10 states with poorest quality of life

[Redneck Mutha 7856]

20 minutes ago, Pam Cummings said:

I mean, aren't there still people without power from a cat 1 storm that hit like two weeks ago? That alone says a lot.

Yes but those responsible are going to suffer some harsh words and a strong finger wagging, so you can be assured it won't happen again.

[closetohumping 17287]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

I had dinner with a friend last night, who is from Birmingham originally but has been in Houston for 9 years (and I grew up here) and he is a major Houston apologist, but even he's had enough.  Houston has a lot of good things going for it, like the food scene and COL, but those two things alone is not enough to make up for 

• Weather
• Traffic
• Infrastructure
• Lack of outdoor things to do
• General ugliness of the city
• Politics of the state
• Shittiness of the people who live here - everyone is so angry and paranoid since COVID

I’ve had many thoughts of moving to Austin or Houston. Be close to family get a big ass house, a lot more money in the bank.  But can’t pull the trigger

[F250 28471]

1 hour ago, mchookem said:

that is true. a lot of people can be happy anywhere (enviable), and even more people don't know there is anything different (i.e. haven't no comparison). i have no doubt there are plenty of people in all those places that would answer 'yes!' to an 'are you happy?' question.

but this ranking isn't a happiness survey... it's quality of life, and they used some pretty basic and objective measurements. healthcare, debt, wages, reproductive choice access, anti-discrimination protections, etc.

if you're in a position not to have to worry about any of that, or, like some here have expressed,  you don't care that others have to worry, of course your QOL is going to be peachy. unfortunately, especially for a state as large as Texas, the vast majority of residents do have to worry about many of those things as part of their daily life. but also...yeah, even some of those people might say 'yeah, i'm happy' bc again, see first paragraph.

this ranking is based on objectively defined criteria and how many citizens of each state are impacted by them. 

Well said. Most of us on this board live in a bubble and can't relate to the issues mentioned in the article about QoL. Hell, some can't even comprehend the issues.

Surly anytime issues impacting the middle class and below come up.

[Js1 82948]

1 hour ago, mchookem said:

if you're in a position not to have to worry about any of that, or, like some here have expressed,  you don't care that others have to worry, of course your QOL is going to be peachy. unfortunately, especially for a state as large as Texas, the vast majority of residents do have to worry about many of those things as part of their daily life. but also...yeah, even some of those people might say 'yeah, i'm happy' bc again, see first paragraph.

 

People also forget that some of these things do affect them, in some way.

High percentage of your state has no health insurance? Well your health care providers and ERs are going to suffer due to an influx of uninsured people, which will get passed down to you via worse services / higher costs.  Ditto for the number of uninsured drivers - your higher rates will make up for that! 

Shitty public school education? Good luck finding competent, critically thinking employees in your own states to work for you, or to be your coworkers. 

Tons of laws that discriminate against people based on race, sexuality, gender?  Good luck recruiting people to your state to work for you/with you.    Add in abortion bans and you can throw a parade for all the young people (especially women) leaving Texas to add to the brain drain. 

I mean, if your goal is to be Mississippi or Ohio, but with oil, of course you're happy.  It's everything you've ever wanted, while you roast in the middle of July without power, because your "Business friendly" state isn't going to make utility companies do anything to actually provide you....utilities. 

Edited July 17 by Js1

[Don Johnson 4724]

9 minutes ago, Js1 said:

 

I mean, if your goal is to be Mississippi or Ohio, but with oil, of course you're happy.  It's everything you've ever wanted, while you roast in the middle of July without power, because your "Business friendly" state isn't going to make utility companies do anything to actually provide you....utilities. 

Neither on this list

[closetohumping 17287]

15 minutes ago, Js1 said:

People also forget that some of these things do affect them, in some way.

High percentage of your state has no health insurance? Well your health care providers and ERs are going to suffer due to an influx of uninsured people, which will get passed down to you via worse services / higher costs.  Ditto for the number of uninsured drivers - your higher rates will make up for that! 

Shitty public school education? Good luck finding competent, critically thinking employees in your own states to work for you, or to be your coworkers. 

Tons of laws that discriminate against people based on race, sexuality, gender?  Good luck recruiting people to your state to work for you/with you.    Add in abortion bans and you can throw a parade for all the young people (especially women) leaving Texas to add to the brain drain. 

I mean, if your goal is to be Mississippi or Ohio, but with oil, of course you're happy.  It's everything you've ever wanted, while you roast in the middle of July without power, because your "Business friendly" state isn't going to make utility companies do anything to actually provide you....utilities. 

This is the part everyone is missing 

[Beau Vine 53653]

2 hours ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

We rate the states on livability factors like per capita crime rates, environmental quality, and health care. We look at worker protections. We look at inclusiveness in state laws, including protections against discrimination of all kinds, as well as voting rights, including accessible and secure election systems.

Other than crime rate, there's not one single thing listed that Texas is even TRYING to be good at.

['stache 21520]

7 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Other than crime rate, there's not one single thing listed that Texas is even TRYING to be good at.

I'm not so sure about that, you've got ammo in vending machines, and cops quiet quitting because they don't like being questioned for firing at will, seems they are doing very little to prevent crime.

[atomheartbevo 88912]

2 hours ago, Js1 said:

Well yeah, that makes sense why Texas is #1, easily. 

Just wait, if the folks trying to outlaw birth control get their way next year, you will see a shitstorm. We will drop to #0.05 or something. 

[DixonHur 10837]

Yeah, outside of the University of Texas and remnants of old Austin, I can't really argue with that list.

[tx 3 putt 75221]

2 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

I mean, aren't there still people without power from a cat 1 storm that hit like two weeks ago? That alone says a lot.

 
100k + 

1 minute ago, DixonHur said:

Yeah, outside of the University of Texas and remnants of old Austin, I can't really argue with that list.

San Antonio is great

parts of Houston and Dallas kick ass 

[closetohumping 17287]

33 minutes ago, DixonHur said:

Yeah, outside of the University of Texas and remnants of old Austin, I can't really argue with that list.

Meh. I’d put us over most of flyover country.  

[fattyflattie 4633]

58 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

San Antonio is great

parts of Houston and Dallas kick ass 

Yeah but what if you don’t have health insurance and your skill set is commensurate to minimum wage?   Very obviously, Baltimore and Newark are better. 

[tx 3 putt 75221]

5 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Yeah but what if you don’t have health insurance and your skill set is commensurate to minimum wage?   Very obviously, Baltimore and Newark are better. 

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 18402]

4 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Houston has outstanding traffic for the 4th largest (soon to be 3rd) city in the country. Never got the “houston has awful traffic” angle

 

maybe its just all the commuters who work >40-60 min from their house. If so, they dont have an opinion

I lived on the edge of the Heights and Shady Acres (15 1/2 and Dian), and it would take be 30-45 minutes to get to my office in Allen Center.  In the loop traffic sucks balls.

[gmr548 16289]

19 hours ago, aggie08 said:

So we're doing this again?

lol the same thread basically gets repeated when Texas is at or near the top of the list in recent years. I don't really have anything to add beyond what I've posted in previous versions but it is funny to see it relitigated.

[closetohumping 17287]

4 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

lol the same thread basically gets repeated when Texas is at or near the top of the list in recent years. I don't really have anything to add beyond what I've posted in previous versions but it is funny to see it relitigated.

Its like Mack brown said “some people hate us more than they love themselves”

 

and also like Ernest tubbs said “love it or leave it”

Edited July 17 by closetohumping

[GreenspointTexas 9376]

4 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

I lived on the edge of the Heights and Shady Acres (15 1/2 and Dian), and it would take be 30-45 minutes to get to my office in Allen Center.  In the loop traffic sucks balls.

Really? (And yes, i know this is 8:52 at night but still)

 

 

[F250 28471]

Rush hour traffic is a myth.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 18402]

29 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Really? (And yes, i know this is 8:52 at night but still)

 

 

Yes, really. Going in between 7:30 to 8:30 in the morning and leaving at 5. Some days, it took more than 10 minutes just to exit the fucking garage. 

[closetohumping 17287]

25 minutes ago, F250 said:

Rush hour traffic is a myth.

[F250 28471]

Just now, closetohumping said:

Read the posts above.

[burntorangebongos 10656]

21 hours ago, F250 said:

List checks out.

No weed.

No gambling.

No whores.

No porn.

Sounds like a fun place.

Sounds like indiana

[F250 28471]

6 minutes ago, burntorangebongos said:

Sounds like indiana

Except Indiana has cooler summers and their liquor stores are open on Sunday.

 

[Pato del Muerto 52035]

6 hours ago, closetohumping said:

Meh. I’d put us over most of flyover country.  

 Not trying to take the contrary position, but why do you say that?

[Helobious 9408]

Fun fact, the bottom 2 states in the entire country in terms of  % of adults with at least a high school diploma are Texas and California.  I believe California was in 50th place and Texas was less than 1 percentage point higher in 49th place. People pretend like they’re so different but their both pretty full of fucking idiots. 

Cali does have some pretty nice weather though and better scenery. 

 

[F250 28471]

25 minutes ago, Helobious said:

Fun fact, the bottom 2 states in the entire country in terms of  % of adults with at least a high school diploma are Texas and California.  I believe California was in 50th place and Texas was less than 1 percentage point higher in 49th place. People pretend like they’re so different but their both pretty full of fucking idiots. 

Cali does have some pretty nice weather though and better scenery. 

 

Let's be honest, the RGV is dragging Texas down in all statistics.

[WBT 20212]

10 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

I mean, aren't there still people without power from a cat 1 storm that hit like two weeks ago? That alone says a lot.

9 days

Quote

After Sandy, New York utilities restored power to at least 95 percent of customers 13 days after the peak number of outages was reported. New Jersey reached that same level in 11 days and West Virginia in 10 days.

 

[Helobious 9408]

37 minutes ago, F250 said:

Let's be honest, the RGV is dragging Texas down in all statistics.

And raises it up in terms of culture. I’ll take any RGV town over some of the suburban douche-filled shitholes in this state (like Bulverde, Spring Branch, etc… 2 fully random examples) 

[F250 28471]

47 minutes ago, Helobious said:

And raises it up in terms of culture. I’ll take any RGV town over some of the suburban douche-filled shitholes in this state (like Bulverde, Spring Branch, etc… 2 fully random examples) 

[boilerhorn 1253]

13 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I've lived in two states for the vast majority of my life.  Top 10 for both, baby.

Furk.

I have lived in 3 states since I was 2 years old (> 5 decades):

Alabama, Indiana, Texas (alphabetically).  Trifecta!

 

[tx 3 putt 75221]

4 hours ago, F250 said:

Let's be honest, the RGV is dragging Texas down in all statistics.

https://x.com/superstarcomedy/status/1809689630796808624?s=46&t=cH-LvFrUDSIxqTdoyXUTxg

[Jiggy-Z 3421]

17 hours ago, closetohumping said:

I’ve had many thoughts of moving to Austin or Houston. Be close to family get a big ass house, a lot more money in the bank.  But can’t pull the trigger

User name does not check out.

[closetohumping 17287]

14 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

 Not trying to take the contrary position, but why do you say that?

So to me, flyover country is anywhere not in the Northeast and the west coast, California to Oregon.  I would take Texas over almost any state in the south or midwest.  Most culture, best food, diverse landscape, booming economy, decent COL though most of flyover country may be cheaper.  City wise, I'd obviously take Chicago, Miami, MInneapolis and a couple of others over any Texas city, even Austin

[Js1 82948]

14 hours ago, Helobious said:

Fun fact, the bottom 2 states in the entire country in terms of  % of adults with at least a high school diploma are Texas and California.  I believe California was in 50th place and Texas was less than 1 percentage point higher in 49th place. People pretend like they’re so different but their both pretty full of fucking idiots. 

Cali does have some pretty nice weather though and better scenery. 

 

Wouldn’t the flip side be the CA has the best higher education systems in the country and Texas has UT,Rice,  a diploma mill and a bunch of crap? With a legislature and governor actively trying to harm the top university in the state? 

Edited July 18 by Js1

[jimmyjazz 45162]

I'd prefer the political leanings in Illinois and Minnesota, but fuck that weather.  That's why I moved to Texas.  Austin is a decent enough oasis for me, even though we are actively "looking".

[closetohumping 17287]

6 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Wouldn’t the flip side be the CA has the best higher education systems in the country and Texas has UT,Rice,  a diploma mill and a bunch of crap? With a legislature and governor actively trying to harm the top university in the state? 

They're the two most populous states so to me it would make sense that they're last in grad rate.  And let's be honest, probably a lot of illegals compared to other states?

[jdhorn92 1527]

On 7/17/2024 at 12:32 PM, mchookem said:

that is true. a lot of people can be happy anywhere (enviable), and even more people don't know there is anything different (i.e. haven't no comparison). i have no doubt there are plenty of people in all those places that would answer 'yes!' to an 'are you happy?' question.

but this ranking isn't a happiness survey... it's quality of life, and they used some pretty basic and objective measurements. healthcare, debt, wages, reproductive choice access, anti-discrimination protections, etc.

if you're in a position not to have to worry about any of that, or, like some here have expressed,  you don't care that others have to worry, of course your QOL is going to be peachy. unfortunately, especially for a state as large as Texas, the vast majority of residents do have to worry about many of those things as part of their daily life. but also...yeah, even some of those people might say 'yeah, i'm happy' bc again, see first paragraph.

this ranking is based on objectively defined criteria and how many citizens of each state are impacted by them. 

Ill buy that.  Thank you.  Sometimes Im guilty of the silo mentality....not my problem in a sense. 

[YChang 3392]

It's definitely become more of a serious calculus for me now. I work in tech but I'm not a programmer (I refuse to call them engineers) so I need the industry to stabilize again. But in 3-5 years down the road will seriously revisist staying in the Austin area or leaving. 

[RDCanecutter 25890]

On 7/17/2024 at 12:49 AM, tx 3 putt said:

mississippi seems like it really really sucks 

But they got that great big mall on the north side of Tupelo. Stuff like that will keep you off these lists.

[gmr548 16289]

19 hours ago, Helobious said:

Fun fact, the bottom 2 states in the entire country in terms of  % of adults with at least a high school diploma are Texas and California.  I believe California was in 50th place and Texas was less than 1 percentage point higher in 49th place. People pretend like they’re so different but their both pretty full of fucking idiots. 

Cali does have some pretty nice weather though and better scenery. 

 

Immigration, especially for CA but a major factor for TX too. Though neither state lights the world on fire in K-12 education.

Edited July 18 by gmr548