(US News) Infrastructure, Health Care, Education Lead Iowa to No. 1 Best States Ranking

[TomSea]

Infrastructure, Health Care, Education Lead Iowa to No. 1 Best States Ranking
There’s more to the Hawkeye State than corn and presidential primaries, the Best States rankings show.

By Jeff Charis-Carlson, Contributor | Feb. 27, 2018, at 8:00 a.m.

IOWA CITY, Iowa--Iowa may be better known for its corn, caucuses and creative writing programs, but the Hawkeye state also leads the nation in efforts to bring ultra-fast internet access to every city block and every rural acre.

Iowa's No. 1 rankings in the infrastructure category and the broadband access metric within that came as a "pleasant surprise" to David Daack, a broadband consultant for Connected Nation, which does business in the state as Connect Iowa. Previous data reports have shown Iowa more in the middle of the pack.

"When people think of Iowa, they usually think of agricultural places that won't necessarily need to be connected," Daack says. "But given the big data needs of agriculture today and in the future, those areas are going to need to be every bit as connected as the urban areas. … You could almost argue that maybe we should go (to the farms) first and work our way back into the cities."

Read more at: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2018-02-27/iowa-claims-no-1-spot-on-2018-best-states-rankings-through-strong-infrastructure-health-care-and-education

Complete list:  https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings

I saw Drudge had this posted. Similar to last year, I believe.

[Fishrrman]

Top ten states:
1. Iowa
2. Minnesota
3. Utah
4. North Dakota
5. New Hampshire
6. Washington
7. Nebraska
8. Massachusetts
9. Vermont
10. Colorado

There's "something about" most of the state on the list above.
It has to do with demographics.
Can you guess what that is...?

[LauraTXNM]

I read the article, but does anyone know what makes Iowa's healthcare system work so well? 

[Slip18]

@TomSea

"It's important to understand that the state can look great – especially if you're sitting in Des Moines or Iowa City and you look around and say, 'Geez, man, that just looks good here' – but if you go to Clinton, or Keokuk or Ottumwa, it doesn't look so good."

Three first cousins on my dad's side in Des Moines and three first cousins on my mom's side in Clinton.  Those are my only first cousins.  LOL!

 

[WingNot]

Iowa.  That's the great thing about Corn.  It pretty much sticks to itself and doesn't bother any one.