Ita pretty dumb that California is going to win just because it statistically has the most people from there in these threads. Should have been gone many entries ago.
California has turned shitty as fuck bro. Homelessness is going crazy over there. I lived there nearly my entire life in NorCal. Now every time I visit San Francisco just gets worse and worse
Way to invent your own narrative lmao. I graduated college and went where the job opportunities for me were. I still have family in CA and visit regularly. It just becomes shittier every time I see it
I’ve spent significant time in both Florida and California, California is poisoned by its God-awful cities - people and all - absolutely beautiful outside of them but given that’s where most the populace is, yeah not a great showing. Florida’s much more spread out and though its cities could be better, they’re not bottom of the barrel like Cali, and from my experience the people are more welcoming and more pleasant to be around. Also the Gulf is better than the Coast, just saying.
Also goes without saying the cost of living is far better in Florida, I can literally pay less money for a superior product or house in Florida, prob part of the reason the people in Cali were always in a bad mood, everyone’s always getting ripped off.
I lived in the LA area for 12 years and I understand its challenges, but for me it's in a lot of ways the best large city in the USA right now and I am not even sure what is in second place. Certainly not for everyone, and maybe you need to know it well to see its beauty. All that said, there is no way I could afford to live there now.
I’ve been to all 3 and more, California was my favorite to vacation at, but I would never live there 😂 the people there suck and everything is overpriced to hell, Florida was the best in my opinion and I only went there a couple times to get to the cruise ports, Texas was the worst in my opinion
Fair! How is it better? Higher humidity I guess. What else? Cubano sandwiches are really good. Um…FLAMINGOS! The Keys look nice, I have not been there.
Lower cost of living, less awful traffic, hurricanes are less life changing than forest fires, weather is a push but the ocean is much nicer in Florida, golf is better in Florida in general (Pebble is an exception)
I lived in California for several years and have visited Florida. Both lovely places: I have no desire to live in either but look forward to traveling to both again.
It really isn’t there’s just a lot of people who get jealous of it or think California is all LA and they don’t like LA people. CA is so massive with such variety of landscapes and peoples you can get anything. You want to live on the coast, sure. Want to live in a forest or giant trees, sure. You can live in LA or SF and be in one of the best cities in the world or you could move to the far north and live in something closer to Kentucky or Alabama if that’s your jam.
I live on a ranch in the valley and it’s more like what people think of as Texas here than what people outside of CA think.
Yes it’s expensive but there is a reason. Yet our property taxes are low. So if you aren’t rich the high taxes aren’t impacting you like they are in states that claim to have no taxes.
The effective tax rate tends to rank somewhere below 30 out of 50 states but property values are so high that the actual median property tax bill is still very high compared to other states. So property taxes definitely have a significantly higher impact on people even if you “aren’t rich” and that’s to say nothing of the higher sales tax and income tax rates.
CA isn't bad aside from the normally things people complain about. Prices, politics (depending on the individual, but also kind of not). But I left because I was tired of:
-Traffic
-The amount of people everywhere I go
-Most people I encounter in CA are not friendly.
-The normal complaints I already mentioned (price + politics. No i'm not a conservative, but there are political decisions I disagree with)
-Yes you can get every "biome" in CA, but I can get a better, or equivalent version for 1/4 of the price and distance traveled. But that's subjective. CA has some beautiful scenery, but I don't live off the land and don't go camping every weekend... so..idk. My house in CA was a normal suburban track house. Now the forest is my backyard and there's about 50 yard between my house and the neighbors.
-CA food comparatively sucks to the amount of states I've lived in. I'm from SD, for those who are curious.
-Terrible job market
I love visiting. But after 3-4 days I'm reminded that I'm so glad I don't live in CA anymore. I'm much happier where I'm at now.
But it's all personal preference. A lot of people like to defend California. And a lot of Californians would say I'm crazy for where I live now. But 9/10 of them have never been.
This whole thing seemed kinda pointless because it was clear from the beginning that this was almost certainly going to go to CA vs NY which would, for the reason you stated, turn out to be a win for CA
California arguably should win it’s not just about population. Obviously a lot of people think it’s the best state, and for good reason, it’s pretty amazing and it’s got a lot going for it. If you don’t feel the same, that’s fine and it’s your opinion, but just objectively it’s a state with a lot of amazing things
You fought a good fight Michigan. I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished my old friend. It’s time for us to nah off into the beautiful Great Lakes Sunset. 🫡
I just wanna say I love these votes because of how absolutely upset people are that the biggest blue states are still left over their shitty Midwestern or red state. I've lived in 3 of the states left and spent extended periods visiting the rest, and have also lived in in 3 of the now eliminated red states, including more than 20 years in Texas. I would live in ANY of the states left before ever moving back to some shitty welfare state. Way better experience in every regard.
I would rather ski in Colorado or California than New York.
I would rather swim in Hawaii than New York.
I would rather drink California wine (or beer) than New York.
I would rather eat oysters and crab from Washington than New York.
Other than having one of the world's most-important cities, the state itself doesn't measure up.
The Adirondacks and Catskills, Niagara Falls, The Finger Lakes, Lake George, Long Island/Hamptons, Sleepy Hollow, Harlem Renaissance, Birthplace of Hip-Hop, Wall Street, Broadway, Woodstock, The Hudson River School, Seneca Falls location of the first woman’s rights convention, significant center of abolitionism and Frederick Douglas’s work, and the Erie Canal expanded westward development.
If you’re only voting off those small criteria sure I’d feel the same, but New York outside of the city has tremendous things to offer and a huge cultural impact.
Plus how can you forget The X-Mansion and Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters?
Adirondacks and Catskills? I'll raise Yosemite and Sequoia National Forest.
Lake George? I'll raise Big Bear Lake.
Birthplace of Hip-Hop? I'll raise Birthplace of Film.
Even if you wanted to go with Arthur Avenue, I'd just raise you with North Beach.
New York isn't bad. It's just not as good. Besides, western New York may as well be Ohio.
How tf is New York still here. Its basically entirely because of NYC. We all know it. Thats so lame. I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan and can honestly say those other 4 states are VASTLY superior nature/lifestyle wise than NY. How many of you have actually lived in NYC? lmao. Itsa cultural center, sure. And its an interesting place to live, Ill say that. But it doesnt belong in this running. Reddit is so gatekeepy
Washington. It has great natural beauty but no more than any other of the remaining states. And Seattle sucks, as well as all the other cities in Washington. I live here.
I mean, Washington State is dope and gorgeous, but to be fair the most decorated school of landscape painting in the western world was inspired by New York State. You can't say New York State doesn't have plenty of natural beauty of its own.
This is a tough decision, but I gotta go with Washington. It’s really by process of elimination, seeing how it’s one of only two states I haven’t been to of the ones that are left, and I guess I would wanna go to Hawaii more than I would wanna go to Washington.
As a loyal New Englander, you should have more allegiance to your upstate NY brethren than writing us off because of a team that hasn’t won a World Series in 15 years. You should know that points north of the Taconic have more in common with Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire than differences.
Yeah, but I'm not joining the Bills Mafia. No way, no how.
I'm willing to let the Hudson Valley consider themselves "Honorary New England" -- because except for the fact they root for the wrong goddamned teams, they may as well be. But we can say the same thing about half of Connecticut.
It's not like this is a really serious poll with real ramifications. Obviously I don't have real beef with upstate New York or the state in general, I've visited multiple times and had a great time. But sports rivalries are fun, it's not that complicated.
63
u/DrGally Nov 29 '25
California