Iowa Ranks in the Dead Middle on a List of All 50 States

The website Thrillist took all 50 states and ranked them in order from best to worst. While Iowa's ranking is pretty average, the #1 best and worst states might surprise you.

When I saw this list pop up in my Facebook newsfeed this weekend, I couldn't help but get excited! Most people hear that I'm from Michigan, and their first thought is, "Uh oh, Detroit is scary!" so it's nice to see that Michigan actually came in as the #1 best state. Although Detroit is often in the news for negative reasons, downtown is actually going through a huge growth right now. Whenever I go back to visit, I always wander around down there to the many casinos and restaurants. Plus there is so much more to the state than just that city! The websites lists positive attributes like the vast coastline, the scenic upper peninsula, and the abundance of craft beer/breweries. It's nice to have the state recognized for its good features!

On the other end of the spectrum is the state that came in dead last... Florida. Now, when most people think of Florida they think palm trees and beaches and Disney, but the Floridians are the reason the state comes in at #50. The crimes down there are so ridiculously insane that there are Twitter pages dedicated to them (See "Florida Man"). After looking through some of the new stories, I'm going to have to agree with this ruling. Sorry, Florida!

Iowa came in right in the middle of the list at #25, which I'd say is pretty darn good! Here's what the website had to say about our great state:

"The Hawkeye State is like that kid you bunk with at camp who has decent snacks, and never tries to steal your diary and read it aloud at lunch, even though he can hear you weeping while you write your missives under the covers. So basically it’s pleasant, but not entirely memorable. Though to be fair, in most countries, coming up with the Eskimo Pie, the loose-meat sandwich, and University of Iowa three point-shooting legend Chris Kingsbury would be enough to ensure a place at the top of the heap. But America is not most countries, according to Wikipedia."

To see the full ranking of all 50 states, click HERE.