Well, LapisStar_14, you seem to be discontented with life. I don't think it is the weather or the people. As for weather, compare this winter with last in New England if you will. So sometimes it snows and sometimes it doesn't.

You are getting some geographically related ideas (well this is basically a travel forum) but you should be looking at career, friendship, lifestyle issues. Ackislander does have career thoughts to mull over. It is however a matter of finding yourself not finding some place. Where did you grow up and where is family? You can be equally happy or miserable in Cape Cod or Concord or Cleveland or Charlestown or Casablanca or Copenhagen.

Bill in Boston (moving from Missouri two years ago)

You certainly won't escape winter by moving to the Pacific Northwest.

You will also learn to complain about the incessant rain.

I also see myself living in a community that is health conscious, has a good mix of nature and plenty of activities that more metro places would offer. I am not into major hustle and bustle, although it would be nice to live within reasonable proximity of 'Things to do'. I also like living near the coast, but its not a deal breaker for me if i were to be inland.

The DC Metro area:

HIGH education levels

LOTS of single straight MEN

130 miles from the ocean

PLENTY of things to do

I'm certain you are going to hear the same things about LOTs of Metro areas...Good Luck

Boulder, CO

Austin, TX, but two drawbacks for you:
1) Very hot and long summers.
2) Not near the ocean (Galveston is about 4 hours away)

But this part you can have in spades: "outdoors, working out, art, music, yoga"

However, I think the most important part is focusing in on a job that provides sufficient income. Where can you get that? If you don't have that, it's hard for the rest to fall into place.

One problem . . Most places (not exclusively, but in general) where you can make a decent living and have options in Holistic fields will have very expensive cost of living.

No place will you earn a decent livelihood in animal care/veterinary services unless you are a vet or have some special skills. Just working in a vet's office will basically rate near minimum wages.

And as far as health/nutrition -- you need advanced education and usually licensing.

I may be wrong, but from your post it doesn't sound like you are in any specific career path/field and don't have any special qualifications. You need to look a the job markets before you consider the things on your wish list.

Another vote for DC. I lived there in my thirties. It is very easy to make single friends there, easy to find a job there and more to do than you can imagine. If you find it too expensive, it is also easy to find a roommate.

I also vote for the PAcific NW. Not everyone minds the rain : )

Thank you to all who replied! Very useful info and feed back
:)Ackislander,traveler24,Dukey1,Placename,qwovadis , Bowsprit, Ozarksbill,nytraveler,janisj ETC.

One poster above, speaking about living in the south vs New England said: "The rest of the year is pretty delightful compared to where you are from. I've lived in the south my whole life and you don't get acclimated to it. You just stay indoors for 2-3 months." Well as I'm sure Lapis knows, New England is EXTREMELY delightful all but 2-3 months when we just stay indoors, it's just the months are switched. We stay inside in the winter, southerns do it in the summer.

I think the gist of what is being said here is very accurate - that a NON professional job in health or animal care does not pay well as a career - anywhere be it New England, Arizona , California, etc. So working in a health food store, a vet's office, etc is going to be tough to support yourself unless you have a second income (trust fund, boyfried/husband, etc). So if that is your situation you should probably find some place with a lower cost of living. In other words, you won't make much more in a health food store in San Francisco than you will in rural Alabama, but the cost of living will be very different. But of course the type of people and ambiance won't be what you want either. So many trade offs.

So the one suggestion I'd make is consider nursing school. In two years you can be an RN and make very decent money and the job market is excellent all over the country (with a few temporary areas at the moment that aren't great). You can then move anywhere in the country and support yourself. If you like it you can continue on with your education to an even better career and if you don't like it you will have only spent two years (as opposed to six for a vet, etc). You can be an LPN in only one year, with just as good job prospects, although not in hospitals.

Thank you for your feed back (WillTravel, janisj, kit & Isabel) I am currently serching my options for starting a health science program at some local colleges. Thank you also for your thoughful suggestions on the various locations.

My BIL lives in Corvallis Oregon. It is a great place to live.
Oregon State University has a veterinary program.
http://oregonstate.edu/vetmed/
Check it out. It might be the town you are looking for.

I live in Arlington, VA, and the summers here are much more brutal than they are along or near the coast in my condo area (South Florida) so not everywhere are they "brutal" in the South.

Arizona, if you can stand the dry heat, is sometimes described as having brutal Summers, too.

Portland, OR, and western Oregon in general, what's not to like?

Well since you mentioned being in the veterinary field- and since its so difficult to get into vet school- I will suggest equine dentistry. The grand-daughter of a friend is going to be going to school for this- don't have to be a vet and apparently it pays well and its a field where I would imagine you would meet men and women.

Going to nursing school has been suggested but new nurses have a hard time finding jobs- even though there are many discussions about the shortage of nurses, they mean experienced nurses- not new grads.

I believe there is a school of equine dentistry in Texas which is likely not your first choice of places to live but might be OK while going to school.

You mentioned Sedona yet say you don't like tourists on Cape Cod..You'd getmore of the same.

A degree in any veterinary or dentistry field will take years and require substantial academic accomplishment and financial resources.

In your early 30's it would be prudent to be very realistic about your academic abilities, and how you would finance 8+ years of university and/or vet school.

The OP never came back after Apr 17 -- the thread was topped by an advertiser . . .

I hate it when that happens

Denver, CO.

Boulder is tres cher, and no jobs.

I got hooked into a 2 year old thread AGAIN. When will I learn to look at the derned dates!!
As for national moving month, I would guess this has much more to do with relocation at the end of a school year than discontent with winters!! LOL

Let it go folks--she has surely moved on, probably without even looking at this thread.