Places to live - input please?

[sorraia]

I don't want to go into a lot of details right now, but for awhile I had been considering moving to another state. Hadn't brought it up to my husband until the other night. He was actually open to the idea. I know there are a lot of things to consider, and before we actually seriously start looking into anything, we need to at least start with a pro/con list of staying here vs. moving. In the mean time, I want to get an idea of what else is out there. I have friends and family in other states, but I want to get wider input too.

So where do you live, have you lived, and what are the pros and cons of living there? Any place you absolutely LOVE, and why? Any place you absolutely HATE, and why?
Tell me anything and everything about it you desire: climate, landscapes, job market, housing marking, cost of living, attractions, activities, politics, religion. This isn't a debate about what is or isn't better, because that is all in the eye of the beholder. I just want to know what else is out there. I was born and raised in California, and while I've vacationed in other states (and even out of the country), I've only ever lived here. So my experiences are very very limited.

[carlson]

I live in Minnesota far north. Our weather is messed up ha 100 in summer -30 in winter and yesterday it was 45 and raining lol. I love the woods and up here is perfect for that and cost of living is cheaper then most places and starting to expand again with new mines opening up so lot of new jobs and people coming up here

[SylverTears]

It is a beautiful climate with a variety of animals. Is is not very crowded where I live, which is a plus to me. The weather is pretty extreme, getting 100+ degrees and -30 in the winter. It is very safe and lovely here, I just don't like how there aren't any reptile shops.

[carlson]

Tori are you Minnesota too!!

[swansonbb]

I've been in NC since 1994. Mountains on one side, beach on the other. Weather isn't too extreme, lots of state parks and wildlife, great economy (if you're near Raleigh), some of the best state schools in the country. Cost of living is generally reasonable. The downsides include a ton of judgemental religious fanatacism and the thinking can be a bit 1950s if you are outside of the metropolitan areas.

[Wapadi]

Well we are currently in Wa state due to the Navy and San diego before that.....
And I would gladly stay up here FOREVER!!! (Silverdale, WA) We are originally from Tampa FL. And even after a year of being here I still love everything!! The views are fabulous and there is so much stuff to do! We are outdoor people and love going hiking and just being outdoors in general and we take our dogs everywhere! This is a very friendly dog state that we have seen. I even like the weather. Like did you know there really are FOUR seasons every year! LOL, seriuosly FL doesnt! And everybody thinks it rains all the time here, so not true!
Being military I really dont know about the jobs here. But the is a big Boeing Factory that everybody talks about.
Groceries are definately cheaper here than CA. Our car insurance dropped in half!! We live on base but our friends have a 1200 sq foot apartment and they pay $800 a month. Cable is the same as CA. Our cell phone service is the same.
I love Pikes Place Market! Canada is only a little boat ride away. Ferries are so much fun to ride on (thats how we get to Seattle)! Loads of skiing here. Tulips start growing in Feb and it looks just like Holland!
Here's some pic I took this year!

[Mike41793]

Not sure exactly where id wanna live if i could pick. Id have to visit the state once or twice first.

Do not move to CT. I could go into detail, but ill keep it short: this state sucks for the most part.

[Archimedes]

Pennsylvania's not so bad. One of the nice things for us animal nuts is that you don't have to live too far outside of any of the cities to be in a rural area-- for example, drive 40 minutes west from downtown Philadelphia and you're seeing farms on all sides. There are tons of midsized towns too, which is nice. Our weather scans between 100+ in summer and 0+ in winter, I can't remember the last time it went below zero.

[sorraia]

Thanks for the descriptions so far! keep them coming.

There are just so many options out there, it is pretty overwhelming. Every bit of info helps.

[txcoker]

I live in Texas. I will list the pro's first.
Herp friendly
No state income tax
Great job markets
Relatively low cost of living
Endless recreational choices
Gun friendly

Con's
Hurricanes down south
Tornadoes up north
Can have extreme weather swings