Connecticut vs. New Jersey vs. Maryland vs. Delaware vs. Rhode Island (living, best)

[HumpDay]

These 5 are some of the smallest states in the country and are very close to each other. If you had to choose, which state would you want to live in based on:

Location
Transportation
Traffic
Food
Schools
Amenities
Housing
Crime
Cost of Living
Jobs
Recreational Activities

[HumpDay]

I choose Maryland with Connecticut as a close second.
Maryland is very close to our nations capital with many jobs in and around DC. Crime is pretty low except Baltimore a few other places. I give CT the edge in regards to crime even when Hartford and New Haven are ranked some of the most dangerous in the country. Our suburbs are notoriously safe.

If you wish to do this you may...
Location: Maryland
Transportation: New Jersey
Traffic: Delaware
Food: Connecticut
Schools: Connecticut
Amenities: New Jersey
Housing: Maryland
Crime: Rhode Island and Connecticut
Cost of Living: Delaware
Jobs: Maryland
Recreational Activities: tie between Maryland and Connecticut

[boulevardofdef]

Well, this is easy for me because I did this for real and picked Rhode Island. Here's what it came down to: Rhode Island has a low cost of living for the region; Providence is a really great and manageable small city with way more amenities than its size would suggest; access to the water is easy for everyone; lots of nature nearby even the densest areas; you're basically in the Boston exurbs without Boston cost of living; New York is easily accessible; it's got that New England charm; serious foodie culture; commutes are pretty easy; Newport is a spectacular tourism-centric historic town; liberal politics; live-and-let-live social attitudes; crime is low; social stratification is low.

I don't know how many of those categories Rhode Island wins on, but to me it's got the best total package of any of them.

Here's how my life in Rhode Island looks -- I think this is instructive about why I'm here. I live in a charming four-bedroom, two-bathroom house on a quarter acre in the most affluent town in the state. The CEO of CVS, one of the 10 largest corporations in America, lives a couple of miles down the road from me. The public schools are among the best in the state. My son, who has special needs, gets loads of services. About a mile up the road is a beautiful 17th-century downtown area packed with shops and restaurants. Just around the corner is a stunning state park, including a popular, free beach on the bay. Some of the best beaches in New England are about a half-hour drive away. My commute to work is 30 minutes, and that takes me more than halfway across the state. Providence is 20 minutes away, Newport is 25 minutes away, Boston is a little more than an hour without traffic. I can take the commuter rail from nearby into Boston, too. New York City is less than three hours away.

For the price I paid for my house, I'd probably be able to get a two-bedroom, maybe three-bedroom fixer-upper in a mediocre town right over the state line in Massachusetts. When I do a real-estate search in my price range in that town, most of what I find is two-bedroom townhouses.

Anyway, let me try the criteria:

Location: Delaware. Can't beat the proximity to Philly, DC, Baltimore, New York.
Transportation: New Jersey for extensive commuter-rail service into New York and Philly.
Traffic: Rhode Island, though I don't know enough about Delaware traffic to judge.
Food: Rhode Island. Providence's food scene is exploding.
Schools: Connecticut.
Amenities: Maryland for all the stuff in the wealthy and dense DC suburbs, plus beaches.
Housing: Rhode Island, because New England housing is charming as hell and it's relatively affordable. When I moved here, I couldn't believe how little historic homes that would cost a million plus in New York were selling for.
Crime: Rhode Island. All the others have more or bigger pockets of high crime.
Cost of Living: Delaware, I suppose, though I think Rhode Island is close.
Jobs: New Jersey because you've got access to the New York and Philly markets.
Recreational Activities: New Jersey for all the density, plus the longest shoreline, maybe?

[That_One_Guy]

Originally Posted by HumpDay

These 5 are some of the smallest states in the country and are very close to each other. If you had to choose, which state would you want to live in based on:

Location
Transportation
Traffic
Food
Schools
Amenities
Housing
Crime
Cost of Living
Jobs
Recreational Activities

I chose NJ for:

location: this was the main thing for me. Mainly that it is right next to NYC.

transportation: NJT trains can take you all around the northern half of the State and into Manhattan too. The Southern half is a bit lacking but does have trains from Philly to Trenton and AC. There's also PATH subway trains that take you around Newark/Hoboken/Jersey City area as well as various parts of Manhattan. And also the PATCO subway in South Jersey and Philly.

And recreational activities: Mainly for the Jersey Shore and Six Flags Great Adventure, which has the tallest rollercoaster in the entire world.
I'd give a close 2nd place here to Maryland for Baltimore, Chesapeake, and Ocean City.

Delaware deserves some sort of recognition for tax-free shopping though!

[Champ le monstre du lac]

I grew up in Massachusetts so I would feel most at home in Rhode Island. Besides the New England relation, Rhode Island has my favorite beaches in the Northeast. Rocky shores and harbors and sandy off shore islands, for a small state its coastline packs a nice punch. Location is great with access to Boston and NYC, good rail transit connections, and Providence has a nice airport. Now, about that Rhode Island economy....

[FLnative1989]

Not New Jersey that's for sure. It seems everyone around me is moving away in drones & I'll be leaving as well in the Spring.

[qworldorder]

Delaware is the East Coast's best kept secret, imo. Excellent location, tax-free shopping, some of the best beaches in the nation, great job market for white collar professionals, and a low cost of living all add up to make it a steal.

[tman7117]

Originally Posted by HumpDay

These 5 are some of the smallest states in the country and are very close to each other. If you had to choose, which state would you want to live in based on:

Location
Transportation
Traffic
Food
Schools
Amenities
Housing
Crime
Cost of Living
Jobs
Recreational Activities

Location: New Jersey (NYC, Poconos, Jersey Shore beaches)
Transportation: NJ Transit into NY is great, not familiar with the others
Traffic: All are bad because they are close to big metro areas
Food: All have access to good food, however Italian food in New Jersey is fantastic IMO
Schools: All are known for good public school systems
Amenities: New Jersey and CT IMO
Housing: All are very expensive
Crime: Depends on the area, all have good and bad areas
Cost of Living: Also depends on the area, central NJ tends to be a lot less expensive than North/Coastal NJ,
Jobs: All are close to big metro areas, so all are probably good
Recreational Activities: NJ IMO if you like having access to mountains, Hudson Valley, NYC, etc.

Overall, NJ wins for me. IMO It is one of the best states in the country with its access to NYC, mountains, beaches, and great school systems.

[SeaDoo342]

Connecticut has the highest Human Development Index.... so overall, I'd have to say CT is the best state with the highest quality of life...

That said, CT is insanely expensive so that's the downfall.

Overall, I'd say Rhode Island is pretty good... cost of living isn't crazy.

[qworldorder]

For transportation, all five states are on the Acela Express line. Which means that you could easily visit any of the other states for a weekend trip.