My Favorite US States (Honest Personal Picks)
I've spent so many hours researching US states for this game that I feel like I have a personal relationship with each one of them at this point. Some states I genuinely got fascinated by, others I respect but don't find that interesting, and a few completely surprised me. Here are my honest picks — and I want to be clear, this is just my opinion. If your state isn't on here, don't take it personally.
My Top 5 Favorites
🏔️ Colorado — Mountains Meet City Life
Something about Colorado just seems perfect to me. You've got Denver, which is a modern, growing city — and then literally an hour away you're in the Rocky Mountains skiing or hiking. When I was building the Colorado state page for this site, I ended up spending way too long reading about towns like Aspen and Boulder. The whole lifestyle of "work in the city, weekend in the mountains" appeals to me in a way that's probably unrealistic, but still.
Also, Colorado is a perfect rectangle on the map. As someone who had to code the SVG boundaries for every state, I deeply appreciate a state with straight lines. Thank you, Colorado.
🌊 Oregon — The Underrated West Coast
Everyone talks about California, but Oregon might be the more interesting state. Portland is this weird, creative city with a culture completely different from LA or San Francisco. And the Oregon coastline — if you've ever seen photos — is absolutely dramatic. Cliffs, foggy beaches, sea stacks jutting out of the water. It looks like a movie set. I think if more people knew about Oregon, it would get way more attention than it does.
🎵 Louisiana — A State With Its Own Identity
Louisiana doesn't feel like any other American state. The food, the music, the history — it's basically its own country within a country. New Orleans alone could keep you busy for a lifetime. Cajun and Creole culture is this fascinating mix of French, African, and Spanish influences that you literally cannot find anywhere else in the world. When I wrote the section about American culture for this site, I kept coming back to Louisiana examples because they're just so much more flavorful (both literally and figuratively) than anywhere else.
🌲 Montana — Big Sky Country For Real
Montana is interesting because it's one of those states where the landscape defines everything. It's called "Big Sky Country" and apparently that's not marketing — the sky there really does look bigger because the terrain is so flat and wide. Glacier National Park is in Montana, and it's considered one of the most beautiful places in the entire country. For a state with barely over a million people, it holds a lot of natural treasure.
In the game, Montana is actually one of the trickier northwestern states because people confuse it with Idaho and Wyoming. But on the map, it's the big one at the top that borders Canada.
🏛️ Massachusetts — Where American History Lives
If you're into history at all, Massachusetts is incredible. The American Revolution basically started there — Boston, Lexington, Concord, Plymouth Rock. Harvard, MIT, and a bunch of other famous universities are there. And then you've got Cape Cod, which is this beautiful sandy peninsula sticking out into the Atlantic. Massachusetts packs more history, education, and coastline into a small state than most large states manage.
My honest confession: Even after all this research, I still can't reliably tell you which New England state is which without checking the map. I know Massachusetts because of Boston. I know Maine because it's the one at the very top. But Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire? I have to actively think about it every time. There are just too many small states crammed into that corner, and my brain refuses to permanently memorize the layout.
States That Completely Surprised Me
Alaska. I knew Alaska was big, but I didn't know it was THAT big. When I was coding the distance calculations for the game, the numbers from Alaska were so large I thought my formula was broken. It's over 2,000 miles from the southern tip of Alaska to the northern tip. The state has more coastline than all the other 49 states combined. And it has something like 100,000 glaciers. These numbers don't even feel real.
Utah. I always thought of Utah as just desert, but it turns out it has some of the most insane landscapes in the country. Five national parks in one state — Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef. The photos look like they're from another planet. Red rock formations, natural stone arches, winding canyons... Utah went from a "I could never find this on a map" state to "I really want to see this" state for me.
Michigan. Nobody told me Michigan was TWO PIECES. There's the main part (the "mitten") and then there's the Upper Peninsula way up north, separated by water. When I was building the SVG map, I was so confused — I thought the file was corrupted. Nope, that's just what Michigan looks like. It's like the state broke in half and nobody bothered to fix it.
The "Most Underrated" Award Goes To...
New Mexico. Seriously. This state gets overlooked by everyone, and I don't understand why. Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in America, founded in 1610 — that's a decade before the Pilgrims even landed at Plymouth Rock. The art scene is apparently amazing, the food (green chile everything) is unique, and the landscape looks like a painting. Plus, the whole alien conspiracy thing with Roswell? That's in New Mexico. The state has culture, mystery, and beauty, and nobody talks about it.
Every state has something that makes it unique if you look close enough. That's honestly the biggest thing I've learned from building this game. Even states that seem "boring" on the surface — looking at you, Nebraska and Kansas — have these incredible backstories and hidden gems once you actually bother to learn about them.
Maybe that's the real point of Globle USA. Not just to learn WHERE the states are, but to get curious about WHAT they are. And if this article makes you curious about even one state you never thought about before, then I've done my job.