Looking to re-locate? U.S. News and World Report spent months going through dozens of criteria to determine the very best states to live.
After looking at everything from schools to health care to environment, they managed to rank all 50 states, coming up with the "Best Overall." Here are the Top 5:
1. Utah – The "Deseret" state came in strong on economy, infrastructure, and stablity, but got docked points for poor environmental controls.
2. Washington – The jewel of the Pacific Northwest earned its spot with high marks for natural environment, fiscal stability and education. "Economic opportunity"? Not so much.
3. Idaho – Our biggest potato producer came up big for low crime rates and a good economy, but lost ground because of low marks for education.
4. Nebraska – The Midwestern powerhouse gained points for its strong agricultural grounding and its commitment to education. On the downside? Crime rates and economic opportunity aren't so great.
5. Minnesota – The Land of 10,000 Lakes ranked number-one for infrastructure, and top 10 in environment and economy. It didn't fall too far short in any category.