Define peaceful
That was my first thought. I've lived in the suburbs and the city and I've spent a bit of time in the middle of nowhere. A secluded lake side cabin could be peaceful but if you're there all alone in the middle of the night it's just the opening scene of a horror movie.
Probably Hawaii due to the local culture, especially if you get out of Honolulu. Otherwise Alaska due to the extremely low population density.
In the contiguous states, maybe Vermont, NH, Maine due to culture, possibly Wyoming due to low density.
i am terrified to learn that Alaska has proportionally almost double the stats of violent crime and rape per capita as the country average. turns out all that empty space does not really help.
Yeah, that's a little weird. Subjectively though, you could do the offgrid cabin-in-the-woods thing and hardly ever see another human more easily if you wanted. Statistically those people won't make a blip in the bigger picture due to how few there are, but as an individual experience it'd be difficult to find something more peaceful than that kind of Thoreau experience.
Yeah that's gonna depend heavily on where you live in Hawaii. There is aloha almost everywhere, but at the same time, Oahu in particular is one of the most expensive places to live in the world, and its not like the jobs here really pay well. The result is some very very poor local communities, and as a function of that poverty, relatively high rates of crime. Take a look at the local high schools testing scores: https://www.publicschoolreview.com/waianae-high-school-profile. About 15% of graduating Sr. can do math at their grade level and about 40% can read at the appropriate grade level (but hey that's up from around 5% and 20% respectively, so we doing alright).
You can look at the crime statistics, but I can tell you personally they are BS, because simply put, after you call the cops once around here once, you figure out quick why no one bothers with them. So these numbers are like, massively under-reported. Probably on the order of 5-10x. The feds had to step in and take over parts of the HPD because HPD is so corrupt and was on the take for the gambling and trap houses, and there are at least 5 active gambling/trap houses on just my block (after some raids last summer).
Its also a culture in some ways defined by violence. The Hawaiian people are famous and proud for their fighting ability. Max Holloway, BJ Penn, Ray Cooper, these guys are all hometown heroes and the fireworks go off pretty much every time MMA is on. Fighting here is like surfing. Kids grow up doing it so they get excellent at it.
So if you in an extremely white area of Oahu, ymmv, but its not all roses and a white washed version of aloha. If you sticking to the tourist areas, I suppose its fine, but the same would be true of a Sandals resort in the Caribbean. But that tourist areas and resorts are a specifically composed fiction, and I would argue that the same is true of the gentrified areas of Hawaii (kako ako, ala moana, etc..). The reality is that a lack of education drives poverty, poverty drives desperation, and desperation drives people to violence.
That all being said, its pretty chill. Just hope you like Biggie.
Vermont is definitely high up on the list, despite that moron shooting those poor Palestinian gentlemen recently. I have family up there and I know for a fact Burlington really pulled together for that family in the wake of the shooting.
No outdoor advertisements/billboards, very few national chains, very protective of local business, everyone is very connected with the land and their community. Vermont is awsome.
I also really liked Vermont while I lived there, and everything that you mentioned are great features. That said, the state (and much of New England) is overwhelmingly white. I am white-passing, but my spouse is not, and they felt consistently othered while we lived there. Not in an aggressive or hateful way, but in a “strangers see me as a novelty” way that you tend to get in homogenous communities. Burlington is probably a bit more diverse than the relative middle of nowhere where we lived, so your mileage may vary.
Ignorance
I live in the state of confusion, it's pretty peaceful here.
I live in that state too, and it's utter chaos over here
Have you tried being hot and wearing low cut shirts?
Denial?
(commenting as a smartass, not as a mod)
Up North, Michigan in the summer.
Probably Wyoming by definition, there are fewer people in that big ass state than there are in many big cities
common statistical error. less people equals less crime, true, but when you are an individual person seeking peace/safety as an individual the far more valuable stat is the per capita which normalizes for the population. by this measure, Maine is #1 with Wyoming at #5/50 but with double the violent crime per capita.
My recollection is that Wyoming has as many people as the northern half of Manhattan.
So far in my experience, Colorado
Am here and can confirm
☮️
I think Washington state is pretty chill, others include Montana, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire
Until recently I would have agreed, but currently things seem to be in a state of flux. There has been a lot of unprovoked violence post pandemic, and not a lot of agreement about what to do about it.
Probably Rhode Island or Delaware if your away from any seasonal nonsense.
I wouldn't say New York. I was there all of 10 hours and still managed to witness an elderly man beaten with his own cane while waiting for my bus home.
There was a shooting on a subway yesterday at a train station full of cops and National Guard, so yeah, not NY
The state doesn't really matter. Just go rural wherever the weather is nicest.
As an autistic gay person, I disagree that weather is the only determining factor in choosing a rural home. Plenty of amazing an fulfilling rural places to live, but certainly not all of them.
Solid, I'd say. Any other state will quicly lead to issues.
I am not from USA; but I read that Utah is quite friendly?
Assuming you are sincere. In the big Salt Lake City, natives are generally nice to tourists.
If you live there, you need to be white and be a devout Mormon. Getting married at 18. Having kids. Going to church. No caffeine. No drinking. Report everything and tithe heavily to the Mormon church. Give church elders a pass at anything criminal. Ignoring anyone who has left the faith.
No experience living in SLC long term but I've heard enough to trust your judgement.
That being said there are plenty of awe-inspiring places in the state, especially down south, that are pretty peaceful. The trouble there is the lack of consistent economic opportunity and overrun of tourism. Also unfortunate that those spots are typically half a day's drive or more from commercial airports.
Alaska?
