I absolutely love “empty” and desolate States. Keep your cities of crime, inflated prices, traffic, and over pop. The peace and quiet of country living is amazing.
There is nothing so nice as living away from people. For me the more desolate the better. I have never had a dog, cat, or horse steal from me, report me to the town officials for my weeds being two tall, or cause any other problems. This is my main reason for loving this country, it's big and you can live alone in peace and quiet if you choose. And of course, for those who like crowds, they are there too.
I hear you! I am a country boy at heart. Where I live it is bearable. I have one close neighbor, and across the road is one more. I live 6 miles out of town. 20,000 people live in the one closest to me, and then a larger town (50,000) is next to the small one. Basically, if you don't see the city limit sign, you do not know where the first town ends and the second town begins. There are a lot of mountains around here, and a lot of quad trails to ride on. All in all, a great place to retire. I could not live in a place that dictated how high my grass was. Sadly, 2 years ago, thieves took a couple thousand dollars worth of my stuff out of my shop. I had not locked that shop for 15 years. I would like to introduce the thief to my 12 gauge. The world would one a better place without thieves in it.
I love these so called “ empty” states. I love driving through, looking at the farms, staying in the small towns, not fighting heavy traffic, watching the animals, etc. I see these as comforting and quiet….I hate the big cities and big city states. I also love the history of these states, and constantly think of the pioneers who came before, and what they had to deal with. I’d rather drive than fly….and driving through these “ flat” states relaxes me. This, to me, is real America.
Montana, just a heads up on anyone wanting to move here. -20 temps this weekend... -55 wind-chill. And be sure to look up how smokey it gets here in fire season in the summer.
@anthonykyle2429 Yep, I've bicycled across MT from east to west via the Cabinet Mtns over Glacier, across the Plains via Browning, MT; and north to south on the Divide Route off road. Talking with a bar tender outside of Wolfpoint in late June, myself fighting a head wind all day, he said, "Every summer people from the southern states come up here on vacation and hit a nice sunny day, light wind, and purchase a piece of property". "Two years later, that same piece of property is up for sale again". He also said, "The wind always blows up here, one direction or another, the wind always blows here". Smart bartender. Temps in Northern CO today are a balmy 15 deg. 🙂
Back in the 70's I was a mail delivery person in Helena, MT. One year it stayed below 0 for the entire month of December. I was so bundled up when I went out on my walking route, wearing a knitted face masks, ski pants and parka that I once had a boy say to me," I can't tell if you are a boy or a girl"! I am a girl and grew up in Alaska as a kid and teenager. If you live in these places you just need to dress for the weather and keep your car and house weather proofed. I live in a small town in Western WA now and I love the weather here along with the trees and waterways. Unfortunately places like this start growing and then get overpopulated. But for now I am happy here.
I heard people describe Kansas as flat and mind-numbingly boring. Maybe along the interstate; but I rode a Honda Helix 250cc scooter across Kansas along US-36 and found the endless rolling hills beautiful and calming. Hills rolling east to west and streams zigzagging through what looked like interlocking fingers north to south. Lovely nature. Enjoyed perfectly clear weather with no distractions, radio, music or anything.
I've lived in Kansas the past 30 years, it's common for people to complain "Kansas it flat", that's an outright myth. I've been to plenty of other states that are far flatter and boring for huge swaths of the state. In my area it's tough to find flat ground outside of the Kansas River valley.
Been in all of the states mentioned. Kansas trip was usually in August when we were kids because of Dad's vacation schedule. It's actually a beautiful state if you go in the right season. He was born and raised in/around Stockton and his parents lived in Lincoln, but they usually bailed for the kids living on the west coast when winter hit. I think if you look into South Dakota, you might find that a fair number of citizens are registered there but live on the road. The state makes it very easy to do that. I could probably find a spot in each one of these states to set up house with the hardest one being Alaska due to travel requirements. Nebraska would come in last on my list, lol, I got chased through that state by a tornado and I'm still holding a grudge..
I live in Omaha. There are many beautiful spots in Nebraska; I-80 is through the boring part, and I like to say, that’s on purpose, so people will keep going and not move to here. 😁
Don't hate tornadoes cause they're swirly. 😄 I was almost engulfed in a tornado in Kansas a little more than 50 years ago. Scared the living bejeebers out of me. When I was a kid, we'd visit my grandmother in the middle of the summer. Coming from Colorado, Kansas was like a hair shirt to be withstood. We'd spend all day at the neighbor's house because they had ice-cold air conditioning. Then we'd have to come back to my nana's house for dinner. She had one large but useless floor fan, and she'd serve a steaming hot dinner every night. Still, I adored her and I loved Kansas.
Kansas farms are largely one man and a very large piece of equipment. I disagree with you when you call it flat though. Traveling east to west across Kansas, you gradually ascend over 3000 feet. And if you've ever tried to ride a bicycle through the Flint hills, you'd know that Kansas is NOT all flat.
Lived and worked in Skagway, Alaska for a long summer. The country around there for hundreds of miles is pretty much straight up and straight down. It is also pretty much impenetrable forest. Spectacular, but hard to get into. The huge valley just to the south is, as are all of the valleys on the inlet, accessible by boat but very hard to get to on foot. I climbed way up above Skagway and walked crosscountry to that valley in the hope of seeing a way down into it. Steep forested walls going down into dark impenetrable forest. Spectacular, foreboding and empty.
My grandfather was from Nebraska, enlisted in the Navy after WWI was well over and took a train to San Diego CA for boot camp. He had never ridden a train before that. His youngest brother also enlisted and served during WWII, was in the battle at guadal canal. Crazy to think about how much different it used to be. I mean think about it, he was raised by the Civil war generation and I was lucky enough to be partially raised by him since my Dad skipped out. Strict and religious but fair values.
@markwilliams WV is a very RED state! It is very poor, and has many drug addicts! Now they are addicted to 45! 🤔😳🤣😂🤣😂🌊♀️🌊♀️🌊♀️🌊♀️🌊♀️🌊♀️♀️♀️♀️♀️♀️♀️♀️♀️♀️♀️♀️
This was an interesting video. For some reason , I didn't know that our government owned that much land in Nevada. I find that a bit spooky for some reason.
It's not. A lot of it is BLM land. For other states a lot was released so people could farm or ranch on that land, that isn't really possible in large areas of Nevada due to lack of water, so the BLM still owns that land. Water rights is a serious issue in many parts. Other land is owned by the military (Air Force, Navy, and the Army has an ammo depot), or the nuclear test site, and of course that one particular Area. Other land is wildlife refuges, a National Park, and National Forests.
It is land people can't live on anyway: barren with no water. If you've never been to Nevada (outside Las Vegas) it's like walking on an alien world---all rocks, dust, and seemingly lifeless.
When I was younger I lived in Alaska, Montana, and South Dakota and Idaho. It was in the 60's nd 70's and all were a great place to live. Now these states have grown quite a bit. I actually loved life back then because people were way more friendlier and trusting. I used to hitchhike across the country and even though I was an attractive girl in my 20's I never had a bad experience and always got rides with very nice people. It is a different country now and I would not want my daughter doing some of the things I did back then. Sigh....
It didn't have much to start with the dust bowl was shortly after they forced all the native off the land they forced them on in the first place also known as the land run. Also oklahoma has a pretty big population especially around okc and Tulsa as those areas (at least okc) are part of the top half of population by county I believe and it isn't far from texas
Then again, it was also in the 1930s when they discovered the (now-quickly-depleting!) Ogalalla Aquifer, which gave a lot of that region a new chance to increase crop productivity and draw more population. Nebraska does have the semi-arid Sandhills area in its northwestern region, which helps to explain why it's less-populated than nearby farming states like Kansas and Iowa
@@Zalis116 the Sand Hills are also in the center of the state. Broken Bow is in the Sand Hills. The Ogalalla aquifer actually underlies the Sand Hills, and is right there on the surface of the soil in many places, in moist times of year. Some farmers in the Sand Hills use center pivot irrigation to grow corn or soybeans, but more east and fewer west. The Sand Hills are actually more suited to being cattle range than growing any crops. (I’m a Nebraskan, and I love the Sand Hills! 💝)
Aloha Kakahiaka or good morning! In Hawaii there’s too much people for such small group of islands. I live on the main island O’ahu in Honolulu where majority of the jobs are. Way too many people per square mile which means no privacy in Honolulu. I could buy a house in one of those states and live in the middle of nowhere. Only the driving to get to the nearest city would be the sacrifice. For medical, dental, food and other services. You sacrifice something to gain something. Mahalo nui loa Briggs!!!
I’ve lived in Alaska 45 years and had a blast. The golden years were the 1980s when the state had more money than they knew what to do with and most oil field jobs started over $50,000 a year.
@@Leftists_are_Losers I can see the great lake from my window, the weather changes fast on Gitche Gumee! We're expecting a storm today but that's supposed to be further inland
@@FinnSwede906 I can throw a frisbee from my front yard and have it land in Lake Superior.. so I too deal with lake effect snow. And we are about to get slammed by the same storm. I think. Good luck!
Great video (as usual!) but I was expecting my beloved adopted state of Maine to be on this list. We have way more trees and lakes than people, and you could fit all the other New England states inside our borders w/room left over. It's one of the things I love about it. Where did Maine fall on your list? Or Vermont (another sparsely populated state), for that matter? Thank you. LOVE these videos!
I have lived in 4 states. Oregon, (born there), Washington, Nevada, and California. I am not a people person, so I was only able to stay in Cali for 4 years. I use to like Oregon, but not so much any more. I loved Nevada. I could ride my ATVs until the wheels fell off. I then put them back on and rode some more. Then I moved to Idaho. This by far my favorite state. Lots of mountains, and I love mountains. I drove through Kansas once, and you could not pay me to live there! I have found that the people in all 4 states to be nice for the most part. Portland Oregon was always a crap hole. I thanked my lucky stars that I never had to live there. In Cali, I lived in San Diego, and as far as southern Cali is concerned, San Diego is the crown jewel, but there were just too many people for this country boy. I will most likely stay in Idaho until I die, and that is ok. I have no desire to go anywhere else. The winters are cold, but the spring and fall are gorgeous. If the summer gets too hot, all I need to do is go to the mountains.
If you love mountains, you need to at least take a vacation to Alaska. Just moved from WA to AK May 2023. Video doesn't do justice for the mountains here. It puts the PNW mountains to shame. Nothing compares to the beauty here. Not even CO can beat the mountains here.
@@Dwayne-mb2uj Ok. I am just lazy and don't want to type the whole word out. I did live there for 4 long years. As far as making them cringe, I don't care. They will get over it. If they don't get over it, I guess that they will die unhappy. AND, I still won't care. Would you prefer me to call it Commiefornia? That is pretty much what millions of Americans call it, me included!
Heh, I’m the opposite. I was raised in Shanghai for the first few years of my life, so I can’t stand rural areas. Much as I like exploring state and national parks, I can’t live in an empty place with so few people for very long. I’m definitely a city boy at heart, but I get where you’re coming from. Hard disagree with you on California’s politics, but no need to get so fussed up about a place you no longer live in.
@@BuilderofRat California is the 6th largest economy in the world with less than 40M people. Its economy is built upon intellect and creativity (hint: Hollywood and Silicon Valley). If you don't have the intellect or competitive juices you move elsewhere.
If you exclude urban counties it changes how empty some places are. Low rural density is Alaska, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming. Some places, no one even lives in rural areas.
A lot of things change when you exculde urban counties. Like crime rate, taxes, friendliness, etc. Most everything gets better when you exclude urban areas. If only we could fence them off or something.
@@happilybakedand yet the urban areas would eat … what(?) … if it wasn’t for the rural areas … personally I’ll take the food and freedom of the rural spaces …
I think we all knew Alaska by far had the lowest population density. But a fun fact about that, so in Alaska, their counties are called Boroughs, and the borough with the lowest population density, aka the lowest population density county-equivalent in the US, the Koyukuk borough, covers 147,000 square miles through central Alaska, which is about the same size as Montana, and only has 5,179 residents in that whole area. That is crazy to think about. Even Alaska’s North Slope borough that covers the state’s arctic tundra, has a bigger population density than the Koyukuk, albeit not by much. I just happened to do research on this randomly one night back around Thanksgiving time, and it stuck in my head. Figured I’d share it here. And gee, I’ve always felt like many of the counties in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula felt so remote and sparsely populated when I’ve visited them, an example being Luce County, of which I’ve been on road trips where we drove through Luce County from the small town of Newberry 30ish miles up to the Lake Superior shoreline, with that entire 30 mile distance being remote wilderness. But I bet even Luce County would be like a metropolis compared to many of Alaska’s boroughs, which are much bigger in size. I haven’t looked up the stats for Luce County to compare with, but it’s personally one of the most remote areas I’ve personally been to, and to think there are places out there that are far more remote and sparsely populated is crazy
I worked there over six years along the Dalton. Most of the villages are pretty small. The Mat Su has grown. It is about 25,000 square miles and in 1980 there were about 17,000 people, now there are about 113,000 people.
I've been through all the states mentioned except Alaska and have lived in Wyoming. Also been through a lot more states having grown up in the military and having family on the east coast. I love the serenity, sense of freedom and the people I've met. It is amazing to stand out on a prairie, a slight breeze blowing and seeing for miles and miles. Sometimes getting to see a herd of antelope running. I don't have to worry about being accosted, crime, seeing unfriendly people and the constant, non-stop noise like New York City, L.A., Boston. My "guard" isn't up 24/7. I remember back in the '70's Wyoming had a really bad blizzard. Bad as in snow up to the 2nd floor windows of our house. People were stranded out on the highway. After the snow stopped, ranchers from all around made their way to the highway - some in snow mobiles, some on horses..... and started rescuing stranded drivers. Pick them up and take them to their homes. It took several days to clear the snow off the roads. If the ranchers hadn't helped these people, they would have been frozen to death. Another time in Wyoming, word got out that a huge motorcycle gang - I think it was the Hell's Angels -was travelling to get to the east coast. They decided that they were going to stop in Cheyenne for a few days. Next thing we knew, the ranchers and other people, met the Hell's Angels at the border between Colorado and Wyoming and told them in no uncertain terms that they were not going to be laid up in Cheyenne for a few days. They escorted the gang straight through Wyoming to the Nebraska border. You can have the big cities and all the troubles that come with it.
Shhhh! I live in Kansas and I believe it’s one of the best kept secrets. Drive across Kansas on I70 and it is flat and boring. You guys just keep going. Those of us living here know it’s a great place to live.
I agree. The Oregon Trail went through the State. You can still see the wagon wheel ruts to this day!! Also, Western Nebraska is absolutely beautiful....the Sandhills are INSANE! I've traveled through there (Hwy 2) on my cycle...headed to the Black Hills several times! Beautiful State!
Also, makes no mention of the union pacific, sure St Louis was the gate way to the west for trails. But Omaha was the gateway to the west for trains and railroads. Omaha Union Pacific still basically controls half of all rails west of the mississippi and BNSF controls the other half. BNSF used to be headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska but moved to Dallas. But the BNSF company is a subsidiary of Omaha Berkshire Hathaway. So essentially Omaha has the primary influence of basically all the freight rail network west of the mississippi
Texas is 4 or 5 states in itself. Most Texans live in a major metro. Outside of the big cities the Texas population density is low. Two million live in East Texas, but its huge and there is sufficient water to support a much larger population. Lots of trees. Being located between Dallas and Houston, parts of ET could grow significantly if infrastrucure can be built. The original Spanish settlement was in Nacogdoches in ET but the natives were basically cannibals so the Spanish relocated to San Antonio. If the panhandle and West Texas were separate states they would mostly be empty.
Briggs, Please take a winter hands on field trip to all the northern states during the heart of winter. Then I would love to get your feedback of whether you will still rank them so high on you livability scale.
My family homesteaded in western Nebraska on the North Platte river, the Oregon Trail. I can show you places there that you would never think would be in the state.
California will always have a high population. Coastal state with beautiful weather and every type of climate you could want. You are just an extreme right winger and blame California for all our problems.
On my recent trip to Kansas from California. I thought the drive was beautiful and interesting. On the way back I stopped in Meade KS for some gas and thought I would head south to check out the Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo. That drive south was pretty quiet but not as featureless as the drive from the Cadillac Ranch to Tucumcari New Mexico, we're talking boring, you can actually see the curvature of the Earth on that section of road.
As someone from portugal (a very small country in comparison lool) i've always been fascinated with how big america is with it's seemingly endless states like the ones mentioned etc... seems very peaceful! One could easily end his days there!
It is big enough to find any life style you choose. But I believe Portugal is a lovely place, too. As a matter of fact, this whole earth is a jewel in all of the universe.
You mention the ruggedness of Idaho....Sitting here in northern Idaho as I watch your video. It's been snowing for three days, we're now up to a couple feet. I've cleared the 1/2 mile drive down off the mountain twice since this storm started and need to go do it again. It's currently -4F and we'll be at these temps for a few days. We got out yesterday with the Jeep (4-wheel drive with studded snow tires) after I spent 3 hours clearing snow. If we take the 4-wheel drive Ford F-250 I have to put chains on the back to get out then put them back on when we come back in even if the road is snow blowed (snow blowed? snow blown?). Oh, and between the federal and state government right at 2/3rds of Idaho is owned by the government.
My dad would drive us around northern Idaho given family roots (mostly in Spokane, but it includes northern Idaho). They have...sandpoint, bonners ferry, priest lake, did I miss anything? Very beautiful up there. I remember going bear watching at night in priest lake when I was a kid.
@@seanmcdirmid We're a little bit south of that, in the Silver Valley area, about 30 minutes from Coeur D'alene. But, were at 3,000ft which is the same elevation as the pass so we get quite a bit of snow. Absolutely stunning in the winter with the snow covered cedar and douglas fir tree covered mountains. Like a scene from a calendar but it comes at a cost. We get a lot of precipitation, mostly as snow. Long winters (cabin fever is a real thing) but I just tell my wife, that's why we don't have all those ugly pine trees (pines require much less water) and 'all sun makes a desert'. :) We regularly have deer coming through. Occasional moose and elk and have had a mountain lion cruise right past our place twice. There's a black bear somewhere about 400 yards away but I haven't found the den. Just smelled it and the carrion. It's is a beautiful place to be and live but there's definitely a personal cost.
@@savannahsmiles1797 I have a friend that lives down that way (Meridian area). He told me a couple days ago the temp had plummeted....so I figured it was headed this way. I've been down there a couple times, the constant wind would drive me crazy.
I live in downtown Omaha. It’s easy for me to get frustrated and claustrophobic with how disgusting and crowded the city is (came here from rural Idaho for school). Always surprises me. I can drive four minutes on the belt route (680) headed northeast into Iowa and be in desolate middle of nowhere before a song even finished playing. It’s wild. Problem is it’s farms not public land so still not a lot to do.
I live in iowa. About 2 hours from Omaha and yeah to really have fun out here you gotta know somone who has land so you can do fun stuff like fourwheeler, dirt biking, fishing and so on
Vacant land doesn't equal suitability to support a larger population. In addition, overcrowding almost always leads to a lower standard of living. I can see the cost/challenges of living in rural areas becoming high enough in the future that only the wealthy will be able to do it.
My brother love baseball so he travels everywhere to see games and also pre season called the "cactus league". He Hayes NM almost as much as LA California and ATL GA. He does like Durango in the north part of the state but who doesn't. I think he said there is nothing to do on Santa Fe, it's over priced, the weather sucks and it's people are boring.
@@vextract4662 I don't want to live in the major cities, just a small town. Been looking at Clayton. Looks nice and I like it's positioning, being close to 3 other states.
I moved from Washington to Alaska May 2023. Some things are more expensive but overall is similar to Washington. Washington is due to high tax and Alaska is due to shipping costs. Chips and soda are extremely expensive here, which is why we hardly buy them now - good for our diet and health I guess.
That is true although I appreciate having public land to shoot on, hike, ride, and ect. Although there can be a happy medium and NV and UT has way too much land owned by the feds.
As someone from NC, Wyoming is in my top 3 to places I would move to if given the opportunity. It’s such a beautiful state that’s slept on and with great people.
Spend a winter there before you move there permanently. I lived in the High Sierras for decades so I can handle deep snow, but Wyoming cold is too much for me.
I love how the opening shot for Alaska is the native village of Nenana. It’s located 60 miles south of Fairbanks. As for industry, we have oil & gas, lumber, mining, & fishing. We have the world’s largest Zinc mine, but you’d never know it from the air as it’s all underground. Fairbanks support 2 booming gold mines, as well as 2 military bases. Ally of Alaskas land is locked up by the Federal Government. Also, we have a lot of untapped oil wells that the current Presidential Administration won’t let us pull from.
I grew up in Anchorage , Alaska from 1961 to 1977. The main "C" street wasn't paved until after the 1964 earthquake when Federal assistance actually upgraded many roads. A small population made it so that the death toll was low for the amount of destruction that took place after a 9.2 quake along with a big Tsunami which destroyed many small towns and villages. In 1970 the population exploded along with much construction with the advent of the big oil pipeline construction starting. I had many friends who made big money then. The whole state grew and it was forever changing from then on. I haven't been there since 1991 when I helped my mom move down to Wahington state to be close to me. I loved living in Alaska and hope it is still the friendly and great place to live.
The answer is pretty simple. Many of these places are very difficult to live in even with our modern technologies. Human beings have always sought comfort in climate, commerce, structure of families and communities, etc.
@@olanderdecastro52 It's age dependent. If you're young and not in need of much medical it's much easier. As one ages an hour drive to a doctor turns into a hassle. The idea that these places are uninhabitable is false and rural areas offer a lot of benefits not found in larger cities.
@@EricDurrant-k5z Actually it is. As I stated before the Feds own a lot of it and unless you can forego access to the conveniences of modern life, especially medical, it's tough as you'll be very isolated.
I knew it as soon as the video started that Alaska would be ranked number one for the lowest population density. You should’ve mentioned that the population changes more radically with the seasons than any other state because of tourism. Skagway ‘s population grows something like 900% during the cruise season.
It’s sort of mentioned in each state, but for both KS and NE most of the people in each state live in the handful of big cities. In NE I believe @ 85% of the pop lives in either the Omaha or Lincoln metro areas, and in KS it’s about 85% live in either the KC ‘burbs or Wichita metro. The population in Omaha and the KC ‘burbs in particular are booming. But leave those 4 metro areas and it is very very empty
I'm from North Dakota and what you said about the governor made me bust out laughing. I can't wait to leave this state soon. The cold weather is killing me..
Nicky Santoro would disagree about your synopsis of Nevada. You had to have the hole already dug. If not if someone showed up, you had to dig another hole. You could be there all fookin night.
Yes, it's true that most of the land in Nevada is owned by the federal government. I live in a small town in Southern Nevada and the land west of me (they're mountains) are owned by BLM (Bureau of Land Management).
Grocery prices in Barrow, AK are high due to being the northernmost city in America, faraway from the rest of Alaska much less the lower 48. So be thankful for what you have.
KS is terrible to drive thru. Major drug issues in that state. My number call for worst state in the union, dead last. Now WY is very cool, will visit as often as I can!
And with all the local drug problems, the police still had to be told they cannot stop people just for driving through from states where marijuana is legal. Just stay out of Kansas. That's my motto.
I'm not sure population density in Nevada is so low because of federal government ownership of land. I think it's because if you're not in Vegas or in Reno or dealing with UFOs there's no reason to be there.
rwg1811. Actually not very many people could live in the government controlled land. Too harsh, no water, poor soil, no reason to live there. Still a great state but I wish California would annex Las Vegas and Reno would quit growing.
Kansas is empty? Sir, with all due respect, please note my uncle lives in Kansas. Kansas is most certainly not empty. Aside from this error, I enjoyed your video.
