The ULTIMATE 50 STATES survey: The WORST U.S. state

[Santander]

Anyway my answer is Mississippi

I voted Mississippi but really any state in the Deep South (plus Virginia) would suffice.

Naming the highest % black state your least favorite in the country is a pretty bad lookkk, guys.

It's the white people there who are the problem.

Mississippi is far from the worst state when it comes to race relations.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

When was the last time that Wisconsin has contributed anything to society?

LOL, You like Iowa, and Iowa is the most similar state to Wisconsin.

When was the last time that Iowa has contributed anything to society perhaps? We could say that of any state.

We're not the best, but at least we're the breadbasket of America. Wisconsin is just goofy

I like Iowa, but I don't understand why someone likes Iowa and dislikes / hates Wisconsin. Or is there some kind of Wisconsin / Iowa rivalry i don't know about?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Anyway my answer is Mississippi

I voted Mississippi but really any state in the Deep South (plus Virginia) would suffice.

Naming the highest % black state your least favorite in the country is a pretty bad lookkk, guys.

It's the white people there who are the problem.

Mississippi is far from the worst state when it comes to race relations.

It's consistently the state that is the worst on a huge number of issues, and I mean race relations weren't good in Mississippi. Sure, they're probably better now. But they just ignore each other, pretend they don't exist. I mean, it's a slavery state, it's a state where busses were racially divided, it's a state where a lot of whites had black householders. Universities were whites-only until the 1960's. There was racial segregation. I mean it has an absolute atrocious and terrible history and it's consistently one of the worst states to leave in in terms of basic necessities.

If Mississippi was independent, it would be a third world country. There are numerous African countries that just do the job better than Mississippi, esp. if you consider that Mississippi can benefit from the wealth and 'welfare' of the USA, while those African countries can't.

[Battista Minola 1616]

Meh. I don't really have a least favourite state. I'll pick New Jersey because it feels like a suburban dump. Never been there though.

Jersey has some surprisingly enjoyable spots. You'll never hear about them because the Northeast hates them and the rest of the country just takes their word for it. The South Jersey shore, Palisades, and Jersey City/Hoboken all come to mind. Plus it's excessively Italian, which I'd think you'd appreciate.

Politicians in NJ are pretty crap, except for maybe Cory Booker, and even him doesn't look very authentic at times.

In terms of culture / nature, there is almost no nature there, so no points for that, and in terms of culture, it reminds me of the TV show 'Jersey Shore', so yeah lol.

Guido culture is a cancer indeed (normal Italian). And New Jersey has plenty of horrible politicians. But I don't think New Jersey has no redeeming qualities. I had to pick a worst state though.

[Battista Minola 1616]

It's consistently the state that is the worst on a huge number of issues, and I mean race relations weren't good in Mississippi. Sure, they're probably better now. But they just ignore each other, pretend they don't exist. I mean, it's a slavery state, it's a state where busses were racially divided, it's a state where a lot of whites had black householders. Universities were whites-only until the 1960's. There was racial segregation. I mean it has an absolute atrocious and terrible history and it's consistently one of the worst states to leave in in terms of basic necessities.

If Mississippi was independent, it would be a third world country. There are numerous African countries that just do the job better than Mississippi, esp. if you consider that Mississippi can benefit from the wealth and 'welfare' of the USA, while those African countries can't.

1. I don't know how you can trash Mississippi like this just after having praised (sort of) West Virginia, which usually competes with Mississippi for last spot in many of those "huge number of issues".

2. Not totally related but if you index by cost of living, the poorest state in the USA is by far Hawaii.

3. The idea that Mississippi is comparable to "third world countries" is insane. All those Sub-Saharan African countries are incredibly poorer than Mississippi. The Human Development Index has been calculated for U.S. states for comparison purposes. Mississippi (which ranks last, yes) clocks in at ~0.87, which is comparable to Italy, Spain, or Portugal. Is Southern Europe the third world now??

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

Anyway my answer is Mississippi

I voted Mississippi but really any state in the Deep South (plus Virginia) would suffice.

Naming the highest % black state your least favorite in the country is a pretty bad lookkk, guys.

It's the white people there who are the problem.

To be fair, us here in the Upper Midwest are worse about race relations in the 21st century than the Deep South. We're just quieter about it.

[Xing]

Oklahoma. Florida at least has some nice beaches and interesting natural locations, Mississippi has some good contributions to music (as does Arkansas, but to a lesser extent), and while North Dakota is possibly the least interesting state, I'm not sure it's really that bad beyond being boring. West Virginia also has a lot of natural beauty. What is Oklahoma's appeal, though?

[Devout Centrist]

Jokelahoma

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Oklahoma. Florida at least has some nice beaches and interesting natural locations, Mississippi has some good contributions to music (as does Arkansas, but to a lesser extent), and while North Dakota is possibly the least interesting state, I'm not sure it's really that bad beyond being boring. West Virginia also has a lot of natural beauty. What is Oklahoma's appeal, though?

Oklahoma has good contributions to music too--Woody Guthrie, Merle Haggard (sort of). Plus a lot of Native American cultural amenities. It's still probably the worst state for umpteen other reasons, though.

[Alcibiades]

I voted for Alabama, but on reflection I would switch my vote to Oklahoma if the poll allowed it.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

I want to say one of the lower Mississippi River states (AR, LA, MS) but on further reflection, it might be Nevada. I don't like Nevada.

[Santander]

Oklahoma. Florida at least has some nice beaches and interesting natural locations, Mississippi has some good contributions to music (as does Arkansas, but to a lesser extent), and while North Dakota is possibly the least interesting state, I'm not sure it's really that bad beyond being boring. West Virginia also has a lot of natural beauty. What is Oklahoma's appeal, though?

The greatest college football team in America?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I want to say one of the lower Mississippi River states (AR, LA, MS) but on further reflection, it might be Nevada. I don't like Nevada.

There's really no argument for it being Louisiana unless you really hate bell peppers and jazz.

[Alcibiades]

I want to say one of the lower Mississippi River states (AR, LA, MS) but on further reflection, it might be Nevada. I don't like Nevada.

There's really no argument for it being Louisiana unless you really hate bell peppers and jazz.

I certainly don’t personally think that Louisiana is the worst state, but it does have the highest murder and incarceration rates, so I would say there is an argument to be made there.

[Del Tachi]

If Mississippi was independent, it would be a third world country. There are numerous African countries that just do the job better than Mississippi, esp. if you consider that Mississippi can benefit from the wealth and 'welfare' of the USA, while those African countries can't.

Hmm...let's see.  This morning I woke up in my heated 1,200 square foot, brick and wooden frame constructed house and cooked a 600-calorie breakfast using cheap, safe natural gas piped directly into my kitchen.  I then proceeded to drive my Audi on an interconnected, interstate highway system of ~47k miles to an organic grocery store, The Fresh Market.  On the way there, I passed an artisanal coffee house, a Trauma I and Carnegie R1 academic research hospital, Lululemon, and no less than 3 other organic grocery stores.  All the while, I was streaming my morning news podcast over an LTE/5Ge wireless network.  I was back home by 9am

You're telling me I practically live in Sierra Leone?  lmao     

[Horus]

If Mississippi was independent, it would be a third world country. There are numerous African countries that just do the job better than Mississippi, esp. if you consider that Mississippi can benefit from the wealth and 'welfare' of the USA, while those African countries can't.

Hmm...let's see.  This morning I woke up in my heated 1,200 square foot, brick and wooden frame constructed house and cooked a 600-calorie breakfast using cheap, safe natural gas piped directly into my kitchen.  I then proceeded to drive my Audi on an interconnected, interstate highway system of ~47k miles to an organic grocery store, The Fresh Market.  On the way there, I passed an artisanal coffee house, a Trauma I and Carnegie R1 academic research hospital, Lululemon, and no less than 3 other organic grocery stores.  All the while, I was streaming my morning news podcast over an LTE/5Ge wireless network.  I was back home by 9am

You're telling me I practically live in Sierra Leone?  lmao     

Wow, didn't realize you were the average Mississippian.

[Battista Minola 1616]

I want to say one of the lower Mississippi River states (AR, LA, MS) but on further reflection, it might be Nevada. I don't like Nevada.

There's really no argument for it being Louisiana unless you really hate bell peppers and jazz.

I certainly don’t personally think that Louisiana is the worst state, but it does have the highest murder and incarceration rates, so I would say there is an argument to be made there.

I think Oklahoma (wow, again) has actually a worse incarceration rate than Louisiana, although I am not completely sure.

[Alcibiades]

I want to say one of the lower Mississippi River states (AR, LA, MS) but on further reflection, it might be Nevada. I don't like Nevada.

There's really no argument for it being Louisiana unless you really hate bell peppers and jazz.

I certainly don’t personally think that Louisiana is the worst state, but it does have the highest murder and incarceration rates, so I would say there is an argument to be made there.

I think Oklahoma (wow, again) has actually a worse incarceration rate than Louisiana, although I am not completely sure.

It seems that Oklahoma has had that title in the past, but Louisiana is currently out on top. Incidentally, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a.k.a. Angola, is known for having particularly cruel conditions; at least in the not too distant past, it was basically a mock plantation, with prisoners working in the sweltering heat in the prison fields all day.

[Battista Minola 1616]

I want to say one of the lower Mississippi River states (AR, LA, MS) but on further reflection, it might be Nevada. I don't like Nevada.

There's really no argument for it being Louisiana unless you really hate bell peppers and jazz.

I certainly don’t personally think that Louisiana is the worst state, but it does have the highest murder and incarceration rates, so I would say there is an argument to be made there.

I think Oklahoma (wow, again) has actually a worse incarceration rate than Louisiana, although I am not completely sure.

It seems that Oklahoma has had that title in the past, but Louisiana is currently out on top. Incidentally, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a.k.a. Angola, is known for having particularly cruel conditions; at least in the not too distant past, it was basically a mock plantation, with prisoners working in the sweltering heat in the prison fields all day.

I had heard about the infamous "Angola" (which was built on the site of an actual plantation from the slavery era). I have just found out that apparently its former warden, the relatively famous Burl Cain, has recently become the head of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

It seems that Oklahoma has had that title in the past, but Louisiana is currently out on top. Incidentally, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a.k.a. Angola, is known for having particularly cruel conditions; at least in the not too distant past, it was basically a mock plantation, with prisoners working in the sweltering heat in the prison fields all day.

I really, really, really wish Germany had such penitentiaries in combination with hard compulsory labor, too. I know that it's difficult to enforce that claim owing to our past, but it is a matter of common knowledge that our prisons, especially our juvenile detention homes, are supposed to be first class hotels. That's one of the things America does better than Europe.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Oklahoma. Florida at least has some nice beaches and interesting natural locations, Mississippi has some good contributions to music (as does Arkansas, but to a lesser extent), and while North Dakota is possibly the least interesting state, I'm not sure it's really that bad beyond being boring. West Virginia also has a lot of natural beauty. What is Oklahoma's appeal, though?

As a former storm chaser, Oklahoma (and Kansas & Texas) are the places to be. Lots of fields and plains for storm spotting. When I was 15 or so, it was my dream to live there for that reason.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It seems that Oklahoma has had that title in the past, but Louisiana is currently out on top. Incidentally, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a.k.a. Angola, is known for having particularly cruel conditions; at least in the not too distant past, it was basically a mock plantation, with prisoners working in the sweltering heat in the prison fields all day.

I really, really, really wish Germany had such penitentiaries in combination with hard compulsory labor, too. I know that it's difficult to enforce that claim owing to our past, but it is a matter of common knowledge that our prisons, especially our juvenile detention homes, are supposed to be first class hotels. That's one of the things America does better than Europe.

It absolutely is not one of the things America does better than Europe. Our prisons are a human rights horror story.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

It seems that Oklahoma has had that title in the past, but Louisiana is currently out on top. Incidentally, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a.k.a. Angola, is known for having particularly cruel conditions; at least in the not too distant past, it was basically a mock plantation, with prisoners working in the sweltering heat in the prison fields all day.

I really, really, really wish Germany had such penitentiaries in combination with hard compulsory labor, too. I know that it's difficult to enforce that claim owing to our past, but it is a matter of common knowledge that our prisons, especially our juvenile detention homes, are supposed to be first class hotels. That's one of the things America does better than Europe.

It absolutely is not one of the things America does better than Europe. Our prisons are a human rights horror story.

The truth probably lies in the middle. The thing West European penitentiaries do better than yours is definitely the social adjustment of their inmates. But multiple offenders laugh at our penal system, especially clansmen from Turkish-Arabian countries, since they are used to jails that are waaay more inhuman than American prisons and moreover to rogue and corrupt correctional staff.

[Badger]

Went back and forth between Alabama and Mississippi several times before very narrowly picking the former.

Honorable mention for Wyoming. The beauty of Yellowstone doesn't take away the fact that the populated 90% of the state is basically one large energy and ranching company town.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Went back and forth between Alabama and Mississippi several times before very narrowly picking the former.

What is the difference between Mississippi and Alabama, btw? 🤷🏻
If you were to be kidnapped and marooned in either state without a smartphone, how would you even find out where you are being located?