Bob

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a...he_union_.html

Massachusetts, apparently...

Not sure I entirely agree, but it does do well in a lot of the things that count...wonder how other states stack up though.

oxonlad

As a New Yorker who lives about 30 minutes from MA, I totally disagree with that. Most economic opportunities are in the midwest, and south. To pick any state in the Northeast only means one thing. The Slate author must be from the Northeast.

Bob

I'd agree to some extent, there are certainly much better tax breaks down there, but the number of science research and tech based start ups out here along with what comes out of MIT etc is pretty impressive...

Basically who moves to MIT to study and then move back to podunk no where to try and attract top talent? They don't. They either stay here or head to California, possibly Austin, TX.

oxonlad

That sort of logic would have been 100% valid 10 years ago - but the location of where a couple of computer programmers are doing their thing, creating the next $billion company - is now irrelevant.

Most of my friends who I graduated with (from a top 40 engineering school) moved to the midwest, or further South. Some biotech friends moved to New England - but very few.

SultanOfSwing

Isn't Massachusetts a Commonwealth? How does that work then ... ?

The day Illinois ever wins that award will the exact day after the sun dies. Five billion years from now.

Bob

Software is one thing, but even so....and research is where the money and the brains are and it's hard for people to break away from a hub as people don't like being stranded when the jobs go splat.

Family folks probably are more apt to move though as it's just so expensive getting decided sized housing here, but young folks don't want to move to boringsville.

And yes, Sultan is right, it's a Commonwealth, so nothing makes sense

Giantaxe

I disagree it's irrelevant. "The next billion dollar software company" is located in... Silicon Valley. As have almost all of the last few big software IPOs. Of course, not all of their software developers work there though, so I'd agree location is less important than it once was.

nun

I agree, but I'm about as liberal as they get........unfortunately I don't have enough hair anymore to go for the ponytail.

MA is far from perfect. There's too much corruption and I don't agree with the outlook of the many socially conservative democrats in the state, but for education, health care, wages, benefits and quality of life, MA is hard to beat. Also autumn is always spectacular and Fenway Park is the best ball park in the country.

Yorkieabroad

Well I never... and I opened this expecting to see Texas named the winner

I'm curious - there is a hell of a lot of state pride here "Don't mess with Texas", "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could", Texas flags on everything from bikinis to deck chairs to farm gates, Texas/Lone Star/Longhorn edition trucks and so on. Is this the same in other states, or is it just the shy, retiring sorts around here that feel the need to try to reaffirm their allegiance at every opportunity?

SultanOfSwing

Nobody in their right mind would admit to being proud to come from Illinois

Yorkieabroad

I'm not vouching for the sanity of those from Texas either....especially the twats with the "not born/got here fast" type bumper stickers - and Brother in Law, if you're reading, yes I mean you!!!

SultanOfSwing

I've certainly not seen an Illinois equivalent. A concerning amount of confederate flags, though ...

Yorkieabroad

Round here you don't actually see as many confederate flags - a few bumper stickers and some of the good ol' boys have the back window of their truck tricked out with it, but get out in the countryside north and west of us and they are everywhere. You also see quite a few homesteads with 3 flagpoles - one for the stars and stripes, one for the lone star, and one for the Marines flag. Interesting order of honor they are flying in sometimes...

SultanOfSwing

I see lots of marines flags on houses, but never a state flag, usually those are just on county buildings or government offices.

Lion in Winter

Illinois - Flat and proud