Iowa Was Ranked One of the Least Beautiful States in the U.S.
The people that came up with this list don't seem to be big fans of the Midwest!
In a new article from the website Thrillist titled, "All 50 States, Ranked by Their Beauty," a panel of writers attempted to place the states in order of most beautiful to least beautiful. Not surprisingly, Iowa was ranked almost dead last, coming in ahead of only Kansas, Indiana, and Illinois. The article reads:
"Iowa may be flat as hell and, well, kinda boring. But it supports a lot of green living things, and it sure looks nice when the lights go down. Iowa sunsets never get old."
They're not wrong about the sunsets, but as the saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." We may not be able to compete with vast mountain ranges or huge lakes or lush forests, but I truly do believe Iowa is still beautiful in its own understated way. If you've never spent any time here, you'd have no way of knowing it. Before I moved here, I thought Iowa was just one big cornfield! To be fair, a lot of it is, but who says that cornfields can't be beautiful? Here are some photos I've taken the past few years that I think really show Iowa's beauty:
Photos That Show the Beauty of Iowa
Some of the other Midwest states that didn't do too hot include Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri, and North Dakota. If you're wondering which states Thrillist named the most beautiful, the top five are:
- California
- Hawaii
- Alaska
- Utah
- Colorado
You can check out the rankings for all 50 states HERE.