Best County in Your State

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I'm picking Bayfield County for my state.
Nice and large, so there's a variety of landscapes, plus it has most of our Lake Superior coast.  I like doing stuff outdoors and a huge selection of that stuff is in that county.

I'd take Bayfield over Door too for the reason it's more scenic and less nationally famous.

What about Ashland County? Surely that has to be in the running too, being home to most of the Apostle Islands.

As dicussed above, Ashland has Ashland, so no.

Hmm, OK. I must've missed that. Either that or it was in another thread.

Yeah, that was actually in the Worst County thread.

[ET21]

I would nominate Jo Daviess county for IL. The Driftless area and small town vibes brings out some scenic driving but you could make a case for some of the river counties in the state. Runner up would be LaSalle for the Illinois Valley and Starved Rock

[Rothman]

I'm picking Bayfield County for my state.
Nice and large, so there's a variety of landscapes, plus it has most of our Lake Superior coast.  I like doing stuff outdoors and a huge selection of that stuff is in that county.

I'd take Bayfield over Door too for the reason it's more scenic and less nationally famous.

What about Ashland County? Surely that has to be in the running too, being home to most of the Apostle Islands.

As dicussed above, Ashland has Ashland, so no.

Hmm, OK. I must've missed that. Either that or it was in another thread.

Yeah, that was actually in the Worst County thread.

"Above" is subjective.

[triplemultiplex]

What about Ashland County? Surely that has to be in the running too, being home to most of the Apostle Islands.

Ashland County is mostly great, too.  Penokee Range, Copper Falls, wild forests, Madeline Island.  The city's actually just fine, in my opinion.  Yeah it's older and rust-belty, but it's got the bay and some neat old building stock.  Big fan of South Shore Brewery; the first microbrewery up north.
I give the edge to Bayfield County because it has more interior lakes, the coast is more rugged and it contains a handful of my own personal favorite fishin' holes.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I've quite enjoyed the Bayfield apple festival (first weekend in October) the couple times I've gotten to go.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've quite enjoyed the Bayfield apple festival (first weekend in October) the couple times I've gotten to go.

Been there myself to that.  I just really enjoy WI 13 and the shoreline in Bayfield County in general. 

[Ketchup99]

Not sure who wins Pennsylvania, but Allegheny is definitely in contention.

[US 89]

I'm having a hard time coming up with one for Utah - most counties have a good mix of scenery but there's not really one that stands out above others. Simply as far as landscape diversity is concerned, Box Elder County might win - it has a little bit of just about everything Utah has to offer except for high alpine terrain and interesting large cities (though Brigham City southward is more and more becoming an Ogden-SLC exurb).

[Rothman]

I'm having a hard time coming up with one for Utah - most counties have a good mix of scenery but there's not really one that stands out above others. Simply as far as landscape diversity is concerned, Box Elder County might win - it has a little bit of just about everything Utah has to offer except for high alpine terrain and interesting large cities (though Brigham City southward is more and more becoming an Ogden-SLC exurb).

I would have gone southern for classic national park/slickrock country.

I like the Wasatch Front, but can't bring myself to vote for Salt Lake or Utah Counties...

[hbelkins]

For West Virginia, I'd nominate Raleigh County. Beckley is a decent sized town with plenty of amenities. You have the New River Gorge on the east side of the county and proximity to the Appalachian coalfields on the west side of the county. Not far from the NRG bridge, an hour from the state capital, a decent highway network.

[Rothman]

For West Virginia, I'd nominate Raleigh County. Beckley is a decent sized town with plenty of amenities. You have the New River Gorge on the east side of the county and proximity to the Appalachian coalfields on the west side of the county. Not far from the NRG bridge, an hour from the state capital, a decent highway network.

Ah, coalfields.  They're what makes WV great!

[Flint1979]

When I think of West Virginia I think of mountains, rivers and train tracks. I drove through there one time with my dad and a friend of ours about 8 years ago. For some reason I had forgotten that my GPS was set to avoid toll roads so we had a route avoiding the Ohio Turnpike and the West Virginia Turnpike. We were NW of Charleston and driving up in the mountains, my dad was wondering where the hell we were and thought it was a strange route. I didn't tell him that I had it avoiding toll roads until we got to Winston-Salem, NC. I just remember a river, train tracks and being in the mountains and this was not my first time to West Virginia. Also remember having to do an S curve to avoid a house. I love the scenery there and my first trip to West Virginia was in 1991 on a camping trip to Beckley. I was inexperienced at camping and knocked the tent over at 3am and my dad's buddy had to come put the tent back up lol. On I-77 I think it's just north of the Virginia state line there is a stretch on the freeway where you are looking down into the valley at the mountains on the horizon. Always thought that was one of the most beautiful views in West Virginia.

[oscar]

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

Why do people so often ask about "your state"? Too limiting, for people who aren't from just one state!

Anyway, using a liberal definition of "your state", to cover some others where I have significant ties or interests.

Alaska: Sitka city and borough -- mix of Russian colonial history, and totem poles out the wazoo (not the only place to find them, with lots in Ketchikan too), as well as Sitka's own formidable small-city charm if you can stand the rain.

Hawaii:  Maui (County) Nō Ka ʻOi (is the best) -- really just for Maui island (which I have included in all eight of my visits to Hawaii), rather than the lesser islands within the county.

California:  I like Max's selection of Mono and Inyo counties, which I often visit for their many hot springs. But I'd give the nod to the more all-season San Luis Obispo County, a good mix of small cities and ranches, and great coastal scenery and beaches.

[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

Why do people so often ask about "your state"? Too limiting, for people who aren't from just one state!

Well, to give ourselves an easy response when situations like the one quoted arise. 

Normally though, with this particular joke aside, I wouldn't bother being pedantic about it. Certainly, if you've lived in or spent extensive time in more than one state, or live near a state line, feel free to suggest a county for each of them.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

For Michigan it's hard for me to argue against Keweenaw County.
Maine, I have the fondest memories of Washington County.
Colorado, San Juan and La Plata.

Though I've been to 46 states, I still feel I haven't seen enough of others to make a judgement on the rest.

[Flint1979]

Probably because you would more likely know more about your state than an outsider would. I answer for Michigan, Indiana and Ohio quite frequently.

[Flint1979]

The Keweenaw County Courthouse in Eagle River is pretty cool. Looks like a house that belongs in New England.

[webny99]

Personally, for a question like this one where you need to have seen a lot of the state rather than just making a quick judgment based on a limited stay or pass-through, the only state that I'd consider answering for besides my own would be Pennsylvania.

Double-checking my mob-rule map, I've been to 49 (73%) of PA's 67 counties. I'd want to take a trip to the south-central part of the state and get that over 80% before offering a definitive answer. From the counties I have been to, though, nothing stands out as a runaway favorite. A lot of PA's counties strike me as being similar to one another, Erie and Philadelphia being the most notable exceptions, but those have their own set of drawbacks.

Similarly, for New Jersey I'd want to visit the Atlantic coast, and for Minnesota, I'd want to visit at least a few more counties in the northern and west-central parts of the state.

[Flint1979]

Personally, for a question like this one where you need to have seen a lot of the state rather than just making a quick judgment based on a limited stay or pass-through, the only state that I'd consider answering for besides my own would be Pennsylvania.

Double-checking my mob-rule map, I've been to 49 (73%) of PA's 67 counties. I'd want to take a trip to the south-central part of the state and get that over 80% before offering a definitive answer. From the counties I have been to, though, nothing stands out as a runaway favorite. A lot of PA's counties strike me as being similar to one another, Erie and Philadelphia being the most notable exceptions, but those have their own set of drawbacks.

Similarly, for New Jersey I'd want to visit the Atlantic coast, and for Minnesota, I'd want to visit at least a few more counties in the northern and west-central parts of the state.

I've completely clinched Michigan, Indiana and Connecticut. However I don't remember everything about Connecticut and couldn't answer any questions really without going back there again since I haven't been there since 2006. But with Michigan, Indiana and Ohio I've seen enough of those three states to be able to answer a majority of the questions about them. I've got about 85% of Ohio's counties clinched now. Looking at PA I would say I need everything along the northern border with New York and only have 55.2% of the counties in PA clinched. My next county clinching trip I was planning on getting the counties I need in eastern Ohio and Greene and Fayette counties in PA.

Indiana: Brown County
Michigan: Keweenaw County
Ohio: It could be a county I haven't been to yet so I'm not even sure. So far I'd go with Athens County since it's in the rolling hills part of the state. Planning on clinching a lot of OH-7 on my next Ohio trip.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'll throw another vote in as a former Michigan resident for Keweenaw County. 

[webny99]

I've never been to Keweenaw, but I've thoroughly enjoyed my visits to the UP. I would definitely nominate a UP county but not sure which one until I can get back there and see more of it.

[wriddle082]

For South Carolina, I'm gonna go with York County, since it's a fairly prosperous suburban Charlotte county.  Second is Beaufort County because of the history, laid-back vibes, and beaches.  Third is my current home county of Lexington.

For Tennessee, it's definitely Williamson.  Other honorable mentions would have to be Rutherford, Sumner, and Dickson.

This is all my opinion, so let the debate commence!

[Flint1979]

I've never been to Keweenaw, but I've thoroughly enjoyed my visits to the UP. I would definitely nominate a UP county but not sure which one until I can get back there and see more of it.

I hadn't been to Keweenaw until this past summer when I was finishing up my county clinching in the Upper Peninsula. I had never realized how far into the Keweenaw Peninsula that Houghton County goes, I thought the line would have been further south and I wasn't even thinking of what it looked like on a map. I remember a BP gas station at the county line.

Keweenaw was my answer for the entire state. Benzie, Manistee, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim, Emmet, Charlevoix and those counties  are runner ups but I think that Keweenaw has them beat. I didn't know what to expect when I started clinching the remaining 7 counties I needed to finish off Michigan. I started in Marquette County then did a strange detour for some reason I think it had something to do with where I was going to stay for the night so instead of heading toward Houghton which is what I should have done I headed south on M-95 toward Iron Mountain. I had already clinched Dickinson County many years ago so no idea what made me make that turn and head south.

It was a 3 hour drive from Iron Mountain to Copper Harbor and I took US-2/141 through Wisconsin clinching Florence County in the process. Took US-141 to it's northern terminus and then followed US-41 toward Houghton. I remember that I got off US-41 before Houghton and managed to take a different route along county roads into Houghton. Houghton might actually be in the top tier of Michigan counties as well it's not much different than Keweenaw in areas. Houghton was a nice little city and I remember eating breakfast at McDonald's there before heading across the Portage Lift Bridge and into Hancock and the Keweenaw Peninsula. I went up Scott Street in Hancock which was a fun ride as it's on a hill.

Once I hit Keweenaw County I stayed on US-41 until the cul-de-sac. It's very remote, not many people around at all and some of the areas that you can access are among the most beautiful views in Michigan. I passed Fort Wilkins and remember seeing a dead end sign with a 55 mph speed limit sign next to it. The road was freshly paved as well. I thought I wonder how far down the cul-de-sac is, then i saw a deer just before the cul-de-sac which I scared back into the woods. Coming back I took M-26 to Phoenix then US-41 back down to Houghton. M-26 took longer but was a more scenic route than US-41 which runs more inland as M-26 runs along the lakeshore. The Brockway Mountain Drive was pretty cool too but it's a dirt road connecting to M-26 on both ends. I loved the courthouse in Eagle River, it looks like a house that belongs in New England serving Michigan's least populated county.

Gogebic was my last Michigan county to clinch and I did that simply by driving down US-45 from Ontonagon. It wasn't as much fun as Keweenaw and Houghton counties.

[US 89]

I'm having a hard time coming up with one for Utah - most counties have a good mix of scenery but there's not really one that stands out above others. Simply as far as landscape diversity is concerned, Box Elder County might win - it has a little bit of just about everything Utah has to offer except for high alpine terrain and interesting large cities (though Brigham City southward is more and more becoming an Ogden-SLC exurb).

I would have gone southern for classic national park/slickrock country.

I like the Wasatch Front, but can't bring myself to vote for Salt Lake or Utah Counties...

Sure, but southern Utah largely misses out on the classic high mountain terrain you can find in much of northern Utah. Plus the towns as a general rule are not really as interesting. I suppose I'd pick Garfield County based on scenery alone - you've got the upper Sevier Valley, Bryce Canyon, Escalante Canyon, Aquarius Plateau, Lake Powell, and more. Grand would be up there too if not for I-70 taking the most boring path possible through it.

Utah County would have been my northern Utah pick from scenery alone...but I'm just not a fan of the Utah Valley portion of the Wasatch Front. It just feels like one big homogenous suburb when you compare it to the portions further north.

[Max Rockatansky]

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

Why do people so often ask about "your state"? Too limiting, for people who aren't from just one state!

Anyway, using a liberal definition of "your state", to cover some others where I have significant ties or interests.

Alaska: Sitka city and borough -- mix of Russian colonial history, and totem poles out the wazoo (not the only place to find them, with lots in Ketchikan too), as well as Sitka's own formidable small-city charm if you can stand the rain.

Hawaii:  Maui (County) Nō Ka ʻOi (is the best) -- really just for Maui island (which I have included in all eight of my visits to Hawaii), rather than the lesser islands within the county.

California:  I like Max's selection of Mono and Inyo counties, which I often visit for their many hot springs. But I'd give the nod to the more all-season San Luis Obispo County, a good mix of small cities and ranches, and great coastal scenery and beaches.

I like SLO a lot but I get more out of Monterey County for similar reasons.  Monterey County has some of my favorite hiking locales such; Pfeffier Big Sur State Park, Fort Ord, and Pinnacles National Park.  CA 1 in Big Sur is partially in Monterey County but there more cool roads than SLO like; CA 198, CA 146 West, G16, San Juan Grade, and Ocean View Boulevard.