My wife and I have lived in Florida our entire lives and have opened our minds to moving somewhere else.
I would appreciate any advice (pro's/con's) of the following cities. Here are my likes and dislikes about where I currently live which could help you understand what we're looking for -
Florida
positives
NO STATE INCOME TAX
Near the ocean
Pro sports
International Airport
Low cost of living
family base

Negatives
HOT and HUMID
FLAT
Been there, done that

We would like to be near mountains, NP's, and relatively low cost of living (medium sized towns).

Considered these cities

Seaside, Oregon
Bangor, Maine
Coeur d Alene, Idaho
Johnson City, Tennessee
Salt Lake City, Utah
Providence, Rhode Island
Little Rock, Arkansas

I would highly recommend Portsmouth, NH...No state income tax, on the ocean, medium sized, close to Boston (about an hour) plus it has a great deal of character. A neat place!

I am doing the opposite of you...I have spent all my life in New England and I am moving to Florida in October.

Perhaps we can swap houses
Thanks Linda! I have considered NH but heard the Cost of Living is outrageous the closer you get to Boston?

Dean,

The cost of living is fairly high in Boston and suburbs. Having always lived up here, I don't have a lot to compare it to, but in general NH is cheaper than Massachusetts. I actually live in Manchester, NH(about 45 min from Boston) , and I would say the average home around here runs around $150,000 to $200,000. Having looked around for apartments in Fort Lauderdale, the rents seem to be comparable with Manchester (as do the salaries for my line of work) . Portsmouth may be a bit higher because of it's closeness to the ocean, but not significantly so.

What part of Florida are you coming from?

Tampa Bay area so I'm relatively spoiled with the low cost-of-living.
I have found that Bangor seems reasonable but a bit far out.

Are bugs a serious problem in Florida? How badly infested are most homes/ that turns me off about Florida.

Bangor is very nice, especially in summer. I am unfamiliar with the cost of living there, but I do know it is far away from any big cities (if that concerns you). Have you been up north in the winter?

Roger - I have very little problem with bugs. Also Pest control can solve any problem.
Linda - I have been to Mass. in Oct, Nov, and March (the outer edges of winter) and loved it. Lived in Indiana while going to school and loved it. But have never considered going as far north as Bangor to live and am told by many I'm crazy. The WINTER horror stories are boundless here by transplanted northerners!

This past winter was really not that bad at all, but they can be horrible. To me, it just seems endless. I do not enjoy any winter sports, so I am not a big snow fan. You may enjoy it, because it's different from what you're used to. I, however, am looking forward to no winter (although that's not why we're moving to FLA...just an added bonus). Bangor is a nice place, and in the summer it is a fantastic place to be.

If you hire a good exterminator on a yearly contract bugs are little to worry about. Cost varies (I'll estimate a rough range of $250 to $600 or so) and adds a bit to the cost of living.

Little Rock, really, just out of curiosity how did that make your list?

There are some nice areas around there (mountains and what-not) but Little Rock proper is not an ideal place to live IMO.

Never been to Little Rock but it made the list for several reasons:

Affordable housing (low cost-of-living)
Ozark mountains
reasonably sized airport nearby (fairly easy access anywhere in the country)
seems to have easy access for a weekend "getaway" that the concrete jungle of TB doesn't offer.