A landlocked state famed for its parks, pine forests and fry sauce has stunned everyone by ranking as America's best place to live

It's celebrated for its breathtaking vistas, breathtaking skis runs, and arsenic nan Mormon headquarters.

But successful a astonishing turnaround, Utah now ranks besides arsenic America's champion authorities to live.

That's according to ConsumerAffairs, a information and reappraisal platform, which studied each state's economy, acquisition and healthcare systems, value of life, safety, and affordability.

New Hampshire, Idaho, Minnesota, and Massachusetts rounded retired nan apical five.

For those readying to relocate, researchers besides assessed which states to avoid.

California classed astatine nan bottommost of nan standard acknowledgment to is mediocre scores successful education, health, value of life, and safety.

The Golden State was followed astatine nan bottommost of nan array by New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alaska.

Cassidy McCants, a researcher, said 'Utah should get apical information arsenic a caller home.'

'It vanished first successful affordability, 3rd successful system and 3rd successful value of life,' McCants added.

The Beehive State's astir 3.4 cardinal group person easy entree to conifer forests, skis runs and nan alleged 'Mighty Five' National Parks — Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion.

But they besides get to unrecorded successful 1 of nan astir affordable parts of nan United States, says nan report.

That's because Utah has comparatively debased spot taxes, moreover arsenic households person a comparatively precocious mean income of astir $80,000.

Though nan authorities is location to nan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nan stock of practicing Mormons has dropped to astir four-in-ten nowadays.

Utah is besides celebrated for section foods — particularly honey, cheese, raspberries, nan state's ain type of scones, and plentiful dipping sauces for fries.

Utah was intimately followed by New Hampshire, which classed precocious acknowledgment to its beardown economy, bully acquisition and wellness systems, and safety.

Residents location bask among nan lowest rates of crime and poorness successful nan country.

In 3rd spot was Idaho, which McCants says is 'generating interest' from residents elsewhere who are considering a move.

'Idaho has nan highest imaginable people for wellness attraction value … debased crime rates, and nan slightest spot crime successful nan US,' she added.

The study utilized information from nan US Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nan Tax Foundation, and Zillow.

Meanwhile, researchers astatine nan existent property exertion institution ProptechOS 2024 person made their unfastened appraisal of America's 'smartest, tech-friendly cities'.

Seattle, Washington, reigned astatine number one, followed by Miami, Florida, and Austin, Texas.

The cities were classed connected their tech infrastructure and connectivity, sustainability, and nan tech occupation market, and really prepared they are for a smarter future, researchers said.

Seattle — location to tech titans Amazon and Microsoft — garnered a winning wide people 75.7 retired of 100, arsenic champion prepared for a smarter future. 

The Emerald metropolis has a robust tech infrastructure with 34 artificial intelligence (AI) companies and 13 Internet of Things (IoT) per 100,000 people. 

They were besides noted for sustainability, arsenic their character sum accrued complete a decade — 2010 to 2020 — to a stunning 137,000 hectares — astir 340,000 acres. 

They besides built nan balanced of 10 electrical conveyance recharging points per 100,000 people, arsenic per nan report. 

Next up was Miami 75.4, Austin 72.7 followed by San Jose 71.6 and Oakland 70.8; Boston, 70.2; San Francisco, 69.5; New York City; 65.5, Los Angeles 65.2 and Atlanta 64.3.

Last year, Austin, Texas took nan number 1 slot arsenic smartest metropolis successful nan U.S, but were hit retired this twelvemonth by Seattle by conscionable a fewer specified points.

Even so, nan Texan metropolis still took nan number 1 for smart metropolis infrastructure, scoring 86.2 retired of 100, successful nan 2024 study (Seattle came successful a adjacent 2nd pinch 85.7). 

This ranking was attributed to its precocious broadband download velocity of 275.60 Mbps — exceeding nan U.S. mean of 217.14 Mbps — and its attraction of 337 AI companies, aliases 35 per 100,000 people.