Is South Dakota Really the 33rd Best State in America?
Most South Dakotans are fiercely proud, yet surprisingly realistic, about where their home state ranks among the other 49 in America.
We've got friendly people, a better-than-average quality of life, and an abundance of natural beauty, but we also have harsh winters, a small number of legitimate tourist attractions, and a somewhat remote location.
Residents of the Rushmore State are accustomed to being overlooked (literally and figuratively) by the rest of the country. So when Thrillist released its' "Definitive and Final Ranking of All 50 States", I'll be the first to admit, I started from the bottom of the list and worked my way up, figuring I'd get to South Dakota quicker that way.
I ended up farther up the list than I thought, all the way at 33 to be exact. Still in the bottom half, but not in the bottom three or four, which I figured is all the love we'd get from a National website. So what did Thrillist think of South Dakota?
You don’t carve the faces of presidents into a mountain unless you’re doing something right. And whatever that right thing is, it might involve fry bread, chislic, kuchen, January Jones, and the location of THE GREATEST HBO SHOW OF ALL TIME (they apparently really liked Deadwood) . But still, it is a Dakota.
As you can see, these rankings aren't exactly scientific in nature.
But before we feel slighted with our bottom half ranking, consider some of the formidable foes we beat:
34. Georgia
35. Kansas
36. West Virginia
37. Idaho
38. Rhode Island
39. South Carolina
40. Nebraska
41. Nevada
42. Missouri
43. North Dakota
44. Connecticut
45. Mississippi
46. Utah
47. Arizona
48. Ohio
49. Delaware
50. Florida
I, for one, am proud of our state for beating heavy hitters like Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, on a list that didn't have to do with gas prices, obesity rates, or coldest average temperatures.
For the record, here are Thrillist's top ten best states:
1. Michigan
2. Kentucky
3. Maine
4. Wisconsin
5. Louisiana
6. Hawaii
7. Minnesota
8. Washington
9. California
10. Colorado
Oh well, you can't beat 'em all.
In case you're wondering over in Iowa where you checked in - right in the middle - at number 25.