Minot, ND (3rd - 4th grade)
Waste of time. Why not Minot? I have plenty of reasons "why not." If you are planning on visiting all 50 states, just graze North Dakota because it is a waste of time. Nothing is there, there is a ridiculously high teen pregnancy rate, extreme winters, and they have a meth problem; those are pretty much the only things I think of when I hear "North Dakota."
Rapid City, SD (birth - 2003)
This was where I was born, and I did not live there long enough to really have an opinion on it. I have traveled through there while driving across the country, so from what I have seen, it is actually pretty nice. Side note, they recently had a campaign with a moto they definitely did not think through, "Meth. We're On It;" so apparently the Dakotas just have a pretty bad meth problem in general.
McGuire AFB, NJ (2003 – preschool)
Again, I lived here when I was pretty young when I lived here, so I only have vague memories about New Jersey and the area; I liked the weather and the nature in the area, but that is pretty much all I can remember having an opinion on.
San Pedro, CA (k – 2nd)
Like New Jersey and South Dakota, I do not have a solid opinion on the area, but I do remember loving to go to the beach and the atmosphere. Catalina Island is also a short boat ride away.
Bethlehem, PA (freshman year at PSU)
I had never actually been to Pennsylvania, besides to pass through to get to another state, before my orientation for PSU Lehigh Valley; while it was a bummer not having a car while living here, it was a beautiful area. They have tons of events throughout the year like Musikfest in the summer and Christkindlmarkt in the winter. Their main street also reminded me of Europe a lot (which I absolutely adored).
Simi Valley, CA (freshman – senior year)
Simi Valley is only ranked this high because I have a little bias for liking my time living here; I lived there longer than I had anywhere else. There was not much to do in the extremely conservative town, but it is in close proximity to many "famous SoCal locations" (Hollywood, Santa Monica, Malibu, etc.), making living there bearable. If it weren't for having good friends and the ability to go to all these neat places with them made it worthwhile.
McChord AFB, Tacoma, WA (8th grade)
I really liked the nature and weather in Washington. The scenery was beautiful, and you can even see Mount Rainer from the base we lived on. It was a reasonable distance to Seattle (one of my top three favorite cities), and I loved the atmosphere there in general.
Lakenheath Village, England (5th - 7th grade)
I would be insane to not have this as my number one place I have lived. Living here made me realize that the states just aren't for me, and I will be moving out of the country soon after graduating. I lived not too far from the tube line to get to London, and London is my favorite city I have ever been to; there is always more to discover every time you go. Between the older architecture that they have preserved and still occupy to this day, it is just amazing. The castles and ruins all over the place are also pretty cool.
