Living anywhere has its pros and cons. Factors like weather, cost of living, and proximity to family and friends can be a state's best or worst features. Each state has its highs and lows. While some people quietly tolerate issues like long winters or boredom, others openly complain about their circumstances. Luckily, the internet provides an outlet for opinions. On Reddit, people from across the United States share what they think is the worst thing about their state, posting humorous, serious, and practical comments about personal and institutional grievances. Residents of each state weigh in on the worst things about where they live.
About this list
- 1
From Redditor /u/BarbTheBelle:
People from other places think we are all inbred idiots. News reporters always find and interview that one guy who fits the stereotype. Smh.
0 - 2
From Redditor /u/anima-vero-quaerenti:
The cost of living is super high. I used to think movie theater and airport prices were cheap while living there.
Alaska has Winter and Spring seasons.
You pay $4 per gallon for gas while standing near a refinery.
Forest fires happen in the summer.
The smell of diesel hits in the winter.
It gets super cold.
0 - 6
From Redditor /u/Seikoholic:
Wear sunglasses a lot. It is extra sunny here with blinding days, 350 days a year.
0 - 7
0 - 10
From Redditor /u/marinebase7:
The weather sucks. Everything about the weather sucks.
Summer sounds nice on paper, around 80s, or 90s if hot. But the humidity hits 270%, and everything feels like 900 degrees. It is hot everywhere, and you start sweating no matter what.
The weather is bipolar. Twenty degrees in the morning, eighty-five in the afternoon with a chance of rain, snow, fog, and winds at 90mph. I wear a t-shirt, a jacket, a trenchcoat, an umbrella, and an emergency survival kit.
Winter is cold but has no snow. So it is not even... pretty. Just miserable. Also, school does not close.
Spring brings normal temperatures finally. All will be well. Nope. Tree sperm season. Pollen levels here hit 9,001 (seriously). It is considered hazardous to your health at 100.
0 - 12
From Redditor /u/3dPrintedZoidberg:
I grew up there and lived there for almost 20 years. I would not wish that fate on anyone for two simple reasons: lack of opportunity and education.
Growing up poor in rural Idaho means few opportunities. Most jobs are unskilled and low-paying, or ultra-skilled jobs that do not accept regular people building their careers. There are few middle-ground jobs, at least in my town. Most towns are far from a city with real opportunity, so moving costs are high (a big barrier if you work a near minimum wage job).
Idaho ranks among the worst for education.
0 - 13
From Redditor /u/thatwasnotkawaii:
Freezing and traffic are as fun as walking bare naked in the cold.
0 - 17
Redditor /u/Butterfee:
When I mention I'm from Kentucky, people ask if we wear shoes. They really do? Also, Kentucky Fried Chicken.
0 - 18
Redditor /u/samwturner:
Our state sinks into the ocean due to subsidence. We lose about a football field every hour.
0 - 20
From Redditor /u/emPtysp4ce:
Maryland has a problem: no one loves us. I live north of the Mason-Dixon line and I am an inbred redneck, but south of the Potomac I am a Yankee. Not even we can love ourselves, in my experience. We are all jerks. Many people do not know we exist.
0 - 22
From Redditor /u/CoolRunner:
I have to tell everyone I meet that Detroit is not a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
0 - 24
From Redditor /u/puhleez420:
The worst thing is people ask if we have air conditioning and indoor plumbing. Guess what? We have that fancy Interwebs!
0 - 25
From Redditor /u/Appollo64:
There is much poverty in both rural and city areas. Rural areas have a big meth problem, and an opioid problem is rising.
0 - 26
From Redditor /u/DarrenEdwards:
I scraped snow off the windshield this morning, knowing I will do it through April.
0 - 27
From Redditor /u/Piggishcentaur89:
The slogan "It's not for everyone" is true. If you lack family here, making friends is hard. It is not impossible, but it makes things much harder.
Even in Nebraska's big cities like Lincoln, there is a small-town feeling. People from other places might feel culture shocked by the close-knit group of friends and families in most of Nebraska. Nebraska is very family-oriented, but it can also be suspicious of outsiders outside their group.
0 - 28
From Redditor /u/Take_A_Penguin_Break:
The worst thing might surprise you: the ability to make friends. Many people are here on work contracts or simply dislike living in Nevada, and they only complain about "tourists".
I would say the normal answer is the summer heat.0 - 30
From Redditor /u/sociallyawkwardjess:
The worst thing about living here is everyone's view of us. Add Camden to that. Camden is awful.
0 - 33
From Redditor /u/THRUSSIANBADGER:
As someone from Charlotte, I prefer western NC BBQ. Screw the tomato heathens; vinegar-based for life.
0 - 34
From A Redditor:
It is freezing in late December and January, usually with a -20 to -30 degree Fahrenheit wind chill.
0 - 41
From Redditor /u/technocolor123:
I have a list for this one!
Education sucks.
People who are not from here think we still live in teepees or farm by hand in small settlements.
There is no appreciation for the arts.
...
Weather here hits records. They hold the world's largest hailstone and the fastest temperature change. On January 22, 1943, around 7:30 a.m. MST, Spearfish temperature hit −4°F (−20°C). The Chinook wind sped up fast. Two minutes later (7:32 a.m.), the temperature jumped +45 °F (+7 °C) above zero. That 49 °F (27 °C) rise in two minutes set a world record that remains. By 9:00 a.m., the temperature reached 54 °F (12 °C). Then, the Chinook stopped. The temperature fell back to −4 °F (−20 °C). That 58 °F (32 °C) drop took only 27 minutes. This quick temperature shift cracked glass windows and instantly frosted windshields.
There are more people in New York City than in the entire state of South Dakota.
0 - 42
The worst part is the weather is very unpredictable. We experience winter and late spring in the same week right now.
0 - 43
From Redditor /u/Lamar38-41:
The only thing I dislike is the long travel times. Family get-togethers cost a lot in gas fees if family is in three places across the state.
0 - 44
From Redditor /u/everykissbeginswK:
The area is constantly under construction. Strict laws exist alongside an abundance of fake swear words.
0 - 46
From Redditor /u/ANorthwesternSoul:
NOVA (Northern Virginia) has tons of urban sprawl, and weed is still a crime.
0 - 48
From Redditor /u/ncurry18:
The heroin epidemic is a real problem in most of the state, though it is not as bad as the media shows. There is little to do like in a big city, even Charleston. Summers can be humid and miserable in the low-elevation parts, and winters can be harsh in the mountains. Airports range from terrible to okay. Many roads are bad.
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