, NO RIGHT HERE, LEFT ONLY, GOES IN CIRCLES. It was nice to go to the monuments area.

[–]blackholesky 13 points14 points ago

It really is a better city than most tourists get to see- there's a lot to it other than monuments. Don't drive in the city though.

[–]Homomorphism 10 points11 points ago

Seriously. DON'T FUCKING DRIVE IN THE CITY.

Also, don't drive outside of the city.

[–]shadikicksface 23 points24 points ago

I love that city i live 20 minuets away the people are nice the food is great its beautiful and it has its own culture different from anywhere else in the USA

[–]Houseoflions 14 points15 points ago

I live 20 minutes away from that city?

Aaaaaah they must be doing track Maintenance on the Metro again.

[–]OZY1 7 points8 points ago

I was thinking really of just a few blocks of the city.

[–]ShadowsAmbience 124 points125 points ago

Indiana. It's a giant polluted cornfield. Plus we're working on passing

[1] Right to Work,

[2] Teaching Creationism alongside evolution,

[3] Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients,

[4] Cutting off Planned Parenthood,

[5] Raping the 4th Amendment.

Also, Gary,IN.

*edit: Formatting, how does it work?

[–][deleted] 79 points80 points ago

Oh, let's not forget about how Indiana almost made it a law that Pi is a rational number equal to 3.2!

[–]KookaB 113 points114 points ago

But that's not even proper rounding...

[–]thilardiel 15 points16 points ago

...the fuck?

[–]kresblain 35 points36 points ago

I live in Chicago and only go to Indiana for fireworks and cheap cigarettes.

[–]charlie6969 8 points9 points ago

Aha! The same reason we Hoosiers go to Kentucky, then?

[–]Bob_Dylan_not_Marley 11 points12 points ago

Indiana does, however, have an active music scene. The midwest is doing cool things with funktronica these days.

[–]esoteric_user 4 points5 points ago

and folk punk

[–]dsampson92 5 points6 points ago

ITT: Every state.

[–]mesokurtosis 148 points149 points ago

Britain is the 51st state and the worst of them all, because we suck the US government's dick and don't even get a fucking vote.

[–]public-masturbator 92 points93 points ago

Same with Canada

[–]notatree 182 points183 points ago

Hats have very important jobs

[–]throwawayaccounts3 34 points35 points ago

They keep us from getting too cold.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]Gutterville 16 points17 points ago

We pay massive amount of taxes (average tax bracket 40%) and double the gas price (8 or 9 dollars per gallon) and a ridiculous amount of sales tax (20%) but atleast we get free health care.

[–]Cruithne 14 points15 points ago

Healthcare free at the point of delivery*.

[–]Darkjediben 8 points9 points ago

Please explain? I genuinely don't understand your comment and I would like to know what you're talking about.

[–]Evilsmurf 21 points22 points ago

"Free at the point of delivery" means "It's free when we actually get the healthcare, but the money for it has already been paid for when I pay my taxes".

[–]joonix 24 points25 points ago

You just admitted you pay all those taxes. It's obviously not free for anyone unless they are poor and don't pay taxes. Which is kind of the point of universal healthcare ... you still get it even when you're out of work.

[–]Gutterville 18 points19 points ago

The NHS isn't perfect by any means but Im glad all those people who can't afford private healthcare including me and family have it as a safety net. Yes but don't you pay taxes as well granted not as much as us but you still have to pay, why not have free healthcare when you pay so much tax.

"Which is kind of the point of universal healthcare ... you still get it even when you're out of work". isn't that the time where you need free healthcare the most when you're out of work and can't afford private coverage. If you want to know more about the NHS watch this

[–]inthisdesert 116 points117 points ago

Ohio.

FUCK YOU OHIO

[–]Akallare 20 points21 points ago

I have lived in a small town in Ohio for my whole life, Its corn fields mostly in Ohio. At least there is Cedar Point in Sandusky, even if its slowly turning into all rollercoasters....

[–]Owen_Wilson 35 points36 points ago

even if its slowly turning into all rollercoasters....

Is that a bad thing?

[–]Akallare 12 points13 points ago

It is to a person who hates rollercoasters.

[–]inthisdesert 13 points14 points ago

Not a real person. Must be an alien.

[–]thegraymaninthmiddle 11 points12 points ago*

As an Ohioan, that isn't a very good reason. Ohio may not be the best state, but it isn't the worst by far.

[–]GetItTogether 67 points68 points ago

Ohio isn't that bad. You're only allowed to make fun of it if you live there.

We actually have lots of nice things. Amusement parks, museums, halls of fame, nice zoos, nice parks, etc. And many great people came from Ohio so there's that too.

[–]hallbuzz 75 points76 points ago

"Ohio isn't that bad." - They should put that on our license plates.

[–]logomachy 17 points18 points ago

Good points. I'm pretty fond of good ole Ohio, even though the weather is kind of fucked.

[–]moparornocar 5 points6 points ago

reminds me of a joke state slogan we have in ohio, "if you dont like the weather, wait an hour and it will change"

[–]Mr_Arban 5 points6 points ago

I'm pretty sure that's a joke slogan just about everywhere...

[–]RichardRogers 7 points8 points ago

Cedar Point!

[–]computerhater 13 points14 points ago

Thank you.

[–]sanslumiere 23 points24 points ago

Fuck you! Just kidding. Columbus is pretty nice though.

[–]moparornocar 22 points23 points ago

Columbus has turned into a pretty nice city over the past ten years.

[–]prongsy 16 points17 points ago

Seriously? There was a map of the US floating around with all of the worst things about each state written on them, stuff like, "most suicidal," "fattest," etc. I believe Ohio's was "nerdiest." Ohio rules.

[–]Spattergroit 10 points11 points ago

Why does everyone hate Ohio so much? it's not that bad here..

[–]nerdcorerising 4 points5 points ago

Ohio is pretty diverse. Much of it is very rural and very redneck/hillbilly, but then there are pretty big cities too. Cleveland is a very blue collar and Columbus is a very white collar town. Plus many smaller cities like Toledo, Youngstown and Cincinnati. It's possible you had experience with the rural part, and that's not entirely dissimilar to Indiana or West Virginia, depending on the side of the state you're talking about. The cities can be awesome though.

Columbus is seriously one of the more progressive cities I've been to. There are vegetarian friendly restaurants everywhere, a really decent bus system, low crime (for a city), plenty of parks and attractions, and a really large tech sector job market. It's fairly liberal there.

The one thing that does suck about Ohio is the weather. It's often snowing or negative degrees (F) in the winter and 90+ and humid in the summer. Plus constant thunderstorms in the spring/fall.

[–]Sleepybutt 31 points32 points ago

I don't know anything about Ohio except that something like 24 astronauts have come from there. So, something about that state makes people want to flee the earth.

[–]thegraymaninthmiddle 18 points19 points ago

Or just really smart people who want to fucking visit space.

[–]TheMagicUpvoteFairy 3 points4 points ago

Drew Carey would beg to differ.

[–]ndcj12 14 points15 points ago

Not that Ohio is the best place ever, but I can think of two states that border it that are worse in West Virginia and Kentucky. Maybe Indiana, too, especially with the recent developments of teaching creationism in schools and the right to work law.

[–]ChemEBrew[S] 17 points18 points ago

My only experiences of Ohio were in the Haus in Cincinnati when I got chased away from the Creation Museum and when I was moving out to Indiana and stopped at a run of the mill McDonald's. I think it's the only state where it's normal for two 400 lbs. parents to ignore their 250 lbs. son writhing on the floor screaming for more chicken nuggets. No one was phased.

[–]skynolongerblue 10 points11 points ago

That image just makes me shudder.

[–][deleted] 13 points14 points ago

The Creation Museum is an awful stain on Kentucky. That...and the people can't seem to drive.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

I know alot of people (mainly farmers) in Ohio--personally I think it's a very beautiful state.

The only weird part (for me) is when I go there almost all rest stops are "closed." I think the Governor must hate toilets. For a state that wants to attract visitors, getting rid of all the rest spots seems pretty silly.

[–]Neganti 14 points15 points ago

Command-F "Washington", nothing! My state is safe!

[–]metawareness 6 points7 points ago*

Command-F

Almost didn't upvote for using a mac... but Washington!

[–]aweshucks 11 points12 points ago

West Virginia. Damn rednecks giving the REAL Virginia a bad name

[–]aweshucks 5 points6 points ago

Although it IS beautiful

[–]otwp12 3 points4 points ago

I honestly think it's up to you (to an extent) to determine how much you enjoy living somewhere. Obviously you can't control the things OP mentioned but you can still hang out with friends and find ways to entertain yourselves.

[–]orzof 25 points26 points ago

The moon.

  • Air is thin
  • Not enough water
  • Can't walk anywhere
  • Assholes with telescopes

[–]Akamaru 75 points76 points ago*

California, unless you're rich, then it's awesome...aside from the traffic. As a working class person, people live better in other states on close to half the income versus here. This is especially true in places like the San Francisco Bay Area and the greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. The pace of life is also slower elsewhere.

The state is divided into real (real estate) property owners and non-real property owners and the divide has gotten worse since the housing crash. Homes are still unaffordable in places where the economy hasn't completely flat-lined. Rents are climbing in my area at a double digit pace.

Taxes are very high. Many cities have close to a 10% sales/ use tax. Income tax is high, especially federal income tax due to the fact that the cost of living is much higher out here, but the government doesn't adjust for cost of living differences when determining tax brackets. It's unfair that I have to pay over $2,000 to rent a no frills two bedroom apartment that would cost $800-$1000/ month anywhere else in the country. THEN I get taxed by the federal government as if i'm some how better off because my pay is higher to cover the crazy rents. Despite having less disposable income after paying basic living expenses and taxes than people in other states.

Last, for a state with the population equivalent of Canada and close to the same effective tax burden per working individual, we get a whole lot less than Canadian tax payers. California already started over withholding by an additional 10% out of every working man, woman, and child's pay checks to increase cash flow 3 years ago. They claimed it wasn't an additional tax because you'll get the money back at tax time. But if the state is going to go broke before March, it shows that the state government can't seem to get their acts together. To top it all off, we're still running budget deficits and the state is projected to RUN OUT OF MONEY AT THE BEGINNING OF MARCH. Really folks?!

Edit: Added a link to more stats

[–]northerntommy 13 points14 points ago

I live in the East Bay, and our 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house was a 1 million. My mom has a friend across the bay in Marin County who bought an identical house (same architect) for 1.75 million.

I loved growing up in the bay, but the amounts of money that people throw at less than impressive houses here is ridiculous. I doubt I'll move back after college.

[–]Akamaru 16 points17 points ago

How can someone afford a million dollar home on a middle class income? Borderline condemned homes around my area start at $400,000-$500,000. These are homes that probably need all new everything. It's ridiculous.

[–]Phunkapotamus 15 points16 points ago

"Middle class" income in the bay area is pretty high.

[–]SomethingWittyasfuck 22 points23 points ago

...we bought our house in Texas for 30,000 dollars. It's a three bedroom two bath.

[–]skynolongerblue 7 points8 points ago

Exactly. My ex and I had a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house in San Leandro, next to a coffee factory and a mile away from the Oakland airport, with no basement and no attic. That dump was worth half a million dollars in 2007. I will still never understand that.

Meanwhile, when I moved to west Texas for work, my room mate bought the same style house for $50,000. Literally a TENTH of the price. WTF?!

[–]AlphaQ69 26 points27 points ago

California is a really nice place to live in though. Think of all that we have. We have the ocean, we have mountains, we have lakes, we have snow, we have desert. The bay area is gorgeous and has a ton of culture, while NorCal is also very pretty. Even though LA is scummy, Hollywood is there and there are very nice areas around the LA area. Then we have San Diego, which is absolutely the best.

[–]homeyG75 9 points10 points ago

Hollywood is one of the scummiest areas of LA, actually.

[–]mathmexican4234 7 points8 points ago

Agreed, our taxes are fucked up. We can't fix the brackets and percentages (i forget the name of the law) so they make it up with things they can change, basically fees on things middle and lower class people do. It's a little better if you can live outside of big areas where rent is lower, but then you have to commute farther or you might not get a job farther away from big cities.

That said, if you can get by in California, other shit is cool.

[–]Akamaru 4 points5 points ago

That said, if you can get by in California, other shit is cool.

I agree, if you can get over the huge stumbling block of having a lower quality of life financially, then there are some interesting things about California. The nature, the diverse population, the varying climates, etc. I don't care what anyone says, the politics aren't a selling point, our politics are a complete mess.

[–]kevjames3 17 points18 points ago

If you don't live in the three largest metropolitan areas, Cali is not as horrible place to live. I live in the Sacramento area and property is a lot cheaper here then in the bay. The Sacramento Bee constantly shows how you can get a large house very cheaply here. Plus, the city is nice with its location beings in the middle of everything :)

[–]joonix 15 points16 points ago

Places like Sacramento are not job centers. People go where they can make money. If you already have money it's another story. Thus, people trying to make it are paying a lot to live where they are working.

[–]TeddyBear_Squabble 5 points6 points ago

It's all just perspective. My cousin lives in Lodi, California just south of Sacramento, and I live in Ohio. My cousin bought a house for about $200,000 that in Ohio would probably sell for $100,000 at most.

[–]peacelovenflute 26 points27 points ago

Arizona. Hot as fuck, the politicians don't know anything about anyone, no jobs, hot as fuck, cacti everywhere, coyotes fucking up your shit, HOT AS FUCK, and there's no water.

[–]Akamaru 38 points39 points ago

Everything you mentioned except for the clueless politicians is the result of...LIVING IN A DESERT. What do you expect?

[–]peacelovenflute 13 points14 points ago

Exactly. I really have no idea why humans decided "Let's go live in the middle of a sand dune. This is the perfect place for us to live."

[–]cuddlep00p 5 points6 points ago

Good thing Arizona doesn't have sand dunes...

[–]SARASA05 3 points4 points ago

I'm flying into Phoenix on April 4th-15th to backpack to the Havasu Falls, visit the Grand Canyon and tour Taliesin West in Scottsdale. Can you give me an idea of what temperatures to expect at day and night in early April? I'm nervous that the Havasu Falls water will be too cold to swim. I've researched this weather information online, but somehow still don't trust dozens of years of statistics over another humans experience on reddit.

[–]northerntommy 5 points6 points ago

Something about the word "cacti" makes me giggle, and completely ignore the potential seriousness of the sentence it was used in.

[–]neketa1 3 points4 points ago

Until you walk onto ASU campus and wonder how all of the hot people in the US got to the same place. Go Devils!

Also, Tempe 12 and Tuscon 12.

[–]fridista 3 points4 points ago

What's wrong with cacti? The politics suck, but the desert is gorgeous. (Plus Tucson is home to my favorite rep, Raul Grijalva)

[–]Sweet_stuff_69 51 points52 points ago

Alabama, don't come here, it is exayctly whayt it be soundin laaake

[–]autumnklnss 14 points15 points ago

Apparently you live in south Alabama.

[–]Bnightwing 11 points12 points ago

Because north Alabama isn't that bad.

[–]Purecheetodust 68 points69 points ago

New Jersey. Things that suck: the people, the turnpike, Newark, state troopers, and did I mention the people? Newark alone is reason enough to hate the whole state. It's full of homeless people and pollution. Everything is so gray and lifeless.

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[–]forthewar 69 points70 points ago

Excuse me, Camden would like to have a word with you.

[–]notacrackheadofficer 4 points5 points ago

Passaic is too busy picking its ass and sniffing its finger to respond.

[–]nasty_nate 10 points11 points ago

Newark: The Jersey of Jersey.

[–]cduff77 14 points15 points ago

I'm in an interesting spot. I'm from the middle of NJ. I have heard some people call me South Jersey, and others call me North. I relate with both. My Mom and her family are from North Jersey. My dad has lived alllll over the state. I love each part for what it is. The pines of the south, the hills of the north, the Delaware, The awesome Atlantic. I have worked at sixflags and dealt with the scum of this state and its surrounding cities, and I have worked in Spring Lake and dealt with the old, rich crowd. I love my state for what it is, inside and out. Do I hate guidos? Of course! More than most people do. But I hate them because now a lot of these people are reactionary to what was popularized by a disgusting, scripted show. (not to say they didn't exist before). But as a whole, my love/hate relationship is about 90/10. I might be in the minority, but I love that place.

[–]brokenhats 6 points7 points ago

I live in the belmar area, and the only reason I tolerate living here is asbury has a tinge of culture coming back to it and pizza is quite cheap. It is a pretty state in some areas but when the summer hits and you can appreciate it more, my town floods with guidos like trout migrating to fuck and produce more orange people

[–]ACESchultz 8 points9 points ago

New Jersey is not bad at all. Sure we've got crappy places like Newark and Camden, but we've also got really really nice places in northern and central NJ. And sure, NJ has a lot of knuckleheads, but between Princeton and The Institute for Advanced Study we've also got some of the greatest minds in the world.

[–]Casistrophic 12 points13 points ago

New Jersey has Newark and Camden, yeah, but a lot of its urban cities are not bad at all; Hoboken and Edgewater are both really nice.

[–]Aromatic_Armpit 4 points5 points ago

Newark and Camden are decoys to keep people from New York and Philadelphia the fuck out. The part of Jersey that I lived in as a kid is all woods and cornfields.

[–]coolcat83593 40 points41 points ago

Ctrl + F "New Jersey". I live in NJ. It's not all that bad.

[–]R3DBuddy 12 points13 points ago

I live in NJ too, and I have to say, for the most part, NJ is okay, but I've met some pretty shitty people here.

[–]TheHag 10 points11 points ago

I live in Northern NJ (Morris County) and it's pretty nice, well might be because it's has the most income of all the counties.

[–]mastersquirrel3 6 points7 points ago

Me too. Yeah it's nice here because it's the 4th richest county in the united states.

[–]Scherrbert 5 points6 points ago

I live in central suburban jersey. it's a nice place.

[–]sheerheartattack 10 points11 points ago

New Jersey is strategically xenophobic. If you're not from New Jersey, you are almost guaranteed to leave with a negative impression of New Jersey. And that is just the way New Jersey natives like it, to limit their exposure to outsiders, and to make sure they don't come back.

If you're from New York, the first thing you're going to see is Newark. If you're from Philadelphia, the first thing you're going to see is Camden. Coincidence? I think not. But there is one place we keep open to outsiders: The Jersey Shore, of course. And how do you get to the Shore? That's right: The Turnpike. Going to New York or Philadelphia? There is a well-defined path to which you are limited for that as well.

So in summary, 99% of outsiders who pass through New Jersey only ever see 1% of the State - and not the good 1%*. And that's just the way we like it.

* We are the second-wealthiest State in the Union. You don't think that, in all our opulence, we live in some sort of "gray and lifeless" wasteland? Hahaha...

[–]lumpysurfer 4 points5 points ago

I live in Monmouth county and I find the majority of it to be rather nice. Though I spend most of my days on the beach.

[–]ChemEBrew[S] 20 points21 points ago

It's just like Long Island, except you don't have to pump your own gas.

[–]Callmeballs 12 points13 points ago

The people? You're not one of those people who think the NJ accent exists, right?

People here are just as shitty as any other North Eastern State.

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[–]kiwi_goalie 4 points5 points ago

The jersey accent only exists in the ladies who sit behind you at matinee shows at the movie theater.

"Oh my GOWD. Did she DOIE? I think she DOIED!"

[–]heepofsheep 1 point2 points ago

It definitely exists. I'm pretty used to the philly accent, but once I go across the bridge everyone sounds different.

[–][deleted] 19 points20 points ago

Fuck you I love New Jersey. Fuck you right in your shit.

relevent

[–]forthewar 16 points17 points ago

Not helping NJ stereotypes to be dispelled there buddy.

[–]Underdogg13 3 points4 points ago

There's way too much diversity to say New Jersey is bad from Newark.

Might I provide this handy map.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

New Jersey is really too diverse for that, I think. I'm from south jersey and went to college in north jersey, and I had like full-blown culture shock.

[–]harmon25 3 points4 points ago

I am from New Jersey and think it's a great state to grow up and live in. The school systems are wonderful and have high college attendance rates. I think people that say the state is "dirty" or "smells" are right in a sense, but here's why:

  1. The highways in New Jersey drive run through shitty parts of the state. Over the river from Nyc is one of the ugliest areas I have ever seen. However anyone going through NJ to NYC or New England will see this view.

  2. Our cities are shitty and dangerous. Newark, Camden, Trenton, Atlantic City are all dumps. There are efforts to make them better, but they still are filled with poor black people. It's very sad and needs to change.

  3. Jersey shore. Fuck that show. If you live in New Jersey and spend your beach days at Seaside, Belmar, or Wildwood then you're crazy. Those places are are trashy, cheap, and don't represent our beaches very well. And our "guidos" are mostly from Staten Island because they can get to our beaches in about 30-40 min.

Northwestern/center NJ is beautiful. It has a lot of open land and enormous houses. This includes some of the wealthiest towns in the nation. Same goes for the area Real Housewives of NJ is filmed in. Down in central NJ is Princeton, which is one of the nicest towns in the state.

Our beaches our awesome. These are some of the best beach towns I've ever been to. Cape May, Avalon, LBI, Mantaloking, Island Beach, Sea Bright, Spring Lake to name a few.

We live right between NYC and Philly, which provides access to 2 of the great cities in the U.S.

Anyone who buys in to the "dirty jersey" perception is pretty ignorant.

[–]gqbrielle 32 points33 points ago

arizona. two words: joe arpaio

[–]momoninja 3 points4 points ago

Indiana. mitch. fucking. daniels. oh and corn. lots and lots of corn.

[–]BadWolf359 22 points23 points ago

Kansas, because they're stuck in the 15th century.

[–]RogerDerpstein 16 points17 points ago

Except not really, Overland Park is the number 5 place to live in the country, the people are polite, KC barbecue is amazing, and the creationism laws didn't pass.

[–]pancurious 13 points14 points ago

Sam Brownback, our governor, is unbelievably awful. He's every bad Kansas stereotype embodied in a single terrible person.

[–]fowydrn 9 points10 points ago

Kansas is a large rectangle of not-greatness that surrounds Lawrence, which is actually a pretty decent place.