48. Rhode Island

Rhode Island boasts some of the richest historical significance of our nation’s nascent history. It served as the first colony to actually declare independence from the British crown. Interestingly enough, they also were the last state to sign to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Even the name of this quirky seaside state holds some amusing idiosyncratic significance: it is officially recognized as the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

I wouldn’t want the whole plantation bit in my name, either. So, I can see why that part is dropped in most versions.

Despite its relative lack of crime, when compared to the last two on this list, Rhode Island has the second-worst urban density rate of all the U.S. states. It is close to other major metropolitan areas, and has a relative lack of natural resources. Yes, there is plenty of salt water to be had, but that won’t do much good for most of the people trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. You can’t really drink salt water.

Further complicating things for the feisty little state that could is the relative abundance of nuclear power plants. Couple this with the state’s vulnerability to severe weather, such as hurricanes and flooding, and there is real potential for harm.

It might be worth noting that at one point, I wrote a short story where a mob boss was "healed by the hands of Providence." Except, the hands of Providence in this fictional scenario belonged to Rhode Island gangsters.