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10 poorest states

Bill Sullivan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:55:41 +0000

While Wall Street may be trumpeting a big economic recovery, Main Street is still feeling the pinch, according to a new report issued by the Pew Center on The States.

The organization has come out with a list of states suffering the most under current economic pressures. Several factors were considered, including lost revenue, budget gaps, unemployment and foreclosure rates, poor money management practices, and state laws governing the passage of budgets.

According to Pew, the 10 most troubled states are:

Arizona
California
Florida
Illinois
Michigan
Nevada
New Jersey
Oregon
Rhode Island
Wisconsin

Source: CNN Money

Largest states by population

Bill Sullivan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:23:16 +0000

They may be out of money, but they’re still No. 1. According to 2008 census projections, California is the largest of all states in terms of population.

In fact, it’s not even close. With more than 36 million residents, the Golden State is about 50 percent more populated than its closest competitor.

Here’s a list of the Top 10:

1. California — 36,756,666
2. Texas — 24,326,974
3. New York — 19,490,297
4. Florida — 18,328,340
5. Illinois — 12,901,563
6. Pennsylvania — 12,448,279
7. Ohio — 11,485,910
8. Michigan – 10,003,422
9. Georgia — 9,685,744
10. North Carolina — 9,222,414

Sources: worldatlas.com and U.S. Census Bureau

Best states to live

Bill Sullivan — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:21:33 +0000

With the economy struggling and unemployment up, America looks at a dreary 2009 and prospects that things might get worse before they get better.

That doesn’t mean that life isn’t looking fairly rosy in parts of the U.S. Earlier this month, Gallup and disease management company Healthways issued a report ranking the best states in which to live. The ever-vigilant folks at Forbes took the information and converted it into a user-friendly slideshow.

Here are the Top 10, in reverse order:

10. Arizona

3. Wyoming

2. Hawaii

1. Utah

To see the rest of the list, and how the states ranked in various categories, visit Forbes.

Biggest State Budget Shortfalls

Bill Sullivan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:00:48 +0000

Banks and big companies aren’t the only ones feeling the financial pinch. Entire states are experiencing major shortfalls, too.

Big drops in tax revenue produce challenges for governments to fund essential services such as education, police and fire departments. Before Washington is done coming up with the cash to support corporate bailouts, state officials are likely to be coming to town, looking for help of their own.

According to BusinessWeek, 31 money-strapped states may be experiencing up to $53.4 billion in deficits, based on data compiled by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Here are the top 10, and how bad the balance sheet is looking:

– California: -$22.2 billion

– Arizona: -$2 billion

– Florida: -$5.1 billion

– Nevada: -$1.2 billion

– Rhode Island: -$430 million

– New York: -$5.5 billion

– Alabama: $784 million

– Georgia: -$1.8 billion

– New Jersey: $2.5 billion

– Maryland: $1.1 billion

Read more about these, and see the whole list, at BusinessWeek.

A Short List Of Green Hotels

Clint Williams — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:12:32 +0000

From Green Right Now

Want to stay at a verifiably green hotel for your next vacation? Soon you’ll be able to choose from among dozens of hotel and resort projects, in various stages of construction or remodeling, that have registered with the US Green Building Council, aiming to achieve silver, gold or platinum LEED certification.

But so far only a handful of resorts, hotels and lodges, 13 at last count, have completed the LEED certification process. These get-aways, which include upscale, urban hotels; trendy spas and woodsy lodges, have met the LEED standards, which requires that building projects consider the environment in how they locate their structures; choose materials with a lighter environmental impact; recycle or reduce construction waste, and conserve energy and water.

The 13 green pioneers:

Avalon Hotel and Spa — Portland, Ore., US (pictured)
GAIA Napa Valley — San Francisco, Calif., US
Kandalama Hotel — Damulla, Sri Lanka
Len Foote Hike Inn — Dawsonville, Ga., US
Orchard Garden Hotel — San Francisco, Calif., US
Snowmass Golf Clubhouse — Aspen, Colo., US
The Ambrose — Santa Monica, Calif., US
The John James Audubon Lodge & Camp — Charlotte, N.C., US
The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens — Pine Mountain, Ga., US
University of Maryland Inn & Conference — Adelphi, Md., US
Vancouver Conference Center & Hotel — Vancouver, Wash., US
Palazzo — Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Unity Village Hotel - Kansas City, Missouri, US

**LEED certification of building projects differs from the certification by the Green Hotels Association. While LEED focuses on construction and energy consumption; the GRE, which also looks at energy conservation, more closely analyzes daily operations, giving points for hotels that use bulk soaps, low-toxic cleaners, natural pesticides and less food packaging.

Chart source: The US Green Building Council.

For more on green living, go to greenrightnow.com.

Top College Football Rivalries

Bill Sullivan — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:15:45 +0000

For the most part, the college football season opens with a couple of weeks of national contenders taking on schools of somewhat lesser pedigree. Soon enough, though, the big boys get down to the more serious business of jockeying for conference titles and throwing elbows to get into the Bowl Championship Series.

Rivalries help make the college game special, and no shortage of them demand our attention each season. Here’s our take on the best of the best, understanding that others deserve consideration, too:

1. Texas vs. Oklahoma: A heated border war played out annually at a neutral site, the Cotton Bowl, during the Texas State Fair. Half the seats are occupied by fans wearing red, the other half orange. The “Red River Rivalry” is arguably the greatest spectacle in college football.

2. Michigan vs. Ohio State: For years, the Big 10 race was a one-game season, with the winner of this game headed to the Rose Bowl. Things have changed a bit, but the hatred lives on.

3. Auburn vs. Alabama: In-state bragging rights are on the line in a state that cares a little about its football. A coach who ends up on the losing end of too many of these won’t be around long.

Top High School Football States

Bill Sullivan — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:10:03 +0000

Think most of the talent in high school football in America is dominated by a handful of states? According to Rivals.com, you’re right.

In putting together its preseason Top 100 high school teams in America, the publication kept track of where those schools were located. If you’re a college football fan — and, in particular, a recruiting buff — you won’t be surprised by where most of the talent is centered.

Here’s the list, with the number of Top 100 teams per state:

1. California –15

2. Florida — 11

3. Texas — 10

4. Ohio — 8

T5. Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia — 4.

Check out more about these talent hotbeds, and find out who made the Top 100 overall, by visiting Rivals.com.

Fastest Growing Large Cities

Melissa Segrest — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:00:07 +0000

The city that took it on the chin from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is making a big comeback in population, but put that into some perspective before you start celebrating.

CNNMoney.com reports that New Orleans is the fastest growing city in the country in the past year, with a population increase of nearly 14 percent, according to a just-released census bureau report. The bigger picture, however, is the fact that The Big Easy lost more residents than any other city in America from 2000 to 2007. Notwithstanding those glum facts, the city’s population is up to 239,124 now.

More interesting, perhaps, are the remaining 9 cities in the top 10 list. California and Texas dominated the list. Here are the top 10, with their population and percentage increase over the last year.

1) New Orleans, 239,124 residents, up 13.8 percent (pictured).

2) Victorville, Calif., 107,221 residents, up 9.5 percent

3) McKinney, Texas, 115,620, up 8 percent (McKinney, a suburb of Dallas, has grown the fastest of any large city every year since 2000.)

4) N. Las Vegas, Nev., 212,114 residents, up 7.4 percent

5) Cary, N.C., 121,796 residents, up 7.3 percent

6) Killeen, Texas, 112,434 residents, up 6.5 percent

7) Port St. Lucie, Fla., 151,391 residents, up 6.3 percent

8) Gilbert, Ariz., 207,550 residents, up 5.8 percent

9) Clarksville, Tenn., 119,284 residents, up 4.8 percent

10) Denton, Texas, 115,506 residents, up 4.7 percent.

The Money.CNN.com report also offers up interesting information about population increases in the nation’s largest cities for the year, as well as for the past 7 years. In case you’re wondering, New York is still America’s most populated city.

(At the bottom of the Money.CNN.com page, find links to Money Magazine’s “Best Places to Live” list.)

Top States in Technology and Science

Tom Kessler — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:41:11 +0000

Massachusetts is the state best positioned to achieve economic growth, a new Milken Institute study shows. The 2008 State Technology and Science Index credits the state’s vast array of technology and science assets. Massachusetts recently passed a $1 billion life sciences bill that will invest in high-tech infrastructure and research and development during the next decade.

The top 10 states in the best position to succeed in the technology-led information age are (with 2004 rankings):

1) Massachusetts (1)
2) Maryland (4)
3) Colorado (3)
4) California (2)
5) Washington (6)
6) Virginia (5)
7) Connecticut (10)
8) Utah (9)
9) New Hampshire (12)
10) Rhode Island (11)

View the ranking of all states here.