Romance Is Dead - and Alive, You Devil - In Some Unexpected Places

By Beth Dalbey (Patch Staff)

New Yorkers drink a lot of champagne, not as much as Californians but enough to get a mention on MyFitnessPal’s 10 Most Romantic States index. Read the countdown below to see if your state made the list. (Photo via Creative Commons)

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The folks at MyFitnessPal, whose mobile apps count your steps and calories, turned their attention away from the number of crunches you’re doing, crunching instead all sorts of sexy data to compile its ranking of the 10 Most Romantic States.

MyFitnessPal says its heat map – we’ll leave it to you to decide if that’s a Freudian slip – provides a breakdown of where people are drinking the most champagne (California), eating the most chocolate (Utah) and – cue the Bill Clinton jokes – having the most sex (Arkansas).

Together, data from those categories make up the Romance Index and resulting Top 10 list. Spoiler alert: Virginia, “ the state for lovers,” bombed out.

Let’s get to the big reveal.

No. 10, No. 9, No. 8 and No. 7 ...

Now, you’re probably thinking that with New York City, the capital of everything, New York State is a shoe-in.

After all, didn’t star-crossed lovers from Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant in “An Affair to Remember” to Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer in “Love Affair” to – OK, it’s not quite on par with those classics – precocious kid actor Ross Malinger and Meg Ryan in “Sleepless in Seattle” pledge to meet on the observation deck of the iconic Empire State Building to see if they could live happily ever after?

That’s romantic, right?

Well, yes, sort of – in the movies, anyway. In truth, the state of New York barely squeaked in at No. 10, coming in below Louisiana (No. 9) and sex-crazy Arkansas (No. 8).

Arizona is No. 7. You Probably didn’t see that coming, either.

No. 6, No. 5, No. 4 and No. 2

When you’re thinking big romance, think small. Think way small.

That leaves out No. 5 California, where men plan elaborate proposals on Big Sur, couples hide away amid the breathtaking scenery of Yosemite National Park, and everything is groovy and glamorous and, well, so California.

Tell Us:

• What’s the most romantic gesture you ever saw?

Maryland’s another good guess and is, in fact, the fourth-most romantic state. Where else can you get nearly naked and prance around Baltimore on Valentine’s Day in Cupid’s Undie Run?

Connecticut, with its cozy little inns dotting the countryside, is another good guess – and it did make the cut as the sixth-most romantic state.

On the opposite coast, Washington came in at No. 2. Perhaps you’ve been toThornewood Castle in Lakewood, billed as “The House That Love Built” in part because the Native Americans who built it left left good-luck totems in the rafters. Stephen King’s bloody film “ Rose Red” was set there, so if you like your Valentine’s Day celebrations a little bloody, the B&B is a good choice.

We Didn’t Skip No. 3; It’s Just – Er – Surprising

Hello. What about Hawaii, the home of the honeymoon, a year-round paradise of one beautiful hula dancer and scrumptious Polynesian luau after another?

Knock us over with a paddleboard. Hawaii is languishing in the cellar of romance at No. 48, slightly more romantic than No. 50 Wyoming, home to bronco-busting cowboys, and No. 49 Nebraska – what is it, again, that sets Nebraska apart?

Oh, yes, the people are sturdy, hardworking and soldier on no matter what – and “what” could include a ferocious sandstorm, a blinding blizzard or some scandal involving the state’s beloved Cornhuskers.

And speaking of people who in all probability are chapped from head to toe, the third-most romantic state – hold onto your wool hat by the fleece-lined earflaps – is North Dakota. Yes, the North Dakota where Fargo is located. Knock us over with a 20-foot icicle.

Actually, it makes sense. All that leaning into the wind surely leads to kisses. What else is there for lovers to do in a state where winter lasts until Memorial Day besides eat chocolates, drink champagne and make love all day?

And the No. 1 State for Romance Is ...

So, what’s the No. 1 state for Valentine’s Day romance?

Remember, we told you to think small when you think about big romantic gestures.

Drum roll, please.

The No. 1 state for romance is Rhode Island, the smallest state in the union with the biggest name (officially, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations), a place so small you could fit 400 Rhode Islands into Alaska, and almost 4,000 Rhode Islands in America.

It’s that intimate. So, apparently, are the people.

Once again, here’s the Top 10:

1. Rhode Island
2. Washington
3. North Dakota
4. Maryland
5. California
6. Connecticut
7. Arizona
8. Arkansas
9. Louisiana
10. New York

How romantic is it where you live? Check the heat map.