I've been to every state and county in the USA. Here is my best/worst.

I didn't set out to visit every state and then every county in the USA. I'd always been somewhat of a wanderer, most of my family used to live states away and I'd have to fly or drive there. I love road trips. I'd often go on 2000 mile road trips for no particular reason. I'd try my best to avoid highways and instead stick to the interstate roads. That's real America.<br><br>I used to keep track of every state I'd been to. Fast forward a few years and I began to write down every county. I drew a map and the counties I'd gone to, I'd highlight. Eventually I noticed that I'd been to every county in Maryland. Then West Virginia. Then Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Philadelphia (Pennsylvania).<br><br>My interest in this activity grew and I found out that there is a name for it: County Collecting. The people that do this do so for a wide variety of reasons, but I imagine most of them do it to see real America. Not the interstate rest stop America. But the towns and villages and cities, the mountains, lakes, forests, oceans, deserts. All of real America. I'm real sure the overwhelming majority of us do it because we love road trips and the act of traveling.<br><br>So we county collectors congregate at a website. Countycollecting.com The site asks you to make an account, then you enter the counties you've been to. It gives you a percentage and a map. Then it locates other county collectors near you and you can chat with them. Most of them are older. I am 35 years old and I'm one of the younger members of the site. Most of them are wealthy and retired. They RV. That's how the majority of them do it.<br><br>I don't collect counties anymore. That's not to say I never will. I still have a lot of desire to see this country but I've been busy making money the last few years and I just moved to a different state. I don't have a car and I don't have much free time. I miss it a lot. It's an amazing hobby.<br><br>I've been to over 3000 counties. That's roughly 50%. I've been to every state. I've been to every state on the east coast except Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, I've been to every county.<br><br>I've spent years of my life on the road. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. Sometimes I'd drive for a week, other times I'd drive for months. Sometimes I'd sleep in my car, sometimes I'd stay in hotels. Sometimes I'd stay with friends. Sometimes I'd camp.<br><br>I've seen many, many beautiful sights. I've experienced an incredible amount of culture. I've had so many amazing experiences.<br><br>The USA is not one country. It's many different countries all smushed together. There are many different types of people and they live in many different ways. I've seen a lot of it.<br><br>I've never been to the Grand Canyon. Or Yellowstone. Or Yosemite. I'm not really interested in seeing those things. I didn't set out to see every landmark in America. I wanted to see every inch of it.<br><br>I've driven on every road. I've been down every street. I've been in the middle of nowhere, miles away from anyone. I've been in torrential downpours, blizzards, heat storms. I've driven through the mountains, the desert, the forest. I've been in the dark, the light, the cold, the heat.<br><br>I've seen so many beautiful things. I've seen beautiful oceans, lakes, and rivers. I've climbed mountains and gone deep into caves. I've been in the biggest cities in the world and in the smallest towns. I've walked on the biggest bridges and on real log bridges. I've driven on the biggest highways and on dirt roads. I've seen many animals. I've eaten many foods.<br><br>This has been an amazing experience. I've loved it. I will continue to do it.<br><br>So what are the best and worst states/areas? Well, that can be subjective, but I'll give you my opinion. I'll break it up into different regions. Then the top/bottom 5.<br><br>*New England*<br><br>*Maine: I've never been there. I've been to the rest of New England but I haven't been to Maine. I don't really want to go there. I've heard it's very pretty. I'll go there eventually. I'll have to because I've been to every county around it.<br><br>*Vermont, New Hampshire: These states are probably the prettiest states in the USA. They're in the Northeast. Their landscapes mainly consist of mountains. They are filled with lakes and rivers and forests. They have picturesque towns. They have amazing food. They have many craft breweries. These states are amazing.<br><br>*Massachusetts: I've been to every county in Massachusetts except Nantucket County. I'm not really sure how I would get there. They're an island. I'll go eventually. This states is very historical. It's very cool. It has many cities, the biggest being Boston. The food here is great. Boston is great. If you haven't been here, you should go.<br><br>*Connecticut, Rhode Island: I've never been to Connecticut. I've been to Rhode Island many times. It's a very cool little state. It's historical. It's an independent little place. I like it.<br><br>*Mid Atlantic*<br><br>*New York: I really didn't like this state. I found it very dirty and trashy. I've been to every county in the state except for the five boroughs of NYC. I've spent a lot of time there. I'm not big on cities. I don't like the people. It's very crowded. The cities are very dirty. It's very expensive. But there are a lot of cool things to see. I found the rest of the counties to be very nice. Very scenic. Very green. Very pretty. Niagara Falls is amazing. The Adirondacks are beautiful. The Finger Lakes region is very cool. There is a lot to do here.<br><br>*Pennsylvania: The state has a lot of history. I've been to every county in the state except Philadelphia. Philadelphia is very cool. It's real historical. Most people don't know this, but it's the largest city in the USA. The state has a lot of mountains and forests. There are many cool towns and villages in the mountains. The state has a lot of lakes. There are many rivers. It's a very nice state. I like the people.<br><br>*New Jersey: I've been to every county in New Jersey. I didn't like it. It was very dirty and trashy. It's real crowded. It's very expensive. There are a lot of cool things to see but overall I didn't like it. The people were pretty rude. I found a lot of conflict. I didn't like it. I liked Atlantic City. It's a very cool town. The boardwalk is great. The beaches are nice. There are many lakes and rivers in the state. There's a lot of stuff to do. But overall, I didn't like it.<br><br>*Maryland: I've been to every county in Maryland. Including the independent city of Baltimore. It has a lot of history. I like the people. I like their accents. The state has a lot of water. Many lakes, many rivers, Chesapeake Bay. I love the crabs. I love the Natty Light. I like the cities, I like the towns. I like the people. I like the accent. It's a great state. Baltimore is cool. Annapolis is very cool. The people are very nice. It's great.<br><br>*Washington DC: I've been many times. It's very cool. I've seen most of the sights. I've been to the capitol building many times. I've been to the Washington monument. I've walked down Pennsylvania Avenue. I've been to the different museums. I like the Smithsonian. I like the zoo. I don't like the people. They're very rude. I felt like I was in a big city, like NYC. I don't like big cities. I don't like the people. But overall, I like DC. It's very cool.<br><br>*Delaware: I've been to every county in Delaware. It's a real cool state. I've spent a lot of time there. I like the people. They're very nice. I like the accent. I like the towns and villages. I like the cities. I like the beaches. I like the boardwalk. I like Rehoboth Beach. It's an independent little place. It's real cool. There is a lot to do. They have a lot of history.