An ex-Wall Streeter who's been to all 50 states picked 5 he enjoys visiting but would never live in

Abbamonte said Alaska is one of the top three most beautiful places he's visited in the world, neck and neck with the Himalayas in Asia and Patagonia in South America.

As someone who appreciates nature and wildlife, he loves visiting the national parks in Alaska, which has more than half of all the national parks in the US. He also finds Alaska's cities "interesting." "The capital of Juneau is beautiful," he said, because there are "so many glaciers up there."

But as fond as he is of Alaska, he couldn't see himself living there for two big reasons: the lack of sunlight in the winter and the small population. In some areas, like the northern city of Utqiagvik in the north, there is no sunlight for 67 days of the year, according to travel-advice website Alaska.org. However, residents get more than 80 days of round-the-clock sunshine in summer.

About 39 million people live in California, where Abbamonte now lives. But Alaska is the eighth-least populated state, with 733,406 residents, according to the census.

"I wouldn't want to live there," he said. "But to visit, especially in the summer, it's like a dream."

"Maine is another one that I absolutely love in the summer," Abbamonte said, adding that he's always gravitated to the state's coastal areas, including Acadia National Park and Kennebunkport.

But, similar to Alaska, he can't imagine living there through the colder months. In certain parts of Maine, winter temperatures can plummet to below zero.

He also said he isn't particularly drawn to parts of the state that aren't by the waterfront.

Plus, it takes a while to get to Maine from other parts of the US, he added.

"That's just another place I probably wouldn't live," he said. "It's a little too far away from everything else."

Wyoming is another state that Abbamonte fell in love with because of its abundant outdoor options. He loves Jackson Hole and national parks like Grand Teton and Yellowstone, although he thinks the latter can get a little overcrowded.

Outside the national parks and the valleys, however, Abbamonte said he found the state too vast and sparsely populated for his liking.

"Not a lot of people, not a lot going on," he said, adding that he thinks he'd run out of people to talk to. "I could never live there."

Abbamonte is particularly fond of Lake Superior, which runs along the northern coast of the state near the border with Canada. He thinks it's "just spectacular."

Minnesota is, after all, known for its lakes.

"They call it the land of 10,000 lakes. There's a lot of water there, and it's all very beautiful," he said.

But picking up and moving to Minnesota isn't on the agenda for Abbamonte, mostly due to subzero temperatures in the winter.

"Great state. But those winters? I just couldn't do them," he added.

Abbamonte said West Virginia is one of the most nature-rich states in the US.

It is also home to one of the newest national parks in the country, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, which he called "really nice."

However, he "wouldn't go there to live," mostly because it's not as easy to travel in and out of as other places in the country.

West Virginia only has regional airports, he added, which makes traveling elsewhere in the country or abroad tricky. That's a deterrent for someone who travels as much as he does.