All 50 states ranked from worst to best, according to a 45-year-old blogger who has been to each one multiple times

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.

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.

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.

Abbamonte said that he knows full well that many people enjoy those activities, but he doesn't.

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.

"If it were based on food, Louisiana would be my top 10 — if not top five — because I love Cajun food," Abbamonte said.

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.

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.

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. In 2023, the state's Department of Commerce said Oklahoma had the "third fastest-growing economy" in the US, naming jobs and population increases as key causes.

"It's kind of an up-and-coming state," Abbamonte said. "I withhold judgment until my next time back — whenever that might be."

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.

Held once in 2021 and once in 2022, the two regular-season games between Major League Baseball teams took place in a ballpark right next to the Iowa cornfield popularized by the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams." (There was no 2023 game due to construction on the site, a local TV station reported, and 2024's matchup might be set for Alabama.)

"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.

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."

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.

"It's one of those things that makes you say to yourself, 'I can't believe this happened in my country — and only about 60 years ago,'" Abbamonte said.

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.

"Birmingham and Mobile are two of the biggest cities — and Huntsville," he said. "They're just not great places."

Abbamonte said his favorite thing about Indiana was the state's college basketball culture, and his least favorite thing was his experience in Gary, Indiana.

Located on the southernmost shores of Lake Michigan, Gary is known for is steel mills.

"It's just not a nice place," Abbamonte said. "I don't even think anyone who's ever been to Gary, Indiana, would say anything good about it."

Abbamonte heralded barbecue as the best thing about Missouri.

It's the first thing he eats when visiting the state.

"Both Kansas City and St. Louis have excellent barbecue and they're [quite] different from each other," he told Business Insider.

However, Abbamonte added, St. Louis didn't impress him as a city, and the relatively high crime rates there were a bit of a turn-off.

A 2023 WalletHub report that evaluated 41 indicators of safety from traffic deaths to assaults ranked St. Louis the least safe city in the US.

Abbamonte said West Virginia's "beautiful nature" was one of his favorite parts of the state. Another highlight was Greenbrier Resort, a historic luxury hotel in White Sulphur Springs.

However, he said, that getting to West Virginia can be a little tough because there's no major airport in the state.

"It's only regional airports, so you have to connect in cities like DC, Philadelphia, Chicago — wherever it might be — to get in and out," Abbamonte said. "It's not the most accessible place."

Abbamonte said visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton was one of the highlights of his time in Ohio. However, he described the experience in the state overall as slightly more "dull" or "bland" compared to coastal cities he's more familiar with.

"I don't find any of the cities great, like Cincinnati, Columbus, or Cleveland," he said. "It's just kind of vanilla to me, but that's just from my New York and LA perspective."

In Abbamonte's view, Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills, and the Badlands are the best parts of visiting South Dakota.

"The bad part about South Dakota is that outside that, there's not much," he said.

Abbamonte said the natural beauty of New Hampshire — including stunning fall foliage and delightful summers — sets it apart.

However, he added, the state's cold winters kept him from ranking it among his favorites.

"The best thing is Dewey Beach," Abbamonte told Business Insider.

With wide stretches of sand fronting the Atlantic Ocean, Dewey Beach is frequented by partygoers and families alike.

Abbamonte said one downside is the major highway surrounding Delaware's biggest city, Wilmington.

"The worst thing is if you're driving on I-95 for about five miles or so, every cop in the state of Delaware is there giving speeding tickets," Abbamonte said. "It's so annoying."

"I don't love Philadelphia. I don't love Pittsburgh. I'll say the best thing about Pennsylvania for me is it's the home of the Little League World Series in a place called Williamsport," Abbamonte told Business Insider.

He also said that one thing he noticed about Pennsylvania was a stark lack of "continuity" between the state's cities and rural stretches.

"If you go out to western Pennsylvania, it's completely different than Philadelphia," Abbamonte said.

Abbamonte called Chicago a "great city" and said Lake Michigan is another great reason to visit Illinois.

But he said he felt that there was not as much going on outside Chicago, making it a less-than-desirable state to visit.

"The Maine coast is one of the best in the country," Abbamonte told Business Insider.

However, he added, once he ventured away from the bustling waterfront, he didn't find as much going on in the middle of the state.

The mountain town of Jackson, plus Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, were among Abbamonte's favorite parts of Wyoming.

However, he said that the least-populated state often felt that way — empty.

"It's just a lot of vast distances — not a lot of people, not a lot going on," said Abbamonte, adding, "The national parks are awesome, and Jackson Hole is one of my favorite places in the country."

While the majority of the state could feel deserted, he said, some national parks — especially Yellowstone — seemed overcrowded.

Tennessee's capital, Nashville, and the stunning landscapes of the Smoky Mountains are among Abbamonte's favorite things about Tennessee.

However, he said that some of the state's smaller tourist destinations — including Pigeon Forge, home of Dollywood, and Gatlinburg, with its Las Vegas-style wedding and romance industry — feel a little "cheesy" for his personal tastes.

"These kind of cheeseball touristy towns?" he said. "That's just not my taste. A lot of people would like that."

Abbamonte's favorite thing about New Jersey is the Jersey Shore, which has ample beaches, boardwalks, and recreational activities.

But, he said, "the smell in North Jersey along the New Jersey Turnpike" is the worst thing about the state.

Abbamonte said his favorite thing about visiting Wisconsin was the immense amount of state pride that locals expressed.

"People from Wisconsin love them some Wisconsin," he said, especially the cheeseheads, a nickname for fans of the Green Bay Packers football team.

However, Abbamonte said the state's "brutal" winters may be the worst part about living or visiting there.

Rhode Island's coast and islands are among the best parts of the state, Abbamonte said. Another highlight, he added, is the incredible Italian cuisine in Providence, the state capital.

However, he also said the smallest state in the US is a little bit forgettable.

Abbamonte said the stunning natural landscapes — Lake Champlain, for one — make Vermont a beautiful state to visit in spring, summer, and fall.

However, he added, Vermont's frigid winters are a downside.

Abbamonte wasn't charmed by any of Texas' major cities and especially disliked the traffic in Houston.

But he said he loves Big Bend National Park near the border with Mexico.

Abbamonte called New Mexico "an absolutely beautiful state."

"They call it the land of enchantment, and you know, that's kind of like what it is," he said.

Abbamonte said that Roswell, the site of what many consider to be America's first UFO controversy, could feel a little "cheesy with the alien stuff."

Abbamonte gave points to Georgia for being the site of the iconic Masters golf tournament in Augusta and for the state's beautiful islands, including Sea Island and Tybee Island.

However, he said, he wasn't a huge fan of Atlanta's congestion.

"The traffic in Atlanta is just so enragingly slow and awful," Abbamonte said.

Abbamonte called Minnesota "absolutely stunning," adding that Lake Superior is "just spectacular."

"They call it the land of 10,000 lakes. There's a lot of water there, and it's all very beautiful," he said. "The worst thing for me would surely be the winters."

Abbamonte said his favorite thing about Michigan is the Upper Peninsula, which he called "beautiful."

He wasn't a fan of Detroit, which he said is one of his least favorite cities in the US.

Northern Virginia — with its wide range of restaurants, shopping, and recreational activities — is a good alternative to Washington DC, Abbamonte said.

The state capital, Richmond, was a Confederate capital, which he felt was part of a darker history that was hard to ignore.

Abbamonte said the best thing about Idaho is Sun Valley, a beautiful ski resort town also known for its annual "summer camp for billionaires." He also loves the state's gorges and the scenery along the Snake River.

However, Abbamonte added, some of Idaho's most beautiful pockets and resorts can be hard to get to.

"It's not the most accessible place unless you're flying private, basically," he said.

As a graduate of the University of Maryland, Abbamonte said he's a "big fan" of the state. He said that the best thing about Maryland is the local cuisine, primarily blue crabs, and the worst thing about Maryland is the Beltway traffic.

"The Beltway kind of circles Washington DC," he said. "Anyone who lives there or has driven it knows what I'm talking about."

Abbamonte said he felt South Carolina and North Carolina were somewhat similar.

In his view, the best thing about South Carolina is its coastline, lined with beach towns. The accessibility of its resorts and golf courses is another plus.

Abbamonte, who grew up in Connecticut, said the city of New Haven has the "best pizza in the country."

His only issue with Connecticut is that he recalls it not being the "most exciting" place to spend his childhood. "I couldn't wait to leave," he said, although he said he started to appreciate it more when he got older.

Massachusetts' coastline and its islands, including Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, are its best features, Abbamonte said.

He also said that he can admit that Boston is a "great city" — even though he's spent many years based in its famous rival city, New York.

His least favorite part about Massachusetts is the Boston accent. "Not a fan," he pronounced.

For Abbamonte, the Sunshine State is all about good weather and pretty scenery, especially in the Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Park.

He said he has nothing bad to say about Florida, except that areas that are geographically close to each other can feel very different.

"Florida is almost like a checkerboard," Abbamonte said. "You go a town over, and then it's almost a different world."

Abbamonte said his favorite part of North Carolina is the Outer Banks, a series of islands filled with state parks and beautiful beaches fronting the Atlantic Ocean.

He added that he prefers North Carolina's major cities, including Raleigh, Asheville, and Charlotte, to its smaller towns and countryside.

Abbamonte, who's lived in New York City for over two decades, has a soft spot for the state, too.

New York state's diversity of landscapes and activities are its main lure, he said.

"It's almost like a mini-California because it really has just about everything," Abbamonte explained. "It doesn't have deserts, but it has mountains and waterfalls and, obviously, a world-class city."

His only issue with New York is that some parts can be expensive.

Alaska's national parks, its glaciers, its fjords, and Denali — the highest peak in North America, formerly called Mount McKinley — are all reasons Abbamonte is such a big fan of the 49th state.

"It's like another world," he said, adding that he also has a soft spot for the state's capital, Juneau.

If he had to pick a downside, he added, it's how dark it is in Alaska six months out of the year.

"But to visit, especially in the summer, it's like a dream," he said.

Montana is similar to Alaska, Abbamonte said, because they both have stunning vistas and many outdoor activities.

Certain parts of western and northern Montana are particularly special, he added. "It might be the most beautiful part of America," he said.

His least favorite aspect about the state is how "isolating" it can feel because it's not as densely populated as other parts of the US.

Abbamonte said Seattle is the "most beautiful city, surely in America and maybe anywhere." In the summer, he added, Mount Rainier can be visible from the city, which is "a stunner."

Besides Seattle, Abbamonte loves how Washington state reminds him of Canada. "You feel like you're in Canada, but you're in America," he said.

How often it rains is the only downside of the state, in Abbamonte's view.

"The Oregon coast is one of the most underrated beautiful places in America," Abbamonte said.

An avid golfer, he's also a fan of the Bandon Dunes golf club and resort.

His only issue with Oregon, like Washington, is how rainy it can get. "The downfall there is definitely the weather," he said.

Abbamonte placed Nevada so high in his ranking of all 50 US states for one major reason: Lake Tahoe.

"It's just absolutely fantastic" — no matter the season, he said.

When it comes to Las Vegas, he thinks any traveler can find something they'll enjoy. "If you don't like Vegas," he added, "you're the problem — because there's something for everybody in Las Vegas." Just avoid the occasional "unsavory activities and people.""

Abbamonte loves Hawaii so much that he's tried to visit each year since 2004.

"The weather is perfect and there's great hiking, there's great golfing," said Abbamonte, adding that he also enjoys Polynesian culture.

His only issue with Hawaii is its distance from the continental United States. "Even from California, it's a five- to six-hour flight," he said. "It's a hassle to get there."

Arizona is often appreciated for its desert vistas and the Grand Canyon, but Abbamonte said Arizona has even more to offer, including skiing in Flagstaff and some national parks near its border with Mexico.

Abbamonte also said the sunsets are among the best of "anywhere in the US."

His only issue with the state is how hot it can get in the summer, adding "especially Phoenix in the summer, the average temperature can get up into the 120s."

Abbamonte said the best part of Utah is that it is "pure nature." Some of the state's national parks are his favorites in the US, including Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands.

His least favorite aspect of Utah, however, is that it can feel "old-school."

Abbamonte loves mountains, so it's no surprise that Colorado ranks close to the top of his list.

"Colorado is just all about the mountains. I'm not even a skier, but I like going to ski towns and doing everything else but skiing. I also like going to ski towns in the summer because I love hiking," he said.

The only downside to the state he could think of is the relatively prominent homelessness in Denver.

"That's a problem there, without question," he said.

Abbamonte moved to Los Angeles three years ago after spending most of his adult life in NYC.

His new home state delights him in myriad ways, he added.

"It has beaches, it has mountains, it has deserts, it has islands, it has great cities, it has good cities," he said, adding there is something for everyone in California — "no matter what you like."

If he had to pick a con, it would be how expensive the state can be.