- Texas
With so much land, the vibes are spread thin, so the aura is limited. Still, Texas does house some nice cities — Houston, Austin and Dallas — and some amazing BBQ.
- Pennsylvania
If New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were siblings, New York would be the older sibling and Pennsylvania the middle child. Philadelphia is NYC’s cool best friend.
- New Jersey
Tiny but mighty. Much of the East Coast energy is condensed into this state.
- Illinois
Chicago is undoubtedly a big-three city. Apart from being a little chilly in the winter, the city skylines are to die for. Bonus points for the city’s legendary deep dish pizza.
- Washington state
Genuinely such a beautiful place — I felt on cloud nine when I visited Seattle. There’s a good mix of city and nature; hiking with Mount Rainier right in front of my eyes made the landscape feel so much more legendary.
- Alaska
There’s something so mysterious and magical about a land of glaciers with more moose and caribou than people. Plus, there’s still daylight at midnight in the summer. When I visited, hiking on glaciers was a much-needed, enriching moment to reconnect with nature. Pretty cool, right?
- Hawaii
You step off the plane, breathe in the ocean air and suddenly that Calculus test that went horribly two days ago vanishes. Relaxation and bliss equates to aura. What’s not to love about sipping from a pineapple on the beach? Enough said.
- California
Everything happens in California. Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Disneyland, the Golden Gate Bridge; California is basically the main character of the U.S. Plus, our beaches rule.
The rest of the nation can agree that California’s suspiciously perfect weather is to die for. I’m sure deep down your friends in Ohio are all jealous they aren’t Californians. The high living prices do make California lose some aura, though.
- New York
The Big Apple, Times Square, every other movie ever. Your life isn’t complete until you’ve looked down at NYC’s skyline from the Empire State Building. Go book that ticket right now! However, minus aura for having to dodge suspicious puddles on the streets or narrowly escaping kidnappings.
- Massachusetts
As the No. 1 state in education and healthcare and a PSAT Index of 225, the statistics say enough. Massachusetts is small but stacked: Boston, lobster rolls, world-class universities, New England history. The aura here is undeniable; if I wasn’t in California, I wouldn’t mind living there at all.
