It has been a rough few months for the commonwealth of Virginia. Not only have the state’s governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general become mired in appalling scandals, but now US News & World Report has placed it behind Maryland on its ranking of the US’s “Best States.”
What does Maryland have going for it, besides drivers who sport a certain devil-may-care attitude and a flag with a subtle symbol of the Confederacy? Okay, yes, the woman who can crush a beer can on her head and shotgun it—that is a resource of which I am legitimately jealous.
According to US News, Virginia ranked higher than Maryland on education, the economy (thanks, Amazon!), fiscal stability, crime, and natural environment. According to me, Maryland ranks higher than Virginia on Kegasus.
This dispute may not end here. But at least we can all agree that US News got it right when it placed Massachusetts behind both Maryland and Virginia, because Massachusetts eats it.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
