all along the eastern boarder is a waste land.

I once drove from SLC into Boise (all butt ugly) and then along into Oregon heading to North Bend and until you crossed about an hour into Oregon it was some of the ugliest areas in the country. Basically the entire I-84 line is a great scene for anything filming of Mad Max.

Pretty much the complete opposite with ND. Yes, it's flat but areas like Williston, Bismarck, Minot are all wonderful small American cities.

Don't get me wrong Coeur d Alene is amazing.