Often in national surveys, the state of Louisiana ends up at the bottom of some really important lists, but then, often surveys fail to take into account the "Joie de Vivre" that truly makes Louisiana beautiful, remarkable, enticing, and fun.

There is true pride in the people of Louisiana. We are a hard-working and hard-loving culture that is full of entrepreneurs and people who are willing to take a risk to make our lives better. Once the work is done, Louisiana is excellent at having a work-life balance as we play as hard as we work.

We live in such a diverse and welcoming state. People genuinely care about the well-being of others, and our rich history along with a myriad of cultures blend beautifully and offer a bounty to those who live here.

Louisiana Smoked Meat Festival
La Smoked Meat Festival, Facebook
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Just this month, Lafayette was highlighted as ending up on Fortune's 50 Best Place to Live List.

Fortune Well editor Jennifer Fields says of Lafayette,

In our research, the cities that rose to the top were those that had a range of resources and amenities that appealed to their oldest and youngest residents.

Jared Tomasek via YouTube
Jared Tomasek via YouTube
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That describes our entire state perfectly.

Earlier this month, Louisiana also made the top ten list of the best places for families to vacation. When looking at 7 different criteria, the editors of Florida Rentals found that Louisiana,

When looking at seven different criteria, Louisiana ranked number ten on their list of family-friendly vacation destinations. We received high rankings for affordability along with having a great food and festival atmosphere.

Crawfish King Cake
Louisiana Crawfish Promotion and Research Board via Facebook
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When WalletHub recently looked at a diverse set of criteria to determine "Most Fun States in America" here is how the rankings were listed:

  • 1.  Florida
  • 2.  California
  • 3.  Nevada
  • 4.  New York
  • 5.  Colorado
  • 6. Illinois
  • 7. Texas
  • 8.  Washington
  • 9.  Minnesota
  • 10. Louisiana

In Louisiana, we have mastered the areas in which the criteria for the survey were chosen. We have outstanding cuisine, festivals, music, scenery, kind residents, diverse backgrounds, outdoor recreation, and, of course, Mardi Gras!

WalletHub used 3 key criteria to determine the rankings, and they were:

  1. Entertainment and Recreations
  2. Nightlife and Parties
  3. Costs

The following are some categories where we shined:

  • Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.00 Points)
  • Festivals per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.00 Points
  • Fishing Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.00 Points)
  • Marinas per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.00 Points)
  • Boat Tours & Water Sports per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.00 Points
  • Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.00 Points)
  • Restaurants per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.00 Points)
  • Diversity of Restaurants: Full Weight (~1.00 Points)
  • Bar Accessibility: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Pool Halls per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Lounges per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Beer Gardens per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Legality of Public Drinking: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Time of Last Call: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Average Open Hours of Breweries: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Presence of Music Festivals: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Music Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Dance Clubs per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Dance Party Index: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Arts & Crafts-Supplies Establishments per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Casinos per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

If you take into account the many aspects that were surveyed, Louisiana continues to have so much to help people enjoy their lives. The continued success in these areas bodes well for us in terms of tourism and what we can offer. But, it also says something about how we live each day. We may have to weather many trials and tribulations in this life in Acadiana, but one thing is for sure, you can't take our joy!

Source: WalletHub