We all have our good qualities. And on the other side, we have our attributes that aren’t so great either. It is the same way with everything, I think — those high points and low points — be it butterscotch cookies or sewer pipes.
And this would include the places where we live. I recently read an article about the best qualities and worst qualities in each state.
I’ve picked out a few randomly and with purpose.
So pack your bags for a little trip across the United States.
Alabama
Best: Their college football.
“Roll Tide” is the cheer you’ll hear for the University of Alabama’s football team. Those guys have won the most national football championships of any college team (11) since 1936.
Worst: High infant mortality.
Alabama is terrible when it comes to health care for pregnant women and infants. Alabama has the highest infant mortality rate, with 9.1 deaths out of every 1,000 live births.
Alaska
Best: The great outdoors.
It is the final frontier. Between the breathtaking views of Denali National Park and the icy caps of Glacier Bay, Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of land set aside as national parks. To note, it is tied with Arizona.
Worst: Suicide rate
All that nature doesn’t seem to help. The state has the highest rate of suicides, which sadly continues to increase year after year.
Colorado
Best: Being active.
Year after year, Colorado tops the list of the most physically active states. Move it. Move it. Colorado has low obesity rates and some of the fittest residents.
Worst: Drug overdoses.
Being fit must run hand in hand with getting high. Unfortunately, Colorado has the highest rate of deaths from drug overdose. This has skyrocketed over the last decade due primarily to painkillers like Percocet and Oxycontin.
Now here is one for the books.
Illinois
Best: Pumpkins.
If you love pumpkin-flavored treats, you should love Illinois. That is where 95 percent of everyone’s favorite gourds in the United States are grown. Pumpkinland. No wonder their university’s color is orange.
Worst:
Bug bites.
Spray on your insect repellant before heading to the Illini state. This state has some of the highest rates of mosquito-related illnesses, including West Nile virus and tick-borne diseases like Lymes.
Kentucky
Best: Fried chicken.
Is it any surprise? I mean, they call it Kentucky Fried Chicken for a reason.
Worst: Lung cancer rates.
The state has the highest rate of lung cancer diagnoses. Somehow, I’m not surprised by this either.
Maryland
Best: Making millionaires.
Show me the money. Because your best chance at making millions might be in Maryland. They have the highest rate of seven-figure salaries. A recent study found that as many as 1 in 12 households have $1 million.
Worst: Bed bugs.
All that money. It must draw bed bugs. For the second year in a row, Baltimore was the city with the most bed bug infestations.
Montana
Best: Raising cats.
Get this. Cats live longer in Montana than they do anywhere else in the country. Cats have an average lifespan of 14.3 years which is over two years higher than the national average.
Worst: Internet access.
Big skies, I suppose. Yep. The worst Internet access of all 50 states.
New Mexico
Best: Most doctorate degrees.
Weird, I think. But there it is. The most doctorate degrees come out of New Mexico. Is it easier to get your doctor status there?
Worst: Car theft.
For the second year in a row, they rank the highest in stolen vehicles.
Ohio
Best: Deciding elections.
Here in the Buckeye State, we have voted for the winning candidate in every election since 1896 except for 1944 and 1960.
Worst: Job creation.
Not much to say about that. O-H-I-Oh…
Rhode Island
Best: Donuts.
I love this. Color my sprinkles. The state that has the most donut shops per capita. This has to be Homer Simpson’s favorite state. I bet Springfield is located in RI.
Worst: Depression rates.
Maybe all those donuts aren’t such a good thing. The smallest state has the highest rate of depression in the country.
So. Some of the best and the worst from some of our states.
Always remember. No matter where you are, the good or the bad just might be a state of mind.
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The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.
— Dalai Lama
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You should appreciate the goodness around you.
— Nadia Comaneci
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Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us.
— Paul Millsap
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For any state. https://www.rd.com/list/every-state-is-best-worst-at/
The best and the worst of the statey states
