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All Fifty States Ranked From Worst To Best, According To A Blogger Who's Been To Each One Multiple Times
Not everyone can say they've seen almost every inch of the United States. But Lee Abbamonte, a 45-year-old travel blogger, can.
Abbamonte, who formerly worked in finance in NYC, said he was inspired to dedicate his life to travel after many of his coworkers were killed on 9/11.
Since then, he's visited every country in the world, the North and South Poles, and all 50 states. There's an entire group — the All Fifty States Club — dedicated to the feat. Still, it's an achievement relatively few can say they've accomplished.
Recently, Abbamonte shared his ranking of the US states on Instagram, based on his love of the outdoors, sports, and personal preferences.
50. North Dakota
[Fargo, North Dakota. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock]
North Dakota is at the bottom of Abbamonte's list because he feels that it's the least accessible state, in part because of a lack of direct flights to major cities in other states.
Given his love of diverse topographies, he also doesn't appreciate its flatness.
"It's really spread out," Abbamonte said. "So to drive anywhere, it takes like two or three hours just within your own state."
He is, however, a fan of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, located in the state's Badlands.
49. Kansas
[Wichita, Kansas. Sean Pavone/Getty Images]
Abbamonte said Kansas, like North Dakota, is flat and spread out.
Kansas would have ranked higher on his list if the more vibrant Kansas City were located there, he said. But that city is actually located in Missouri.
Abbamonte is a sports fan so, in his view, the state's highlight is the basketball arena on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence, which he says is "the best" in the US.
48. Kentucky
[Kentucky. Photographer: Alexey Stiop]
According to Abbamonte, you must be a fan of two things to enjoy visiting Kentucky: horses and fishing.
The University of Kentucky found the state was home to over 200,000 equine species as of 2022, including horses, donkeys, and ponies. Meanwhile, the Northern Kentucky Tribune reported that the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation found millions of locals and tourists spent a total of $11.2 billion fishing, hunting, and wildlife-watching in Kentucky that year.
47. Louisiana
[New Orleans, Louisiana. f11photo/Getty Images]
Abbamonte said the vibrancy of New Orleans played a role in Louisiana's spot on his ranking.
"If Louisiana didn't have New Orleans, it would be number 50," he said. "But New Orleans elevates it."
He also said Louisiana would have ranked closer to the top of the list if he had made culinary appeal more of a factor in his decisions.
46. Nebraska
[Lincoln, Nebraska. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock]
The best part of Nebraska, in Abbamonte's view, is that the state's largest city, Omaha, is home to the World Series of college baseball.
His least favorite aspect of Nebraska is how unvaried and flat its topography is.
45. Mississippi
[Jackson, Mississippi. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock]
For Abbamonte, the highlight of the Magnolia State is the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which lines the Gulf of Mexico.
While he also enjoyed visiting Mississippi's college towns, including Oxford, he said he didn't find the rest of the state particularly vibrant.
"There's really not much going on," he said.
44. Oklahoma
[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock]
Abbamonte said that even though Oklahoma is low on his list of favorite states, he thinks it could climb the ranks in the future.
"I don't have anything specifically awesome to say about Oklahoma, but I don't have anything specifically bad to say about it either," Abbamonte told Business Insider.
"Oklahoma City and Tulsa are kind of growing cities," he added.
43. Iowa
[Iowa. Lisa J Loewen/Shutterstock]
Abbamonte said that his favorite part of visiting Iowa was attending the Field of Dreams baseball game there, calling it the coolest sporting event he'll ever attend.
"They had the Yankees and the White Sox play a couple of years ago," he said. "I was there and it was just spectacular."
One downside of Iowa, for Abbamonte, was that the state is very flat, with a lot of cornfields.
42. Arkansas
[Arkansas. Michael t. Morrison/Shutterstock]
Abbamonte admitted that while he's been to Arkansas' capital, Little Rock, he hasn't yet explored parts of the state that people rave about, including Northwest Arkansas and the Ozark Mountains.
"I don't have much good to say about Arkansas," he said. "Even the capital, it just doesn't do it for me. It's just not a state that I love being in."
41. Alabama
[Birmingham, Alabama. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock]
Abbamonte listed three major things he appreciates about Alabama: college football, the Alabama Gulf Coast, and the state's incredible civil rights sites.
He called visiting Selma, Alabama, "a highly emotional experience," and said another highlight was visiting the Rosa Parks museum and memorial in Montgomery.
However, he said that Alabama, which has previously been the state with the most fast-food restaurants per capita, lacks cities with must-visit restaurants and activities.
To see the rest of Abbamonte's ranking of US states, head to Business Insider.
