re: If you HAD to move to one of these 5 states, which would you go and why?

Texas or Tennessee.

Texas has a can do attitude. Tennessee is more of a get it done, but we're not in that much of a hurry. You'd feel very comfortable with 95% of the people in either state.

Massachusetts, OTOH, you'd be hard pressed to find folks who wouldn't look down on you, being from the south. Fiugre on a percent corruption charge on everything. There are some good folks there, mostly looking to move out.

Upper New York state. Great people, but cold, really cold in winter and winter lasts a long long time. Your vote won't count and you'll hate the cities controlling the state (aka flyover country)

Ohio....great soil for gardening. Good people outside of the cesspools that are there cities. Be prepared to cheer for whoever is chosen to dot the script "i" and say THE Ohio State. Really well established gang activity and Cinncinnatti problems of a city where the commute is in and most workers live outside. Also Cinn had a problem with perps and assumed perps being shot and riots ensued. Lots of liberals and you might get tired of hearing people slam "hillbillies" (if you were to substitute other minority pejoratives, they'd fire you....just if you were thinking of working at Pill Hill.)