California mostly because it is home, but also because of the diverse scenery and climates and the incredible weather.

I love my state, California. I am lucky to live in an amazing area in the Sierra Nevada foothills about one hour from Lake Tahoe. California may be expensive but we have some of the most beautiful natural areas anywhere. from alpine mountains to coastal rain forests, the redwoods, Yosemite, deserts, anything you want we have it. :-)
Today is simply magnificent in my neck o’ the woods, clear, warm, pushing 90 degrees and green, green, green!

I could hardly sleep last night with the roar of the spring frogs doing their thing in the little rushing creek below my deck.

Texas, because that is where Matt Dillahunty and AronRa live.
Followed by New York, because that is where Neil Degrasse Tyson works.

Well, I have lived in the following states (in chronological order, from youngest age to now, and some more than once, obviously): Texas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Connecticut, Florida, Connecticut, Texas, California, North Carolina, Florida, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Florida.

That being said, I keep coming back to FL and I doubt I’ll ever leave here again. The idea of being land-locked or <shudder> dealing with snow and ice is not an option. I love the ocean, I love the tropical climate, I love the people, I just love the place. Nope, not leavin’!

Now if you wanna talk about worst place, lol, I have a whole more to add. Jus’ sayin’

California.

I’ve lived in Cali and New York, but I’ve also visited or passed through Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

The only complaint any sane person could have about California is the cost of living. The people, the weather, the diversity…Cali’s where it’s at!

Alabama’s home, and first and foremost my favorite state. In the north, you have the Appalachian foothills, then in the middle, the fertile farms with sleepy moss covered willow trees, then in the far south, the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. My family’s been there for over 200 years and I just love the place…

However, I don’t fit the culture there enough to be comfortable living there permanently. My second favorite place isn’t a state, but the District of Columbia—never, ever get bored hanging out there.

I do love California. The weather can’t be emphasized enough. The beauty of the ocean, the national parks, the sierras, Tahoe, and San Francisco.
As for Los Angeles, well, even Marilyn Monroe had an anus.

@ragingloli – Wow. Been following Matt Dilahunty and The Atheist Experience for years. He’s great. I knew there is a reason I like fluther.

I’d say California. Any place with an abundance of Porn stars and quality cheap Mexican food is a goddamn national treasure.

@FutureMemory , “visiting or passed through” does not equate to actually experiencing all that there is to offer in each state. Not that I have either – but I also don’t state quite emphatically that “The only complaint any sane person could have about California is the cost of living.”

There is plenty of positive and negative in every state, no doubt about that.

Note: Coloma is biased as hell, GA’s to all the California girls & boys. lol

California is hands down the best state I have visited. Lived there for a year and came back to New England for the friends and family. California has it all though. Amazing weather and natural beauty. I feel healthier just typing the word, “California”.

Party @Coloma ‘s today, catch a plane and we can be BBQing and hot tubbing in just a few hours. haha

@laurenkem I’m sorry you took issue with so many aspects of my post.

@FutureMemory Nah, just the “sane” part, lol. I, personally, did not relate to CA – not the people, not the lifestyle, etc. That’s just me. You probably wouldn’t relate here – it’s all apples and oranges, no bad. :)

Texas, without question. (But then I’ve not been to many states.)

Really hard to pick just one, but if I have to I say Florida.

I love the palm trees
blue skies
humid air
lack of bees in the southern part of the state
all the screened in backyards and pools
nonstop flights to many parts of the world and the US
last minute cruises cheap without worry of catching a flight
great shopping
no income tax
homestead property tax
mixed population old and young
resort-like residential communities
easy, well maintained roads
Publix supermarkets
Good restaurants
Lots of al fresco seating

I have lived in MI, MD, TN, NC, NY, FL, and they all have plusses and minuses. I can see why living in California would be good too, considering I like the warm weather, but I am not sure it would be warm enough for me. But, I like that cali is diverse, and it offers beach, mountains, and has a variety of climates to offer because it is so large. It is almost unfair to compare California to just one state on the east coast, because you need three or four of them to equal the land mass.

YAY @JLeslie ! Just the Publix comment got my vote!

And don’t forget, fresh seafood – can buy shrimp right off the boat

CA also has
– amazing food
– practically no bugs
– desert
– redwoods
– beautiful coast

@tom_g…and COLD weather. Redwoods? Beautiful to look at for a day, not so nice to live among them, as you never see the sun. I lived in Boulder Creek (y’know, Big Basin State Park?) and trust me, it was too cold for us warm-weather seekers!

@laurenkem Hahaha. Yeah, when I go to a city with Publix I get all excited. I take stuff home with me whenever I am in Nashville, Atlanta, or Florida.

Tennessee. So many people are moving to Tennessee for many good reasons, to numerous to mention here.

Four seasons climate change is a big bonus, just for one reason. Not to hot, not too cold.

Green is everywhere in Tennessee.

Best looking women in the world, live in Tennessee.

Titans football.

Beautiful lakes.

Good economy.

If you sit on the side of I-65 south, you will see so many vehicles with out of state license plates like Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Like I said, the population in Tennessee in growing.

Recording Industries are abundant. It all started in the mid 50s.

Foreclosure of houses is almost 0.

Gawd, I forgot TooJays Mounds Cake. The best cake in the world.

disclaimer: I lived in Isla Vista when I was in CA. The weather is just perfect. As a New Englander, it was almost too perfect.

I live in CA and think it’s pretty impossible to beat in every regard except for cost of living. Weather, natural beauty, diversity, culture – this state has it ALL.

But then there’s Hawaii…If I moved anywhere, it would have to be there (ironically also not so attractive with cost of living…). That is just a gorgeous, gorgeous place. My sister lives there, and we visit as often as we can (not nearly often enough) and I am always sad to leave that tropical paradise.

@JLeslie If you need some Publix “goods”, I’ve got one about 1 mile from my house. Gimme a list and I’ll send them to you! :D

I would have to say Maryland. Gorgeous climate. Ocean access, Beautiful scenery.

@tom_g Uh, plenty of bugs in these hills, I have a wasp in the house right now, giant lacewings and crane flies and ants and moths and caterpillars and, and…good thing I also live in the land of lizards and tree frogs, keep the balance. lol

@laurenkem Thanks. I have friends offer all the time, and I travel enough that I am not too desperate :).

Wisconsin.

Natural beauty, great family memories, and seasons.

California is great because of it’s variety, Hawaii is probably the most beautiful. My favorite, however is Pennsylvania. The state has vast unoccupied forests, extremely diverse cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. It has 4 distinct seasons. The leaves change color in the fall, snow storms add days off from school and skiing in your back yard. In the spring I can play in the mud with my bike and in the summer we have outdoor adventures, canoeing, and camping.

We also have Valley Forge and Gettysburg. Lake Erie is great for fishing and boating. You name it and it is is in Pennsylvania.

I’ve only been to Alaska and Washington.
Alaska is my home. I love it here.

I’ve lived in California my whole adult life, despite temptations to move elsewhere, because of the beauty of the landscape and the variety of things that can be done.

I have, in one busy day snow-skied, rafted, ridden a bike, rock climbed, and water skied, all within a 20 mile circle. Another day I’ve gone sailing on the bay, out to eat at a Michelin starred restaurant, and then to the opera.

It’s a wonderful place.

I’m not even from CA, nor have I been there longer than a few days, and I want to pick that.

Definitely caly. Skiing? Got it. Mountains/Forestation? Got it. Beach? Got it. Easy access to Mexico? Got it.

Well it looks like you’re quite qualified to be my state California.

I’ve never really been outside the Eastern time zone, except for a 13 hour layover in Chicago.

I live in Florida now, and I’d leave in a second. I don’t particularly hate it, but there’s not much to love about it. I find myself missing the climate in my native Staten Island, New York, often.

I’ve spent a good deal of time in Kentucky, and if you could put a major metropolis there, I’d be there in a heartbeat. Climate good, boondocks bad.

Hmm, I used to like Miami Dolphins so I guess it must be Florida.

I have lived in RI, D.C., CA, WI, WA, MD, MA, IN, and visited for at least 3 weeks, a bunch more. I couldn’t choose a favorite. Each has its own charms and delights. We are so lucky to have so many wonderful places from which to choose. Well, if I absolutely had to choose. . CA. Why? The varieties of topography and people . . . never-ending discovery opportunities.

Hawaii. I love the ocean and the Islands are surrounded by it.

@Sunny2 True, There are lots of great places.
I can’t handle high humidity, and Ca. has very little humidity, more so in SoCal, but northern Ca. well…you can’t beat the summer nights here, hands down, the most sublime summer nights just about anywhere. Going for a low of 59–60 tonight, windows open all night weather has arrived, for a few more days anyway. :-)

Hawaii. I loved the the people, the land, the sea.

I like the weather in NH and VT; very varied and thus never boring. NH has no sales or income tax while VT is less politically ass-backwards, so it’s a toss-up.

Places you will not see me are the South, Midwest, and Southwest. Various mixes of religion, political Conservatism, and weather make over half the country someplace I avoid, and rather regret ever having been to. Keep me within a couple hundred miles of Canada, thank you!

The State in which they talk like this.

@MilkyWay Sounds like a stereotypical Texas accent.

California: Weather, cultural diversity, geographic diversity, #1 in many things, diverse economy.

@MilkyWay , I disagree. I’m originally from TX and spent much time there, and that accent sounds more like deep south than TX. Maybe AL or TN? Maybe even Mississippi or Kentucky?

Welll…7:17 pm in California, 83 degrees and friends just left after a drop in visit, sitting on my deck naked now with a Corona lite after just getting out of the cool hot tub. Nuff said. Yep, the golden state, golden sunshine, gold in them thar hills and always, those golden sunsets. ;-)

My favorite state is now Coloma’s deck.

@Ron_C That made me smile and miss PA. You’re right, it’s a great state. And so beautiful! A lot of people don’t realize!

That being said though, while I love love love love so much about Colorado and the mountains and great valleys, Utah is my favorite. It will forever be alien, wild, divine, and soul-quenching for me. I love the vastness, the desolation, the red rock, the ghost towns, tumbleweeds, cowboys, errryyyythanggg.

@deni I love Utah too, and Taos N.M. and Angelfire, along with Colorado. Utah is magnificent, agreed!

Washington State coastal area because it is cloudy most of the time. This blocks a lot of the sun’s harmful light and provides constant free cool air conditioning. Also the air is clean pure and sweet with lots of oxygen and lots of trees, rivers, lakes and wild life. Great quality of life.

Yes, the Pacific Northwest is sublime too.

Lemme also holla for Maine, it’s got a soft spot in my heart. In the summer at least. I find it enchanting, and that accent is so outrageous, I love it.

I’m a native of California, and at least one branch has been here since 1848, so it’s home to me, and thus my favorite. The only negative thing is everyone else wants to live here too, so it’s extremely expensive.

I’ve traveled to all 50 states, and have lived in a couple of others besides California, and just about all of them have something that’s great about them.

I’ve only been to four states in America but I would probably say Nevada was my favourite (followed by what little I saw of Arizona).

@Leanne1986 Did you see the signs in Nevada?

Welcome to Nevada…gambling legal, prostitution legal, lobsters illegal. lol

@Coloma This conversation as well as the shitty weather here in England is giving me the “wish I was driving through the Nevada desert” blues. One of the best feelings in my life was seeing Vegas spring from nowhere after driving for hours of not much but sand, rocks and immense heat.