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New Jersey Residents: Poll Ranking State As Nation's Least Likeable 'Stinks'

HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A recent poll was not winning too many fans in New Jersey Friday, after it ranked the Garden State dead last in favorability among the 50 states.

As CBS2's Dave Carlin reported, those who really know New Jersey praise the people as great, and the real estate as prime – with beautiful sights like the waterfalls in Nutley.

But others dismiss the state as a land of mobsters and grime.

"I don't think the Sopranos helped the state of New Jersey," said Charles Derios of Newark.

Indeed, Hollywood stereotypes got the blame for the poll results from YouGov that slammed the Garden State as the place to hate.

The survey asked Americans to rate the states, and New Jersey came dead last – as least likable of 50.

In fact, New Jersey was the only state for which more respondents had an unfavorable opinion than a favorable one. Forty percent of poll respondents rated New Jersey unfavorably, and 30 percent rated the state favorably – giving the state a net favorability rating of minus 10 percent, according to YouGov.

A YouGov article on the poll said the state has an image problem in popular cuture.

"The popular image of New Jersey often falls somewhere between the MTV show 'Jersey Shore,' HBO's award winning mafia drama 'The Sopranos' and the chemical plants and gray industrial landscape stretched along I-95 that inspired much of the work of Bruce Springsteen," Peter Moore wrote for YouGov.

Dwayne Quinn of New Orleans spoke to 1010 WINS' Al Jones on Thursday about the poll. He said there simply isn't much in New Jersey.

"I mean I've heard it as the armpit capital of the world or even the butt crack capital of the world. You know, there's not much that attracts," he said.

But one New Jersey resident responded, "I think it stinks."

And Lori Scerbak of Nutley meant the poll – not the state. She talked to CBS2's Carlin while eating pizza al fresco with her husband, Eric.

Both are Garden State natives.

"Well I think that's dopey," Eric Scerbak said. "They obviously weren't here. They've never been here before. You have mountains, you water, you have snow, you have sun, you have great beaches, great food."

Robert Foster, director of the Hoboken Historical Museum, said there are many things to like about New Jersey.

"We've got Frank Sinatra," he said. "We're very proud of him."

And in addition to Ol' Blue Eyes, New Jersey was also the site of the first U.S. baseball game, Foster said.

"June 19, 1846 -- played right here in Elysian Fields," he said.

According to the survey, the five most liked states in the country are Hawaii, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska and Maine. The five least liked are Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, and New Jersey.

But plenty of people were proud to be in the mobile museum for the New Jersey Hall of Fame where the images achievements of famous people from the Garden State are on display – including Yogi Berra, Thomas Edison, Vince Lombardi, Bruce Springsteen, Harriet Tubman, and so many more.

"Bon Jovi's jacket, Vince Lombardi's helmet -- I mean, what more could you possibly want?" said John Patterson of New Milford. "One of my favorites is right here -- this is Bruce Springsteen's handwritten journal all of the song lyrics."

New York is ranked at No. 36 in likeability, Connecticut at No. 33. For a graphic showing the rankings of all 50 states, click here.

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