Why is Maine Ranked So Low in This Friendliest State List?

I have lived in Maine for nearly my entire life.

With the exception of a trip south of the Mason-Dixon line for college, I have called Maine home since I was four years old. I absolutely love it here. Well, other than the April snowstorms. I could really do without those.

One of my favorite things about Maine is its wonderful citizens. Wherever you travel in this great state, you are bound to run into a Mainer (or Mainers) who are willing to strike up a conversation or help out in any way they can.

I couldn't tell you the number of times a Good Samaritan Mainer has bailed me out of a bind. It's like we all have some kind of gene that has the characteristics of a quality human.

So imagine my surprise when I saw the absolute shade thrown Maine's way in a recent article ranking every state's friendliness.

The folks over at the popular site Enjoy Travel ranked Maine as the 31st friendliest state. This is so egregious that I nearly spit out my drink when first reading the article.

Here is how they describe Maine's "friendliness."

Maine’s low-crime rate and general friendliness of locals make it a popular state to move to, and our readers seem to agree. New Englanders are often thought to be reserved, but Mainers are open and warm. You’ll see this as soon as you arrive here.

Wait a minute, this is a very nice write-up. You know, like a summary for a state that should be top 10, not 31st. I am completely mind-boggled by this outrageous ranking.

Let's break this down.

Low crime rate? Check.
Generally friendly? Check.
Open and warm? Check.
Unlike our mean neighbors? Check.

What am I missing here? It's like the folks at Enjoy Travel just put every state on a dart board and fired away to determine the order.

To further prove my point, let's take a quick look at some states ahead of Maine in the rankings that definitely should not be.

30. West Virginia - I love West Virginia. It's the home of my alma mater and has a lot of similarities to Maine. However, the people are much more reserved. I would not say general friendliness is a strong suit.

28. Michigan - I'm not sure Detroit screams friendliness. Plus, does anyone really trust people from the Upper Peninsula?

27. Maryland - My birth state is not friendly. It's got a lot of coastal elitism and uppity city dwellers. And the crime rate is anything but low. Great state? Sure. Friendly? Meh.

18. Pennsylvania - Are they just ignoring Philadelphia?

11. Ohio - I guess the writers never met Ohio State fans.

4. Texas - Hahahahahahaha.

Listen, I could do this all day, but I think you get the point. Maine is absolutely getting shafted in this article.

I'm not saying Maine should be number one. We certainly aren't perfect. However, 21st is absolute slap in the face. Let's hope this gets revised so we can see a little more accuracy.

You can check out the entire rankings here, including the top state, Minnesota. Congrats to them.

Pennsylvania 18th, really? Those bums booed Santa Claus.