So, about that poll suggesting Texas is the most-hated state in the nation...

New Jersey took the top spot and California took third, according to lifestyle website Best Life

The American flag and the state of Texas flag. (Pixabay)

We all know the mantra -- Don’t mess with Texas. Well, the folks from the lifestyle website Best Life must be looking for a fight after naming Texas one of the most-hated states.

The Lone Star State came in at No. 2 behind New Jersey in their very unscientific poll.

RELATED: This is what Texans think of that recent talker poll that suggests Texas is 2nd most-hated state in U.S.

The recent talker-poll published by the website was apparently based on an analysis of people who have recently moved out of each state, a Gallup poll of which citizens felt the most pride in their home states, and an Instagram poll.

From where we’re sitting, this seems to be a case of “They hate us ‘cause they ain’t us.”

That Gallup poll found that 68% of Texans said Texas was one of the best possible states to live and Texas outranked all other states when it comes to percentage of residents who rate it as the single best place to live.

The 2018 Census reported that the Lone Star State had the largest overall growth since 2017, with an increase of 379,128 people.

RELATED: 10 states with most people moving to Texas

Even the Instagram poll from researcher Matt Shirley shows that more than twice the number of states hate California than hate Texas.

Best Life found that Alaska, California, New Mexico and Oklahoma are the states that hate Texas the most.

That’s also funny given that a 2019 report from KSAT showed California residents are leaving en masse to Texas, including recent California transplant Joe Rogan.

Here’s what Best Life said about Texas:

  • Population change compared to the U.S. average: 2 percent
  • State pride: 68 percent
  • States that hate it: Alaska, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma
  • Population of states that hate it: 46,297,568
  • Hatred Index: 758

Pardon us as we shout that popular rejoinder from “Cotton-Eyed Joe” -- you know, the one that follows “step in what?”

What state do you hate most? Let us know in the comments.

Click here to view Best Life’s analysis and see the full list of the ‘most hated’ states in the U.S.

RELATED: Survey reveals how Texans really feel about In-N-Out, Joe Rogan and Castro brothers


About the Authors

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.

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