Dan

Jenna, I have to be honest. You came off like an idiot. You generalized about the south and then accused others of being narrow-minded. Oh, and your blanket statement "America is still the best country", will play well around the world.

Eddie1

I only mentioned the larger Canadian cities because I am a city person - I love the diversity, intensity and options that a city may offer. I live in Edmonton, a city which offers a lot of diversity in the arts and culture scene overall, but it's not really a vibrant city (very mallish and ugly suburban) and can feel very isolated at times. It is a long drive to anywhere interesting - doesn't include Calgary which is too similar and too conservative for my liking. At this stage in my life I do not even want to consider a small town and most small towns around here just are not appealing to me. I like the anonymous aspect that a city offers along with the options (and the variety of ideas). Also, most Canadian "cities" are quite small when compared to American ones (at least in population). Here in Canada the sheer size of the country, along with the relatively small population, makes distances between major urban areas (large or small) quite a distance apart and is a big disadvantage for flying to other destinations due to a lack of access to major airports. I have to admit that the climate plays a big role in my desire to leave - we will be getting temperatures of minus 25C this weekend and it's brown for seven months of the year. Most of Canada is, actually. I'm not complaining, it's a great country and I take a lot of it for granted, I guess, but we really are limited to finding our little paradise up here if cold weather is not your thing.

Again, I was really inspired by many of the posts showing the immense variety that America offers to it's citzens (especially the climate) and, sigh, admit to some envy there. I feel most like leaving when winter hits and the feeling of isolation can be overwhelming at times. C'est la vie.

Tammy

Spokane WA. Has mountains, parks and is a family friendly city. Allows for quick trips to Portland and Seattle. Not far from the beauty of the Idaho panhandle. We do not get the fog and rain that seattle does-the sunshine side of the state. Warm arid summers-not much humidity. usually we have a white and bright Christmas. We love it!