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Which do you think are the best Midwestern states to live, work, and play? Please don't randomly pick Illinois just because Chicago is the largest city in the Midwest.
Please share your opinions and facts. Your list can be very narrow or a complete ranking of the states from best to worst.
You also can vote on the poll by selecting more than one choice.
Illinois and Wisconsin. The best jobs in my field are located in IL, and it has a diversity of housing options from the most urban in the Midwest to extremely rural. WI is right nearby IL, which has the best outdoor opportunities in the Midwest, in my opinion. Plus there's Chicago in Illinois, which offers everything from world-class theatre, comedy, musicals, opera, symphonies, and urban parks as well as an urban experience that you can't get in any other city in the Midwest. I am originally from downstate Illinois, so I also appreciate the farmland, the prairie, and the wide open skies that the state offers. My partner is from Wisconsin, and it's basically my second home, so I love it, too. In my opinion, it's hard to top Madison as the best college town in the Midwest.
MN and MI are extremely nice, too, but I don't quite like them as much as IL and WI.
When I hear the word "play", I automatically think of outdoors activities for some reason. And for that reason alone, I give the nod to Wisconsin. There is so much to do year round up there, and the COL is cheaper than IL. Chicago is close by for weekend trips, and you can enjoy the vast wilderness of WI.
Illinois just for Chicago - but it's a very valid reason for me.
Iowa because it has a great quality of life, nice tolerant and open minded people, low cost of living, hardly any crime, good economy and decent wages. It's cities are almost all over the top of those "best" lists.
Michigan because it's beautiful and has lots to do, high standard of living and great people. The 7% of people who live in the city of Detroit and have a very hard time at life always dominate the talk of Michigan. I'd rather focus on the other 93% for once.
Wisconsin because it has nice cities and great people, beautiful scenery.
Minnesota for basically the same reasons as Michigan and Wisconsin. Minneapolis is a fantastic place to live as well.
Minnesota - The state really fascinates me so does Wisconsin. However, Madison and Milwaukee are too small for my taste. The Twin Cities is just ideal to me for its size with a plenty of leisure and it is only a short drive to more outdoorsy northern Minnesota. I don't think I could handle living in a huge city like Chicago so that rules out Illinois. Minnesota also has a high quality of life with moderate cost of living along with a good economy (2nd best after Chicago).
Missouri & Indiana - While I like their cities plus Johnson County in Kansas, I find these states to be too conservative for my taste. I prefer to live in a state that is reliably Democratic rather than a liberal bastion in a conservative state like Austin for Texas.
Ohio - I really like Columbus and its distance to the East Coast. However, it's too far from my family in the South. The economy in Ohio has been up and down.
If I have to narrow down to three choices in the Midwest, mine would be:
#1 Minneapolis
#2 Indianapolis
#3 Overland Park, KS near Kansas City
#4 inner suburb of St. Louis, MO
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