In the latest roundup of gas prices, Mississippi comes in with the nation’s lowest. If you average regular through premium and diesel as well, Magnolia State residents are paying $2.704 a gallon. This is because of its strategic location and low taxes. In unrelated news, Mississippi is the only state in the nation where you can legally drive down a public road with an open container of alcohol in your hand.

There are two reasons the gas prices in Mississippi are so low

California residents are currently paying $4.657 for the average gallon of regular gas, mid-grade gas, premium gas, or diesel. But down on the gulf coast, the prices are nearly two dollars less. One reason is the location.

The states on the gulf coast are near oil rigs and many of the country’s refineries. This keeps shipping costs low. Many produce more gasoline than they use, further driving down prices. So it’s not surprising that the cheapest gasoline list includes Alabma, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

Mississippi has one more ace up its sleeve. That state charges just $0.18 a gallon in state taxes, the second lowest amount in the country. That’s compared to California’s $0.90 per gallon tax average.

This state has a long tradition of conservative politics. Its popular vote hasn’t gone to a Democrat Presidential candidate since 1976. One way this ideaology manifests is low taxes on gasoline. Another may be a culture of de-regulation. One extreme example is Mississippi’s open container laws.

Mississippi is the only state in the union with absolutely no open container laws for moving vehicles. That means a vehicle’s driving can be holding an open beer with one hand and the steering wheel with another, on a public road. That said, driving under the influence (with a BAC over 0.08%) is still illegale in Mississippi. So that driver with an open beer will very likely get pulled over and face a breathalyzer test on suspicion of driving drunk.