Inverse writer Zebbie Watson has done the important work of determining the creepiest state in the U.S. by methodically watching all 208 episodes of The X-Files, god love her. The answer: the non-state of Washington, D.C., which was the site of 21 total paranormal/extraterrestrial occurrences on the long-running series. Makes sense! For a couple of reasons.
Firstly, Mulder and Scully were based out of D.C., so naturally they would encounter the largest proportion of frights close to home. Secondly? Washington, D.C. is the center of the political universe, i.e. the creepiest place I can imagine.
Also ranking high on the tally were Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania (where the terrifying “Home” episode was set) and California, a state that hosted a total of 13 paranormal/extraterrestrial incidents during the show's run. Among the Southern states, only Florida ranked high on the list (obvs), while the Pacific Northwest also proved to be a popular site for frightful happenings thanks to its gloomy weather and proliferation of conifer trees, I guess.
States with exactly zero incidents include North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Arkansas, while interestingly, only 2 episodes of the show focused on happenings in New Mexico, the site of the infamous Roswell incident. I guess setting more episodes there would've been too on the nose.
You can check out the full infographic and rundown over at Inverse.
[h/t CNET]