That was my first thought. I've lived in the suburbs and the city and I've spent a bit of time in the middle of nowhere. A secluded lake side cabin could be peaceful but if you're there all alone in the middle of the night it's just the opening scene of a horror movie.

i am terrified to learn that Alaska has proportionally almost double the stats of violent crime and rape per capita as the country average. turns out all that empty space does not really help.

Yeah that's gonna depend heavily on where you live in Hawaii. There is aloha almost everywhere, but at the same time, Oahu in particular is one of the most expensive places to live in the world, and its not like the jobs here really pay well. The result is some very very poor local communities, and as a function of that poverty, relatively high rates of crime. Take a look at the local high schools testing scores: https://www.publicschoolreview.com/waianae-high-school-profile. About 15% of graduating Sr. can do math at their grade level and about 40% can read at the appropriate grade level (but hey that's up from around 5% and 20% respectively, so we doing alright).

You can look at the crime statistics, but I can tell you personally they are BS, because simply put, after you call the cops once around here once, you figure out quick why no one bothers with them. So these numbers are like, massively under-reported. Probably on the order of 5-10x. The feds had to step in and take over parts of the HPD because HPD is so corrupt and was on the take for the gambling and trap houses, and there are at least 5 active gambling/trap houses on just my block (after some raids last summer).

Its also a culture in some ways defined by violence. The Hawaiian people are famous and proud for their fighting ability. Max Holloway, BJ Penn, Ray Cooper, these guys are all hometown heroes and the fireworks go off pretty much every time MMA is on. Fighting here is like surfing. Kids grow up doing it so they get excellent at it.

So if you in an extremely white area of Oahu, ymmv, but its not all roses and a white washed version of aloha. If you sticking to the tourist areas, I suppose its fine, but the same would be true of a Sandals resort in the Caribbean. But that tourist areas and resorts are a specifically composed fiction, and I would argue that the same is true of the gentrified areas of Hawaii (kako ako, ala moana, etc..). The reality is that a lack of education drives poverty, poverty drives desperation, and desperation drives people to violence.

That all being said, its pretty chill. Just hope you like Biggie.

No outdoor advertisements/billboards, very few national chains, very protective of local business, everyone is very connected with the land and their community. Vermont is awsome.

I live in that state too, and it's utter chaos over here

common statistical error. less people equals less crime, true, but when you are an individual person seeking peace/safety as an individual the far more valuable stat is the per capita which normalizes for the population. by this measure, Maine is #1 with Wyoming at #5/50 but with double the violent crime per capita.

My recollection is that Wyoming has as many people as the northern half of Manhattan.

Am here and can confirm

Depends on your definition of peace I guess. All the upstate new yorkers I’ve met engage in constant social aggression.

There was a shooting on a subway yesterday at a train station full of cops and National Guard, so yeah, not NY

Until recently I would have agreed, but currently things seem to be in a state of flux. There has been a lot of unprovoked violence post pandemic, and not a lot of agreement about what to do about it.

Probably Rhode Island or Delaware if your away from any seasonal nonsense.

As an autistic gay person, I disagree that weather is the only determining factor in choosing a rural home. Plenty of amazing an fulfilling rural places to live, but certainly not all of them.

Assuming you are sincere. In the big Salt Lake City, natives are generally nice to tourists.

If you live there, you need to be white and be a devout Mormon. Getting married at 18. Having kids. Going to church. No caffeine. No drinking. Report everything and tithe heavily to the Mormon church. Give church elders a pass at anything criminal. Ignoring anyone who has left the faith.