Extreme State of the States

Saddest State in the Union - West Virginia

According to TripAdvisor, Hillbilly Hotdogs is the finest eatery in Lesage, WV

Gallup did a survey of all 50 states and concluded that the saddest of them all is West Virginia. Born during the Civil War out of those counties in the rebelling state of Virginia that were so poor they didn't own any slaves and so didn't see any sense in waging war against the United States. Since then, the state has been rewarded with poorly regulated coal mines, poor education, and even poorer health care. Second place is neighboring Kentucky with whom they shared the Hatfield and McCoy feud.

Happiest State - Hawaii
Duh! Sure the state is expensive and there are too many tourists but who wouldn't be happy living in Paradise.

Dumbest State - South Carolina

The 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant gave us this classic quote from the contestant from South Carolina.

The Palmetto State is at the bottom in every category of a survey published in the Education Policy Journal. One in six never graduate high school and less than half have ever set foot in college. The others in the bottom five (Georgia, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi) are all part of the Republican Party base.

Smartest State - Minnesota
Surviving the stupid that is Michelle Bachmann, Minnesotans believe in educating their children. Nearly all (92%) graduate high school and over 80% attend college. There must be a connection between snow and smarts because the other states near the top share a tendency towards bitter winters.

Poorest State - Mississippi

Mississippi state rankings

Poor, dumb state. There is a serious correlation between being a Republican state and being poor and uneducated. Probably deliberate. Unhappy West Virginia is in second place.

Richest State - Maryland
This probably has a lot to do with all those over paid federal bureaucrats living in Washington D. C. suburbs.

Weirdest State - New Jersey

This is purely subjective and there are a lot of weird states to choose from. But, think about it - Chris Christie, the Jersey Devil, and Snookie. The Gates of Hell are supposed to be located near Passaic. California has a lot of weird going for it but nobody beats New Jersey.