We asked Connecticut residents to say three positive things about the state. Here’s what they came up with.

There is no shortage of hate toward the Nutmeg State from its residents. (At least if the comments on our Facebook page are any indication.)

So much so, that a recent survey from InformCT revealed that nearly half of Connecticut residents say they plan to leave the state in next five years.

So we hit the streets to challenge residents to say three nice things about Connecticut. Here’s what they came up with:

Barbara Butterworth has lived in Avon for the last seven years. From Cincinnati, Butterworth spent 17 years living in Florida and said she felt like she had “moved to heaven” when she moved here to Connecticut. As a hiker, she said she loves the state parks. “In this Farmington Valley area, we have so many beautiful state parks with hills and shade at any time of year,” Butterworth said. She also said she enjoys the culture that is offered here. Butterworth’s third favorite thing is the close proximity to the Long Island Sound and having “the rest of New England at our doorstep” here in Connecticut.

1. The state parks.

2. Arts and culture.

3. The proximity to the Long Island Sound and the rest of New England’s states.

For Evelyn Cordero, of Meriden, getting to participate in outdoor activities from festivals to hiking is what she likes most about Connecticut.

1. Hiking in Hubbard Park.

2. Enjoying the free festivals in Bushnell Park.

3. Spending time at the New Haven Green.

Originally from Missouri, Christina Thompson now resides in Torrington. For her, it’s about the scenery. “It’s just beautiful here,” Thompson said.

1. The libraries.

2. The “big rocks.”

3. The scenery as a whole.

Middletown residents JR & Faraneh Carnegie-Hargreaves say they love Connecticut for a few reasons, but most of those reasons have to do with its location.

1. Connecticut’s centrally located.

2. Its convenience to the Long Island Sound, Hammonnasset Beach State Park and Westerly, Rhode Island.

3. Sunken Garden Poetry offered by the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington.

Granby resident Mark Piwonski’s favorite things about Connecticut have a lot to do with nature and being outdoors. Piwonski said 20 years ago it was nearly impossible to find a dog park, but now he enjoys spending time at the dog park in Granby’s Salmon Brook Park. “I don’t spend that much time inside,” he said.

1. Natural areas for hiking.

2. The dog parks.

3. Clean water efforts.

Windsor resident Tammie Parker works in Hartford and said she loves being close to Bushnell Park and all it has to offer. Parker also said she is discovering that Connecticut has “nice beaches” and she enjoys the vast food scene.

1. Working near Bushnell Park.

2. Connecticut’s beaches.

3. The state’s food scene.

West Suffield resident Steve Grobe said he is glad to see more events being hosted in Connecticut, including concerts at Xfinity, Mohegan Sun and more off-beat events, like the “Big Bounce America Tour” that came to Granby recently.

1. More events being hosted throughout the state.

2. The wilderness, woods and nature.

3. The four seasons.

Originally from New Jersey, Paul Mark came to the Hartford area in 1999. For Mark, #HartfordHasIt.

1. Downtown Hartford’s scenery.

2. The energy of Hartford.

3. The convenience of living in the city.

Originally from Portland, Maine, Melissa Brady and her family moved to Avon seven years ago. Brady and her daughter Reese, 6, gave a shoutout to Connecticut’s schools. “I would say one of the top reasons we moved here was for the schools, so that’s probably a big one for why we love Avon and Connecticut.”

1. The schools in Avon.

2. The library and the pool.

3. Easy access to local goods, including meals at farm-to-table restaurants.

Originally from Massachusetts, Kim Dufrane came to Connecticut about 35 years ago. The now-West Granby resident likes the state’s beauty. “It’s just a beautiful state, it really is,” Dufrane said. She said she enjoys spending time with her two-year-old black lab, Tank, at the dog park at Salmon Brook Park in Granby, she said “[Tank] likes the state forests here, too, that he can run around in.”

1. The architecture.

2. The state parks.

3. The stonewalls and forests.

Hartford-area resident Andrew Carrington said Hartford offers a great food scene, particularly the West Indian food. Carrington said he also likes that the state has “a lot of hidden history and a lot of quirky facts.”

1. Great food.

2. Hidden history.

3. Different cultures and diversity.

Like many other residents we spoke to, Deborah Camp, of East Haddam, is about the beaches, food and the arts scene.

1. Old Saybrook and the beaches.

2. The restaurants in Middletown.

3. Shows at Hartford Stage.