Best of the Midwest (amusement park, low crime, home)

[UTVols865]

Which state(s) in the Midwest do you think is the best to live, work, and play with stable economy & cost of living and a plenty of things/activities to do? Give your choice and state your reasons.

My choice is Minnesota: The Land of 10,000 Lakes.

I personally believe that Minnesota is the best state in the Midwest. Minnesota has a lot to offer in its scenery ranging from flat landscapes, rolling prairies, river bluffs, lakes, and forests to rugged cliffs by Lake Superior.

Nearly 60% of its residents live in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area (known as the "Twin Cities"), the center of transportation, business, industry and education and home to an internationally known arts community.

Minnesota is known for its relatively mixed social and political orientations, and has a high rate of civic participation and voter turnout. Minnesota ranks among the healthiest states, and has a highly literate population.

Despite Minnesota’s harsh winters, winter sports, such as snowmobiling, ice fishing, and skiing, and St. Paul’s Winter Carnival featuring ice sculptures make the season more fun and exciting.

Minnesota’s economy and low unemployment rate stands out from most of the Midwest.

Other than being home to the Mall of America (MOA), clothes are tax-free in Minnesota! There is an indoor amusement park/water park inside the MOA. The outdoor one called Valleyfair is located nearby in Shakopee, MN.

Minnesota is home to many professional teams, such as Twins (MLB), Vikings (NFL), Timberwolves (NBA), Wild (NHL), Stars (USL), and Lynx (WBNA) along with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (college sports).

Twin Cities are actively planning to add extensions (future Red & Green Lines; Southwest Corridor) of light rail to the Hiawatha Line (will be renamed Blue Line) with it being accessible to most suburbs by 2018; this will put the Twin Cities on a fast track to becoming one of modern American metro areas in the 21st Century.

[Colts]

The Upper Midwest always wins these polls.

[ChikidII]

Wisconsin for me. In terms of nature it's beautiful. It has two really great cities. It's also has tons of beautiful and cool small towns. I think Michigan is a runner up. But overall the state with the best quality of life would Minnesota.

Illinois IMO is the worst. Outside of Chicago most of the cities suck and are decaying, limited natural beauty, broke state, and a lot of corruption.

[iNviNciBL3]

Minnesota, low cost of living, you could live a urban lifestyle in Minneapolis (very low crime btw) and a be a quick drive away from lakes, rivers, water parks, ski-snowboarding, casinos, pretty much every thing. Beautiful scenery in Northern Minnesota. Southern Minnesota also has Mankato and Rochester

[icecreamsandwich]

i have 4 i chose

Indiana: well run, Indy has a brilliant location so its easy to day-trip to a lot of places and is doing well and attracting people, there are super low housing prices, and overall it seems like an excellent place to raise a family.

Missouri: a strong tradition of BBQ, 2 big and well renowned cities, very friendly people, and a strong history which tells the tale of the US much more than it initially seems to. Missouri just (to me) seems quintessentially American

Minnesota: Twin Cities, MN has a LOT to offer and the bungalows in St. Paul are beautiful. a fit and healthy populace with good schooling. i'm also a fan of massive amounts of snow LOL.

Wisconsin: absolutely stunning scenery, and with closer access to Chicago and the cities west of the Appalachians (like Pittsburgh etc). Also you have Lake Superior bordering the state for some beautiful views and extra lake-effect snow

personal pick: Missouri.

[UTVols865]

I have another interesting thought about the Midwest. Maybe we can also rank the states in order by the friendliness of the residents.

My ranking is below:

1. Missouri
2. Indiana
3. Iowa
4. Kansas
5. Illinois
6. Wisconsin
7. Minnesota (From my experience of living there for few years, Minnesotans are great, but it can be hard to make close friends.)
8. Ohio

I can't speak for Michigan, Nebraska, or the Dakotas.

[TheBeagleLady]

Everything else aside, Minnesota's unemployment rate can't stand out when you are including the Dakotas and Nebraska on your list.

[jayp1188]

I have a personal bias towards Chicago since I went to school there, but I really don't like the state of Illinois that much outside of Chicago and few suburbs.

So, taking the whole state into consideration, I'd say Minnesota and Wisconsin are the best. People are friendly, they tend to have a "live and let live" attitude, and are pretty genuine. People aren't workaholics and tend to put a lot of emphasis on spending time with family and friends and enjoying life and the outdoors. Both are beautiful and scenic as well. Minneapolis, St. Paul, Milwaukee, and Madison are all cool cities. I've never lived in either state, but I've always seen the two states as having an outstanding quality of life. I might give Minnesota a slight edge over Wisconsin right now, since Wisconsin isn't as politically and economically stable as Minnesota.

[iNviNciBL3]

Illinois beating Michigan? People need to visit Michigan more often lol

[ChikidII]

Originally Posted by BobMarley_1LOVE

Illinois beating Michigan? People need to visit Michigan more often lol

Illinois should be one of the last ones. Outside of Chicago, A small portion of Northern Illinois and small portion of southern Illinois, there just really isn much in Illinois.