Best County in Your State

[webny99]

Because I'm having so much fun with the "worst county" thread, why not give this a try as well?
For New York in terms of scenery I'd go Hamilton or Essex, in terms of overall diversity it's really tough to pick, with a lot of good candidates.

(A quick search didn't reveal that this has been done before; if there is a past thread and I missed it, then please feel free to merge.)

[NWI_Irish96]

I feel like Lake Michigan is too nice a feature to not pick one of the three Indiana counties that have shoreline, and of those three, Porter is likely a consensus to be the best.

Brown County deserves honorable mention for the scenery, and Marion County for having a lot to offer while not having the same volume of downside as most large cities.

[Max Rockatansky]

Mono County is really hard to beat in terms of what we have in California.  Lots of great outdoor oriented destinations in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Inyo County is right up there too for pretty much the same reasons.  Some of my other favorites include; Sierra, Alpine, Mariposa, and Humboldt.  Having cool places to go, fun roads to drive, and a lack of people are all high priorities for me. 

[Flint1979]

For Michigan I'm going with Keweenaw. It's peaceful and remote and includes Isle Royale as well as Copper Harbor. It was my favorite Michigan county when I was finishing up the state earlier this year. Other Michigan counties that are up there are Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Antrim, Emmet and Charlevoix.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Cook is my favorite Minnesota county, the most pristine Superior shoreline in the state all but free of the grunge of Duluth and the other shoreline cities.

The caveat though, it has next to nothing for extra amenities. Need a new computer? Want to see a movie? Gotta go the 80-110 miles to Duluth.

[hbelkins]

I've often thought about this in terms of Kentucky. I lean to Pulaski. Somerset has a lot of amenities, but the town isn't too big. There's a lot of rural area in the county, and the terrain is varied. There's flat to rolling farmland, and also mountains.

Rowan is another county I really like. Morehead is a growing town, due to the university and the interstate. It's halfway between Lexington and Ashland/Huntington, but there are a lot of rural areas away from town and the main roads. It's also the transition between the Knobs area (rolling hills) and mountains in the Appalachian foothills.

[Rothman]

NY is the best county in NY.  Economic and cultural engine of the world.

[vdeane]

Because I'm having so much fun with the "worst county" thread, why not give this a try as well?
For New York in terms of scenery I'd go Hamilton or Essex, in terms of overall diversity it's really tough to pick, with a lot of good candidates.

(A quick search didn't reveal that this has been done before; if there is a past thread and I missed it, then please feel free to merge.)

I'd go with Essex.  It has the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, Lake Champlain, half of Ausable Chasm, Whiteface Mountain, and the most scenic touring routes in the state.

And, for Star Trek fans, there's the Original Series Set Tour in Ticonderoga.

[Ned Weasel]

NY is the best county in NY.  Economic and cultural engine of the world.

Best for everything except driving and affording a place to live, probably.

[thspfc]

Best county to live in is probably Dane, Waukesha, Washington, or Ozaukee.

[webny99]

NY is the best county in NY.  Economic and cultural engine of the world.

Best for everything except driving and affording a place to live, probably.

And for actually being a nice place to live.

[Roadgeekteen]

Love my home county but I'm going with Berkshire.

[GaryV]

A favorite for me to visit is Chippewa, but I can be convinced of almost any county in the UP.

[JayhawkCO]

I'll go Chaffee County, Colorado.  A couple of cool little mountain towns (Salida, Buena Vista), lots of great scenery, not too crowded, but also not too far from Denver or the Springs.

Chris

[Rothman]

Love my home county but I'm going with Berkshire.

Meh.  Berkshire's got Pittsfield and North Adams.  I'm going with Hampshire.

[CoreySamson]

I'll have to go with Bexar County. Here's why:

Weather: Not ideal, but here you don't really have to worry about tornadoes or hurricanes like most of the rest of Texas. Plus it's not too humid, either. Yeah, it's hot, and flash flooding is a real threat, but still better than the rest of Texas.

Attractions: Here you've got SeaWorld, Six Flags, the Riverwalk, Schlitterbahn, the San Antonio Spurs, the biggest Buc-ee's in the world, and the Texas state capitol in close proximity.

History: The Alamo is located here, and many historic missions are nearby.

Location: Located relatively close to the center of Texas, from here it's a fairly reasonable drive to the Hill Country, Houston, Dallas, or the beach. Also has nice hills, especially on the NW side.

[kphoger]

For New York, I'd go with Orleans County.  I've been looking at it online a lot recently.

* kphoger ducks for cover.

[webny99]

For New York, I'd go with Orleans County.  I've been looking at it online a lot recently.

Yes, but:

Best County in Your State

[Rothman]

For New York, I'd go with Orleans County.  I've been looking at it online a lot recently.

Yes, but:

Best County in Your State

I am switching mine to Orleans, then.

[Roadgeekteen]

Love my home county but I'm going with Berkshire.

Meh.  Berkshire's got Pittsfield and North Adams.  I'm going with Hampshire.

Hampshire is nice too, all the counties west of Worcester are (expect Hampdem)

[webny99]

Yes, but:

Best County in Your State

I am switching mine to Orleans, then.

... because ...

[Rothman]

Yes, but:

Best County in Your State

I am switching mine to Orleans, then.

... because ...

Because it's obviously the best.  Low real estate prices, still on the shore, nice and quiet, far enough away from the dump that is Rochester...the reasons abound.

[dlsterner]

I'm actually moving to New York state - Orleans County to be precise - just because it is the best county in the state.

[noelbotevera]

Orleans County Block Party, to be held on April 31st, 2021, anyone?

Serious answer: I'll go with McKean County and Northumberland County for PA. McKean has Kinzua Bridge, one of my favorite state parks. It's also adjacent to Potter County, which has my favorite drive in PA (PA 44) and one of my favorite state parks (Cherry Springs - I really need to go up there for stargazing one of these days, it's a hobby I enjoy). Northumberland contains Knoebels - I like it far more than Hersheypark and I will die on this hill - and is next to everyone's favorite ghost town (Centralia, though it's in Columbia County).

For NY: Schuyler County. Watkins Glen. Game, set, match.

[Scott5114]

Orleans County Block Party, to be held on April 31st, 2021, anyone?

No good for me, I'm going to the Quindaro road meet–could we move it up to the 1st of that month?