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States aren't boring. They are just mismatched with some people who didn't do proper research and moved to or vacationed in a place to which they were totally unsuited. These are people who typically move for cheap and pretty.
As a passer-through a number of states, I find Vermont to be boring but it might be totally lovely to live there.
I definitely agree that Texas is very boring. I had spoke with someone in VA Beach, and they told me that VA Beach was so big and that there were more stuff to do in Va Beach than Texas.
What most of you folks are describing is the Great Plains in general. From Texas to ND. its grasslands, wheat ranches, prairie . prone to extrema weather yearlong.Tornadoes have been known to displace some folks , drought has caused sod busters to move to Ca., and winter blizzards have reduced livestock and human population.
Major population centers are far between , or hug the Missouri River system. KC. , Omaha , Oak City , even Dallas are all part of this area of these United States.... Good bad or indifferent , many people find such quite boring , once they go outside the big city limits.... Wheat is about the most important food source, America's bread basket.... So , we DO need the Great Plains , its just most people don't want to live there.....
North Dakota. I live there. I shall give my reasons. I honestly hope someone comes back with proof that their state is worse.
1) I live in Fargo, ND's biggest city at "nearly 100,000" as of 2008. Bismarck is #2 with about 57,000 peeps. When people brag about no crime or bad traffic, of course there isn't. The state has a smaller population than Memphis, Tennessee.
2) 6 months of the year its covered with snow. Fargo (eastern border), Williston (on the western side) and Bismarck (in the middle) are all in the top 10 coldest cities of the USA. However, all three of those are also in the top 10 biggest temperature variation cities. July & August tend to be in the 80's and humid. However, its common to have a week or two of weather that is 95-100 degrees during that time. And its flat. super-flat (you nearly have to fall into montana to get a change of scenery in-state) What does all that flatness do? Water stands anywhere it can. That means massive amounts of mosquitoes from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Also, spring lasts about a month and hits so quickly, 6 months of snow melts all at once and that is why it always floods here. But if you don't live by one of the two big rivers that run through the state, you don't even get to go out and sandbag. You just get bitter cold with no mountains or trees to block the wind, or hot, humid, and mosquitoes. Why even go outside?
3) Did I mention its flat? If you want any outdoor fun that includes natural features like hills, streams, or trees, you'd better live elsewhere. And the drive east-to-west is painful. I-94 between the Badlands and Bismarck-Mandan (a 3 hour drive) there is one gas station along the road and NO towns. If you don't fill up at that one station, its likely you won't make it to where you are going. Its just miles and miles of nothing.
4) #1 for binge drinking in the whole USA. #1 for both legal and underage binge drinking I should add. Nothing in this state stays open unless its helped by the government or offers copious amounts of alcohol. What is left is churches, restaurants, and bars. No arcades, clubs (unless you count bars with dance floors), aquariums, conservatories/reptile gardens, tourist traps... nothing stays open unless you have a liquor license. Most of the people I know feel that buying a case of cheap beer and drinking the whole thing in two nights while playing video games at home is a perfectly acceptable good time. In fact, its what they prefer to do.
5) Due to only having a few months of decent weather, most towns do all their big events at the same time. This time tends to be late june-mid july. Fargo had their county fair the same week that the neighboring county had theirs, and had the downtown street fair (big annual 3-day event) happen simultaneously. as soon as the fairs ended here, the state fair in Minot started almost the following day. The whole state blows its load at once and if you don't get the time off, you end up getting to do nothing.
6) One of the big "sights" to see in the state is a stretch of highway that has giant metal sculptures sporadically placed. I kid you not. Enchanted Highway, Regent, North Dakota
I only read the first 3-4 pages of this thread, but many people seem to post about states that they really have no clue about. I've been to about 40 states, and some of the misconceptions i've seen are Wyoming and South Dakota. Sure, Eastern South dakota can be pretty rough, but western s.d. is GORGEOUS. the black hills are amazing, If you haven't been there i suggest you go. badlands nat'l park and/or mt rushmore if you don't like to get off the beaten path. Wyoming, sure no one lives there but it's amazingly gorgeous. Not only yellowstone, but driving through the majority of the state there are some AMAZING rock formations and scenery. I am a very outdoors person so I wouldn't necessarily consider places like this boring. I guess if you look into the "city life" category than boring might be a valid description. If you haven't been to a state, don't just put it on your list because you've "seen pictures and it looks or sounds boring." I've also found that many states have boring sections, but also amazing parts. Take california for example, a state that many consider amazing. Ever been through the San Joaquin Valley? It sucks. but many other places in the state are amazing. The only 2 states that i would consider completely boring are kansas, and iowa. I have never been to North Dakota so i have no comments on that yet.
I disagree - as far as topography, Iowa has beautiful rolling hills in parts. I find these very peaceful and serene. Also, I know some great people form Iowa, and have never been bored there. It's all perspective.
North Dakota. I live there. I shall give my reasons. I honestly hope someone comes back with proof that their state is worse.
1) I live in Fargo, ND's biggest city at "nearly 100,000" as of 2008. Bismarck is #2 with about 57,000 peeps. When people brag about no crime or bad traffic, of course there isn't. The state has a smaller population than Memphis, Tennessee.
2) 6 months of the year its covered with snow. Fargo (eastern border), Williston (on the western side) and Bismarck (in the middle) are all in the top 10 coldest cities of the USA. However, all three of those are also in the top 10 biggest temperature variation cities. July & August tend to be in the 80's and humid. However, its common to have a week or two of weather that is 95-100 degrees during that time. And its flat. super-flat (you nearly have to fall into montana to get a change of scenery in-state) What does all that flatness do? Water stands anywhere it can. That means massive amounts of mosquitoes from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Also, spring lasts about a month and hits so quickly, 6 months of snow melts all at once and that is why it always floods here. But if you don't live by one of the two big rivers that run through the state, you don't even get to go out and sandbag. You just get bitter cold with no mountains or trees to block the wind, or hot, humid, and mosquitoes. Why even go outside?
3) Did I mention its flat? If you want any outdoor fun that includes natural features like hills, streams, or trees, you'd better live elsewhere. And the drive east-to-west is painful. I-94 between the Badlands and Bismarck-Mandan (a 3 hour drive) there is one gas station along the road and NO towns. If you don't fill up at that one station, its likely you won't make it to where you are going. Its just miles and miles of nothing.
4) #1 for binge drinking in the whole USA. #1 for both legal and underage binge drinking I should add. Nothing in this state stays open unless its helped by the government or offers copious amounts of alcohol. What is left is churches, restaurants, and bars. No arcades, clubs (unless you count bars with dance floors), aquariums, conservatories/reptile gardens, tourist traps... nothing stays open unless you have a liquor license. Most of the people I know feel that buying a case of cheap beer and drinking the whole thing in two nights while playing video games at home is a perfectly acceptable good time. In fact, its what they prefer to do.
5) Due to only having a few months of decent weather, most towns do all their big events at the same time. This time tends to be late june-mid july. Fargo had their county fair the same week that the neighboring county had theirs, and had the downtown street fair (big annual 3-day event) happen simultaneously. as soon as the fairs ended here, the state fair in Minot started almost the following day. The whole state blows its load at once and if you don't get the time off, you end up getting to do nothing.
6) One of the big "sights" to see in the state is a stretch of highway that has giant metal sculptures sporadically placed. I kid you not. Enchanted Highway, Regent, North Dakota
A very descriptive view.... reinforces my comments about the Great Plains. ND is in the center of it all , ( The area of the GP continues into Canada ), yes , you can see 100 miles......they sure do grow some great wheat however........... On the social plus side ND is a healthy place, clean , and hard working folks. Number one in the Nation....... I actually sort of like driving through ND , much more than NE. I-90 gets you to the NW just as fast.
I hate to tell you this, but I-90 goes through South Dakota. Its I-94 that goes through North Dakota. I-90 is a much MUCH prettier drive. You go by yellowstone and the black hills via I-90.
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