That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
A new study analyzing noise levels across U.S. states ranked California third to last in terms of quietness, with Monterey being the second noisiest metro area at 70.27 decibels. This exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency's threshold for potential hearing loss and annoyance. The research, conducted by Alpine Hearing Protection, also noted that Los Angeles and Orange Counties face noise levels of 67.27 decibels, putting residents close to harmful exposure limits.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A new analysis based on data from the U.S. National Transportation Noise Map ranked California third-to-last for quietness among U.S. states. The Monterey area was particularly highlighted as the second noisiest metro in the country, with noise levels reaching 70.27 decibels, putting residents at risk of hearing loss. Experts consider anything over 55 decibels to be annoying outdoors and ideal indoor levels around 45 decibels. Neighboring Los Angeles and Orange Counties also scored high, recording 67.27 decibels. The study was conducted by Alpine Hearing Protection, indicating that even smaller cities in California face significant noise issues, with levels peaking well above 90 decibels in certain areas.
Written for “Noise Pollution In California” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 66431 · logged 2026-10-08
A new analysis naming and shaming the loudest states in the country puts California in third to last place — with one surprising Golden State city called out as the second noisiest of any metro in the entire United States.
asserted
city → name → States
Using data pulled from the U.S. National Transportation Noise Map, which measures noise levels from roads, railways and airports, the surplus-of-sound survey showed that residents of the Monterey area are regularly forced to cope with an ear-shattering 70.27 decibels.
asserted
residents → use → decibels
Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter
The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.
Thanks for signing up!
asserted
Sign → sign → California
Experts say that anything over 70 decibels put you at risk for hearing loss.
asserted
anything → say → loss
According to the EPA, anything above 55 decibels in an outdoor setting can be considered an annoyance — while 45 is said to be ideal for indoors.
uncertain
45 → accord → indoors
Living in Los Angeles and Orange Counties puts you perilously close to the limit, too — the region scored 67.27 decibels, according to the research, recently put out by Alpine Hearing Protection.
uncertain
region → live → Protection
According to the publicly available noise map used in the study, those numbers can soar well into the 90s at key spots in and around even smaller airports — with neighboring communities at risk of outsized amounts of aural assault.
uncertain
communities → accord → assault
Heavily populated California communities near major airports include many central San Diego neighborhoods and South Bay cities adjacent to LAX.
asserted
communities → populate → LAX
City-dwelling Californians looking for calm should avoid neighboring Nevada, which ranked worse — the Silver State took a shameful second in the surplus-of-sound survey.
asserted
State → dwell → survey
The Las Vegas Valley had the state’s highest city-area reading at 60.79 decibels.
asserted
Valley → have → decibels
Other Western states — Arizona (No. 6) and Oregon (No. 10) — also cracked the top slots.
asserted
states → crack → slots
Texas took the top spot as the loudest state in the country, with its highest reading reaching 80.65 decibels.
asserted
reading → take → decibels
Other states that made it into the top 10 include Illinois (No. 4), Florida (No. 5), New York (No. 7), North Dakota (No. 8), and North Carolina (No. 9).
asserted
that → make → Illinois
Connecticut had the lowest maximum reading at 54.85 decibels, while Vermont’s ceiling was 55 decibels.
asserted
ceiling → have → decibels
The Aporia
