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For me, it has to be Michigan. I get so tired of reading all of the "rust belt" comments and the way that people, many who have never even been to Michigan, assume that the entire state is Detroit. Detroit makes up less than 0.01% of our land area, yet people seem to think that the entire state is filled with Detroit!
Michigan is a beautiful state with a rebounding economy and friendly, laid back people. The weather is never boring, because it can change on a dime. The COL is not that high, and aside from the very occasional, random tornado in the spring, we have no natural disasters. We also have more beaches and waterfront property than any other state except maybe Florida. Michigan is filled with inland lakes and forests and is a sportman's paradise. There are a lot worse places to call home than Michigan!
So, any others?
Last edited by canudigit; 02-19-2014 at 12:44 PM..
Phoenix imo is underrated. They have great weather 8 months of the year and then 4 months when you need to be in a pool. The mountains and rocks and vegetation is beautiful (though not as beautiful as my state of Washington but the weather makes up for it). Housing is really inexpensive, they have great roads and traffic flows smoothly. I also found some excellent restaurants.
I agree with canudigit. The Midwest is really not as boring or bad as people say. I visited several times and liked it. Not that I would live in a major city like Chicago, but the region in general is pretty nice. I especially found Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio and Michigan to be beautiful.
Phoenix imo is underrated. They have great weather 8 months of the year and then 4 months when you need to be in a pool. The mountains and rocks and vegetation is beautiful (though not as beautiful as my state of Washington but the weather makes up for it). Housing is really inexpensive, they have great roads and traffic flows smoothly. I also found some excellent restaurants.
This could also probably apply to many desert Southwest metros. I've been to Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas and found all of them to be very interesting places unique from the rest of the U.S. Plus the architecture of buildings, especially the more expensive homes, is pretty interesting too. The freeway art designs on the bridges and exit ramp walls makes them easier on the eyes than the concrete slabs that you usually see in most U.S. metros. Driving between El Paso, Phoenix, Flagstaff/Grand Canyon, and Vegas was probably the best scenery I've seen on a roadtrip, better than anything I've seen in the east. I had no idea it snowed in Flagstaff, which was 2 hours away from 65-degree Phoenix in the winter.
Phoenix imo is underrated. They have great weather 8 months of the year and then 4 months when you need to be in a pool. The mountains and rocks and vegetation is beautiful (though not as beautiful as my state of Washington but the weather makes up for it). Housing is really inexpensive, they have great roads and traffic flows smoothly. I also found some excellent restaurants.
I think the surrounding scenery close to Phoenix(and Tuscon) gets ignored a lot when the city is rated against others in favor of just mentioning the more suburban nature of the city. It's sort of unfair because whenever the Pacific NW cities or Denver or SLC come up the scenery and daytrip possibilities are viewed as an attribute, but Arizona's landscape and outdoor opportunities sort of get passed over.
I think it fits a lot of things about what people want but immediately count it out because of... Well, I don't really know. Probably the heat.
I can think of a million of my own stories that can prove the heat really isn't that bad. If I can make it through what I used to deal with on nearly a weekly basis, anyone can do it. Really. I'm not very hot tolerant either; I fare much better with cold weather.
But yes. Great scenery, great outdoor options nearby, good freeways/roads, etc. I will have to disagree on restaurants, unless you went to the hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants, those are the secret treasures of the Sonoran desert
I think the surrounding scenery close to Phoenix(and Tuscon) gets ignored a lot when the city is rated against others in favor of just mentioning the more suburban nature of the city. It's sort of unfair because whenever the Pacific NW cities or Denver or SLC come up the scenery and daytrip possibilities are viewed as an attribute, but Arizona's landscape and outdoor opportunities sort of get passed over.
I'm not saying there isn't beautiful scenery in Arizona (I love the Joshua trees in in Western Arizona, the mountains around Tucson, the Mogollon Rim, and the Painted Dessert), but the drive between Tucson and Phoenix, along Interstate 10, is IMO among the ugliest places in the entire country.
London, Ontario is the most underrated city I've never visited. If you're ever around that corner of the world, it's worth an overnight stay. And, no, I'm not a Belieber.
I feel that people don't talk much about the interior Northwest on this forum. Spokane, Pullman-Moscow, Boise, Missoula, and Coeur d'Alene often get ignored while Seattle and Portland rake in all the love.
Last edited by Dawn.Davenport; 02-20-2014 at 12:54 AM..
I'm not saying there isn't beautiful scenery in Arizona (I love the Joshua trees in in Western Arizona, the mountains around Tucson, the Mogollon Rim, and the Painted Dessert), but the drive between Tucson and Phoenix, along Interstate 10, is IMO among the ugliest places in the entire country.
London, Ontario is the most underrated city I've never visited. If you're ever around that corner of the world, it's worth an overnight stay. And, no, I'm not a Belieber.
I feel that people don't talk much about the interior Northwest. Spokane, Pullman-Moscow, Boise, Missoula, and Coeur d'Alene get ignored while Seattle and Portland get all the love.
That one part of Arizona... Haha It is pretty ugly though!
Now did you know Picacho Peak was a Civil War battle site? You drive right next to it on the I-10. Granted, it's probably the most interesting about that area of the state. Also, Picacho Peak is pretty aesthetically pleasing for a smaller mountain... very odd-looking. At least you get to see a tiny slice of American history on the drive.
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It is pretty ugly though!
