While many Americans would argue that the Golden State is America’s truest gem, surprisingly, a recent poll of Americans found that California and the West at large were far from the best when it came to the country’s favorite geographic regions.
At BetCalifornia.com, home to all news around California sports betting, we used Survey Monkey to poll 1,081 Americans to see what regions people think are the best, along with what states they most want to visit. It seems Americans are quite divided about California, New York, and Florida.
Rank | Region | Total Percentage of Vote |
1 | Northeast | 34.60% |
2 | Southeast | 21.46% |
3 | West | 17.85% |
4 | Midwest | 14.80% |
5 | Southwest | 11.29% |
Overall, the West scored 17.85% of responses when it came to Americans’ favorite regions nationally, ranking well behind the overall leader, which was the Northeast with 34.6% of the popular vote.
The American Southeast was next with 21.46% of the vote, while the West beat out the Midwest (14.8%) and Southwest (11.29%), illustrating how the lore of California, Oregon and Washington State still packs a punch across the country.
Rank | State | Total Percentage of Vote |
1 | California | 13.88% |
2 | Hawaii | 11.10% |
3 | Florida | 11.01% |
4 | New York | 10.92% |
5 | Alaska | 6.20% |
6 | Colorado | 4.44% |
7 | Texas | 2.96% |
8 | Arizona | 2.59% |
T9 | Arkansas | 2.41% |
T9 | Georgia | 2.41% |
Despite ranking third as a region, California was a resounding winner when it came to the states that Americans want to visit the most, with 13.88% of the vote, beating out Hawaii (11.1%), Florida (11.01%), New York (10.92%) and Alaska (6.2%).
Throw in Colorado (4.44%), Texas (2.96%), Arizona (2.59%), Arkansas and Georgia (2.41% each) and you have the full rundown of the U.S. states that Americans long to visit the most in 2024.
Rank | State | Total Percentage of Vote |
1 | California | 14.71% |
2 | New York | 14.71% |
3 | Alabama | 7.59% |
4 | Florida | 5.27% |
5 | Alaska | 4.63% |
6 | Mississippi | 4.16% |
7 | Texas | 3.61% |
8 | Arkansas | 3.42% |
9 | New Jersey | 2.68% |
T10 | Delaware | 2.22% |
T10 | Idaho | 2.22% |
Somehow, California’s enigmatic nature also led to the state finishing atop the list of states that Americans don’t want to visit the most, scoring 14.71% of the vote to finish in a tie with New York for the top spot nationally.
The rest of the “don’t visit” list included Southern hot spots like Florida (5.27%) and Mississippi (4.16%), while Alaska was sandwiched between those two with 4.63% of the vote to finish fifth nationally.
Rounding out the states that residents want to avoid were Texas (3.61%), Arkansas (3.42%), New Jersey (2.68%), Delaware and Idaho (2.22% each), proving that some people really will go out of their way to avoid parts of the country, no matter how beautiful that place may be.
USA Today photo by Tony Giberson.
Author
Christopher Boan is the lead writer at BetCalifornia.com, specializing in sports betting issues in the western United States. He's covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
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