'Most Liveable' states are BLUE

[smurphy]

http://netscape.move.com/homefinanc...?gate=aolnetscape1&source=a9931&poe=homestore

Interesting. Despite being badly outnumbered overall, 4 of the country's top 5 liveable states are Democrat. Meanwhile all of the bottom 15 are Republican.

New Hampshire is Nation's Most Livable State
Louisiana nudges out Mississippi for last place

For the third consecutive year, New Hampshire was named the nation?s Most Livable State by Morgan Quitno Press, which determined its 16th annual award from its just released reference book "State Rankings 2006."

At the other end of the spectrum, statistics placed Louisiana at the bottom of the scale, knocking out Mississippi for No. 50 for the first time in eight years. Mississippi was ranked in 49th place, Louisiana's ranking last year. Morgan Quitno noted that the information these rankings are based on was gathered before Louisiana and Mississippi were ravaged by hurricane Katrina.

?New Hampshire enjoys the view from the top and apparently plans on staying there,? said Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press. ?Citizens of New Hampshire enjoy low unemployment, low crime rates, high levels of household income and high levels of education. The state has a stellar record in many of the categories we considered for our award.?

Recognizing a state for its high quality of life, Morgan Quitno Press issues its Livable State Award based on 44 factors selected from updated editions of its annual reference book, "State Rankings." The 2006 edition of "State Rankings" compares states in more than 550 categories.

Rounding out the top five spots with New Hampshire are (in descending order) Minnesota, Iowa, Vermont and New Jersey. Bringing up the opposite end of the rankings scale with Louisiana and Mississippi in 49th, Arkansas in 48th, Kentucky in 47th and South Carolina in 46th place.

Morgan Quitno considers its award unique because it takes into account a broad range of economic, educational, health-oriented, public safety and environmental statistics. To determine a state's "livability rating," Morgan Quitno averaged each state's rankings for 44 categories. Those categories included both positive and negative factors, such as unemployment rates, job growth, sunny days, teenage birthrates, homeownership, books in public libraries per capita, and highway fatality rates, among other criteria.

Data used are for the most recent year in which comparable numbers are available from most states. All factors were given equal weight. States with no data available for a given category were ranked based only on the remaining factors.

Most Livable States in Descending Order
1 New Hampshire 26 Rhode Island
2 Minnesota 27 Missouri
3 Iowa 28 Illinois
4 Vermont 29 Arizona
5 New Jersey 30 Pennsylvania
6 Wyoming 31 Florida
7 Massachusetts 32 New York
8 Virginia 33 Oregon
9 Nebraska 34 California
10 Connecticut 35 Michigan
11 Utah 36 Indiana
12 North Dakota 37 Ohio
13 South Dakota 38 Georgia
14 Wisconsin 39 Alabama
15 Kansas 40 North Carolina
16 Maryland 41 New Mexico (tie)
17 Maine 41 Texas (tie)
18 Idaho (tie) 43 Oklahoma
18 Delaware (tie) 44 West Virginia
20 Colorado 45 Tennessee
21 Montana 46 South Carolina
22 Hawaii 47 Kentucky
23 Alaska 48 Arkansas
24 Nevada 49 Mississippi
25 Washington 50 Louisiana
Source: Morgan Quitno Press

 

[gardenweasel]

also of note....4 of the top 5 most livable states are not only blue,but full of poofters taking hormone therapy ...

 

[smurphy]

That's a very thoughtful and articulate response.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

"To determine a state's "livability rating," Morgan Quitno averaged each state's rankings for 44 categories. Those categories included both positive and negative factors, such as unemployment rates, job growth, sunny days, teenage birthrates, homeownership, books in public libraries per capita, and highway fatality rates, among other criteria."

I can understand highway fatality and libraries per capita--as these folks are snowed in 30% of the year.

Have never heard of Morgan Quitno Press am curious what libraries have to do with anything--unless they have no computers??

Employment-crime-cost of living-weather--would be the biggest factors I would consider personally.

 

[djv]

I found it low for Wisconsin. Wisky More like a purple state then red or blue. And Wisky had 4 top cities to live in of top 50 in last Kiplinger report.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

You have to look at what you read with grain of salt DJV--too many use #'s to fit agenda. When I 1st read it--I thought mayby Vermont
but being around a few years I have yet to here anyone say--yep I'm going to retire to New Jersey or Minn ect.

However I wondered that maybe I'm off base--so did a little checking and appears I am not by myself --take a look at the census of gains of population in these liberal Mecca's.


States Ranked in Order of Population (July 1, 2002 Estimates)
Rank State July 2002 Pop. Census 2000 Pop. Change
1 California 35,116,033 33,871,648 3.7%
2 Texas 21,779,893 20,851,648 4.5%
3 New York 19,157,532 18,976,457 1.0%
4 Florida 16,713,149 15,982,378 4.6%
5 Illinois 12,600,620 12,419,293 1.5%
6 Pennsylvania 12,335,091 12,281,054 0.4%
7 Ohio 11,421,267 11,353,140 0.6%
8 Michigan 10,050,446 9,938,444 1.1%
9 New Jersey 8,590,300 8,414,350 2.1%
10 Georgia 8,560,310 8,186,453 4.6%
11 North Carolina 8,320,146 8,049,313 3.4%
12 Virginia 7,293,542 7,078,515 3.0%
13 Massachusetts 6,427,801 6,349,097 1.2%
14 Indiana 6,159,068 6,080,485 1.3%
15 Washington 6,068,996 5,894,121 3.0%
16 Tennessee 5,797,289 5,689,283 1.9%
17 Missouri 5,672,579 5,595,211 1.4%
18 Maryland 5,458,137 5,296,486 3.1%
19 Arizona 5,456,453 5,130,632 6.4%
20 Wisconsin 5,441,196 5,363,675 1.4%
21 Minnesota 5,019,720 4,919,479 2.0%
22 Colorado 4,506,542 4,301,261 4.8%
23 Alabama 4,486,508 4,447,100 0.9%
24 Louisiana 4,482,646 4,468,976 0.3%
25 South Carolina 4,107,183 4,012,012 2.4%
26 Kentucky 4,092,891 4,041,769 1.3%
27 Oregon 3,521,515 3,421,399 2.9%
28 Oklahoma 3,493,714 3,450,654 1.2%
29 Connecticut 3,460,503 3,405,565 1.6%
30 Iowa 2,936,760 2,926,324 0.4%
31 Mississippi 2,871,782 2,844,658 1.0%
32 Kansas 2,715,884 2,688,418 1.0%
33 Arkansas 2,710,079 2,673,400 1.4%
34 Utah 2,316,256 2,233,169 3.7%
35 Nevada 2,173,491 1,998,257 8.8%
36 New Mexico 1,855,059 1,819,046 2.0%
37 West Virginia 1,801,873 1,808,344 -0.4%
38 Nebraska 1,729,180 1,711,263 1.0%
39 Idaho 1,341,131 1,293,953 3.6%
40 Maine 1,294,464 1,274,923 1.5%
41 New Hampshire 1,275,056 1,235,786 3.2%
42 Hawaii 1,244,898 1,211,537 2.8%
43 Rhode Island 1,069,725 1,048,319 2.0%
44 Montana 909,453 902,195 0.8%
45 Delaware 807,385 783,600 3.0%
46 South Dakota 761,063 754,844 0.8%
47 Alaska 643,786 636,932 2.7%
48 North Dakota 634,110 642,200 -1.3%
49 Vermont 616,592 608,827 1.3%
50 Wyoming 498,703 493,782 1.0%

http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa011203a.htm

 

[AR182]

i've been to 3 of the top 10 states that are listed.......

new jersey, mass. & conn. have some positives, but housing is very expensive.....which to me is a deterrent (sp ?).....

since living out here i have met quite a few from iowa & nebraska.....& most are in agreement that while these states are nice.....there is nothing there.....ie...quality restaurants, etc.....

the point i'm making is that most places have pluses & minuses & it's subjective.....

 

[dr. freeze]

rather than using "public libraries", "teenage birth rates", etc. etc. how about using factors such as "tax burden", "length of commute", "number of filthy subways", "murder rate", "crime rate", "price of housing", "rudeness of the people", "price/quality of a T-bone at the grocery store", "quality of golf", "price of golf", "average acreage" for a little more relevance

probably get that list a bit different using more relevant factors to our daily lives

 

[gardenweasel]

it`s my nature(knuckle-dragging,mouth breathing neocon)..... :shrug:

i live in a blue state....i`m a pariah...i`m just feebly striking back at the man...

bro...get the valtrex presrip. renewed.....

i was joking...

next time you get down to the chesapeake bay, we`ll grab a couple six packs and go chuck oreo cookies at the lt governor... :sadwave:

 

[gardenweasel]

smurph...i think i was a little cranky when i posted that "poofter" comment.....i was having a rough day....

i`d just heard that count chocula was actually from pennsylvania...not transylvania.....that threw me...

sorry

 

[djv]

Education and available health care are top concerns. That and cost of living average. We in wisky have folks moving out. One of main reasons is our well fair rules were tighten a few years ago. Let-em ago south we don't care.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

DJV-- Wisconsin and Clinton and congress deserve kudos on welfare reform--
http://www.crf-usa.org/bria/bria14_3.html#work

however--if you want to send them to medicaid heaven you better send them north--not south

http://www.ppinys.org/reports/medicd99.htm

 

[NySportsfan]

i've been to 3 of the top 10 states that are listed.......

new jersey, mass. & conn. have some positives, but housing is very expensive.....which to me is a deterrent (sp ?).....

since living out here i have met quite a few from iowa & nebraska.....& most are in agreement that while these states are nice.....there is nothing there.....ie...quality restaurants, etc.....

the point i'm making is that most places have pluses & minuses & it's subjective.....

good points, AR, everything subjective, as some people grow up diff places and get accustomed to a certain way of life......but re: cost of living, you also must note that the reason it's expensive to live in ny,nj,mass,ca is because of how much there is to do, the higher salaries given, etc, so it balances out......i'd rather be shot than move to nebraska personally, for me, if i cant be in new york, boston, or maybe chicago, give me fort lauderdale or a decent spot in fla, or arizona, as if cant get those cities/metro areas with some life, sarcastic people, good food, etc then i'll take the lazy arizona life you got or florida where my buddy kosar is, but to eachs own of course and i havent been to millions of places but i've been to a bunch of places to make an informed judgement

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

No disrespect intended NYSPORTSFAN but New York would not be my cup of tea--as I am sure KY would not be yours.
Grant NY is a monumental cultural base--with some of best schools in the nation as well as restaurants--but too many negatives they also lead in to suit me. However my 3 personal biggest would be traffic-crowds and weather.



The state with the highest home ownership rate in 2005 was West Virginia (81.3%), followed by Mississippi (78.8%) and Alabama (76.6%). The state with the lowest home ownership rate in 2005 was the District of Columbia (45.8%), followed by New York (54.8%) and California at 59.7%.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
tax friendly states
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/taxesbystate2005/index.html
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
states with the highest AIDS morbidity--CA and New York
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
welfare/medicade

New York State's Medicaid program was launched more than 30 years ago as a way of financing health care for the neediest of our citizens. But today our Medicaid program has emerged as a monstrous, $24.5 billion budget-buster at both the state and local levels. And it ties up so much of its money supporting a bloated health-care industry that it cannot even offer coverage to more than 3 million uninsured New Yorkers.

The health of our state's economy and of its tax base?and the health of New Yorkers?now depend upon reining this monster in.

How big a monster is it? New York's Medicaid program is saddling the taxpayers with a cost that's well over twice the national average, and at least 50 percent more costly than in the next worst state, Connecticut.

 

[NySportsfan]

No disrespect intended NYSPORTSFAN but New York would not be my cup of tea--as I am sure KY would not be yours.
Grant NY is a monumental cultural base--with some of best schools in the nation as well as restaurants--but too many negatives they also lead in to suit me. However my 3 personal biggest would be traffic-crowds and weather.



The state with the highest home ownership rate in 2005 was West Virginia (81.3%), followed by Mississippi (78.8%) and Alabama (76.6%). The state with the lowest home ownership rate in 2005 was the District of Columbia (45.8%), followed by New York (54.8%) and California at 59.7%.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
tax friendly states
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/taxesbystate2005/index.html
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
states with the highest AIDS morbidity--CA and New York
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
welfare/medicade

New York State's Medicaid program was launched more than 30 years ago as a way of financing health care for the neediest of our citizens. But today our Medicaid program has emerged as a monstrous, $24.5 billion budget-buster at both the state and local levels. And it ties up so much of its money supporting a bloated health-care industry that it cannot even offer coverage to more than 3 million uninsured New Yorkers.

The health of our state's economy and of its tax base?and the health of New Yorkers?now depend upon reining this monster in.

How big a monster is it? New York's Medicaid program is saddling the taxpayers with a cost that's well over twice the national average, and at least 50 percent more costly than in the next worst state, Connecticut.

I understand completely, Wayne......of course I wouldnt call that 'disrespect' man, it's to each's own.......the traffic isn't good but great public trans. cold weather, high taxes, but the weather is nice in the fall and spring and the seasons are good.....the thing I like is the culture, people, diversity, restaurants, sports, beaches/golf courses/bars/variery of things to do, etc.......I'm sure I'd feel weird in Kentucky but I've never been there so I couldn't bash it, everyone's comfortable with different atmospheres....when you talk about taxes, budget stuff, social programs, etc NY is in such shambles b/c of so many moochers off the govt and the sheer volume of people in the area, but Bloomberg is doing a FANTASTIC job and I'd vote for him for president if he ran tomorrow, he'd bail america out of this massive budget deficit since he is a financial genius, could go on for a long time on all the good things he's done fiscally and schools-wise etc, a good republican and not too far right for my taste

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Agree 100% ---would be probably 4 to 1 in favor of NY over KY in country wide census--Ky definately not an attraction to many.--If I had my preference to live it would be prob in Fla-Arz or a remote part of Ca where its warm year round and not much population (if there is such a place.) Weather--modest taxes and utilities and no more than $40 green fees--would be main factors

 

[kosar]

-would be probably 4 to 1 in favor of NY over KY in country wide census--Ky definately not an attraction to many

Wouldn't even be close for me. Kentucky in a landslide.

 

[AR182]

i read that when rick pitino first took the louisville job, he was afraid that he would feel out of place.

he has since said that once he got used to it....he has really enjoyed living in kentucky...

when i first moved to arizona 13 years ago, i thought that i would be bored to death....

since then i have adjusted.....

you still can't find as many good restaurants (subjective) in az as in ny...but it's getting better...

there are more clubs now than when i first moved here...& the movie theaters are much cleaner than in ny.....i do miss going to the museums in nyc....i think they're incredible....

what i like about az is the weather & the scenery...there is'nt any snow to shovel & to date i have not had to wear a coat here...

so traded some things for other things....

i think there is good & bad with most places & it's just what you think is important that matters...

 

[AR182]

i forgot to add....

what i do miss most not living in ny anymore is the live theater....i

tend to get bored rather quickly & when i first moved to az i tried the theater here & found it unbearable...

now when i want to see something live i head to vegas....

 

[NySportsfan]

Wouldn't even be close for me. Kentucky in a landslide.

yeah you can eat, drink, sleep, and sit on madjacks all day since you'll be bored with not much going on, granted thatd be in rural places not a good place like louisville, but you have also chose to live in an 'easy place' and relax and not do much, not a bad life, but hard to make $$ in that environment, give me a place like NY where people have a pulse, sarcasm, great food, sports all the time, beaches, golf all around, gambling within a few hours, to each's own, coming from ohio I dont expect you to ever want to live in NY just as you couldnt pay me to live in Ohio