41. Ohio

Ohio has a reputation with my generation that it represents the worst of America. I’ll admit, I do find Ohio jokes somewhat funny just because when it stacks up to other states, it is relatively uninteresting. However I do think Ohio has more than meets the eye.

20th President, James Garfield

Ohio has such a rich history in 200 years of American politics. Up until the last 10 years, Ohio was the ultimate swing state. The state largely determined the course of America for better or for worse. There’s a reason that Ohio has been home to more presidents than any other state aside from Virginia (However nearly all Virginian presidents are from the first 75 years of US history). For a huge American history nerd like me, the fact that a state like Ohio is that important can make it feel just a little more special when you’re visiting.

Downtown Cincinnati

Ohio is like if Indiana had personality (sorry Hoosiers!). The states are very similar in terms of industry and geography, but Ohio outshines Indiana in nearly every way. Ohio has a longer Great Lake coastline than Indiana and actually has islands (bet a lot of people didn’t know that!). Cleveland isn’t that interesting, but it sure beats Gary! And from what I hear, Cincinnati has one of the best invested-in downtowns in the country. I actually want to visit Cincinnati again because somehow I’ve heard mostly wonderful things. Ohio is also on the border of Appalachia so I’ve got to give it some credit there too.

But for all that, it is still just Ohio. It outshines it’s neighbor to the west, but not nearly enough to really stand out in many ways. Central Ohio is definitely a snoozefest, but I do hope that I gave some of you a new slight appreciation for the state.