What state is the best to live in?
Out of all 50 US states which one is the best to live in? My husband and I are wanting to move out of Oklahoma and start some where fresh. I posted in cats, since that is where I spend most of my time. Anyway, we are wanting to move to a place where the weather is more stable, (not cold) safe for raising children, and a great state to live in. We own a home business so work is not a problem for us. So can you guys help us figure out where to move to. What state do you live in and why do you love it so much?
Annie
i'm not so happy with ohio
i've lived here for almost 17 years now, and in my opinion, the nickname "mississippi of the north" (sorry to anyone from mississippi) is coming to truth. the legislatures in ohio have been very sucessful in not fixing the educational structure in this state. the legislature has been directed 3 times by the state supreme court to change the way the schools are funded, and each time the weasels in the house and senate fix it just enough to back off the supreme court. the current governor is very weak politically, and has had poor relations with the legislative branch, so manages to get very little on his agenda done, in fact he specifically pushed for a small tax increase to make ohio more 'competive' by increasing state funds for research and develpoment and the measure went down to defeat, resoundingly. the legislative and executive branch have been held by the same political party for more then 10 years, and yet they fight like 2 spoiled children. the supreme court justices are politicized, and are almost ignored in the long run. i feel that the failures of the government in the area of education, the horrid poverty and lack of improvements in the applachian areas, the inadquate funding for health care, can and does present major problems for the future. some studies have shown that ohio had a 'brain drain' i.e. the graduates of the universities are leaving for better areas of the country. the infrastructure is in decay, the highways are not well maintained, lots of potholes, the electric grid in the privitization push has become a joke , remember the east coast blackout? it was poorly maintained ohio grid lines that led to the recent blackout (sorry new york, michigan , pennsylvania , the rest of the north east and ontario, and was much done to fix it, no, no not really, so keep batteries handy, it might happen again). the lack of sunny days in november, december, january and february is lousy. may, june, september and october are good months though.
and the for those who are wondering why i'm staying despite my dissatification, i'm too many years into my career here to leave and make the money and benifits i do elsewhere, so i'm counting the years to retirement, so i can sell and move on. i wish i felt differently, i really do, i had high hopes when i moved to columbus, but it won't happen here. i'm really sorry about that.
some things i like about ohio
Quote:
Originally posted by Cincy'sMom
I guess I was thinking about the state more from a weather, scenery and "things to do" stand point. It would may depend on what exactly you are looking for in a "better state" to live in! [/B]
okay, now to be a bit more fair, there are things i do like about ohio. lake erie is getting cleaner, the swimming, picnicing and bird watching is really getting better. the 3 major cities, cleveland, cincinnatti and columbus are all different, with their own flavors and styles, culture and civic events. there are many things to do and see.
and of course, alex the wonder dog, magic and mojo my cats are ohio natives, so there are good things about ohio.
annie, i'd suggest that you look at the major newspapers in the states that you're considering. both the biggest city and the state capital, to see if there is a consistant pattern of complaints about a social problem. do you and your husband like winter, like winter sports, like skiing or snowmobiling. do you like fishing, hiking, mountains, desert or the seaside. i knew i wasn't right for the 'bigness' of a new york, or a chicago, all though i love to visit, and the time i lived in smaller towns i was restless without enough cultural events and excitement, so i looked at university towns, those were large enough to be interesting with cultural activities and small enough (under a million citizens) that i wouldn't be overwhelmed.
