A new poll from Gallup shows that residents of states in the Western half of the country believe that their states are the best places to live. Residents in Eastern states, though, would much rather live elsewhere.
The poll is based on the results of interviews with 600 adults each in the 50 states and Washington, DC between June and December 2013.
Montanans and Alaskans overwhelmingly believe that their state is the best place to live, with 77 percent of respondents agreeing with that statement. On the other end of the spectrum are states in the East, with only 18 percent of Rhode Islanders agreeing that their state is the best place to be. Only 19 percent of Illinois residents agreed as well.
As USA Today points out, there is a correlation between location and favorability ratings. For example, many of the states in the bottom 10 border the Mississippi River, including Mississippi (26 percent), Louisiana (27 percent) and Missouri (29 percent).
Warmer states also make up most of the top 10, including Texas (68 percent) and Hawaii (68 percent).
Gallup did break their poll down by asking residents if their state was “one of the best places” or “the very best place” to live. More Texans believe that their state is the absolute “very best” place to live than any other state’s residents.
Top 10 Best Places To Live: Montana, Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, Texas, Hawaii, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Colorado, Vermont, Oregon and Minnesota
Top 10 Worst Places To Live: Rhode Island, Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri and Connecticut