This list ranks Wisconsin as one of the worst for sunsets. It could not be more wrong, and we have the photos to prove it

Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read

Random lists and rankings fill the Internet these days. From the best places to live to the states with the most fans of "The Bachelor," there's a list for just about everything, and most are far from scientific, rendering results that are often laughable.

A new one ranking the best states for picturesque sunsets falls into that category.

The list from Forbes Advisor rates Wisconsin as one of the worst states for sunsets, based on some Instagram data.

Forbes Advisor ranked the most picturesque sunset states based on data from Instagram.
Forbes Advisor ranked the most picturesque sunset states based on data from Instagram.

Forbes looked at Instagram posts that used the hashtag #sunset, then geolocated them to find the states with the highest proportion of posts and the most interactions per post. California came out on top, with more than 20% of posts about sunsets taken there. Florida was second with more than 16% of posts.

Makes sense. The California and Florida coasts are ripe for sunset photos. And if the list were a ranking of the states where the most Instagram sunset photos were taken, then that would be accurate. But to make the logical leap that the most photos on Instagram equals the most picturesque sunsets is, well, California dreamin'.

Wisconsin ranked 32nd, behind Midwestern neighbors Illinois (8), Iowa (28) and Minnesota (30) but ahead of Ohio (34) and Michigan (38). Any list where Illinois ranks ahead of Wisconsin, other than one ranking the worst football teams in the world, is obviously wrong.

It's OK, though. We're used to being overlooked here in Wisconsin. This is flyover country, after all. And we don't need social media to confirm our sunsets are great. We're too busy enjoying them.

Like while we're exploring the Apostle Islands.

Ruyuan Yang (left) from Xishuangbanna, China and her friend, Xudung Chang, a Western Michigan University student from Mongolia, are seen through ice formations as the sun begins to set on March 9, 2015. For the second straight year, the Apostle Islands ice caves were accessible due to thick ice thanks to the cold winter. In all, 37,802 people made the hike to see the formations.

Or sitting on a pier on one of Wisconsin's 15,000 lakes.

Sasha, on a dock at sunset on Nagawicka Lake in Delafield.
Sasha, on a dock at sunset on Nagawicka Lake in Delafield.
Mercer.
Mercer.

Or walking in our fields, forests and hills.

Sunset at Starin Park in Whitewater.
Sunset at Starin Park in Whitewater.
Sunset in Ixonia.
Sunset in Ixonia.
The sun sets behind the Basilica and National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill in Hubertus on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021.
The sun sets behind the Basilica and National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill in Hubertus on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021.

And while Milwaukee is a sunrise expert, it has its moments at dusk, too.

The sun sets behind the Milwaukee skyline reflected in a puddle of melting snow at Veterans Park in Milwaukee on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020.
The sun sets behind the Milwaukee skyline reflected in a puddle of melting snow at Veterans Park in Milwaukee on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020.

So you all keep flying over and we'll enjoy having these picturesque sunsets all to ourselves.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin ranked low for sunsets. These photos prove otherwise