One would think that Hawaii, the city that never sleeps (NY) and the Windy City area (Illinois) would rank high among its residents as a best place to live.They've got dynamic cities, culture and location between them.
But one would be wrong. A new Gallup poll shows Montanans and Alaskans are most in love with their home states with three in four claiming it is the best, or at least one of the best, places to live. Those living in Illinois, Rhode Island, New York and even Hawaii are not so boastful.
The results are based on a special 50-state Gallup poll conducted June through December 2013, featuring interviews with at least 600 residents in every state. For the first time, Gallup measured whether residents view their states as "the best possible state to live in," "one of the best possible states to live in," "as good a state as any to live in," or "the worst possible state to live in."
"Residents with the most pride in their state as a place to live generally boast a greater standard of living, higher trust in state government, and less resentment toward the amount they pay in state taxes. However, the factors that residents use to determine whether their state is a great place to live are not always obvious," states the poll.
West Virginia, for example, lags all other states on a variety of metrics, including economic confidence, well-being, standard of living, and stress levels. Still, over a third of West Virginians feel their state is among the best places to live.
Those living in Western and Midwestern states are the most positive about their home states. Of the top 10 states cited as the best place to live all but two (New Hampshire and Vermont) are west of the Mississippi River. Other states whose residents believe are the best including Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.
But there's a common factor that may explain the high regard: Most of the cited states have relatively low populations, including Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, and Alaska -- the four states with the smallest populations in the nation, states the poll.
Another asapect that may be keeping some state residents from big love with their home state are the taxes. For example, in New York, just 9 percent believe it is 'the' best state while 12 percent say it's the worst. New Jersey is right behind with 10 percent declaring it the worst and just 6 percent citing it as 'the' best. But as another Gallup poll reveals the tri-state area of NY, NJ and CT are the loudest gripers when it comes to taxes with three quarters of residents the most negative about taxes.
Illinois has the distinction of being the state with the highest percentage of residents who say it is the worst possible place to live.
Texas, on the other hand, is quite different. While Texas trails Montana and Alaska in terms of residents rating it as the best or one of the best places to live, it edges out Alaska and Hawaii in the percentage of residents who rate it as the single best place to live.
The poll states Texas ranks high on standard of living and trust in government and residents are less negative about their tax pain
