@sundogplanets Hard for me to compare, given the temporal differences, but I'll list four: Nantucket (2000), where Maria Mitchell was born and did her early astronomical work (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Mitchell), and which can have very clear skies, despite being a small island; Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah (2001), where the night sky view from the rim is spectacular; Death Valley National Park Nevada (2026), a formal dark sky area; and, circa 1980, a rural area south of Chapel Hill, NC, where I lived for a few years when in grad school. One winter evening, I don't recall just when, there was supposed to be a good meteor shower, so several of went out to watch it. The sky was spectacular, and one didn't have to look hard to see *lots* of meteors.
(Aside: when my kids were in elementary school, there was supposed to be a good meteor shower. For assorted reasons, including timing and park operating hours, none of the nearby parks were suitable. I was living in a densely populated area of New Jersey, with lots of light pollution, so the best available spot was the local schoolyard. When we got there, we saw that at least a dozen others had the same idea. A cop stopped by, wondering why there were so many people in lawn chairs in the schoolyard at that hour of the evening. I was far back, so I didn't get to hear the conversation, but I'm sure he drove away muttering about these weird people…)
