24. Kentucky

Kentucky is so much more than I think most people are willing to give it credit for. And I would go as far to say that I don’t have very much negative to say about it.

View of Kentucky’s highest point, Black Mountain

As you may remember, I highlight southern Indiana and Illinois as being the main real positives of those states. And that all bleeds into Kentucky. The state scenery is consistently hilly, wooded, and beautiful, and that is only the western half of the state. Then you go to the east and boy does it get gorgeous. There’s so many states that the Appalachian mountains go through, and they’re always beautiful. And Kentucky is one of the states where they truly shine. 

I would say that Kentucky may not have as many significant highlights as some of the states coming up on our list, but it ends up being one of the most consistently great states all the way through. I feel like people hate on Kentucky, and it seems it is almost exclusively people who have not been there. Maybe they have some view of the state framed by Senator Mitch McConnell who could not be a worse representation of the state. Most Kentuckians I think of once you leave the city are pretty libertarian, and don’t want the government to mess with them. Not someone like McConnell who wants to make their life worse, which is why he’s the most disapproved of US Senator by his constituents.

Mitch McConnell, looking his turtliest!

And sure it’s pretty rural through most of the state, but I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. I feel like plenty of people look down on people who live in Appalachia as hicks and recluses. But I don’t know, living in pristine wildernesses away from civilization doesn’t sound all that bad to me. So if you assume Kentucky is one of the worst states, I implore you, take a trip there, and really see what the state has to offer. Maybe you might find yourself wanting to spend more time there like I do!