In the years that followed the end of World War II, UFO sightings soared, and the U.S. government, concerned with national security, did its best to explain them away – weather balloons, other aircraft, atmospheric phenomena, birds…. But the proliferation of reports in every state has made it difficult for some people to accept the government’s explanations. ( Here is why scientists think there is life on other planets .) To compile a list of the best states for UFO enthusiasts in 2022, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the results of a report on the subject from Lawn Love , a lawn care resource site, which frequently analyzes data around various lifestyle topics. Drawing on some 13 governmental and non-governmental sources, Lawn Love collected data on 12 differently weighted criteria across four categories: number of UFO and UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) sightings; community (including number of UFO-related clubs and organizations and average month Google searches for UFO-related terms); sighting potential (number of planetariums and observatories, number of U.S. Air Force bases, communication towers per square mile, and historical average air quality index); and entertainment (number of UFO-related tours, attractions, and events). Scores for each state were averaged across all categories to determine the states (including the District of Columbia) most and least likely to report extraterrestrial activity. Data on UFO sightings since 1998 and total sightings came from the National UFO Reporting Center , a non-profit organization that records and attempts to document possible UFO related-events. NOFORC has reported more than 150,000 sightings since it was founded 48 years ago. ( These are the states where people see the most UFOs .) The evidence is making it more difficult for the U.S. government to ignore. In June 2021, the director of the Office of National Intelligence published a report titled “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” The report did not find proof of extraterrestrial activity, but the government did not rule out that possibility either. In July 2021, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to set up a government system for reporting UFOs. That same year, the U.S. Navy officially published previously released videos showing unexplained objects. The top five states for UFO fans are all in the West. Besides California and Texas, the nation’s two most populous states, UFO experts say the desert landscapes and the lack of so-called light pollution in the Southwest offer the best viewing opportunities for these visitors. Beyond the top five, UFO sightings are dispersed across the U.S.
Hellbound and Down 