I think the best place to live is Austin, Texas. It is absolutely beatiful and it's a good mix of the north and south all together. What do you guys think?

I think that there is no single city that will met everyone's varied criteria for "liveability". Some people value natural beauty and peace and quiet. Others value hustle, bustle and the culture of a large city. Others hold on to the faded glory of their hometowns and simply stay. Others constantly seek out greener pastures and constantly find disappointment.

Bottom line: The best place to live in the world (not just the US) is going to be a place whose culture and environment engage you, interest you, fill you with enthusiasm. The people around you (family and friends and acquaintances) will energize you, and you will respond with generosity of spirit and a lack of judgmentalism. You will wake up every day seeing only infinite possibilities. You could be in Manhattan or Nebraska-- doesn't matter. I'm happy where I live, so for me, it's the best place to live in the world. The point is: YOU need to make some effort to make yourself happy. If you're an unhappy person, you'll be unhappy wherever you are.

Cats Eyes - I'll trade you if you live in Malahide or Portmarnock. ;-) I live in a small New England town north of Boston complete with white church steeples and town common. I love it but my mom was raised in Dublin and my dad was raised on the Dingle Pennisula. Ireland feels like home to me and my siblings. Maybe that why my brother and two first cousins have all moved back.

We have lived in Napa,Ca. for about 34 years. It is great except when the tourists come. Wouldn't live anywhere else.

Check out: http://houseandhome.msn.com/Move/Bes...oLive2003.aspx
Since it's from Microsoft, you know it has to be right!! ;-)

Top 5:

1. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill
2. Denver
3. San Diego
4. Punta Gorda
5. Tucson

Go figger.

If your thinking about Texas it is a great diverse state but it's also huge.
I live in the dead center of Texas and any major city Austin, San Antonio, Dallas is no less than 2-3 hours drive away the beach is a 5 1/2 to 6 hour drive be it Galvestion or Corpus Christi. And it gots HOT! but I love the heat and winters are fairly mild no matter where you live compared to the northern states. You need to visit in winter and in AUGUST, before you decide.

I grew up in San Diego and my family still lives there, so I visit a lot. I think San Diego is one of those cities that looks really great to outsiders, but isn't so fabulous once you actually live there. It's very beautiful, yes. But the traffic in San Diego County has gotten so bad that it's really impossible to get anywhere. The gridlock is beyond frustrating. I live in L.A. now, and I think San Diego freeways are actually worse than L.A.

The other thing that really bothers me about San Diego is their terrible newspaper (written by monkeys with crayons, I swear!) and overall lack of intellectualism. I'm not saying people in S.D. are dumb. Not at all. They're just very conservative (this area is a MAJOR Republican Party, born again Christian, military stronghold) and people don't seem to enjoy open discussions about culture, art, current events, etc... I've never understood it. But it's enough to make me never live there again.

I'm not saying L.A. is perfect, but it has a lot of advantages over San Diego. There's definitely a greater diversity of people and cultures here. Not to mention access to world class museums, restaurants, theatres, etc... People here are generally accepting of new ideas and are (despite the image we get on TV) well eduated and at least semi-cultured. It's close to everything (beach, mountains, desert... all nearby). Of course, there's the downsides: traffic, smog and the outrageous cost of living (you can't buy a house here for under half a million. And half a million buys you a 2 bedroom "fixer").

I do think San Francisco is definitely the city to live in if you want to be in California, though. It's an amazing place, full of interesting people. I aspire to move there in a few years. the housing market is insane there, too-- but it's a great city.

I've also lived several years in Boston and can't say enough good things about that city and the surrounding areas. The people of New England are wonderful. The city of Boston is one of my favorites in the world. Out of all the places I've lived, this would be the place I'd most like to raise children.

Hi Erin. I agree with you about San Diego. We moved here from L.A. 12 years ago and the freeways are terrible. We live inland and have to take the freeway almost everywhere. If we want to eat at a decent restaurant, we have to drive to the gaslamp district which we rarely do b/c of the traffic and parking problems once we get downtown. It's also hot as the dickens in inland N. County San Diego. I loved to visit San Diego when I lived in L.A., but I wish we could move back. I also agree with you about The Union Tribune!!

We live just outside Baltimore, I'm from Philly originally (not going back) and he's from Niagara (canadian side)(maybe we'll go there eventually.) The following are places I could work next year and hopefully stay for some time:

Palm Beach, FL - mostly at NSU-COM
Chapel Hill, NC - mostly at UNC-CH
Columbia, SC - mostly at USC
Denver, CO - mostly at UCHSH
San Diego, CA - mostly at SDSU

Our hobbies are road cycling (avid rider), golf, amateur ice hockey.

See the next post for why I don't want to stay in Baltimore.

So, priorities are great weather, a city that I feel safe walking around, maybe even at night if that actually exists, non-annoying commute, oh, and a place where my dog can run around a lot pretty regularly would be great (i.e. big backyard or trails close by where she could be off leash safely)
Affordability (real estate) would be a very very high next priority if possible.

No illusions I'll get all these things. Any info welcome! Thank you!

By the way - if you don't have to commute to the city or, especially DC, I HIGHLY recommend Maryland. Literally 10-15 minutes from the city and you are in gorgous countryside. Very affordable, close to everything and I do mean EVERYTHING, Can't say enough wonderful things. Just can't stand living here when I would have to be driving in Balto. every day. And, trust me, I know EVERY way to get out of the city without going on 695, 95, or 83. STILL have to deal with drivers who freak out if it is less than 100% visibility or, heaven forbid, it drizzles. Very unsafe driving conditions b/c they are inconsistent, timid and unskilled and have no idea how to slow down on the highways by releasing the gas pedal and gauging (sp) flow of traffic. Nope, they just slam on the brakes. And forget about it if there's snow. City shuts down. Had to vent.
It's a small city that's grown too quickly I guess. They're working on expanding the major arteries but I still wonder if they teach driver's ed differently here. (i.e. speed up on the downhills, slow down on the uphills and the curves and freak out if you see any cones or construction because maybe they forgot people were driving here and ended a lane abruptly and didn't tell anyone. So slow down and cause a traffic jam!!!)

OK, done venting.

Ok. I feel like I should my 2cents in this very long, very old post.

I love Atlanta. I love Chicago. Atlantas weather is amazing... fall is gorgeous, winter is mild, summer is warm but there's AC everywhere so it's not too bad. People are so friendly in Atlanta... I think it's the nice weather that makes people so nice. And the restaurants are good too. And like a poster way above said, so close to water and mountain getaways.
Chicago is great because of the diversity of cultures. Horrible spring, fall, and winters. Actually summer isn't too great either. traffic is a nightmare... worse than atlanta. Bt the fact that you can go to an amazing art, science, natural history museum and then grab excellent italian, chinese, indian, german, or greek food...thats a big plus for chicago. And the downtown area is wonderful.

I agree about Upstate NY. I live in Albany and love it. I lived in Boston years ago and dealt with all the traffic nightmares. Yes, our winters are dreary but I like our calm lifestyle.

Why do so many people consider only "liberal places" good places to live? I've seen that mentioned in other posts that discuss places to live. Many ex-Californians may not agree with that assesment. I think the healthy mix of ideas is better - no
one group knows how to "run" everything.

Palo Alto, California!

Portland, ME, it's the best place in the US. I love it!!! You don't know what you're missin'!!!!!

God's Country is DENVER,COLORADO!!!!
I never want to leave here! I have lived alot of places but this beats them all hands down!No one has a clue.
Everyone thinks we have the worst weather. The weather is the best all year round. The only thing that is missing is my family and the ocean, but I will take the mountains over the ocean anytime. Trying to get family here
I have friends for life and the best times are here in COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH!
Rocky Mountain High for Life!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree that San Diego is getting way too crowded. We've lived here for 10 years and are getting out next spring. Where are we going? America's best kept secret: Tulsa, Oklahoma. If you liked Austin ten years ago, you'd love Tulsa.

Another vote for San Diego. Unfortunatly, it is really getting overcrowded here but then I remember it was a small city with lots of open spaces. The cost of housing can be prohibative for new comers, (average house runs over $450,000) It does get rather hot in the inland areas, so it's best to live west of the 805, after all it is a desert. The weather is nearly perfect, except for August and September, it's miserably hot. While it is true that the newspaper is a joke, one can always read newspapers on-line. When we walk our dogs on the beach each morning we believe we are blessed.

Andrea, eliminate Columbia, SC from your list. Summers are hotter than hell and miserable.

For the person who said Atlanta has great weather and the summers are warm, you've obviously never been to Atlanta in the summer.

I have lived in central Massachusetts my entire life (30 years). My husband and I are not looking to move down south. Boston does have a lot of history, but the culture is fairly dated. We tend to take our children to Providence for things to do. Winter here is horrible. We like to ski, but there are almost six months of freezing cold and snow. Too long for us to enjoy year after year. House prices towards Boston are high, and even furthur inland home prices have jumped. We are considering Atlanta, a city we love to visit. Yes summers are hot and humid, but with a pool and AC we'll enjoy it. We travel to San Diego once a year, but would never move there because of the high cost of living and the traffic. Atlanta has a lot of traffic, but at least we could afford a nice home and there are plenty of jobs outside of the city.